# Sudden FPS Drop/Overall Poor Performance



## MeltingHolster (Aug 21, 2010)

Hello, let me start by posting my computer specs:

Model: Asus G60VX Laptop

Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo @ 2.13GHz

Video Card: Nvidia GTX 260M 1GB GDDR3 RAM

RAM: 4 GB DDR2

Operating System: Windows 7 64 bit

Screen Resolution: 1367 x 768 (Which is the setting I play all games on)

Recently, within the past few days, I have noticed all of my PC games have been giving bad performance and low frames when they usually perform extremely well. I play mainly Napoleon: Total War, Metro: 2033, GTA IV, and Men of War. The games now take an extreme amount of time to load and when they do load I have very bad FPS ratings, I haven't done benchmark tests on what I've been getting but I would estimate about maybe 12 FPS max, even when I have settings on the bare minimum when I could usually play everything on high, when I would normally keep a steady FPS of atleast 25 on all of them. I think it first occured that I realized what happend after I downloaded the Mafia II Demo and it installed the new Physx which had a lot of problems, and Nvidia sent out a new version quickly after. I have done a lot of rolling back and forth between drivers, currently I am on the 197.16 drivers and I was on the 258.96 drivers, and to tell you the truth I'm not even sure if those are right for my GPU but the Nvidia website said they were. Maybe somehow switching between drivers screwed something up. I have tried everything I can think of, I have done virus scans, I have done disk optimization, I have tried using a disk cleaner to delete old registry files, and flipping between GPU drivers, and even system restores. Nothing is working. 

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks!


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## Elvenleader3 (Jan 1, 2010)

Hey MeltingHolster and welcome TSF.

When was the last time you dusted out your laptop with a can of compressed air?

Overheating is normal in a laptop if not cleaned every so often. There isn't to much space for the dust to go which makes components hotter.


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## llacrossedude7 (Jul 31, 2009)

What kind of settings do you usually play on such as textures and quality settings? The reason I say this is because the only game you should have trouble with is Metro 2033 because its a really physically demanding game on your computer.


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## MeltingHolster (Aug 21, 2010)

I just recentely tested Metro 2033 last night and got 15 FPS when not in combat and when combat began it went down to about 4 FPS. I usually kept it at about 15 FPS in combat and 25-30 FPS when not in combat. I play it in very high settings, but anti-aliasing at the lowest setting. I usually have good FPS in all games, but now get really low FPS in all games.

I have never dusted it with a can of compressed air... I'm not sure if I have one, and I don't really know how to open this computer.


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## Elvenleader3 (Jan 1, 2010)

Try getting a can of compressed air and blow into the vents. You can normally find it at any office/electronics store.


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## MeltingHolster (Aug 21, 2010)

Alright, how much of the can should I use? And is there anything else I can try to do while I wait to get one of those cans?

And I think I can open it up from the bottom, should I try opening it and blowing the can directly on the parts as well? 

Thanks for the help.


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## llacrossedude7 (Jul 31, 2009)

Turn of AA and AF and lower the settings to medium.


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## MeltingHolster (Aug 21, 2010)

Yeah but I have always been able to play it at very high, why can I not now?


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## llacrossedude7 (Jul 31, 2009)

That what we are trying to figure out, lower your settings and tell me what kind of FPS you are getting.


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## MeltingHolster (Aug 21, 2010)

I've been playing Napoleon: Total War at the lowest settings possible and I've been pretty much getting the same results of FPS, just maybe 5 frame differences at the max, still not playable.

Thank you for all the support.


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## FattyMan (Sep 13, 2010)

Hi there. am getting same issue. I have alienware m15x i7 1.73ghz with surprise surprise nvidia's gtx 260m graphics card. The issue i think is only with the graphics card driver and its compatibility with direct x 11. the GTX 260m is only compatable with direct X 10 or 9.

Now direct x 10 is only compatible with windows vista.

Tonight I will try out direct X 9 and see if this works.

Can anyone confirm if direct x 11 is fully backwards compatible? it was supposedly.

Bloody Microsoft & nvidia again making my pc gaming experience hell. 

Bloody hope this works. Any other ideas are more than welcome.


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## bwolfje (Jul 26, 2010)

hiya,

since its an laptop, after a while the heatsink gets filled up with dust so no air can pass through it anymore.

big chance this is the case with your laptop since settings dont help i suggest to check the fan and heatsink

usually the fan is connected with the heatsink and in between is a little space

that space is filled up 

the heatsink is the coper collored metal that goes over your cpu and/or graphics card

if you are not comfortable with opening your laptop then i suggest to go to a compuyter store near you to get it cleaned out

after that you should see a better result allready


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## FattyMan (Sep 13, 2010)

I wish it was. I just got my laptop 2 weeks ago. Def aint overheating.

when I reinstall the nvidia drivers for my GC, it works intially. I turn it off, come back and the slow FPS are back. I change the setting to try and fix it, problem stays until the reinstallation of drivers.

Its a tough one. Had lots of people look at this issue and no one has found a fix - should have gone ati.


