FPS Drop outs

[Digidy]

Hi,

First time poster, long time reader

I have been experiencing a problem with my laptop and World of Warcraft for a while now and the problem seems to be getting incrementally worse. It started around October of last year and while there are posts from players relating to some similar issues (but not all) on the WoW Tech Forums I wanted to ask a wider (and more informed communities advice. The game was working perfectly both before and after the MoP expansion, the problem really arose about 3 weeks after the expansion and has just gotten steadily worse since then.

Basically I can be running around with 30-100fps (depending on whatever settings I'm running) and suddenly my FPS drops by 50% for about 1-2 secs and then returns to its previous level causing the game to freeze entirely for 1-2secs. In the beginning it was not so bad but it seems to have gotten progressively worse to the point that it is a complete freezefest now and the game is unplayable. Another symptom (though possibly unrelated) is that the sound/music is constantly skipping both in the game and in the login menu.

Fixes applied so far in no particular order in some cases applied a number of times:
1. Switched from Dx11 to Dx9 and forced the 32bit client
2. Rolled back Nvidia drivers - Initially seemed to make some difference but after the problem resurfaced and fix 3 & 4 were implemented this fix no longer makes any difference.
3. Updated Nvidia drivers (at a later date) - note this seemed to make the problem worse.
4. Uninstalled the video driver and allowed it to reinstall using factory settings.
5. Deleted WTF/Cache/Interface, deleted Cache in the Battlenet folder.
6. Used repair tool in launcher.
7. Reduced all graphic and sound settings to low and in some cases disabled them altogether (e.g. SSOA).
8. Checked CPU and GPU temperatures and they are well within the norm.
9. Checked CPU activity to see if I could correlate the FPS drops withe CPU spikes - I could not.
10. Turned off "Max Foreground FPS" (and the other setting underneath it).
11. Updated Addons.
12. Removed Addons.
13. Flushed DNS.
14. In "Properties" for Wow.exe I have unchecked "Disable Desktop Composition"
15. In "Properties" for Wow.exe I have set the game to "Run in compatibility mode for Windows XP SP3
16. Disassembled my laptop and cleaned out all dust - made zero difference at the end of the day and tbh there was only a tiny amount of dust in it.
17. Did a fresh install of windows and wow, updated all drivers using Driver Genius.

I can post a dxdiag if needed

Laptop is:
Dell XPS L501x
Intel Core i5-480M (2.66hz, 4Threads, 3MB cache)
Memory 4096MB 1333MHz Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM[2x2048]
Video Card 1GB NVIDIA GeForce GT 420M
Hard Drive 320GB (7,200rpm) Serial ATA Hard Drive
Win 7 Home Premium 64bit
Intel® Wireless LAN 6200

Could anyone out there point me in some direction as although my fellow wow players have tried to be helpful I have yet to come up with a fix =/

 

[JefferyD90]

Reinstall Windows. If you need to know how to do this properly just ask.

 

[Digidy]

Reinstall Windows. If you need to know how to do this properly just ask.

I'm not being difficult but is there something that implies I did it incorrectly in in point 17?

I will do it again if needed but I believe I have already done so "properly"

 

[JefferyD90]

You updated drivers using a 3rd party program, which assumes you connected via internet before installing the drivers... Which REALLY means Windows done found its generic drivers and your not doing a clean install. Would you like me to give you the proper steps?

 

[JefferyD90]

And if you would like, Ill be happy to compile the downloads for you. im not going to leave you in the dirt by yourself.

 

[Digidy]

Hi again,

Let's try it again then and see what happens. It will take a few days before I can both reinstall windows AND wow (ill need to be elsewhere to d/l the game) but I will get back to you as soon as I can.

I would very much appreciate a walk through so that we're sure I've completed the step correctly.

On a side note I was testing the GPU after posting the fist post and it seems the GPU load is dropping randomly in game. It doesn't happen in (e.g) Team Fortress though.
Any thanks
D

 

[JefferyD90]

Ok, so here is what you do... download your copy of Windows from a legit source, don't use a public torrent as they are ALMOST ALWAYS tampered with. If you don't have one, let me know I will find one and post it for you.

Unplug EVERYTHING from the notebook besides the power cable.

Download drivers and save to a USB drive.

Insert boot media (I always use a USB Flash Pen but you can use a DVD if you want)

Install OS. Do CUSTOM install and delete your partitions and then create new partitions. Let the Windows Installer work its magic.

Once you get into the desktop copy your driver folder over to the desktop and UNZIP ANYTHING that is zipped up.

