Games become laggy

[olvidada]

Okay, so I'm pretty sure my PC should be able to run games such as Starcraft II and Portal 1, Half-Life 2, and the Source engine in general, and they run excellent for a few minutes, then they become unbearably laggy. I've tried changing the video settings to the absolute lowest possible, but that same thing keeps happening; it doesn't even lengthen the amount of time I play before it becomes laggy. So does anyone know what the problem could be?

System Specs

AMD Athlon(tm) II X4 620 Processor 2.60 GHz
6.00 GB (5.75 GB usable) RAM
64-bit Windows 7

GeForce 9100

Driver version: 270.61
DirectX support: 10
CUDA Cores: 8
Graphics clock: 500 MHz
Processor clock: 1200 MHz
Memory clock: 400 MHz (800 MHz data rate)
Memory interface: 64-bit

Total available graphics: 2943 MB
Dedicated video memory: 256 MB DDR2
System video memory: 0 MB
Shared system memory: 2687 MB
Video BIOS version: 62.77.2F.00.06
IRQ: 23
Bus: FPCI

 

[iam2thecrowe]

sounds like overheating. get HWmonitor to monitor the temps, particularly of the vid card. Also that vid card is slow so dont expect anything from it.

 

[ChiefTexas_82]

If you want to play games, get another GPU. That card is FAR below the Starcraft 2 requirements. Even a GT 430 would be an big improvement for you. It's not a gaming card, but it sure beats the heck out of your card.

 

[olvidada]

I understand it's not a great card, but I should still be able to play Half-Life 2...which came out about 7 years ago...on the lowest possible settings without lag...I should think.

If it's overheating, what can I do to fix it?

HWMonitor says my vid card is at about 104 degrees C (219 F). That seems pretty high to me, but I don't know much.

 

[nforce4max]

I understand it's not a great card, but I should still be able to play Half-Life 2...which came out about 7 years ago...on the lowest possible settings without lag...I should think.

If it's overheating, what can I do to fix it?

You can get a cheap 40mm fan to cool it. It is integrated with the NB on your board and is likely the hottest part in your machine but personally a cheap add in card is worth it for a few reasons knowing that most integrated graphics also share the system ram hindering performance there that has a small impact on applications.

5450 or gt430 will be great for you. Cheap tight pocket like me a 40mm fan and some screws will work but isn't the prettiest solution.

 

[swifty_morgan]

I can remember getting it for free ( HL2 ) with the Orange Box game. Had it's "tough" times on the hardware I was using then for some reason. 7 years old doesn't mean pushover. For you, the on board graphics can't play many games "good". Face the fact that you need to get a discreet graphics card.

 

[iam2thecrowe]

104C is WAY too hot, that is your problem. check that the vid card fan is spinning. If it is spinning, clean any dust from it. If it is not spinning, you need a new fan or a new video card. Even the lowest end vid card available today 5450 or gt220 will still be MUCH better than what you currently have and shouldn't cost much at all.

 

[nforce4max]

104C is WAY too hot, that is your problem. check that the vid card fan is spinning. If it is spinning, clean any dust from it. If it is not spinning, you need a new fan or a new video card. Even the lowest end vid card available today 5450 or gt220 will still be MUCH better than what you currently have and shouldn't cost much at all.

IGP hello

Geforce 9100 is integrated graphics

 

[iam2thecrowe]

is it?? lol, well ok, then i dont know what the hell you could do to cool it down....more fans pointed at it. im not even sure how its playing starcraft II...... he should just get a dedicated vid card and be done with it. seriously a low end vid card would cost what a decent fan would cost anyways.

 

[olvidada]

I've just got my stand-up room fan pointed at my tower and it's dropped the temp to 68 C.

LOL

Anyway, everything's running fine now; thanks for all the help!

 

[olvidada]

Best answer selected by olvidada.

 

[Mousemonkey]

This topic has been closed by Mousemonkey