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## MeltingHolster (Aug 21, 2010)

Hey everyone sorry I haven't kept on some updates - I haven't been gaming at all lately due to school... that DX10 thing might actually be apart of the issue I'm having, does GTA have the option to switch between DX10 and 9? Ill try that today, because GTA is what I am having the most problems with. Changing drivers haven't helped at all for me. I'll get back later and see if changing to DX9 does anything.

EDIT: I just tried Metro: 2033, doesn't even play anymore. When load a game it starts loading then freezes and ends itself.

Also, tried STALKER: Call of Pripyat. Doesn't launch either. Freezes while loading and I need to close it with task manager.


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## llacrossedude7 (Jul 31, 2009)

DX9 will run faster than DX10.


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## bwolfje (Jul 26, 2010)

Hello,

I hope the directX will solve the issue.

As llacrossedude said dx9 will run faster as directx 10 is very demanding even for newer high end cards.

just give it a go and let us know how it works out


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## MeltingHolster (Aug 21, 2010)

I tried the DX9, and it didn't do much. But now most of my games aren't even running anymore. I was thinking of grabbing a screwdriver and opening up the laptop to see if everything appears clean, but I am having trouble finding one.


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## FattyMan (Sep 13, 2010)

hi Guys. so tried DX9 - this does not solve the issue. Please remember that if you are running windows 7 this is not compatible with directx 10, so if your games are not working, just reupdate your directx drivers to the latest for now.. I installed the older nvidia gtx 260m drivers (192.12 I think), then changed all settings in nvidia control panel to performance and did the same in the alienware control centre. Now this temporarily fixes the problem, but it still re-occurs from time to time. The actual issue is a power one going to the nvidia gtx 260m graphics card. it draws a hell of alot of power (almost twice that of the ATI 5850). Will be speaking with some tech guys from dell to see what other fixes they may have, but this is the best i can suggest for now. Been looking at alot of other sites and this is a widespread issue if you have the nvidia gtx 260m graphics card with a processor equal or faster that the i7 720qm quad core. Many people have just reverted to the ati 5850 graphics card and reported no fps drops. What a pain in the ***!! hope this helps


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## Ridonkulous (Sep 22, 2010)

I have to agree with the other posters. If this problem surfaced out of the blue with no hardware or driver changes...

This definitely sounds like a heat issue. Gaming laptops are particularly susceptible to heat related problems due to the large dedicated graphics cards they cram in there.

I have had a Dell XPS 1710 with Nvidia 7900gtx then 7950gtx(slightly higher clock, still dated  ) for 4 years now. I try to keep it elevated off the desk so air can flow out the vents on the bottom and over the bottom of the laptop. I used to have a fan that it could sit on which pulled air down and pushed it out the back (broke after 3 years). It helped to keep RAM and gfx card cooler, particularly for long stretches of heavy load/use.

Even if the laptop is brand new, it seems possible this could be a heat issue. Never set the laptop running on a bed or blanket or area otherwise completely filled with lint/dirt/debris/hair/whatever! It WILL end up in the heatsinks and fan grills and hinder the cooling capacity of the laptop. 

Also, if you are playing on a secondary monitor or TV with your laptop, don't close the laptop because they sometimes have vents on the top keyboard area.

Try to clean out the inside of the laptop. Obviously don't open it if it's under warranty, because we don't know the terms of the warranty. Get a desk sized fan and blow it over the laptop to help it keep cool. 


Let us know the results!


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## llacrossedude7 (Jul 31, 2009)

Ohh make sure your graphics card does not have physx enabled in Metro 2033 that will cause serious lag.


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## MeltingHolster (Aug 21, 2010)

Does anyone have a link to the latest DirectX driver? I'm not sure which one to download. And I also tried playing the Halo:Combat Evolved trial and I was even getting lag in that... and that's just sad. I did a clean reinstall of my video card drivers just for the heck of it and it didn't seem to help. Downloaded Game Booster and Adv System cleaner I think it is called and let them clean out my junk files and defrag and such, also did nothing. I have a feeling this is a heat issue as well. I don't think it will mess up the warranty if I open because, there is no sticker attacked to the bottom that things usually have and they wouldn't know if I opened it. You never know the DirectX thing might work though if I download the latest one, because I haven't downloaded the newest DirectX drivers in months I don't think. I'll try it for the heck of it.

Thanks for all of the support.


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## llacrossedude7 (Jul 31, 2009)

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=2da43d38-db71-4c1b-bc6a-9b6652cd92a3


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## VVerner (Sep 22, 2010)

Hello Guys, Melting Holster, this might solve your problem, goto to the lower right part of screen next to your icons, and click the arrow pointing up. Then Click on the Battery Icon. Select more Power Options. On the left hand side, you should see the Power4Gear Hybrid with a lil Icon next to it, click it. Allow it to make changes. Click on the large High Performance Icon, and drag Mininum Processor state to 100% and make max 100%. Also select extreme turbo on the lower left hand side. Click Ok and try your games again, I think we had the same problem, I fixed mine this way though. I hope it helps.


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## MeltingHolster (Aug 21, 2010)

I updated DirectX, didn't help anything 

Any other recomendations?