You want to install your drivers in THIS order:
BIOS update: http://www.dell.com/support/drivers/us/en/19/DriverDetails/Product/xps-15?driverId=R309739&osCode=W764&fileId=2731118658
Chipset: http://www.dell.com/support/drivers/us/en/19/DriverDetails/Product/xps-15?driverId=26PX8&osCode=W764&fileId=2969963426
Audio: http://www.dell.com/support/drivers/us/en/19/DriverDetails/Product/xps-15?driverId=CK34Y&osCode=W764&fileId=2731101045
USB 3: http://www.dell.com/support/drivers/us/en/19/DriverDetails/Product/xps-15?driverId=7NW89&osCode=W764&fileId=2969963657
Card Reader: http://www.dell.com/support/drivers/us/en/19/DriverDetails/Product/xps-15?driverId=3XKD7&osCode=W764&fileId=2731096214
Management Engine: http://www.dell.com/support/drivers/us/en/19/DriverDetails/Product/xps-15?driverId=H9XFP&osCode=W764&fileId=2969964159
Turbo Boost: http://www.dell.com/support/drivers/us/en/19/DriverDetails/Product/xps-15?driverId=0RV45&osCode=W764&fileId=2731096207
WebCam: http://www.dell.com/support/drivers/us/en/19/DriverDetails/Product/xps-15?driverId=NK8VW&osCode=W764&fileId=2731096209
Rapid Storage: http://www.dell.com/support/drivers/us/en/19/DriverDetails/Product/xps-15?driverId=JVWR5&osCode=W764&fileId=2731093472
LAN: http://www.dell.com/support/drivers/us/en/19/DriverDetails/Product/xps-15?driverId=2HN3G&osCode=W764&fileId=2731096570
Bluetooth: http://www.dell.com/support/drivers/us/en/19/DriverDetails/Product/xps-15?driverId=FMJK1&osCode=W764&fileId=2731098603

This next part is dependent on your notebook, these are the wireless drivers and can make a HUGE difference: (I would have only posted 1 of these but I don't know which one you have, you can run all 3 and the 2 that you don't have, just simply wont work)
http://www.dell.com/support/drivers/us/en/19/DriverDetails/Product/xps-15?driverId=R307408&osCode=W764&fileId=2731119486
http://www.dell.com/support/drivers/us/en/19/DriverDetails/Product/xps-15?driverId=1JR9G&osCode=W764&fileId=2960744196 (I personally hate this adapter, just wanted to be on record)
http://www.dell.com/support/drivers/us/en/19/DriverDetails/Product/xps-15?driverId=CVC17&osCode=W764&fileId=2960743606

You may now connect to the internet.

Then go to Nvidia's website: http://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-us And pick option #2 for the graphic drivers.

Run Windows Updates. Do it again, and do it about 3-5 more times until you get ALL of them. (make sure to always, even if you see some, "check for updates" when you start this process). Also select the option for other Microsoft updates, this will install Microsoft Security Essentials which works WITH windows and is one of the best anti malware programs out there.

Install wow NO ADDONS, NO OTHER 3RD PARTY APPLICATIONS! Check to see if it works. And a word of advice with that video card your looking at High settings at best.

 

[JefferyD90]

And btw, use DX9 not DX11. The only thing DX11 about wow is the actual buttons you press... which is stupid... But leave everything other than graphic settings at default, and just use the slider, don't custom stuff (the game is actually made to work with that slider not the custom options)

 

[JefferyD90]

And one last thing lol If you think this is going to be too overwhelming let me know and Ill help. Like I said not going to leave you out to dry.

 

[Digidy]

Thank you for taking the time to explain it all fully for me, I'll get onto it over the next couple of days and let you know how I get on,

br

D

 

[JefferyD90]

And just to be clear about this, do NOT install other programs. Don't install Chrome or whatever, or anything. This should be used as a controlled test. After about a week of WoW runnin the way it SHOUD you may then make your PC personal again.

 

[Digidy]

Btw I believe the copy of windows I got was from softpedia, I am guessing that it was an original as I had a key and wasn't looking for any type of hacked software. If not a genuine d/l location would also be much appreciated.

D

 

[JefferyD90]

Directly from Microsoft:
http://msft.digitalrivercontent.net/win/X17-58997.iso

That is the latest version of the disc so you know it has the most built in updates. Just makes the total install process quicker.

Also, this is the tool I would use to make a USB boot drive: http://images2.store.microsoft.com/prod/clustera/framework/w7udt/1.0/en-us/Windows7-USB-DVD-tool.exe

Do Download the ISO, make the boot drive. Then download drivers, and make a folder in the USB Pen called "Dell XPS" and put the downloaded drivers in there. And start installing windows.

 

[Digidy]

Hello again,

Well I have done exactly as you asked me and yesterday I booted up wowfor the first time and there seemed to be little or no problem. I had only a few minutes (literally 5mins tops) to assess but there was no stuttering graphics, no time lag for the duration, there was also no skipping music. I powered on again today and it has reverted to how it was before, music is skipping and the game is freezing due to fps drop outs.

Before I took the steps you had advised and around the time I made this initial post, I noted that the GPU load was dropping to 0% and that these load drops were directly related to the FPS drops. Any idea where or what I should look at next?

 

[JefferyD90]

So let me make sure I understand correctly, it worked wonderful for the first "clean" boot (I call the first clean boot the one where you don't have any drivers or anything to install and its ready to play) but the second boot it functioned the same as always?

And just to clarify as well, we are running without addons, and NO third party software (this includes other web browsers, malware protection, music players, or anything). Just the clean install of Windows, the drivers, Windows Updates installed, and WoW?

