Bootcamp Framerate Issues

[Nick Jinks]

I've been having framerate issues with Bootcamp on my MacBook and was hoping someone here could help out.

I run a 2009 13.3 MacPro with 9400 256 and 8GB Memory, Windows XP.

When I play games I have periods of high framerate then it will randomly slow down dramatically, even on games with very low minimal requirements.

For example: Dawn of War 2 requires a 6600 128 but it still have huge framerate issues. Sometimes it will settle down into normal framerate or stay low for hours on end. Same for ME2 despite the higher requirements. Sometimes I can play all day with high framerate, others it'll be choppy.

I don't have the same problem with MacOS, only Windows XP.

I've read that it might be an overheating issue, but I don't know how to test that, or what to do about it. Can anyone make a suggestion on how to fix my Mac, or a solution to the framerate issue?

Edit: Using iStat Pro I've found the fanspeed is about 3700RPM when I'm using MacOS to browse Safari. Nt sure how to monitor it in Bootcamp.

I also can't seem to get Apple Hardware Diagnostic running. I think I need my install disks, but I'm at uni and have no access to them at the moment.

 

[Nick Jinks]

Bump. Pretty please?

 

[Dyno-Mike]

Sounds to me like you have the dreaded SMC bug thats going around mostly on the Retina Macs

Try resetting the SMC first and see if that solves the issue.

 

[Nick Jinks]

Sounds to me like you have the dreaded SMC bug thats going around mostly on the Retina Macs

Try resetting the SMC first and see if that solves the issue.

I tried resetting the SMC, and that certainly quieted the fan down for a about 5 minutes, but the framerate crashed again and the fan is pretty loud when just using Safari.

Edit: I reset it for a 2nd time and the fan is much quieter.

 

[Nick Jinks]

Bump. Any help please? I've tried but I can't find any reason for this to be happening, short of some kind of unstable hardware fault, and I can't access my hardware diagnostic disks for the moment.

 

[Nick Jinks]

I know this is an old topic, but if anyone else has this problem in the future I have several possible suggestions that have helped me fix it:

a.) Reinstall Windows.

The first time I had this problem I fixed it for a short time by simply wiping my Bootcamp partition and reinstalling everything. I'm not sure what the problem was, but this wasn't a permanent solution.

b.) Ensure your Bootcamp drivers are up-to-date

Bootcamp includes the drivers for your graphics card, so ensure that you update your collective bootcamp drivers via Apple Software Update in the Windows start menu.

c.) Install an SSD

Not sure how much help this is, but I found my new SSD had a minor effect on gaming performance.

d.) Clean out the fans

Finally, the best suggestion is to vacuum out the fan and interior of the casing. I did this when I installed my SSD drive, and my framerates have skyrocketed and totally stabilised while the Mac itself is running far cooler and quieter in Windows.

My fans didn't look that dirty, but a few minutes with a regular vacuum cleaner has cleared them out wonderfully. Therefore if you're having this problem with your Mac overheating, the fans running loud or graphics instability then remove the backplate and carefully clean the fan and other components.