Pc seems really weak/unstable

[SedativeLeek]

I recently bought a new computer the specs are as follows:

Intel duo core E8400 @ 3.00 GHz
Nvidia 680i SLI Motherboard
8GB ddr2 ram
MSI gtx 470
600 psu
2 fans
antec case

i had several issues with it such as bsod, the windows os "expiring", but i fixed the problems. now, it seems weak, i mean, it can run games like tf2, mw2, and i even played batman arkam city with it. but my problem is frame rate, i can run mw2 at highest 75 fps, but even tf2 cant be run at max settings and get a consistent 50 fps. and i recently bought bfbc2 and i get horrible performance. At first ill get around 30-40, and then in 5-10 min i start to get 10-30 fps. and other games i play tend to freeze for a moment, looping the sound that just played, this happens randomly. ive updated my video drivers, removed all unnecessary programs running in the background, but nothing helps. my brother has a gtx 260 and his pc performs exceptionally well. any help guys? its driving me nuts as ive been try for over a month now to fix it.

 

[RamjoTejada]

I recently bought a new computer the specs are as follows:

Intel duo core E8400 @ 3.00 GHz
Nvidia 680i SLI Motherboard
8GB ddr2 ram
MSI gtx 470
600 psu
2 fans
antec case

i had several issues with it such as bsod, the windows os "expiring", but i fixed the problems. now, it seems weak, i mean, it can run games like tf2, mw2, and i even played batman arkam city with it. but my problem is frame rate, i can run mw2 at highest 75 fps, but even tf2 cant be run at max settings and get a consistent 50 fps. and i recently bought bfbc2 and i get horrible performance. At first ill get around 30-40, and then in 5-10 min i start to get 10-30 fps. and other games i play tend to freeze for a moment, looping the sound that just played, this happens randomly. ive updated my video drivers, removed all unnecessary programs running in the background, but nothing helps. my brother has a gtx 260 and his pc performs exceptionally well. any help guys? its driving me nuts as ive been try for over a month now to fix it.

Try looking for Driver PROFILES depending on the game you are playing. These do sometimes improve performances.

 

[nbelote]

Your CPU is probably throttling, the e8400s like to do that now and again. Disable SpeedStep in the BIOS. Also check your temps, if it's getting too hot then it needs to throttle. You can fix that, however, with a better HSF and some Arctic Silver, maybe some case fans.

 

[lycros]

When you fixed your OS problems did you reinstall?

Kinda sounds like a craigslist pc with a bootleg os.

 

[SedativeLeek]

No, i didn't reinstall windows, i fixed it with a whole lot of time and patience. as for the cpu throttling, ill disable speedstep and return with my results in a bit. and my pc remains fairly cool around 50-70 at 100 % fans when playing graphic intensive games, so i should be fine there

 

[choclatechiptaco]

why did you get 2 gtx 680s with a dual core e8400? i think its definitely a cpu bottleneck

 

[SedativeLeek]

please read my post, otherwise do not respond if you have nothing constructive to add. i actually enabled speedstep, and i OC'd my cpu, and my performance in bfbc2 did increase, however i still only get around 30-40 fps, unless i go down to lowest possible settings. its weird becuase changing the settings doesnt to have much effect on the performance unless everything is on absolute lowest, but even then it only gets around 50 fps. i can max everything out and get around 25-35 fps. my system seems more than capable.

 

[abraham_mammogram]

It may seem silly, but have you tried updating your system information rating? You can access it by right clicking on my computer in the start menu, and selecting properties.

 

[SedativeLeek]

yeah recently did this and am currently doing it. my lowest subscore is as follows:
Processor: 6.5
Memory(RAM): 6.5
Graphics: 7.7
Gaming Graphics: 7.7
Primary hard disk: 5.9

 

[unreal9400]

Install the latest updates through windows update and update directx files.
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=35

 

[SedativeLeek]

hasnt helped, this is why im on here, i've tried so many things but nothing has helped much so far

 

[abraham_mammogram]

Wow, I never even looked at the processor, so many issues in these forums are chalked up to graphics cards. Yeah, I would say the problem is almost certainly your processor. However, it most likely is not causing your freeze-ups, that is a software error, which could be your potentially bootleg OS, or a problem with the games in question.

its weird becuase changing the settings doesnt to have much effect on the performance unless everything is on absolute lowest, but even then it only gets around 50 fps.

