Graphics card sluggish

Hey TL,

I haven't replaced/upgraded my computer in a while, and I've been having some issues running the same games I used to be able to run fine(SC2, dota2, D3, WoW etc).

My specs are:

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4 GHz(weak I know)
8 GB DDR3 Memory
ASUS Nvidia GTX 460
1.5 TB 7200 rpm SATA HD
Nothing else worth noting

I know that the system isn't really the best around, but it's also not the worst. I used to be able to play SC2 and Dota on highest settings, but now sometimes my computer gets REALLY sluggish and I have really bad graphics lag. After a restart, it seems to be a little better. It could be overheating, but I've already got a large fan blowing into my computer(like an actual fan, probably bad for the computer but w/e) and normal fan cooling inside as well. I don't know of other ways to cool it down.

Other issues that happen occasionally:
Once in a while, my computer just doesn't start. It always starts again after a while, I think after it cooled off.

What do you think the problem is? Tell me if you need any other information or if I should run any other tests.

jWavA United States. June 16 2012 03:10. Posts 63

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Oh, I run 1920 x 1080 resolution and used to be able to run Ultra on SC2, WoW and Dota but now can only run medium settings on all sometimes.

Eisregen Germany. June 16 2012 03:31. Posts 901

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Your PC should be asbolutely fine, also (and especially) for SC2. Check the temps with hwmonitor (CPU AND GPU) (idle temps wont give you much useful data). Clean out the dust of your case, check if your GPU is correctly seated or if any of the fans is kinda loose.

Last edit: 2012-06-16 03:31:51

Photo-Noob@ http://www.flickr.com/photos/eisregen1983/

LJ June 16 2012 03:50. Posts 203

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Reinstall windows, i bet you it's fine again

User was warned for this post

iloveav Poland. June 16 2012 06:25. Posts 820

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I have same processor, and after i reinstalled windows (changed from vista to win7), sc2 improved quite a lot.

Overcloking your processor (assuming you know what you are doing only!) is a good wa to get some extra speed, since sc2 only uses 2 cores from the CPU.

If i remmber right, there is a way to set sc2 to use cores 2-3,3-4 to keep 1 core on the system, and 2 cores totally on sc2, but you will have to google that, since i dont remmember it much.

Its more likely its a processor bottleneck and not a GPU problem, as sc2 is very CPU intensive.

Last edit: 2012-06-16 06:33:11

aka LRM)Cats_Paw

Chargelot June 16 2012 19:50. Posts 2274

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Maybe a little off topic

On June 16 2012 03:09 jWavA wrote:It could be overheating, but I've already got a large fan blowing into my computer(like an actual fan, probably bad for the computer but w/e) and normal fan cooling inside as well. I don't know of other ways to cool it down.

This more than likely hurts your computer's ability to cool. What this ends up doing is it creates unnecessary air turbulence, and makes it more difficult for the air to move in the correct direction at the correct pace. It's not necessarily all about airflow, and more flow doesn't always equal more cooling.

Cooling is more about getting the right amount of air to move over the heatsinks on your components and to have that air stay for long enough to collect heat, but not so long that the heat builds up.

Having a desk/table/standing/etc like point at a person to cool them down fan blow into your case can disturb that balance.

It's likely this has nothing to do with your problem here, but this is just a bad idea in general. If you do have a problem with keeping your computer cooler without this fan, we would need more information on that. Such as what case you have, how many fans, what direction they're blowing in, etc. But computers run hot, it's just what they do. You can get them cooled down a bit by having a nice clean case, and proper air flow, but they will always make your room hotter than it is when you leave them running for a long time.

If you'd like more advice on that, post the following information:

CPU cooler
Case
Number of fans
Location of fans
Direction of airflow on each fan
Average ambient temperature (the temperature of the room the computer is in)

As an example, mine would be:
+ Show Spoiler +

Last edit: 2012-06-16 20:17:27

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