Low fps on a gaming computer. Can't think of a solution. Help!

[AJWilman]

I need help figuring out what is wrong with my gaming computer 🙁

fx-8150 3.6ghz
HD 7870
8gb Corsair vengeance RAM
750w PSU

I usually play games like League of Legends and Skyrim. I know that i should be able to get a constant 60fps but it keeps ranging from 180 to 4 fps.
I have bought a new cooler so i know that its not overheating and have tried another PSU to check that it is not the problem.
I'm all out of ideas. Please help.

 

[silverz]

What specs? What games are you running at what resolution and settings and what are the average fps you recieve?

 

[bystander]

Something definitely is wrong if you are dropping to 4 FPS, unless you have a bunch of mods. Sometimes mods can have performance issues.

First thing is to make sure you update your drivers from AMD's site. Do not use the drivers included with the CD that came with the GPU. The next thing you will want to do is monitor your CPU and GPU temperatures. If things get hot enough, they will throttle performance. It is also possible background apps are getting in the way and hogging up resources while you are in game.

 

[AJWilman]

@bystander
I have kept a close eye on my temperatures and both my Cpu and Gpu are around 24 degrees idle and 47 during gaming. I also installed the most recent drivers this morning :/
As for the mods, i don't use any and that wouldn't explain the LoL fps.
Thanks for the quick response.

 

[bystander]

You may want to check to make sure you have no viruses, or background apps. Virus scanners can do this sort of thing. I recently saw my parents had installed one of those apps to update all their drivers for them, rather than going to the specific website for their product. It was one of those things that scan your whole PC and gives you updates for everything. The only problem was that it kept searching online for updates, which caused their PC to run horribly slow.

You may have a conflict with some other type of software as well.

Another thing to look for is download GPU-Z and see that the Bus interface is correct. Sometimes a poorly seated card will run, but very slow, and it'll show up on the Bus interface as something other than PCIe x16 2.0-3.0.

 

[AJWilman]

I already have anti virus software that scans my computer regularly so I'm sure it's not a virus.
I will download gpu z tomorrow and let you know the results.
Thank you

 

[silverz]

I already have anti virus software that scans my computer regularly so I'm sure it's not a virus.
I will download gpu z tomorrow and let you know the results.
Thank you

Have you checked for malware/toolbars etc? These probably won't show up on a normal antivirus program but can take up a ton of resources. Also have you checked your graphics card control panel? Maybe you have some extremely high levels of antialiasing or supersampling turned on (I have nvidia so not sure what options are in amd panel)
the 180 to 4 fps definitely suggests a software rather than hardware issue.