Strong PC; Games Run Slow

[immukage]

Hi, so first off, the problem I am facing is that I have a powerful computer, but many games run slow - meaning not even close to 60 fps when maxed out, high, and sometimes even on low settings. This can be seen with GRID, NFS Shift, Skyrim.

SPECS:
Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 @ 2.34 Ghz
AMD Radeon HD 6850 Graphics Card
Corsair 650 Watt PSU
4 GB Ballistix RAM
Gigabyte Motherboard
Windows 8


Now, as you can see, my computer is quite powerful. I should easily be able to run many games on decent settings with great fps. However, that is not the case. One thing to note, however, is that if I ever run Memtest86, I find that my RAM is bad. I've tested both sticks, and both sticks show up as bad. Is it possible that because of bad RAM, or perhaps bad Mobo. slots, that my games are not running fast enough?

 

[diellur]

I would definitely say that bad RAM won't help you. If you can, replace that ASAP. I would agree that you should get decent performance on that system, however I'm not sure you'd get it on maximum settings...what resolution do you play at? Although your kit is good, it is also old and that will generally impact performance.

 

[simon12]

Maxed is a bit ambitious for that spec medium-high should be fine. Set the RAM to the correct voltage speed and latencys in the bios and retest.

 

[immukage]

@diellur. Yeah, when I meant max i was kind of exaggerating. But what I meant was the games should be running faster. I play at 1680x1050...sometimes 1400x900.

@simon12. How do I set RAM to correct voltage and latencies? Also, shouldn't it already be correct; i never tampered with it.

BTW, do you think that if I downgrade to Windows XP that it will make the games run faster? Like, if I have bad RAM (and i prbly won't be changing it soon...) that having a less resource hogging OS is a good choice?

 

[bystander]

One issue you are going to run into is that CPU is getting dated. Not only is it 2 cores, but only 2.34 Ghz on old technology. Skyrim loves fast CPUs. Your CPU is not fast. I'm not sure what GRID or NFS Shift like, but there is a good chance the problem is with the CPU. Lower settings often do not lift the stress on the CPU. If you find yourself lowering settings and hardly improving FPS, that is likely the cause.

You might want to make sure it is running properly as well. Check the temps and clocks and make sure it is not further falling behind due to throttling.

 

[fulle]

It's a CPU bottleneck. In Skyrim I would expect around 30FPS averages with that CPU, regardless of lowering graphics presets or not. Which is too bad, since getting rid of that bottleneck would require a new Mobo+RAM, along with the new CPU... since you're going to see CPU bottlenecks with any Core2Quad you can use in that mobo.

 

[immukage]

hmmmm yeah i guess that makes sense. One thing though, bystander, it IS actually quad core. Temps and all is good.
One question fulle, what do you mean "any Core2Quad you can use in that mobo."? Do you mean that the mobo is slowing down my cpu?

 

[immukage]

Oh...and mobo is Gigabyte G31T-M

 

[simon12]

Look in your bios for the memory settings and look on the manufacturers website for the RAM specs and make sure they are the same especially the voltage. Win XP will not help, overclocking will help general performance but if you are struggling to set the memory do alot of research 1st. And auto/default settings may not be correct for your memory.

 

[fulle]

What I mean, is that if you looked at the best CPU possible that your motherboard supports, it's going to be just a higher clocked Core2Quad, which will still bottleneck your games. I noticed a huge difference upgrading from a Core2Quad at 3.4GHz, to a more modern i5 2500k, even before I got to overclocking...

To get a processor that won't be a bottleneck, you'd have to get a motherboard that'd support it too... and since your RAM is probably DDR2 stuff, and newer CPUs use DDR3, you're looking at replacing the CPU, RAM, and Motherboard.

 

[immukage]

@simon12. Okay yeah I understand I'll check it out. I can't overclock due to stock fans, and an already hot case. thx!
@fulle. Oh okay, I get what you mean. thx!

Over the weekend I'm going to run a few tests and see what happens. I'm not looking to replace more parts of the computer yet, and the computer is generally fine, but sometimes I feel its lacking (could just be me....).
I'm going to go ahead and at least see if Win XP does any good too.

Thx guys! If you have anymore suggestions post them. In the meantime I'm going to do the tests and stuff and come back to tell what happens.

 

[HEXiT]

you cant overclock the q8200 its locked. so 2.36 is the best it will do. you may be able to bump the fsb slightly to get you up to 2.4 or 5 but thats it im afraid...
swapping it out for an 8300 would be a good upgrade because you could then get to 3ghz easily and even go as high as 3.4 with good cooling. currently you can pick em up on ebay for as little as 80bux/£50 and it would be all the cpu power you would need for that build.

ram is important in that your best off matching the speeds, timings so you dont stress the mmu. ddr2 800 is the preferred minimum for gaming as slower ram will bottleneck bandwidth seriously. if your board supports 1066 then get at least 2x2gigs of cas5 or less. 1.8-2.1v because there is no on chip mmu (memory management unit) with intel parts in the core 2 quad range you can run quite high voltages without fear of damage. but like i say timings and speed must match.

 

[jfreeizme]

what you could try doing is game booster to clear up ram during gameplay.

 

[immukage]

OH....LOL....one more reason for why I was asking this question ahah:
I get BSOD's sometimes...not AS often...but if I overload the computer then yeah,
I get a BSOD. So...that probably means that my RAM (or slots) are screwed, huh?

 

[diellur]

The best thing to do when improving performance is change what you know is holding you back first. In this case, it's your RAM...there's little point trying to optimise your build with known bad components. So get some new sticks, and see how things go. Then play your games, and use the performance monitor in Windows (through the Task Manager) to see how your CPU load is affected...if it's high (near 100%), then your CPU is bottlenecking your system. You could then upgrade your CPU as suggested...£50 isn't bad for something that'll potentially keep your build going another 1-2 years. See how the bottlenecking issue is affected...if it is, happy days. If it isn't, you've had a minimal outlay for RAM/CPU and you can eBay the whole lot to recover some cash.

 

[cats_Paw]

Yop, CPU bottleneck. I have the same problem with my pc (Q6600 overclocked, 4 gb ram, nVidia 560 Ti.
Also note that your physx calculations need to be done in the CPU, since ATI does not have physx perse (was the only reason i went nVidia over ATI, my CPU).

The best way to know if it is a cpu bottleneck is that the changes in FPS are not too big when you switch game video settings.