Performance Troubles

[Grove]

Recently, I've noticed my computer seems to be...I guess bipolar would be the best way to describe it. Some days, it'll play Metro 2033 almost maxed out at 1280x768 with a pretty solid frame rate; other days, on the same exact settings it's like watching a slide show. And this has happened with multiple different games, STALKER SoC, Black Oops, and Bad Company 2 to name a few, which leads me to believe it's an issue with my system, I'm just not sure what the issue is. I just found out a short while ago my GPU was underclocked, guess I accidentally did that without noticing, but I changed it back to default and I'm still having the same issue.

I've also noticed a large performance hit with Firefox open though, while I find it strange, it's not a big deal.

I originally thought that my issue was that Cool N Quiet was enabled because it seemed like most of the times I disabled it, everything ran nicely whereas if it were enabled, it ran like crap.
Could the fact that my RAM are forced to be in the 2nd and 3rd Dimm slot be the issue? That's really the only thing I could guess it could be.

Specs:
Phenom II X3 740 BE, unlocked, OC'd to 3.3GHz
XFX HD 6850
MSI 770-G45
Seagate Barracuda 1TB 7200RPM
G.Skill Ripjaws 4GB DDR3 1420MHz
SeaSonic X650

 

[mdd1963]

I would see perhaps what other apps might be running in the background...perhaps Windows is attempting to download auto-updates at the same time?

Might want to try the same framerate experiments with the 4th cpu core disabled, just in case it is suffering from corrupted cache issue, as not all X3's are solid with the 4th core unlocked by far...

What gpu are uyou even using? (Dont see it listed, usually pertinent to any gaming experience troubleshooting)

 

[Grove]

****! I knew I was missing something. Sorry about that. I updated it.
Haven't really thought about trying with the 4th core disabled but sounds like a good idea.
And I've watched for any programs running in the background but everything except for the necessary things like CCC are running aside from a few hardware monitoring apps.

 

[Grove]

Performance appears to be exactly the same as before with my 4th core disabled.

 

[rrplay]

What are your CPU - system temps like ?
have you run any stress - stability tests and monitored your temps?

 

[Grove]

After running Prime95 for a short time and Metro 2033 for a little bit, these are the temps I got.
I only ran Prime95 for about 10 minutes just to keep power consumption low but I waited until the temps seemed to stabilize and after about 6-7 minutes they stopped moving so I stopped it at 10. Metro, on the other hand, ran great again so I ran it for an hour or so.
And most, if not all, of my case fans are at 100% because there seems to be no noise reduction except for 1 of the fans I can control. 2 other case fans are connected via 3 to 4 pin adapters so I assume they are all at 100% and the reason I notice no difference but of course, I could be wrong. My GPU fan is at auto but based on noise levels, it never goes over 60%.
http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb250/time4bloodywar/SysTemps17.jpg

 

[Grove]

Anyone got any idea what the issue is?
Should I just sell my RAM and buy some without heat spreaders so I can fit it under my heatsink? I'm still thinking that's the issue but I don't want to go out and buy some new RAM only to find out the RAM was fine how it was.

 

[rrplay]

Could the fact that my RAM are forced to be in the 2nd and 3rd Dimm slot be the issue? That's really the only thing I could guess it could be.

getting back to this thread a bit late your temps not fan speeds info on .jpg temps ok
check you manual pg 21 Dual Chanel install info Dimm slots 1 -2 .
are they installed there because of cpu heatsink isssue ? tall mem heatspreader ? what cpu cooler ?
would recommend slots 1-2 auto defaults .note you may need to clear bios to defaults before working with OC
note your temps and stability when regaining your OC.

 

[Grove]

I've already cleared my BIOS multiple times because the Auto OC function on this mobo is pretty buggy.
I have also set everything back to default for the time being, haven't done any gaming yet though, and my RAM has heatspreaders which make them too large to fit under my Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro Rev. 2.