This is a classic processor bottleneck. As you drop the detail/resolution, the workload on the gpu will be less. If the system is limited by your graphics card, your frame rate should increase as the details are lowered. However, we are not seeing any change in frame rate, which strongly suggests a processor bottleneck.

 

[SedativeLeek]

i OC'd ny cpu and now the subscore is 6.9 compared to my gpu's 7.7 how is there stick a bottleneck happening?

 

[abraham_mammogram]

i OC'd ny cpu and now the subscore is 6.9 compared to my gpu's 7.7 how is there stick a bottleneck happening?

hahaha, oc'ing your processor is not going to solve all your problems. I could use a pentium D 840 overclocked to 4.6 ghz, and maybe be able to play the original far cry. Clock rate does not mean performance, compare an athlon x2 at 2.8 ghz, and a 3770 at 2.8 ghz, and you will see a substantial difference. What I'm saying is the architecture is old enough now, to not be particularly relevant. If you want to "max out" your newish games, with a frame rate that is equal to or greater than the refresh rate of your monitor, then you will have to shell out some money to upgrade your hardware, or be happy with what you currently have.

Also, windows experience rating really has very little relation to gaming, and should not be judged for such.

 

[SedativeLeek]

xcuse my nubbishness , first pc ive ever bought to use for gaming. what would you suggest i upgrade to? the E8400 doesnt seem like a bad cpu, is it really the bottlenecking thats causing the fps issues?

 

[abraham_mammogram]

xcuse my nubbishness , first pc ive ever bought to use for gaming. what would you suggest i upgrade to? the E8400 doesnt seem like a bad cpu, is it really the bottlenecking thats causing the fps issues?

No problem, its an easy mistake to make when learning. The bottleneck will be most apparent in online games with a lot of other users playing. Something like the battlefield series. If you can imagine, the processor has to keep track of all the bullets flying around, the splash damage from explosives, calculating interactions within the environment, and player movements, just to name a few. If you play with other humans, this workload increases exponentially, while the graphics workload remains relatively unchanged, hence the processor bottleneck.

As far as replacement, that's tough. The e8400 was built on the LGA775 socket, and no processors for that socket are produced anymore. If you wanted to get a new processor, you would also have to get a new motherboard, an $80-220 increase in cost. While the e8400 is in no way a "bad" cpu, its architecture hinders the full capabilities of the rest of your components, especially in larger multiplayer maps.

Additionally, you might have an OEM version of windows, in which case a new motherboard would require you to also buy a new license for windows.

However, you may very well be happy with what you get currently. 40-50 frames per second is nothing to sneeze at, and will work for most games without any problem. The only people who would want to increase that to 60+ are those who are particularly sensitive to lower frame rates, which you may or may not be.

 

[SedativeLeek]

well the issue is i dont normally get 40-50 fps unless res, and all graphicall settings are turned down. and are you saying my motherbaord can only support the E8400 and no other cpu's? my motherboard is an nForce 680i SLI.

 

[SedativeLeek]

is there anyway of improving performance without haveing to get a new motherboard and cpu?

 

[abraham_mammogram]

well the issue is i dont normally get 40-50 fps unless res, and all graphicall settings are turned down. and are you saying my motherbaord can only support the E8400 and no other cpu's? my motherboard is an nForce 680i SLI.

No, I'm not saying the motherboard only supports the e8400, I am saying that motherboard only supports processors in the lga775 socket family, of which the e8400 is a subset. Google it. Most of your answers are out there, you just have to look for them.

additionally, could you rephrase the following post:

please read my post, otherwise do not respond if you have nothing constructive to add. i actually enabled speedstep, and i OC'd my cpu, and my performance in bfbc2 did increase, however i still only get around 30-40 fps, unless i go down to lowest possible settings. its weird becuase changing the settings doesnt to have much effect on the performance unless everything is on absolute lowest, but even then it only gets around 50 fps. i can max everything out and get around 25-35 fps. my system seems more than capable.

You seem to be saying two completely seperate things, and I want to ensure that I know what you are are saying before discussing this further.

 

[SedativeLeek]

so my system can play certain games well and others not so well, such as bad company 2. but like you said this is due to bottlenecking of the cpu. but whats strange is that if i put everything at max, and then everything to medium, the performance is very similar, and not very good. but if i put everything at lowest ill normally get in the 40s, but sometimes it will dip down to 30, even at lowest.