FPS spikes in games

[sigalizer]

Hi,

I've just got my computer back from repairing, and I had to re-install Win 10. Before I sent it to get fixed (I tried unparking which kinda ruined my motherboard), I found a way to fix the problem where my FPS got halved randomly, and now I don't know what I did. You might think that it can be some kind of temperature problem, but it even does it at 50 degrees (Celsius), which is strange. My PSU should do the work perfectly, and I checked everything and nothing seems to be off-chart, it just randomly slows down.

My specs are:
AMD FX-8350 4GHz
Asus GeForce GTX 750 4 GB (I know, it's a bit outdated)
8 GB Kingston HyperX Fury 1866 MHz RAM
Chieftec 500W PSU
Cooler Master Hyper 212X cooler

Is it because of my specs? It would be odd considering that I have solved the problem somehow in the past. If not, can you tell me how to fix this problem?

Thank you for your answers in advance.

 

[Themastererr]

You left out your motherboard. It's possible your VRM's are overheating but we have need more information first.

 

[sigalizer]

You left out your motherboard. It's possible your VRM's are overheating but we have need more information first.

I did indeed, it is an ASRock 970 Pro3 2.0

 

[Themastererr]

Yup, just as I thought. That motherboard is not designed for the 125watt TDP of the 8350. The VRM"s are your voltage regulation (look to the left of your CPU).

There is a specific warning for your motherboard that you must use a "Blower" style heatsink with this motherboard as the VRM's are not heat-sinked and will get extremely hot. When I say hot I mean hot - 120'Celsius. If you do have adequte airflow - the motherboard will throttle itself to prevent damage.

First, let's see I'm right. Do you have a house fan? You know the ones that are on the floor and osilcate? Take off your side panel and direct the fan right at your CPU and try to game. Do you get the drops? If not, the VRM's are your issue.

I have a lot of experience with FX CPU's and I like to overclock them. What I do is use a 120mm fan and place it diagonally across my VRM's. This helps push air away from them and keep things stable.

 

[sigalizer]

Unfortunately I don't have a house fan with myself right now, and it would be very tricky to get one. Is there a way how I can check the MOBO temps? I want to stress that I did find a way to solve it in the past somehow, I just don't know how. Also the CPU cooler takes the a lot of space, so installing another cooler into my case is probably not a viable solution. If you are right, can underclocking be an answer? Because at this point I really don't want to invest in anything (I'd like to do a thorough upgrade in a couple of months, with a new VGA-PSU combo).

 

[Themastererr]

Unfortunately I don't have a house fan with myself right now, and it would be very tricky to get one. Is there a way how I can check the MOBO temps? I want to stress that I did find a way to solve it in the past somehow, I just don't know how. Also the CPU cooler takes the a lot of space, so installing another cooler into my case is probably not a viable solution. If you are right, can underclocking be an answer? Because at this point I really don't want to invest in anything (I'd like to do a thorough upgrade in a couple of months, with a new VGA-PSU combo).

You can check the temps with your finger. When you're in game or have something loaded up, take your finger and put it on the black square phases beside the CPU. (You will not get shocked this is A/C power). Are they burning hot to the touch? If so we might be on the right track

When I say add a fan I don't mean add a CPU cooler. I just mean take any 120mm case fan and place it diagonally across the VRM's. The fan can rest on your GPU or you can use zip ties to hold it in place. Be creative.

The Cooler master Evo is the probably the worst CPU cooler for FX CPU's. You are blowing are directly up and over top of your VRM's and they are not being cooled. My advice would be to set the CPU fan to max and adjust the cooler so it blows on the VRM's.

Yes. Under-volting the chip could help the issue. as the VRM's will not heat up as much.

I'm planning to upgrade my FX in the near future as well. However I'm torn between waiting for AMD's new lineup or commiting to Intel's skylake. We will see.

 

[ko888]

Unfortunately I don't have a house fan with myself right now, and it would be very tricky to get one. Is there a way how I can check the MOBO temps? I want to stress that I did find a way to solve it in the past somehow, I just don't know how. Also the CPU cooler takes the a lot of space, so installing another cooler into my case is probably not a viable solution. If you are right, can underclocking be an answer? Because at this point I really don't want to invest in anything (I'd like to do a thorough upgrade in a couple of months, with a new VGA-PSU combo).

Under-volting the CPU or disabling one or more CPU modules (i.e. core pairs) will reduce the load on the VRM circuit.

 

[sigalizer]

Alright, so I was finally able to check it out (my rig got broken), and you were right, it is probably the VRM. I'm still puzzled since the problem didn't occur for a while, but now I probably have to do something with it. I really don't want to invest in a new mobo, so the way I see it (but correct me if I'm wrong), I have three options:

1. Underclock CPU, cheapest, easiest, least effective, also I've just bought a new GTX 1060 which might get bottlenecked
2. Buy a new fan: probably this one needs the most tinkering as there is no really space for a new fan, so I have to play somehow with the space available
3. Actually this might be the best, but I might be wrong: buying these MOSFET heatsinks: https://www.amazon.com/Enzotech-MOS-C1-MOSFET-Heatsinks-Pack/dp/B004CLDIHK the success is not guaranteed at all, but if it works, it is the easiest.

What do you think? Which option should I do?