Note: I wasn't sure where this thread belonged. I figured the 'Windows on a Mac' forum was for, well, Windows OS on Apple hardware, which doesn't apply here. Please feel free to move if neccesary.
Anyways! I have an issue that I have brought to a variety of friends, with no results. The community here is friendly and knowledgable about a variety of topics, so I figured I would throw it out here and see what kind of recommendations I get back.
A few years ago, I bought a Dell Studio XPS desktop, which came with the then brand new Intel Core i7 Processor. The machine has served me well - I switched my desktop from a Mac to a PC because I am really into PC gaming. I have always been able to run games at full settings, until about a month ago.
Recently, while in games, I find the framerate dips down to about 20 fps every 30 seconds or so. This occurs more frequently when there is a lot of action on the screen. The problem is universal - I have seen it happen in L4D2, Modern Warfare 2, Starcraft 2 Beta, Mass Effect 2, and Bioshock 2 - all of the games I am playing right now.
Along with the fps dips, sometimes the whole computer just shuts down by itself, or the audio will start stuttering, and a minute later the computer freezes up. This happens frequently.
So there is something wrong here. The rig is almost exclusively stock parts, with the exception of a new Video Card I bought, a new power supply, and some RAM I bought on these forums. Partial specs for this machine can be found in my sig.
I used this rig with the modifications for about 10 months before the problem started happening.
My instinct right now tells me that this is a heating issue. The case is kind of terrible, and only has a slot for one 92mm case fan. I purchased a nice Antec case fan from newegg, so I am going to give that a shot and see how it helps. My temperatures are high from what I can tell - Speedfan says my main temp floats between 70 and 75, and the 8 cores idle at 50 but heat up to 65 when I am in game. The video card is hot to the touch, but not burning. I currently have the stock fan in there, and an external fan pointed at the video card, with the side panel off.
So, do we think this is a heating issue, or does it sound like something else entirely? I want to hear everyone's thoughts on this! Discuss!
Anyways! I have an issue that I have brought to a variety of friends, with no results. The community here is friendly and knowledgable about a variety of topics, so I figured I would throw it out here and see what kind of recommendations I get back.
A few years ago, I bought a Dell Studio XPS desktop, which came with the then brand new Intel Core i7 Processor. The machine has served me well - I switched my desktop from a Mac to a PC because I am really into PC gaming. I have always been able to run games at full settings, until about a month ago.
Recently, while in games, I find the framerate dips down to about 20 fps every 30 seconds or so. This occurs more frequently when there is a lot of action on the screen. The problem is universal - I have seen it happen in L4D2, Modern Warfare 2, Starcraft 2 Beta, Mass Effect 2, and Bioshock 2 - all of the games I am playing right now.
Along with the fps dips, sometimes the whole computer just shuts down by itself, or the audio will start stuttering, and a minute later the computer freezes up. This happens frequently.
So there is something wrong here. The rig is almost exclusively stock parts, with the exception of a new Video Card I bought, a new power supply, and some RAM I bought on these forums. Partial specs for this machine can be found in my sig.
I used this rig with the modifications for about 10 months before the problem started happening.
My instinct right now tells me that this is a heating issue. The case is kind of terrible, and only has a slot for one 92mm case fan. I purchased a nice Antec case fan from newegg, so I am going to give that a shot and see how it helps. My temperatures are high from what I can tell - Speedfan says my main temp floats between 70 and 75, and the 8 cores idle at 50 but heat up to 65 when I am in game. The video card is hot to the touch, but not burning. I currently have the stock fan in there, and an external fan pointed at the video card, with the side panel off.
So, do we think this is a heating issue, or does it sound like something else entirely? I want to hear everyone's thoughts on this! Discuss!
