Games running slow on Windows 7 home basic

[anighose25]

I have a pc with the following specs: Intel DG31PR motherboard, Intel dual core E5300 2.66 Ghz processor, 2GB ram,ATI Radeon 4670HD Graphics Card.My operating system is Windows 7 Home Basic. I'm having problems with playing games. They're really slow. I can play them after installing gamebooster, but after sometime the game becomes too slow. Previously I had windows xp sp3. I had no problem there. Can you please help me. I want to know which part should I upgrade? Should I upgrade my processor or ram. How can I play games without gamebooster? Please help.

 

[Gman450]

In which games are you experiencing such slowdowns?

 

[Eldd]

Your system is a bit too slow to play games on Windows 7; it might really help if you'd be able to upgrade at least your RAM, and if possible, your CPU as well.

 

[jaguarskx]

Which games are you playing and is it a DirectX 10 game?

For example, if you play Crysis in Win XP, you will be playing it in DX9 mode since Win XP does not support DX10. However, if you install Crysis in Win 7, Crysis will automatically default to DX10 since it is a DX10 title. This will cause your performance decrease because of the performance penalty involved when using DX10 effects. To switch the game to DX9 mode, right click the EXE file, and under compatibility select Win XP SP3 mode.

 

[JerRevo]

How much memory does your video card have? I definitely consider RAM upgrade or maybe CPU to 3Ghz. Here is thought though, I had a similar issue with Deus Ex HR. New area loads and its really slow for a min or so then fine after it loads a little bit. I upgraded my HDD to 7200 RPM from 5900 and got a dedicated sound card. Problem solved. No issues at all now, not even a little.

I agree with Jag there, try changing DX mode to 9 and see if that helps.

Also, if you have the free space, try increasing your page file, if you haven't already that is.

 

[chrisy5002]

I agree with previous posters. the main difference between running games on xp and windows 7 is the sheer amount of Ram used up by windows 7. Windows 7 uses a fair chunk of ram, so out of your 2gb ram, at least 1gb is being used system resources.

As for why your are experiening slowdown after a short period of time, this could be either due to the games your are running (for example rts games often increase ram usage depending on units on screen). Alternatively, you could be seeing ram spikes due to malware or virus activity.

If you do not often scan your pc, i would recommend it.

Ram upgrades are relatively cheap at todays prices, and an upgrade could result in huge performance boosts.

best of luck,

Bodge

 

[JerRevo]

That's also a good idea to check for mal/spyware. You can do a search here, there are links to numerous free anti mal/spyware and firewall programs on here.

Microsoft has one available for free as well, Microsoft Security Essentials, which I use along with Comodo Firewall and I haven't had any problems thus far. You do need a VALID copy of Windows!

 

[anighose25]

In which games are you experiencing such slowdowns?

I am playing fifa 11...and it really slows down if i dont use gamebooster....same with crysis2

 

[Gman450]

Gamebooster frees up your RAM.
So, if you've got any background processes while running Fifa 11, then I'd suggest you close them. This is what basically gamebooster does.
And agree with the other members.
You should get another 2 GB stick RAM as Windows 7 is really RAM hungry. Your GPU already is taking about 1gb, so you've only got another gig left, in which 3/4th is already taken by win7. So, advice would be: Buy another 2 GB RAM stick.

Also, at what resolutions and settings are you playing these games at ?
HD 4670 isn't really top of the line, but it is okay for low resolutions.

 

[anighose25]

Which games are you playing and is it a DirectX 10 game?

For example, if you play Crysis in Win XP, you will be playing it in DX9 mode since Win XP does not support DX10. However, if you install Crysis in Win 7, Crysis will automatically default to DX10 since it is a DX10 title. This will cause your performance decrease because of the performance penalty involved when using DX10 effects. To switch the game to DX9 mode, right click the EXE file, and under compatibility select Win XP SP3 mode.

I did change the compatibility but that did not help much...

Oh 1 thing I forgot to mention
When I changed the power plan form optimized to high it did run better without game-booster..

and also

1)I have a dual-boot ubuntu where i had to update the grub after installing win7
2)kaspersky

 

[anighose25]

I agree with previous posters. the main difference between running games on xp and windows 7 is the sheer amount of Ram used up by windows 7. Windows 7 uses a fair chunk of ram, so out of your 2gb ram, at least 1gb is being used system resources.

As for why your are experiening slowdown after a short period of time, this could be either due to the games your are running (for example rts games often increase ram usage depending on units on screen). Alternatively, you could be seeing ram spikes due to malware or virus activity.

If you do not often scan your pc, i would recommend it.

Ram upgrades are relatively cheap at todays prices, and an upgrade could result in huge performance boosts.

best of luck,

Bodge

I have scanned now with my kaspersky...all seems fine....

would reloading win7 solve the problem??
or is it simply a RAM upgrade case??

for fifa11 it clearly states 2gb RAM recommended for win7...

then y this drastic change in performance??

 

[JerRevo]

I always prefer the cheapest method. Go into BIOS and look to see if there some sort of Hardware Monitor Section. On most ASUS boards it will include voltage monitoring and CPU temp. I would find a temp monitor program and monitor it while idle and under stress. I don't see that you indicated you have a dedicated sound card, I would try to find a friend that has one you can borrow for a hour or so, take some stress away from CPU see if it will increase performance as it did for me, if it does you can buy a Diamond sound card for $19

 

[jaguarskx]

I did change the compatibility but that did not help much...

Oh 1 thing I forgot to mention
When I changed the power plan form optimized to high it did run better without game-booster..

and also

1)I have a dual-boot ubuntu where i had to update the grub after installing win7
2)kaspersky

FIFA 11 is a DX9 title, so that's why changing the compatiblity mode does nothing; it makes no use of DX10 effects. I suppose "high" disables all attempts Win 7 would make to lower performance to save power. So that would make sense.

I would say add more RAM to your system since you only have 2GB of RAM and Win 7 is somewhat of a RAM hog. Not as bad as Win vista though.

Having a dual boot system and any anti-virus program should not decrease performance. Actually an anti-virus program can slow down gaming performance if you are playing a game and actively scanning your computer for viruses. Most people don't do that.

I don't know what FIFA's system requirements are, but if you don't want to spend any money at all to upgrade, then you may want to consider lower the resolution you currently play at.

 

[Gman450]

Exactly. Lower the resolution if you want a bit more frame rates. HD 4670 isn't made for high resolution gaming, maybe at about 720p but not any higher. And considering Fifa isn't really that demanding too, playing at 720p would be fine for you. But I have to ask first, at what resolution and settings are you gaming at ?

 

[Mousemonkey]

Best answer selected by mousemonkey.

 

[Mousemonkey]

This topic has been closed by Mousemonkey