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Performance Problem

Wittpilot

Wittpilot

Warbird Guru
On my new machine that I got I am having a very frustrating problem. I start up FS, usually everything is just fine... about 60 fps, which is good for me... but then it just up and starts sucking... down to 2 or 3 fps... not even playable... It is not just FS too, It happened with another game... Anybody know what could be causing this? Like I said, it obviously is not the specs of the machine as it handles everything okay because I get 60 fps, but then it just drops off all of a sudden... I can reboot FS, and it is still only running 3 fps.... takes a full system reboot......

HELP!


-witt
 
My first thought would be to check if there were other programs running, using memory and processor capacity.
 
Sandar is correct. Likely the problem is due to something running in the background.

My experience is with Windows Update and updates for other programs that are scheduled to run at odd times.

I use FSAutoStart to make sure such things are stopped while I'm in FS, and then restart once I exit the program. The newest program available is Altricity PC, I believe.

--WH
 
Another thing to check is the cooling fans in your computer. Heat build up will kill frame rates..and your computer. Open the side panel of your computer, fire it up and peek inside to make sure that all cooling fans are running. A faulty CPU cooling fan will spell sure doom for your system in a very short span of time as the CPU cooks itself to death.

OBIO
 
Suggest you shutoff all auto updates, do it manually. Shutdown virus scanner. Lock down the firewall so no program can connect to the net.
 
Heat and spyware programs.


Heat does this and will slow down your computer massively. Just a bit of lint or dust on our fan shroud or cooling fins will totally kill airflow. I was checking out my floor fan in my room and noticed it was blowing air out the sides and I barely had any dust on the grille. I cleaned it all off with a brush and that thing was back to turbo power.

Also you can purchase cooling jackets for your sticks of RAM. I think they are about $12.00 to $15.00 each, sometimes sold in sets of two.


Spyware bots can load up from just roaming around on the web. They will cause your system to pull down. My nephew was having speed issues on his computer. I removed something like 100 or 200 bots from his system. I couldnt believe it.

They have 'schedules' at which they report home, and when all of them go off, they are running programs which take up your resources..


Also, lastly.. A bad gauge on a plane will pull down frame rates. A way to get around all of this though and keep your flight, is to save at a spot in your flight, exit, reboot, and go back in. At least you still get to fly...



Bill
 
Thanks for the help...

Here's the issue with some of the advice...I don't think it could be anything running in the background... the pc has never been online and has no anitvirus running in the background..The only process taking up any significant memory running is explorer.

The heating could be an issue... with the graphics and RAM it has, (8gigs) plus it sits in an inclosed area, which i never shut the door while it is running but may still be causing a heating issue...

Unfortunately I'm not to knowledgeable about pc temps, is there a way to check this in windows? or are there just add on programs to use?

also, I do have vista....

-witt
 
Regardless from the OS you use, it's a rather bad idea to enclose a modern PC in a tight space (it was bad already with the 286 I inadvertently fried in the first 90ies, today is obviously even worse).

Personally I suggest everyone living in a environment where the summer heats up above 30° C to keep the PC's case open in summer. Especially if the house doesn't have air conditioning to abate the temperatures. If keeping open the PC is not possible for the most various of the reasons (like danger of a pet trying to nest itself inside, or small children searching for something to play with... both of them with terrifying results) I would suggest to think seriously to consider liquid cooling for the CPU, Northbridge and graphic card(s) ensemble (there are some quite good kits available around that aren't too pricey).

I would check FS9 too. If you have the not patched V9.0, remember that it has a memory leak that will slow performances down the harder, the longer you use the sim. In this case, download and install the V9.1 patch and you'll be a step closer to a solution.
 
Ashaman said:
(like danger of a pet trying to nest itself inside, or small children searching for something to play with... both of them with terrifying results)I would check FS9 too. If you have the not patched V9.0, remember that it has a memory leak that will slow performances down the harder, the longer you use the sim. In this case, download and install the V9.1 patch and you'll be a step closer to a solution.
Click to expand...


Yeah, a 1 & a 2 year old....... I'm lucky to even see my computer.. I think I will sit it on top of the desk and see if this changes anything... I also didn't think about the update...

thanks
 
The best way to check you CPU temp is in the BIOs screen. Most BIOs thingies will show you the internal temp of your CPU.

The easiest way to check your temps is via a free software package called Everest Home. I think Hey Moe did a post on the latest version in the Newshawks or Toys forum. I will dig around and find it. Everest will give you a look at the temps of your CPU, graphics processor (GPU), mother board and HDs...maybe not all of these...depends on what sensors are present in your equipment. I don't know how accurate these temp readings are, but they are the only ones I have access to.