 

[rrplay]

I am aware that your mem has heatspreaders and you can't expect optimal performance unless you have it configured properly for Dual Channel.
No sense to OC without the memory installed correctly

So you can replace your ram to lower profiles ram or replace the cpu cooler
if it is the fan on cpu cooler blocking you can replace the 92 mm 900 - 2500 RPM, (PWM) 4pin 45cfm original or betterto something simliar spec but narrower just zip tie it!
a handy little mm ruler and a few minutes checking the manufactures spec page for info when replacing cooler or mem
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 about 30.00 but check the specs for clearance
Some guys just go with a Corsair H70 hydro for this very reason.no clearance issues
..a bit pricey yet very effective

the cheapest and effective solution would be to replace the fan IF it that is what's blocking the mem slot

Get that mem installed properly cpu & system cooled
get into to the bios and learn to give it some good timings and you will be surprised as to what you have.

 

[Grove]

The H70 is far too expensive for me and the fan isn't in the way sadly, it's the heatsink. I was also looking into the H50 not too long ago but the Mugen 2 appears to do better than it for cheaper.

I've also started to get about 1 BSOD a day so time to run some stability tests. Hopefully the issue is just my RAM since replacing that is super cheap and something I practically need to do anyways because of the heat spreaders I currently have.

 

[rrplay]

Replacing the ram to fit and be installed properly was you BSOD issue all along. might as well get some good sticks just lower profiles
the cpu cooler fan trick & come in handy for ya another time
but this may come in handy is to get a little mm ruler any cheapo will do

 

[Grove]

Not entirely sure what you mean but I haven't replaced my RAM yet.

 

[rrplay]

replace the ram with the ones that fit your mobo specs timings etc & will clear your cpu heatsink

research before you buy & if you need to use a little mm ruler to measure .. get one

 

[Grove]

Cleared my BIOS, installed my new RAM, and the issue still persists. Anyone else got any advice?

 

[Grove]

Well I just ruled out the CPU...I think.

I ran the mission Cliffhanger in Modern Warfare 2 several times. I tried playing it with 1 core enabled, 2 cores enabled, 3 cores, 3 cores OC'd @ 3.4GHz, 3 cores OC'd @ 3.4GHz w/CoolNQuiet disabled, and 4 cores. The only time I noticed any notable difference was when I OC'd the processor. I got about a 5-10fps boost but still nothing to write home about. 30fps and below for most of the mission.

Anyone got any thoughts/advice?

 

[rrplay]

nice to hear that you installed ram and rules out your cpu cooler

if you are still having the random crashes while in Windows and doing something other than playing the games
check and reinstall graphics drivers see if updated versions are available for your card

check the website for the games that you play for any updated patches and fixes
& check the games website for similar problems

did you do any benchmarks and run any stress tests after the OC ? and check the temps again ?

hopefully you can rule out the PSU

check out these threads re: your OC and mobo & core info

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/280607-30-phenom-unlock-cores
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/261825-11-unlocking-cores-phenom


if it is just the game performance issue .. open a thread with the game title in it

couple of thoughts

 

[Grove]

Aside from some unstable OC's, I haven't had a crash since my new RAM were installed.

As for the game performance issue, as stated originally, this happens in multiple games. I simply used that game to have a good way to compare my frame rates with different cores enabled.

After running Prime95 for a couple hours my processor only hit 41C and all my other temps were in the norm as well.

 

[rrplay]

look like we may be able to sort this out

I understand you using your game to check performance and frame rates
you temps look ok for prime95 ..now lets check the rest

when you OC 'ed did you bump up the voltage slightly on your cpu or mem ?
or leave at default . try slight increases & same with memory

sorry forget to mention bumpin volts earlier this am

check out OCCT
http://downloads.guru3d.com/OCCT-%28OverClock-Checking-Tool%29-3.0.0-download-1880.html

there are several tests to run and they are simple to do see if you crash with stressing cpu memory graphics and psu

while you are at guru 3d might as well check out some other bench and stress tools as well
AMD Catalyst 11.1a Hotfix ?? http://downloads.guru3d.com/AMD-Catalyst-11.1a-Hotfix-%28BETA-8.82.2%29-download-2666.html

couple ideas that may help