[SOLVED] Sudden drop in FPS for a few seconds then fine until it happens again

georgens

Commendable
Oct 2, 2017
27
1
1,535
So I'll be running a game (e.g. Rainbow Six Siege) at high graphics perfectly fine at 150fps, then suddenly the frames drop to like 20-40fps for a few seconds then go back up until it happens again. When the spike happens my CPU usage drops down and so does the GPU usage. I've been told it might be the temperature, storage or power issue. The game is on my SSD.

SSD: 250GB Samsung SSD (pretty new) and I've got about 50GB left free.
GPU: Asus Strix Gtx 960 4GB GPU (not over clocking)
PSU: Cooler Master RS - 520W–A1 ASAA Cooler Master Pro Modular M520 RealPower supply
Processor: AMD FX- 8350 8 Core 4GHz
Hard Drive: 1TB Blue Sata Drive (600GB free)
RAM: 32GB (4x8GB Sticks)
Motherboard: M5A78L-M/USB3
 
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Solution
What CPU cooler are you using georgens, and what other fans?

The first thing to test is cooling. This behavior can be an issue with throttling due to heat.
Adequate chipset and VRM cooling is a must, not just the CPU and GPU.

A quick and dirty test is to take off the side of the case, and take a standard 20 inch box fan to blow air through the case. On high, most 20 inch box fans will move 1800-2100 CFM of air. If you have an adequate heatsink/fan for your cpu, this should make sure you have large amounts of airflow on all the other motherboard components

Cables should be bundled and tucked out of the way of course so you don't get turbulent airflow.

Power Supply appears to be 3 divided rails 19A each on the +12V from the info I...
3 things that immediately pop up are:

PSU ..possibly relevant. Can't tell as it wasn't specified. Models and manufacturers can be important.

No motherboard specified. You are running a 125W processor that requires adequate power delivery. Ability to cool that power delivery adequately may be an issue.

How your memory is divided. a 2x configuration is less work on the memory controller than a 4x configuration.
 

georgens

Commendable
Oct 2, 2017
27
1
1,535
3 things that immediately pop up are:

PSU ..possibly relevant. Can't tell as it wasn't specified. Models and manufacturers can be important.

No motherboard specified. You are running a 125W processor that requires adequate power delivery. Ability to cool that power delivery adequately may be an issue.

How your memory is divided. a 2x configuration is less work on the memory controller than a 4x configuration.

Updated
 
What CPU cooler are you using georgens, and what other fans?

The first thing to test is cooling. This behavior can be an issue with throttling due to heat.
Adequate chipset and VRM cooling is a must, not just the CPU and GPU.

A quick and dirty test is to take off the side of the case, and take a standard 20 inch box fan to blow air through the case. On high, most 20 inch box fans will move 1800-2100 CFM of air. If you have an adequate heatsink/fan for your cpu, this should make sure you have large amounts of airflow on all the other motherboard components

Cables should be bundled and tucked out of the way of course so you don't get turbulent airflow.

Power Supply appears to be 3 divided rails 19A each on the +12V from the info I can find.. A power hungry CPU + Video could easily load beyond spec. Depends on how the PSU is wired internally.
 
Solution

georgens

Commendable
Oct 2, 2017
27
1
1,535
Right so I've got a Corsair Cc-9011051-ww Carbide Series Spec-02 Case with 3 fans that are 120mm, the only cooler to the CPU is the fan thats directly attatched to it, cables are tucked and managed neatly anyway.