If the answer is yes, then tell me HOW bad does it fall out?

If it falls out, completely, for 5-6 seconds, then it is a memory issue. If its marginally falling out for a few seconds, then I would have to say it is heat damage or something similar.

 

[JefferyD90]

And just to answer you question about the GPU load, that pretty much tells us it is something other than the video card. If the video card was at fault the load would go to 100%. But the fact that it drops to 0% means the video card isn't being fed data. (this is a CPU, Northbridge chipset, memory, or HD failure)

CPU and Northbridge failures are FAR and few between, so little in fact I would totally bet against it.

Memory timing and stuff are common problems, also cheep to fix.

HD failure is common BUT usually is only a issue with the load times, or if your system is using the page filing system often (which means you have little amount of RAM).

 

[JefferyD90]

This is a good testing software to determine what the problem is too.

http://www.passmark.com/ftp/bitstd_x64.exe

 

[Digidy]

Ok thank you. In answer to your question there were 2 differences between boot 1 and boot 2. The second time I booted I had connected an external mouse & keyboard (both Microsoft make if that makes any diff) and I was also connecting to a different router/ISP.

In relation to your question regarding drop outs, initially (ie before the fresh install) the drop out could last 1-3 secs, now they last c. 3-5secs. I will get that program and use it over the next couple of days.

Thanks again for all your help it really is appreciated!

D

 

[JefferyD90]

If memory is the issue, what you should do is take 1 of your sticks out, see if it still happens. If it does still happen, swap the two out and check again. If the problem persist with both sticks of RAM then we can assume its something else. If the problem is resolved with only one of the sticks, then we know the issue is RAM.

 

[JefferyD90]

And this is another issue that I have personally never seen before, but could be at fault... even though routers are not directly connected to the PC they still have a driver that is loaded (especially with some of your nicer routers). So it is POSSIBLE that the router (and the simple fact of info being pinged back and forth) is causing the problems. Also, keyboards and mice COULD cause it too. Drivers are a big part of your machine. Without the right drivers, you wouldn't notice a difference from a Wal-Mart Emachines to a top of the line Server PC.

 

[Digidy]

Update:

So to be totally sure that the keyboard/mouse drivers were not factors I did a clean install again, deleted partitions and reinstalled both windows and wow. This time I tried an extended test and found that the problem was there before attaching any 3rd party peripherals.

Aside from the driver list you supplied me with the only other things installed were Intel HD graphics driver (http://www.dell.com/support/drivers/us/en/04/DriverDetails/Product/xps-15?driverId=WG2CC&osCode=W764&fileId=2984155730) which I had to install before I could install Nvidia drivers, Java plugins for the nvidia website and adobe flash pluggins for another site.

Since then I have installed the BurnInTest program and run it. It shows no errors, neither when running alone nor when running individual tests alongside WoW when its glitching. I am happy to check the RAM if you think I should but as BIT checks RAM I'm not sure there would be any point...

A few things I've noticed which might be of help in determining the source of the problem:
1. The sound in wow is constantly skipping
2. IE seems to be unrepsonsive to my typing in the search feild and address bar sometimes. This can be - not seeing a flashing cursor, typing out partial words (as if lagging) or not allowing any typing at all for a few secs. Typing in this "Quick Reply" box seems fine however - Its odd because it wasn't like that before I reinstalled windows (though admittedly I didn't use IE very often either).
3. When scrolling quickly through a fully loaded webpage the screen can freeze for a sec or two.
4. After checking and testing again, the FPS drop outs are between 1-3 (4 max) seconds.

You mentioned heat damage in a previous post, is there a way I can investigate this further?

 

[Digidy]

You could probably disregard point 3 above, I've just tried testing that again and it doesn't seem to be happening any more.

Also I have tested this with both of the previous routers used and in the same sequence.

Lastly sorry for taking so long. This laptop spends most of its time in a rural area with little access to high bandwidth uncapped broadband and only on weekends can I really bring it to a place where I can d/l wow again.

 

[JefferyD90]

I understand, I live in the same situation.

Okay, if the RAM test turns out fine then its PROBABLY not that.

Do this to eliminate HD errors... Start>My Computer (right click)>properties>Advanced System Settings>Advanced (Tab)>Performance "Settings">Advanced (Tab)> Virtual Memory "Change">Unselect "Automatically manage..." and select "no pageing file">Ok Now restart your machine.

See if the problem continues. Also, check normal "non graphic" programs, like the burn in test, see if they have the "fall out" like WoW does. If the whole machine hangs, then it is MOST CERTAINLY a memory issue, if it is JUST WoW and select programs, then let me know.

 

[Digidy]

The HD idea made things worse to the point that the game crashed once and hung a number of times for long periods...

I am off tomorrow so will spend some time swapping in and out the RAM modules.

As for checking if a non-graphic program hangs, IE does sometimes but WMP works fine and so did almost every other program I had previously installed. I also borrowed a copy of Portal 2 and I was thinking of installing that tomorrow to see if there are any probems with it.

 

[Digidy]

BTW do I need to set my page filing back to automatic now?