Need serious help with performance

So i have upgraded my pc recently (didnt make all the best decisions) but all in all i believe my setup should be decent for gaming. AMD Phenom 9500 (yea i know) Asus m3a mobo, 4 gb pc 8500 ocz hpc reaper ram, 2 x 150 gb raptor hd's, 550w ultra x psu, and a Bfg gtx 260 oc gpu. When gaming im noticing my buddys pc with is a few steps down on all fronts is blowing mine out of the water on fps. Im averaging 17 fps in AOC, while he is getting 40-50 with a amd x2 and a 8800 gt... this is insane.. so i downloaded 3dmark06 and it gets worse... im scoring 8700 3dmarks, this system should be 11000+ stock.

I have been reading and reading trying to find a solution, i have heard many different things... even some i dont belive at all like the fact i have an ati chipset using a nvidia card is causing it... i understand my cpu wasnt the best choice, but it should still outperform a older amd dual core... PLEASE HELP ME SOMEONE!

I did install the dual core optimizer, which is what i think your reffering to... even taking the aoc thing out of the picture, 8700 on 3dmark06 is telling me there is somthing seriously wrong...

here is what im wondering:

Could my motherboard cause this in any way, shape or form?
could this be cause by not enough power from my psu?

since i have the gtx 260, there is only 1 choice for drivers as far as im aware

is it possible that a underpower'd system can run all of its components fine, but cause low performance? it was my understanding that if the machine ran then it was fine.. if it was my psu shouldnt i be getting intermittent power shutdowns?

If you dont want help, dont ask. Sorry there is no magic wand to wave to fi your piece of crap.

Hers your problem: You dont listen!

#1. Phenom 9500s are defective right from the manufacturer but you bought one anyhow.

#2. Just because your PC turns on only means it has power to run but when your GPU is under powered it will under perform. Same as a CPU.


So now you have a problem because you dont listen to know facts.

i used to have a 7900gtx that would underclock its self to keep the system stable because my psu wasnt enough. and obviosly systems draw more power under load, like games 3dmark ect, so maby if the psu is not powerful enough your gtx260 is underclocking to maintain stability at the cost of performance.

to test this try running ati tool or something like you would to test a gpu overclock, and when you run the 3d view use rivatuner to monitor clock speeds.

get a pc power and cooling powersupply.. probably the 750wat silencer or anything better will do..