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## llacrossedude7 (Jul 31, 2009)

Contact the computer manufacture and ask the Tech Support some questions. That the best advice I can give you.


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## McNinja (Jun 22, 2008)

Can you check temperatures with PC Wizard 2010 since everybody in this thread has not yet ask you to do so. Can you also check with GPU-Z since it records and keeps it highest and lowest temperature while it runs.


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## MeltingHolster (Aug 21, 2010)

My GPU reached a max temp of 104 Celsius while gaming, and average temp of 98.8 Celsius. Not sure if that's bad or not. And I believe my processor was about 80 Celsius as well.


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## llacrossedude7 (Jul 31, 2009)

Thats very very very bad. Clean it out with compressed air and see if it helps.


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## McNinja (Jun 22, 2008)

I say this to anyone who gets laptop is that they should invest in a decent laptop cooler to get the most out of a laptop's lifetime. My girlfriend's laptop's battery and AC adapter both died in short order because of heat issues. My hand would burn if I touched the ac adapter, it was that hot.

Antec Cooling system for notebook computers Model Notebook Cooler 200
$60


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## MeltingHolster (Aug 21, 2010)

Alright, I got the compressed air and sprayed it in the fans. My temperatures dropped dramatically, with my average GPU rating at 70 C, and while gaming about 85 C. Highest it got was about 94 C. I was experiencing great FPS, but tomorrow I'm going to open up the computer to spray down the heat sink and such, and that should lower it even more. I might have solved the problem! I'm going to do more testing to make sure though.


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## Elvenleader3 (Jan 1, 2010)

Just a question, did you turn the computer off?

Also, clean the heatsink out thoroughly. It could be extremely clogged with dust.


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## MeltingHolster (Aug 21, 2010)

Do you mean did I turn the computer off while I sprayed the fans? If that, then no, is it more effective for the computer to be on while you spray the fan?


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## Elvenleader3 (Jan 1, 2010)

Ok, for starters, don't EVER keep the computer on when spraying into the fans. Major damage to the fans. Make sure the fans are still working properly.


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## MeltingHolster (Aug 21, 2010)

I had the computer off when I sprayed into the fans. They are working properly, I can feel them blowing air out and can hear them as well.


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## Elvenleader3 (Jan 1, 2010)

Oh,sorry got a little confused by your post. Guess I didn't read it right. Yeah just try my above suggestion about cleaning the heatsink out thoroughly.


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## MeltingHolster (Aug 21, 2010)

Well, I cleaned out the heat sink. It seems my computer has returned to it's original state! I was playing Napoleon: Total War and was playing it at high with great frames once again. Going to try to download GTA:IV again and see if that works as well, then I'll definitely say this is fixed.

My temps when playing only went up to about 84 Celsius, and now they are at 77 C. It used to be 94 C while playing but I guess cleaning out the heat sink helped alot as well.


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## llacrossedude7 (Jul 31, 2009)

Glad to hear you fixed it, your temps are still high so I would invest in a decent laptop cooler.


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## MeltingHolster (Aug 21, 2010)

Indeed, I know this particular model is known to have high temps, that's why the newer G73JH model has dual exhaust instead of just one. It also has the 5870 o.o, ah well this is good enough. How many temps do you think a decent cooler will bring down the laptop to?


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## llacrossedude7 (Jul 31, 2009)

Ask around the forums because I could not tell you, I'm a desktop guy.


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## Elvenleader3 (Jan 1, 2010)

Laptop cooler should do the trick. Temps should be brought down a little. Make sure to clean it out monthly.


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## McNinja (Jun 22, 2008)

I would say that the laptop cooler could bring down temps by around 10C or more.


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## MeltingHolster (Aug 21, 2010)

Alright thanks I'll try to get one... haven't been having any problems except that Metro: 2033 and STALKER: Call of Pripyat still crash when I try to load them.


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## llacrossedude7 (Jul 31, 2009)

Thats to be expected because Metro: 2033 is currently the most physically demanding game on the market and it uses DX11 and Physx and STALKER: Call of Pripyat also uses DX11.


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## MeltingHolster (Aug 21, 2010)

But it used to work on very high settings.


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## llacrossedude7 (Jul 31, 2009)

I don't know what to tell you just make sure you keep all your drivers up to date and it might start working. You can always clean out your registry and see if that helps.


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## McNinja (Jun 22, 2008)

Cleaning out the registry does nothing at all. It's so tiny if its full and it takes nothing out of performance. Its why those stupid registry cleaning scams always seem to get people.


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## MeltingHolster (Aug 21, 2010)

Should I try reinstalling the games? Maybe a file was corrupted.


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## llacrossedude7 (Jul 31, 2009)

Yeah give it a try.


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## pharoah (Aug 28, 2006)

only other advice i could give.reformatting and reinstalling windows seems to always bring back performance.unless there is something wrong with the hardware.<<<< thats a last resort.


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## MeltingHolster (Aug 21, 2010)

Well the problem was pretty much solved pharoah, I just need to get a laptop cooler to keep the GPU cooler than what it is normally at while gaming which is about 86 C.


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