Frequent "slow motion" when running games

[dothackjhe]

We had this computer built at around mid ~ late 2010 with this specs:
- AMD Phenom II X3
- 2 Gb RAM (now at 4 Gb RAM) DDR3
- Nvidia GeForce 9500 GT 1 Gb (now at GeForce GTS 450 2 Gb)
- 300 Gb HDD (now at 500 Gb HDD)
- 500 Watts (now at 700 Watts) PSU
- DVD Optic Drive

Since having built the system unit, it had once issues with its mainboard, HDD, and PSU and thus was replaced while other changes were meant to be an upgrade. Gaming with this specs has been of ease until as of late when frequent slow motions occur whenever I run graphics-intensive games which occurs randomly and lasts for about several seconds up to a minute or so of slow motion. The issue arose after having had replaced the HDD. Since then, slow motions occur whenever I'm gaming graphics-intensive games. One such game where I experiences slow motions is Saint's Row IV. Having had the game option auto-detect the optimized setting for my system specs which was at high and runs at almost, if not, 60 fps smooth minus the frequent slow motions. Also, there are cases when the system hungs when semi- or idle and had to be resetted to work normally again.

As of posting time, installed on this computer is an Nvidia GeForce driver of 320.49 for the graphics card.

Note, also, given the system specifications, it could run games from the present at low ~ mid settings and sometimes at high with smooth frames at 1024x768 default screen resolution of the monitor. Any higher than that cause black screen issues with it.

 

[ICIT2LOL]

dothackjhe I suppose you could try a few things mate like resting the GPU and RAM sticks running a sfc and chkdsk and some security scans.
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/1538-sfc-scannow-command-system-file-checker.html
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/433-disk-check.html


http://www.superantispyware.com/

http://www.malwarebytes.org/products/malwarebytes_free/

http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/download/adwcleaner/

download from bleeping computer


Do these then it might be worth a test on that hard drive and perhaps even a memtest

SeaTools for Windows | Seagate

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/105647-ram-test-memtest86.html this one you will need to make a bootable disk set the BIOS to optical (or USB if preferred) boot the machine and let it run for at LEAST 8 passes unless the errors come up straight away. Takes fair time to complete and some leave it running overnight.

 

[dothackjhe]

As for the antivirus and anti-malware software, I uses both Avast! Internet Security and Malwarebytes' Antimalware. Would it be a good idea to install Super Anti-Spyware along with these two software?

 

[ICIT2LOL]

As for the antivirus and anti-malware software, I uses both Avast! Internet Security and Malwarebytes' Antimalware. Would it be a good idea to install Super Anti-Spyware along with these two software?

Yes no problems mate as it and the ADW are like the free Malwarebytes not a real time application - just on call. You will find them good to use on a regular basis as the SAS picks up trackers for example all the time.

If you haven't got it already CCleaner is a very good clean application that most of us in here use.
One thing is when you clean out the cookies you need to keep the ones you need for sites requiring your password. To do that when the Analyse has run go to Options > cookies > look down the left hand list pick the ones (highlight and use the centre arrow to carry over to the right) you want to keep and send them to the right hand list to be saved when you run the clean up.
CCleaner - Download from piriform

 

[dothackjhe]

I have CCleaner installed and I made it a habit of using it before and after I uses the internet and the computer. As for Malwarebytes', I uses a legit key for it and is non-trial.

I was thinking the problem to be caused by the graphics card driver if not a hardware issue somewhere. I had set the PhysX configuration from the control panel to be run by the graphics card to which it is capable of than to put the load on the CPU. Yet, after some time of playing a graphics-intensive game slow motion occurs. It wasn't like this a year or so ago. Even if it did occur, there was already an overheating issue happening on the hardware level but that is after two or three hours of straight graphics-intensive gaming. I also uses Speccy to check for the hardware parts' temperature after running some graphics-intensive games. While it does overheat at 70+ degrees Celsius, it shouldn't be causing slow motions in-game as it did a year or so prior. It is usually hot at our place plus the heat coming from the desktop computer itself, so a 35 ~ 50+ degrees Celsius at normal load is pretty normal. Even the 70+ degrees Celsius overheating temperature is normal. Any higher than that, I am concerned though.

I'm more focused now on a software level issue when it can be mediated that way. But I'm not ruling out the possibility of the problem to really be a hardware issue somewhere.

 

[ICIT2LOL]

Hmm might sound a little simplistic but have you tried reseating the GPU and the RAM sticks?

You might even try cleaning the slots too with a litle thing I wrote up.

Now as for the slots to clean them use a strip of old credit card about 1/2inch wide nip the corners off one end hold a piece of thin lint free cloth overthe end dab on some form of alcohol - iso propyl alcohol (what we swab the skinwith before an injection) is good and GENTLY swipe along the slots.

This can also be done for the GPU slot/s.

Now it might also be worth running a memtest too

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/105647-ram-test-memtest86.html this one you will need to make a bootable disk set the BIOSto optical (or USB if preferred) boot the machine and let it run for at LEAST 8passes unless the errors come up straight away. Takes fair time to complete andsome leave it running overnight.

 

[dothackjhe]

Just gone through cleaning of almost every hardware parts of the computer and apparently poor air circulation due to accumulated charred dusts on heat sinks causes the issue. I've also replaced the thermal paste on top of the CPU for a better cooling of it.

Just tried playing Saint's Row IV again earlier and there has been no slow motions so far.