My computer can't run games very well

[Dasil]

Hi everyone,

I have an upgraded Gateway FX 6800-01e, a system that I thought was designed specifically for gaming, but it can't seem to run any games very well. Almost every game I try to play lags and drops framerate to the point where it is practically unplayable (some games only get about 2 fps on lowest settings).

System specs:
9 GB DDR3 RAM (originally 3 GB)
750 GB HDD
Windows 7 Home Premium
Intel Core i7 920 @ 2.67 GHz
ATI Radeon HD 4850

All my drivers are up-to-date, all game patches have been installed, and Windows is updated regularly. I'm trying to play Assassin's Creed 1 and 2, Rainbow Six Vegas 1 and 2, Crysis, Prince of Persia series, C&C Tiberium Wars, and Audiosurf. Crysis is, surprisingly, the only one that actually plays well even on the highest settings. I know some of these have problems with Windows 7, but installing and running in compatibility mode doesn't help.

Do I have some something configured incorrectly? Any other ideas as to what could be causing this slow-down?

Thanks

 

[Herr_Koos]

I cant' speak for AC, but C&C 3 should fly on that system. What is your power supply? Also check that your power profile isn't set to Power Saving instead of Balanced. This sometimes happens with Windows 7.

 

[Jonathern]

Yeah i agree those games should all run at the speed of light, I recommend let us know about what power supply you have in your rig and try out what herr_koos said.

I would also try running my computer by testing each RAM card out one module may be at fault, Painful task but worth a try.

 

[frozentundra123456]

Unless you are running a super high resolution, most of those game should run fine. I would suggest running Dxdiag and click on the display tab, just to make sure the comp is seeing your video card. 99% chance that it is, but if the card or/drivers are not installed correctly, you could have a problem.

As others have said, it could be your power supply. Can you borrow another video card to put in to test?? Could be that your card is defective/overheating or something.

 

[geniusender]

hello Dasil,
buddy all games should run fine along with AC n AC2.
Ur rig is powerful enough to play all these games.
If it is a PSU problem then this should also be done to the Crysis.
Generally PSU is looking suspicious then how Crysis is working fine.
I think this is Windows Fault.

 

[13thmonkey]

what is your PSU?

does the gpu have both(?) external power sockets plugged in?

 

[13thmonkey]

by the way, that is one very nice looking machine.

 

[Dasil]

Thanks for the replies.

I have a 450 W power supply. Dxdiag reported that everything was ok, and the power profile is Balanced.

 

[Herr_Koos]

What brand? If it's a low-quality 450W, you will actually get far less than 450W out if it.

 

[geniusender]

Buddy for your convenience check your power requirement from the links given below:
............................................................................................................
http://www.antec.outervision.com/PSUEngine
............................................................................................................
http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp

http://www.raptoxx.com/calculator.php


http://www.thermaltake.outervision.com/Power

http://www.journeysystems.com/power_supply/

http://www.msi.com/index.php?func=power

http://educations.newegg.com/tool/psucalc/index.html



http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod


http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDR

http://www.hardocp.com/reviews/psu_power_supplies/

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/page/power
.............................................................................................................
Best Of Luck.

 

[13thmonkey]

nd its not just watts, its 12V amps as well

 

[guruofchem]

Have you checked to see what else might be running in the background? I don't know specifically about Gateway's gaming rigs, but most manufacturers have plenty of bloatware aboard their rigs, and some of that may be siphoning off system resources. Viruses and malware too might be slowing things down - make sure you are clean. Weird that Crysis is the fastest of the lot - would normally expect just the opposite...

 

[jgiron]

I agree with guruofchem, most off the shelf computers have tons of bloatware pre-installed and some might have some malware. Run MSConfig and see what programs are starting up, disable the items you really don't need.
Then check your processes and see what is taking up your memory and CPU resources.
Another issue might be heat in the tower, do a heat check if you can.

Last resort would be a clean install of the OS.

 

[nightstalker_ns]

maybe u can go to ATI catalyst then go to 3d then all and click on default and then apply

this could help if your using some crazy stuff like x24 anti aliasing or so

this could happen to some ppl

happend to me on gta iv i got 26 FPS

then i found out that i had my catalyst using anti aliasing x16

hope that helps

 

[Dasil]

Thanks again for the replies.

I bought the computer a few years ago and it came with Vista Home Premium x64. When Windows 7 came out I did a clean install, and I've removed all of the programs I don't need/use. I'm also running Webroot Antivirus with Spy Sweeper and I scan a couple times a week. I defrag and run disk cleanup maybe once or occasionally twice a month. I've also removed all unneeded startup items, and I have very few processes running and none take up enough resources to slow the games this much. I have also recently cleaned out the computer to reduce the heat

In Catalyst control center I have most settings set to Use Application Settings, and I don't have Adaptive AA or Catalyst AI enabled. I checked the temperature listed in the control center and it said the card is running at around 62 to 63 degrees C and the fan speed is around 44%.

As for the power supply, I'm pretty sure it's a lower quality one but I haven't had time to check to see if it is for sure.

When I tested R6 Vegas 2, my memory usage only went up by about .4 GB and CPU usage increased by 6 - 20%. Changing in-game settings doesn't help much if at all.

I should probably mention that when I had Vista I could run any game I wanted. I only had R6 and C&C back then, but even those don't work now.

I was considering switching to NVIDIA, would it be worth it? My brother's computer has 6 GB DDR2 RAM, Windows 7, 500 GB HDD, and an NVIDIA GeForce 9600, and a processor that I can't remember (I think Quad core) and he can play all of these games just fine.

Again, thanks for all of your help so far.

 

[Dasil]

Any other thoughts?

 

[Herr_Koos]

Can you verify that CPU and GPU both clock up to maximum speed when under load? Use CPU-Z and GPU-Z to check this.

 

[Martin 71]

Yeah... your card might be in 2d mode still... try keeping catalyst running on the side and keep an eye on the speeds.