Problem with prebuilt Ibuypower computer.

[caboose39]

I got a computer last June from Ibuypower. Here are the specs of it:

GTS 250 1gb
4gb DDR2 RAM
Gigabyte GA-MA785G Motherboard
AMD Athlon II X4 630 Processor
700w Power supply
Hitachi 320 GB hard drive (Model is HDS721032CLA362)

Ive been having problems with it from the first day i got it. First, games were crashing and freezing constantly, so I sent it back and they fixed that problem. But then I noticed that my games were running very sluggish, but thought maybe it was just how my computer was suppose to run. But after a few months decided it wasnt normal and sent it back again 2 more times after that to have it fixed, but it never was. They would swap out the graphics card for another and tell me it was running fine. Since then i have noticed that most of my games stutter a lot when i play them, along with the bad frame rates. I recently got an ATI 5850 to replace the GTS 250, but have only seen an average of 5 fps more in my games, and they still continue to stutter to the point where i refuse to play them anymore. There are even more problems in other games that i play but these are the ones that i find in most of my games. Any ideas on what the hell can be causing this damn nightmare????

P.S. I refuse to send the computer back to Ibuypower for further fixing because it takes them over a month to finally get it back to me and they always tell me its working fine.

 

[lancerzero9]

Need more info.

What game do you play the most that is giving you trouble?

What are the all the video settings set to for this game?

 

[joelmartinez]

you regularly defagment HDD (CCleaner is great) as well as scan for viruses with security suite+ Malwarebytes antimalware/superantispyware/ spybot search and destroy?

Believe it or not this can really slow your computer down.

 

[silversurfernhs]

What kind of performance are you expecting.

From such a rig i would expect to run games at medium @ 1440x900.

If you are expecting that rig to get you playable framerates @ 1680 or 1920 w/ high settings, then you need to lower your expectations (and i won't go into how bad a mistake it was for u to go with ibuypower - although if its still under warranty or eligible for the return, i'd do it if i were you).

Now you said you bought a 5850 and expected an increase - well the bottom line is you've got a somewhat enthusiast gfx card being held back by a budget processor.

I sympathize with ya dude, i made a similar mistake - sent the whole fking thing back and built a better rig myself @ same cost.

 

[caboose39]

Yea I realized that i wouldnt be getting such a great performance with this computer, but low frame rate isnt my only problem. In games such as Far Cry 2 and dead Rising 2 i get very choppy gameplay and random framerate drops every few seconds, even when i am getting excellent fps. Especially after like a cut scene or something.

Ive been playing games like Amnesia the Dark Descent, Splinter Cell Conviction, Team fortress 2, Battlefield BC 2, and a few others.

Ive even had some major problems running amnesia lately. And I dont run these games on all high, usually medium/high settings with 1600x900 resolution and AA usually off. You would think the 5850 would help a little more too though.

 

[silversurfernhs]

That is a dead giveaway right there that your processor is holding you back - persistent choppiness regardless of how low the settings are/ what games you play.

Even if you spend like $100 on a phenom 2/ mobo combo, you will see a vast improvement.

 

[joelmartinez]

Your CPU is holding you back I get fluid framerates on my 5850 but I'm using an i5 750

 

[caboose39]

Thanks guys, i guess thats my next buy then. Any suggestions on a good amd processor for $200 or less that will get the job done?

 

[joelmartinez]

If you aren't averse to overclocking that's where I would start. If you can push that CPU up a bit you should see a framerate increase. What are your current temps?

If you're averse http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103808&cm_re=phenom_ii_x4_955-_-19-103-808-_-Product

make sure you have 8 pin Mobo power not just 4 so you can run this proc

 

[caboose39]

I get about 28 degrees Idle and 50 under load with a stock cooler. Im not the best overclocker ever but when i tried to overclock this one I had a hard time, because it cant be overclocked that much and when i did it just caused my computer to be unstable.

 

[joelmartinez]

try lapping your heatsink, and use aftermarket TIM, shin etsu g751 is the best. Look for overclocking guides, make sure to raise voltage as well as clock for stability.

 

[caboose39]

Alright ill try that out. But also, are there any chances of totally screwing up your cpu from overclocking, even when strictly following a guide? Thats been one of the few things that has held me back from overclocking in the past.

 

[joelmartinez]

As long as you aren't stupid about it you won't kill your proc, basically don't run at super high voltage thus temps and you'll be fine.

 

[silversurfernhs]

A modest overclock for that CPU would be around 3.2-3.4 and yeah a new (but cheap) aftermarket cooler and thermal grease is the viable, temporary, cheap performance boost option until you wiggle your way into a more comfy proc (btw nice overclock W/ the new cooler would be around 3.6)