Dota 2 Bottleneck

[Jackrabbit69]

Ok so my specs are as folllows:

Core 2 duo E7400 2.8GHz
4 GBs RAM
Nvidia Geforce 220 1GB

As the game starts off I get 60 fps this is what I limit it too. As creep come to middle fps drops to 30s and then late game fights etc its at 20s. All video settings at lowest with launch options
-novid -high -nod3d9ex -dx9 -console -noforecemparms -noforcemaccel -noforcemspd -map dota also. What is causing the bottleneck?

 

[manddy123]

Not much like a bottleneck, IMO it seems more of a temperature issue.

Could you please monitor your GPU/CPU temps while gaming?
Also, what's your PSU brand and model?

 

[Jackrabbit69]

Ok I was monitoring in game and the CPU came up in the low 70s but that was not in a fight. The other team did have megas though. I will check the GPU. Using afterburner think it has feature to log temps. The PSU brand is Huntkey Model: CP-350

 

[Jackrabbit69]

Well I just played a game and the max temperature for my GPU was 89 and my CPU 81

 

[Carnaxus]

That looks like a very high CPU temp, especially for an Intel chip. Check the heatsink; if it's properly seated, take it off, clean off the old thermal paste from both the heatsink and the CPU (isopropyl alcohol), apply new paste, and reattach the heatsink. If it's still running that hot...your monitoring software isn't reading it right.

 

[Jackrabbit69]

Iv actually seen it at 100 but that was a while ago think the guy that did my PC down clocked it as the core clock is reduced. He said the fan might be getting old. But the thermal paste is a good point as I know it has none at the moment. Will see if I can get some at work. Is that GPU temp ok?

 

[Carnaxus]

Yeah, GPU's tend to run a bit hotter than CPU's. Your CPU has...no thermal paste? Why are you even turning it on without thermal paste? Don't turn it on again until you've put thermal paste on the CPU.

 

[manddy123]

Iv actually seen it at 100 but that was a while ago think the guy that did my PC down clocked it as the core clock is reduced. He said the fan might be getting old. But the thermal paste is a good point as I know it has none at the moment. Will see if I can get some at work. Is that GPU temp ok?

Beyond 80ºC, most Intel CPU's will begin to throttle. Reducing it's clocking to stabilize the temperature. That's probably it.
When the game starts it isn't as hot as mid/late game, therefore when u get to those points it can't keep running at full capacity otherwise it will burn itself up.

Consider re-applying the thermal paste immediately and getting a better cooling system.
Also, clean your PC from all the dust trapped in all of your fans, your GPU is hot as well, but not too much.

After those are solved, i'm pretty sure everything will be back to normal.

 

[Jackrabbit69]

Could this issue also cause my mouse to spike/jump? I also have high disk activity on the drive for some reason

 

[Carnaxus]

Fix one thing at a time, and see if the other issues go away. Apply thermal paste, blast that thang with an air duster, and report back if the other issues persist.

 

[Jackrabbit69]

I down clocked the CPU and temps remain in the 70s with the same fps. But yes I will apply paste as soon as I get some

 

[Carnaxus]

Stop running the computer until you get thermal paste. That's just begging for a fried CPU.

 

[TerryLaze]

As the game starts off I get 60 fps this is what I limit it too. As creep come to middle fps drops to 30s and then late game fights etc its at 20s.

That is normal,you alone on screen is the easiest scenario you with creeps and 1-2 heroes is tougher and in end game all hell breaks out and it;s the toughest for both your cpu and gpu.
Have you checked if your gpu can run dota2 in vulkan mode?This could give you a few more FPS.
If you run msi afterburner you can use it to display cpu and gpu usage while you game so you can figure out which component reaches it's limits first.

 

[Carnaxus]

As the game starts off I get 60 fps this is what I limit it too. As creep come to middle fps drops to 30s and then late game fights etc its at 20s.

That is normal,you alone on screen is the easiest scenario you with creeps and 1-2 heroes is tougher and in end game all hell breaks out and it;s the toughest for both your cpu and gpu.
Have you checked if your gpu can run dota2 in vulkan mode?This could give you a few more FPS.
If you run msi afterburner you can use it to display cpu and gpu usage while you game so you can figure out which component reaches it's limits first.

He said his CPU has no thermal paste applied. That's the main issue he needs to address before anything else. Adding thermal paste may well fix the entire problem anyways, since it's likely to be heat-related.

 

[Jackrabbit69]

I applied the thermal paste and yes I am noticing an improvement. Thank you for the help I will commend Just one question can a GPU be throttled in the same way a CPU is throttled in that performance declines?

 

[Carnaxus]

Yay, thermal paste, you now have a happy CPU instead of an angry overheated one. Next up: figuring out why your GPU is getting so hot.

You said at one point that it hit 100 degrees at least once...if the fan is dying, it's time to either replace the fan (hard but relatively cheap, provided you can find a replacement at all) or replace the entire GPU (easy but expensive). To be honest, I'm surprised you're able to run any more modern games on a GeForce 2X0 series card. Upgrade at least to a 7X0 series if not straight to a 10X0 and you'll see an improvement, although that old CPU will bottleneck a 10X0 series GPU badly.

 

[Jackrabbit69]

It does not have thermal paste either cleaned it off as it was dry replaced with some other thermal paste but boss said it was the wrong stuff. Only had enough for CPU. Will it affect performance in the same way that a CPU gets throttled? I get 50-60 fps which is enough for me as Im used to 30 fps.

 

[Carnaxus]

...If a component has a heatsink it requires thermal paste. Never ever run a computer without thermal paste on all components that require it. You will fry something.

Take that GPU apart and apply thermal paste ASAP.