Will be back in a few with a link to the thread on the newest freeware version of Everest.

OBIO

The link to Everest Ultimate Free....please take the time to read the pages...you have to get a license for the software, but it is a free license.

http://downloads.guru3d.com/Everest-Ultimate-Edition-4.6-Free-License-download-2298.html
 
Maybe it is bad or outdated drivers? Did you try to update or reinstall the latest drivers for your video and soundcard? Is there any visual problems beside the slowdown. If your videocard overheats you usually see strange colours etc. but you did not mention that so I do not think it is heat. Also unlikely it is dust if it is a new rig.
 
Outdated drivers could be another solution...as I said, I have had it probably two months, and haven't had it on the internet once.... Good suggestions, will try them through the rest of the day...

-witt
 
What are your specs...video card? What are your settings at within FS? What is your Target frame rate locked at? If you are seeing 60 FPS, I assume it is at unlimited. Try locking it around 25-30 FPS to dial in your CPU usage...anything over 25 is a waste of resources. Are you in full screen or windowed mode? You might try running in windowed mode and monitor Processes in Task manager to see if an application is eating up your CPU during the drop off. Does this only happen in a certain scenery? Try flying at a different location...some add on sceneries will eat up your FPS...
 
...another thought...cloud settings can be a huge draw on resources...Let us know what your in- game settings are and we can start to narrow this down. The problem recurring in another game makes me think that this is a hardware issue and not an FS related problem. If you are running a video card vs. onboard chips it may be underpowered. What is your power supply rated at?...just thinking out loud....
 
Minuteman... I think it is a problem not specific with FS unfortunately.. A friend brought over Assasins Creed to play one time, and for awhile it played great, and then all of a sudden it was so slow, you couldn't even move the mouse! Took me 5 min to exit the game! It does run 'better' in windowed mode, but still slow....


Also, when talking about it getting warm, can you lay your pc on it's side? Obviously it's not designed to do so, but if you do not have vents on the side of your case, is it going to hurt anything? I ask because I could lay it on my desk, I would worry about sitting it upright for fear of it falling on a toddler.....


-witt
 
...My best guess at this point is power supply(you may be underpowered) or your card itself. Does the PC function normally other than gaming? Do you have crashes/lockups intermittently(that would point to overheating)? If you can, swap out your card for one that you know works. If it still sputters, you can eliminate the video card from your list of possibilities and we'll try something else.
There should be no reason that you can't lay the tower down as long as you don't block any intakes...
 
Last night I uninstalled every program that I had put on there, which were only a few games. I re-installed FSX.. Everything was running good on medium settings.. I locked the fps at 33 and was getting a reading of 33.1 fps in the game... That lasted about 15 min before boom... it went down to 3 or 5... and the readout when you hit shift+z doesn't just stay on 5 fps... one second it will say 5, and the next 33...but there is no increase in performance.....I've taken the pc out it's cubby hole and hooked it up on top of the desk, I'll see if that makes a difference....
 
I took the pc out of the desk and set it on top where it would get pleny of airflow... booted up fsx... great for 10 mins...after that, no dice.... man it is starting to really bust my butt... it doesn't even feel warm, I can't think heat would be the issue...I'm downloading new drivers for the Nvidia GT120 card that it has... Im leary to think that will solve the issue...
 
Overheating might be your issue. Try opening the PC's case and play like you do normally. When the slowing down begins try and experimentally touch the metallic part of the CPU heatsink, then try touching the graphic card's, and then the northbridge's.

If one of them is really hot, I mean if you barely can keep touching the metal, you might need a better heatsink there.

You can, and should, substitute your senses for gauging the temperatures with the probe of a small digital thermometer, for more accurate results. CPU's should never get over 50° C, same for the GPU's of the graphic cards, and unless there's little to no air ricircle or you're attempting overclock, it's very difficult that the northbridge should get even near 40° C.

Another problem might be caused by the inaccurate use of the thermo-conductive paste between CPU and heatsink in assembly. If when the heatsink was put on the CPU said thermo-conductive paste was placed badly, it won't allow for a good heat conductivity between CPU and heatsink (this is to be tested by someone who knows how to dismantle and remount the heatsink on the CPU only), the heatsink may seem not so warm to the touch, but it's because it doesn't receive enough heat from the CPU.

Try installing a softare that reads the temperatures from the integrated heat probes on the motherboard, like Motherboard Monitor or something similar, for a more precise temperatures reading.

For last, try to gauge the heat of the air that is moved through the power supply by its fan. If it's very hot, you may need a more powerful unit.
 
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