What is happening to my compy?

[kavikor]

This is my first customized computer. I ordered a partial computer from CyberPowerPC, but I've upgraded since so i consider it homebuilt at this point.

Specs
Intel core 2 quad Q6600
2x Nvidia GTX 260s (core 216) in SLI
8 GB RAM
64 bit Windows 7
Creative SB X-Fi sound card
some Nvidia mobo
1080p monitor

ok so I'm gonna try to form this into a question. This was the first gaming computer I have had. ever since I put this computer together, I have been slightly disappointed with the results of shelling out $500 in graphics. most games like source games and call of duty work fine up around the highest settings, but the heavy hitters like crysis and all the stalker games were giving it a lot of trouble. at 1080p, i could only play crisis at medium at best, having to turn off AA and some other features down at the busy parts. this was never really a problem, medium settings seem like a compromise after paying so much graphics alone, but i could live with it. the problem is that this computer gets slower and slower and its only been a year or so. the tipping point now is Battlefield Bad Company 2 which I just bought. I read that BFBC2 is poorly optimized for pc, but I am unable to play this game on anything but the lowest settings. at the same time, games like TF2 and others feel like they're getting slower.
you'll just have to take my word that i don't download... stupid things to download.
any ideas? is there something i'm missing? is there a magic program that can turn suck mode off? I defrag often, update drivers, keep >10% of my HD empty...
so there it is. is there something to do to make a computer suck less that doesn't cost a new computer?
and finally, don't say nvidia is the problem. i have a buddy with a similar rig, but 9800 GT that runs BFBC2 on highest no problem

 

[treefrog07]

You may want to try opening Task Manager> Processes to see what services and programs are consuming your resources. You may be able to stop those you do not need while you are gaming. You can turn them off completely at startup using Run>msconfig and choosing the option of selective startup to disable them from starting when your computer boots. Look for stuff like Adobe Updater, Quicktime, and RrealPlayer that you don't really need constantly running in the background.

 

[jack_attack]

Just add -lesssuck to the command line in all of your apps. Just kidding. Don't do that.

You machine should be capable, but I'd suggest clocking that Q6600 up if you're confident (or willing to learn) and have the cooling. The problem with the Q6600 is it's low stock clock speed, which wasn't too much of an issue when it was released, but it comes to life above 3. I see a rather significant increase going from stock to 3.5 on mine in BFBC2. I don't think an 9800GT would run BFBC2 on highest with no problems, unless he games at 1280x1024. Even then...

I'm sure you've got SLI set up correctly, yes? Silly question, but I've seen instances where SLI was disabled by default upon a Forceware installation.

Two 260's obviously isn't a digital punch to the face when it comes to GPU's, but it surely can hold it's own, especially in BFBC2.

 

[kavikor]

@ treefrog07: with 8 gig memory doesn't seem to be a problem. only 2 are ever in use outside of games, so i think 6 is plenty for anything out today. also processor use is usually <5% outside of games, so there doesn't seem to be anything really hogging either.
@jack_attack: yes SLI works, but sometimes offers negligible fps changes in some games, even though nvidia control panel assures me its working. I would consider overclocking a little, but it worries me because i tried it once and my computer didn't turn on.

 

[corrupt_tiki]

@ Kavi, regarding OCing, just take baby steps man, and you'll be ok, also read, lots, I did it once, and had many facepalm moments, missing out a 0 somewhere, not multiplying things properly.. , got a wicked 50% increase in speed, but lost some stability which I just couldn't deal with, so I wound it right back.
Maybe you are expecting a bit too much? I only run a Core 2 Duo E6420, and 2 GB Ram, and Ati HD 5770 x2, seems to run everything fine, don't expect too much out of crysis, there is a reason people still use it as a benchmark for new builds =-).

 

[kavikor]

well this is odd. I was going to do a quick benchmark of crysis and compare it to a real one to show i'm not just crazy, but crysis is now crashing every time i try. maybe there's a deeper problem. I know crysis is a joke just meant to crap on your dreams but i at least expected it to run smoothly at high res and med settings, considering i bought the top-of-the-line(ish) a few years after crysis.

regardless, its really BFBC2 that is on my mind, cause thats a good game, unlike crysis. i clearly have the specs to run it and single player was ok, its just when i get in big servers that it can drop fps into the teens. maybe battlefield and my computer don't see eye to eye.
btw, could my processor being clocked slow create a noticible difference in games? i had the impression that anything that starts with core 2 could tackle the next few years of games.

 

[corrupt_tiki]

@ Kavi, maybe some of your drivers are conflicting, or are not installed/uninstalled properly, you should completely remove all Driver software for you video card, and reboot and do a fresh install of the drivers, also check that crysis, and BFBC2 are patched to the latest versions.

Also BFBC2 and Crysis, whether or not are good games are opinion, I found the opposite to be true, Crysis at High Resolution will make any computer run backwards and Chernobyl.

Playing it (BC2) MP might have something to also do with, your connection to your exchange, your internets, the server etc etc, also check nVidia's control panel and double check nothing stupid is turned on.

Yes, your processor will make a huge difference, in certain games more so than others, ie, CSS will probably be not so CPU intensive, BFBC2 I believe (Speculating here) would be quite CPU Heavy, as the destructible environment and the vehicles etc may mean it has to do alot more calculations, compared with a straight out manshoot.

Forget Core 2, that is just a name, same with Quad, they could call it anything (although in these cases it is relevant to how many cores they have, being 2 and 4 respectively) The main thing with cpu you have to look at is the Cache size, Clock speed, (# of cores, although most apps only use the first 2 properly) and architecture.

 

[electrontau]

how big is your power supply? Those video cards use a lot of amps.

 

[kavikor]

"BFBC2 I believe (Speculating here) would be quite CPU Heavy, as the destructible environment and the vehicles etc may mean it has to do alot more calculations, compared with a straight out manshoot."
that makes sense. when i said "starts with core 2" i know that doesn't mean anything, it just indicates a generation that i thought was miles ahead of games when compared to graphics these days. I figured this because a lot of games will say they require new GPUs but require older CPUs. now looking at it, i see BFBC2 does say it recommends core 2 quad so you seem to be right on the money tiki.

and 850 watt btw. i actually started with a 635 for this computer but that caused it to turn off randomly. 850 seems to be enough.

 

[jack_attack]

What type of 850W PSU is it? You're drawing some decent juice there, if it's a Dynex, you're probably stressing it.

Both CSS and BFBC2 are CPU heavy games. CSS because, well, I don't know why that thing is CPU reliant. BC2, however, uses Frostbite, which uses your CPU to throw bits and chunks around. I'm quite sure of this, but not positive. BC2 loves clock speed, and lots of threads. It's just how it's coded. I put 4 cores @ 3.5 on a good workout in BC2. Back to issue though, what type of PSU do you have? Temps all ok?

 

[treefrog07]

If your 8GB RAM is on 4 sticks, try removing two sticks and see if you get better performance.

 

[corrupt_tiki]

^^ Ahh yes, treefrog, RAM can make a big difference too, I went el cheapo on RAM in my last build, and err, facepalmed when I tried to OC it :3

 

[kavikor]

cooler master is the brand of the PSU. looks legit.
haven't tried ram yet, I'll get back to you on that.
just a few fps's from BFBC2 online
low graphics (lowest possible) averages around 35 and can drop to 15ish
high stays around 25 and dips to around 10
doesn't seem like a huge fps difference, considering the massive visual improvement on high, so I'm just confused