Huge 1950XT problem! Slowdowns.

[crembo]

Alright , I bought my 1950XT not too long ago , and I'm having a huge problem.

Well , when I start a game , everything runs normaly and smooth. But then , after about 5 minutes the FPS goes down from like 30~ (Lost Planet Demo DX9) to like 5-11 and stays like that. If I'm lucky , it comes back to normal after few seconds but , if I'm not lucky - the PC just stop , and everything is stuck (reset is required). Well , that's with the 7.8 and 7.7 Drivers. Well , than I deleted the drivers from my PC and installed the drivers that I got in the disk (with 1950XT). Well , I turn on (again) Lost Planet Demo and playing it , then , after 10 minutes the FPS falls to about 5-11 and then I exit the game. I even tried Omega drivers - they just made performance drop AND the slowdowns didn't stop.

Well , the same problem occured to me in the next games (7.7 and 7.8 Catalyst): Neverwinter Nights 2 , Lineage 2 , Tabula Rasa , Dungeon Runners , Lost Planet.

Though the problem doesn't happen in Enemy Territory Wolfenstein and Enemy Territory Quake Wars.

I dunno what to do , I'm really annoyed and want to fix the problem as fast as possible.

Thank you very much , Crembo

 

[lordszone]

as far as i can say that this is a problem related to overheating. i have a laptop which has exactly the same problem, but the slowdown happens after 30 to 45 mins. chk the temps and do something about the cooling. it would help a lot. hope i helped.

 

[crembo]

Ahm.. I can tell that it's 100% not overheating. Cos I thought the same , so I bought Zalman Fatal1ty cooler and it took off 20C compared to stock cooler. At idle it's around 47 , while playing it's around 66. (Celsius)

 

[lordszone]

if its possible then try the card on another pc and chk. and please tell me your pc specs.

 

[crembo]

Ahm , it's impossible to cheack on another pc =/
Anyway , here's the specs:
AMD Athlon 64 3700
1GB of Ram (Dual Channel)
Coolermaster eXtreme power 430W (12V1 - 14A ; 12V2 - 15A)

 

[gorforg]

I having the same exact issue with the same card; I do beleive the card is overheating..despite what the temp gauge says. After opening the case the issue slowly diminishes..

XP
intel core2 e6600 OC 3.4Ghz
2gb
x1950XT 256
DFI RD600
Turniq 120
600W modular 12

 

[crembo]

gorfog... You read what I said before?
I can spell it if needed. It's N-O-T O-V-E-R-H-E-A-T-I-N-G.
Because the temps (in load) are 66 C max.
Jesus. It's annoying , i'm already "fixing" this problem for like 3 days , and until now - nothing.

 

[smokedyou911]

It could be that it isn't getting enough power.

 

[crembo]

I thought the same , but my technician tells me that's it's not the problem... Who to trust?

 

[cleeve]

I'd also check to make sure there's no background app eating up CPU cycles that's kicking in...

 

[crembo]

There isn't , and I dont think it has anything to do with it...

 

[cleeve]

A background app that kicks in and used tons of system resources - like a virus scanner for instance - could have ALOT to do with it.

It's worth alt-tabbing out of your game once it gets choppy and checking your processes to see what's using CPU cycles, anyway. it's an easy thing to check.

 

[RetiredChief]

Not knowing your system, It could be the P/S, even when the over all specs exceed recommend value. Most P/S do not deliever full rated value. Manif. typically provide +12V rating based on minimal currents for +5, + 3.3 volt Rails. Also it can depend on how system is config.
ie How is +12V divided up. Try to use an independent rail for the 6/8 Pin pci-e connector. You could have one rail that is on the boardline max (when gaming), and underutilized rail.

I have a shappire X1950XT and with a 600w PS (36 Amps Total More than required) a Had a simular problem. My +12v3 was boarderline while I was not near to max total for the 3 12V rails.

 

[crembo]

Retiredchief - I didn't understand anything you said.

 

[Hatman]

Random guess, you have stuff on max settings? You could get to using a certina amount of GPU memory, and as soon as you go over that amount being used, poof, there goes your performance.

Yes, very random guess, I dont think it even makes sense personally, onto a decent guess as to whats wrong though.

As cleeve said try looking for background apps when the performance drops. Something could of just quickly turned itself on and took some CPU power, its probable since you dont have a dual core to help with that, could make a big impact.

All I reccomend is, before you go into a game, turn all toher apps off. Turn internet off, MSN, antivirus, obviously antivirus AFTER the internet is turned off. Make sure nothing else is running, then run the game and see if you get any interuptions.

 

[blade85]

If all else fails, reinstall windows and then if you still have the problem its either:

1- your psu
2- The card itself

 

[alabama619]

>>>>I have this card and it requires a minimum of a 450 Watt power supply<<<<<, and yours is 430, so it just isnt getting enough power.

You need a better PSU.

 

[cleeve]

INsufficient PSUs will usually cause crashes, not slowdows. Although I've heard of slowdowns happensing.

If it's a reputable 430 watt, that 20 watt difference isn't going to mean jack squat. It's more about the amps on the 12v rails than it is the wattage.

 

[JAYDEEJOHN]

Id check, like Cleeve said, the processes. 1 Gig of memory might not be enuff, also, as Cleeve said, any processes that are running will eat up your 3700s ability to deliver, as its only a single core. Also, Ive heard about slowdowns using a psu that is borderline, barely efficient. 14 and 15 amps on the 12 volt rails puts your psu in this category, especially with your psu, as the 1900xt eats up the juice. If this is your psu http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171007 then it is borderline/underpowering your system. It seems that it only allows 19 amps total on the 12Volt combined. Also, since your removed your stock HSF, all your heat is being dumped into your case instead of out the back. That allows for other heat issues as well, like your chipset/cpu and ram as well. Its either heat or psu, or possibly your ram, check to see if your HD is spinning alot