Games lag with new build

[yamkela]

Sorry in advanced if this isn't in the correct section of the forum.

I recently received a free motherboard with a processor, so I decided to put something together that I could do a little gaming on. I was able to reuse some parts that I already have and I got her up and running with Windows 7 64bit.
Only problem is that games like Crysis and Call of Duty 4 will run fine for 10 minutes or so (with all settings set to lowest), and then after that they start to lag like crazy for about 5-10seconds, and then normal play for 30 seconds. and this just continues over and over.
I can even have the settings on COD4 on highest and Crysis on medium and they will run great until the lagging starts.

My machine is:

-Asus M2N-MX SE Plus
http://usa.asus.com/products.aspx?l1=3&l2=101&l3=345&l4=0&model=1870&modelmenu=1

-AMD athlon x2 6000+ (3Ghz stock speed)
http://www.amd.com/us-en/Processors/ProductInformation/0,,30_118_9485_13041,00.html

- 4GB (2x2GB) Kingston DDR2-800

- WD Caviar Blue 320 GB 7200 RPM (master)

- Seagate Barracuda 250GB 7200RPM (slave)

- 400W Dynex PSU. And I know this is just a cheap brand from Best Buy, but I've never had a problem with it in other machines. Although I wouldn't be surprised if this is the problem.

Output. +3.3V, +5V, +12V1 , +12V2, -12V, +5Vsb
Max Load 30A, 28A, 14A, 15A, .3A, 2.5A

According CPUID Hardware Monitor(during game play):
CPU Vcore varies 1.17-1.52
12 rail varies from 12.35-12.61


-I've tried two video cards and I have the exact same problem.

1. ATI Radeon HD 4550 PCIE 2.0 512MB DDR3 (*from box. requires 300W or greater)
2. Galaxy GeForce 9500 GT PCIE 2.0 512 MB DDR2 (*from box. requires 350W with a minimum 12V current rating of 18A)


NOTE: I have not overclocked any component.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Levi

 

[yamkela]

I thought I had gone back to default before when I was trying to overclock.
So I reset my BIOS and now my PSU during game play reads:
12V reads 12.34-12.61
CPU 1.44-1.58

and note I have very good airflow in my case and all of my temp are very good

 

[Griffolion]

Depends on what settings you're running the 2 games on, if it's high then try taking them down, it may be straining the CPU too much and throttling it. 400W is not enough for that system tbh, especially on high loads for games, up it to a 650 or 700, corsair HX is the way to go.

 

[shubham1401]

Wierd problem man......check cpu/gpu temps?
maybe any hardware throttle

 

[hunter315]

Your CPU voltage is off
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103773
It should run between 1.35 volts and 1.4
Your power supply is the likely source of your issue and it may burn out your processor with voltages like that so swap it soon.

 

[dokk2]

I thought I had gone back to default before when I was trying to overclock.
So I reset my BIOS and now my PSU during game play reads:
12V reads 12.34-12.61
CPU 1.44-1.58

and note I have very good airflow in my case and all of my temp are very good

Set the voltages manually in the bios,Asus mobo's sometimes overamp..

 

[yamkela]

Yeah I just returned my ATI card and bought a BFG GeForce 9800 GT with 1GB GDDR3
and I have the same problem.

So it would make sense that it's the PSU.

Thanks everyone for your responses

 

[yamkela]

oh and so I can set it manually, what should my voltage be for my CPU?

 

[geofelt]

Look for the least sinister explanation first.

My guess is that the cpu is throttling.
Run prime95 and monitor the temperatures and the cpu utilization.

If the cooler is not on properly, it is a simple explanation.

 

[lucuis]

Start it off at 1.4v. Also your PSU in terms of power output is perfectly fine for your system. I'd wager you machine doesn't even pull 300w at full load. BUT that doesn't mean your PSU isn't the problem, it can still be acting up.

Check you RAM too, maybe run memtest or something similar. The issue seems as if something is throttling or for some reason you computer is accessing the pagefile too frequently.

 

[yamkela]

Running memtest right now.

I think I'm also going to flash the BIOS and see if that does anything.

How do I check if windows is accessing the pagefile too frequently, and what do I do about it if it is?

 

[yamkela]

kk It was actually just the CPU. I downclocked it to 2Ghz (from the stock 3Ghz) and now everything is running fine.
I have the choice of1.400V, 1.425V, and 1.450V CPU voltage in the BIOS
and I can change the multiplier at increments of 0.5 starting at 5 and going to 15 (with a FSB of 200Mhz).

Of course I want the best performance out of my system. What would be the best way to proceed with upping the speed?

and I don't believe heat was ever an issue. PC probe never gave me anything higher than 50C (I checked it by using Alt-Tab during gameplay and during prime95). Hardware monitor gave similar results.

 

[Griffolion]

Well if downclocking the CPU helped then you could do to get a better HSF for it. Get an aftermarket one like an Arctic Cooling Freezer Pro V2.

Also use Coretemp as a CPU heat monitor as it refreshes more frequently and gives individual utilisation of the cores.

Also just to be on the safe side, get a better PSU, you can never skimp on that one item. Check your cable management and see if your fans are going fine for optimal airflow.

 

[mcnuggetofdeath]

Vote for the PSU. That CPU pulls 125W stock, assuming you'd overclocked it at all your going to pull ridiculous amounts of power. Whatsmore, i recall reading somewhere that the 4870 pulls over 200w ( can push 250w ) stock. Initially you said your CPU Vcore was fluctuating as low as 1.17V, make sure you have "Cool & Quiet" disabled in the BIOS. Its a functionality that downclocks the frequency and reduces the voltages when CPU usage drops below a set level. That can affect your games as usage fluctuates wildly in game. The fact that reducing the frequency, and thus the power usage, seemed to provide a solution lends credence to it being a power supply issue.

http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103772
( Power Usage ^^^ )

 

[geofelt]

Running memtest right now.

I think I'm also going to flash the BIOS and see if that does anything.

How do I check if windows is accessing the pagefile too frequently, and what do I do about it if it is?

DO NOT flash the bios unless the new bios has a fix for the problem you are having. A failed flash can render your motherboard useless without a way to fix it.

Turn on the task manager, and then the performance monitor. Look at the graph for memory. It will have a number for hard page faults per minute. I doubt that you will see a meaningful number(>60/min) there, unless you are doing some heavy multitasking.

If the number is very high, the only good solution is to add RAM.

 

[yamkela]

yeah trying to flash my BIOS was what killed my second last comp.
I have an Antec 300 case with 4x120mm fans and one 140mm

As far as airflow goes I'm all set.

What is a safe max temperature for my processor to hit under load?

Right now at 2000Ghz with Crysis on medium setting, it hits 45C on core #0 and 49C on core #1 (according to core temps).

Unless I'm completely off here... but I'm pretty sure it should be able to take that.