# [SOLVED] Sudden drop in gaming performance



## sodapop83 (Dec 22, 2010)

Hi all,

First off, please pardon me for my noob language because I am not so proficient with computers.

Recently, I ran into a strange problem with my PC. A few days back, there was a loud pop coming from my computer and the power tripped. At first I thought the PSU blew, but it turns out that it's still working fine.

Since then, I have noticed a big drop in my PC's gaming performance. I built this PC about 5 months back, and before the crash, i ran all my games at 1900x1200 and mostly max settings and there was no problem at all.

However, I tried playing NFS: Hot Pursuit and found that the game itself had become laggy as hell. I hadn't changed any settings. The same for COD: Black Ops. While navigating the menus in the games work fine, when the actual action starts, the lagging begins. Interestingly, in Black Ops, everything runs very smoothly until a firefight starts.

I thought it might be my GPU's problem but i have exchanged it for a new one and the problems remain. I have also reinstalled Windows XP and tried running NFS again but it could not solve the problem. I also cleaned out all the fans in my rig just to ensure it was not causing the problems. Also downloaded DirectX and the newest drivers for the GPU.

Could I get some advice pl? Could it be a hardware problem? but everything else is running fine besides the games, and all the games ran fine previously... nothing's been changed! (besides the fact i've reinstalled Win XP...)

My PSU is from Cooler Master, it's GX650W. My processor is the AMD Phenom II X6 1090T, and I'm using a Sapphire HD 5970 2GB.

I do not overclock at all.

Would be very grateful if anyone could help.


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## mario74 (Dec 2, 2010)

*Re: Sudden drop in gaming performance*

I think you first thought was right. The only thing that could have made that sound is your PSU. I would either spend 30$ on a PSU tester or remove it and bring it to one of your local shops for testing. Your PSU could still be supplying power just not enough to get your game going (that video card you have sucks allot of power. If it is your PSU I would consider upping that to at least a 750 as power supplies lose 10% of their power within the first year. Of course it all depends on what you have hooked up to your system. Every PSU manufacturer will have a PSU calculator on there site which will give you a better idea of what you should have.


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## sodapop83 (Dec 22, 2010)

*Re: Sudden drop in gaming performance*

Hi

I tried the PSU calculator and found i need about 540W. Is there any way I can check if the PSU is the one giving the problems?

Thanks for replying.


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## dai (Jul 2, 2004)

*Re: Sudden drop in gaming performance*

i would be running a quality 850w

check your temps


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## sodapop83 (Dec 22, 2010)

*Re: Sudden drop in gaming performance*

As it was under warranty, i got a replacement PSU and tried running the game again but found that it still lags.

Does that mean it is likely not the PSU problem as I could run the game fine previously with this supply?

I realise i will eventually need something more powerful but I just wanted to test whether it is indeed the PSU causing the problems...


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## makinu1der2 (Jan 1, 2008)

*Re: Sudden drop in gaming performance*

Post the temp and voltage readings form the BIOS.

Use the *HWMonitor* to get the temp and voltage readings in Windows for idle and load.

Inspect the MB for any damage.


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## sodapop83 (Dec 22, 2010)

*Re: Sudden drop in gaming performance*

Ok not quite sure how to do this so i just took a screenshot of when no applications are running and another one where i alt-tabbed out of NFS and ran the programme.

Separate point, games like Dead Rising 2 and Blur run ok, but it's definitely not as smooth as before. Some slowdowns here and there when action builds up on screen.


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## mario74 (Dec 2, 2010)

*Re: Sudden drop in gaming performance*

I still say your psu is the culprit. You are running the minimum power rating according to ati (http://www.amd.com/us/products/desk...5970/Pages/ati-radeon-hd-5970-overview.aspx#3) This will of course depend on what else you have in your system. If you have more than one optical drive and any storage hard drives disconnect them and try again. If performance increases then it is your power supply.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

*Re: Sudden drop in gaming performance*

Use the Bios for the most accurate Temp & Voltage readings. You need to be at 850W minimum with a good quality PSU for a 5970.


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## sodapop83 (Dec 22, 2010)

*Re: Sudden drop in gaming performance*

Sorry for not updating.

I went out and bought a new PSU, and guess what? The moment I tried to use it I found out my processor had died.

It's the AMD Phenom II X6 1090T Black Edition. Now waiting for a replacement to come back.

Incidentally, I couldn't find the Corsair TX850W as recommended here, so I bought the HX850W instead. Is this good or am I in trouble?


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## dai (Jul 2, 2004)

*Re: Sudden drop in gaming performance*

no it will be fine


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## sodapop83 (Dec 22, 2010)

*Re: Sudden drop in gaming performance*

I have gotten back my CPU and rebuilt my pc with my new Corsair HX850W PSU. It is now working like a dream :grin:

I have essentially changed all my components for new ones as they were under warranty but I believe that the venerable folks here were right that it was the PSU that was causing the problem.

Previously, games which I found seemed to be performing poorly in the Win 7 64-bit environment have gotten a significant performance boost too. (I'm running dual boot)

Performance all-round has improved too.

Thanks all ray:


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## dai (Jul 2, 2004)

glad you have it sorted


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