Frame rate drop in Team Fortress 2 - Hardware & Software

Facepuncers, I am presenting you with a problem I have never stumbled on before. First I'd like to give you some more information about my system and the history of my frame rate before going into detail about the problem. My System Specifications: [B]Mainboard:[/B] Asus P5L 1394 [B]Chipset:[/B] Intel i945P [B]Southbridge:[/B] Intel 82801GB (ICH7/R) [B]CPU:[/B] Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo E4400 @ 2.00GHz, Stock Heatsink/Fan (Socket 775 LGA, 65 nm, +/- 1.168 Volt, 2048 KB L2 Cache) (CPU Instructions: MMX, SSE (1,2,3,3S), EM64T) [B]Graphics Card:[/B] EVGA EGeForce 8600GT 256MB DDR3 [B]Graphics Card Features:[/B] - NVIDIA® SLI Ready - DirectX® 10 Shader Model 4.0 Support - NVIDIA® Quantum Effects physics processing technology - True 128-bit floating point high dynamic-range (HDR) Lightning - NVIDIA® unified architecture with GigaThread technology - NVIDIA® PureVideo technology - 16x fullscreen anti-aliasing - Built for Microsoft® Windows Vista - Two dual-link DVI outputs support two 2560x1600 resolution displays - NVIDIA® ForceWare® Unified Driver Architecture (UDA) - PCI Express® support - OpenGL® 2.0 Support [B]RAM:[/B] - 2x 1024 MB DDR2-66 PC2-5300 (333 MHz) - 2x 512 MB DDR2-66 PC2-5300 (333MHz) [B]HDD #1:[/B] WDC WD800JD-00LSA0 ATA Device 80 GB, 7200 RPM (Used 62,5 GB / Free 11,9 GB) [B]HDD #2:[/B] SAMSUNG HD50 1LJ ATA Device 500 GB, 7200 RPM (Used 422 GB / Free 43,2 GB) [B]Network Card:[/B] Atheros L1 Gigabit Ethernet 10/100/1000Base- T Controller [B]Internet Connection:[/B] 80 MBit/s Down, 10 MBit/s Up [B]Operating System:[/B] Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit Service Pack 1 [B]System Classification according to Windows:[/B] 5,0 [B]Monitor #1:[/B] LG FLATRON W2243S, 22", 4:3 in wide, 1920 x 1080 (Native) @60Hz, 32-bit [B]Monitor #2:[/B] HP L1706, 17", 4:3, 1280 x 1024 (Native) @60Hz, 32-bit [B]Voltages:[/B] - CPU VCORE Min: 1.17 V - CPU VCORE Max: 1.30 V - VIN1 Min: 1.84 V - VIN1 Max: 1.86 V - +3.3V Min: 3.23 V - +3.3V Max: 3.23 V - +5V Min: 4.82 V - +5V Max: 4.82 V - +12V Min: 10.32 V - +12V Max: 10.37 V - Vin5 Min: 1.54 V - Vin5 Max: 1.54 V - Vin6 Min: 1.46 V - Vin6 Max: 1.48 V [B]Temperatures:[/B] - SYSTIN Min: 42C (107F) - SYSTIN Max: 43C (109F) - CPUTIN Min: 30C (85F) - CPUTIN Max: 41C (105F) - AUXTIN Min: 12C (53F) - AUXTIN Max: 15C (58F) - Core #0 Min: 30C (85F) - Core #0 Max: 44C (111F) - Core #1 Min: 32C (89F) - Core #1 Max: 45C (112F) - GPU Core Min: 52C (125F) - GPU Core Max: 62C (143F) - HD #1 Assembly Min: 31C (87F) - HD #1 Assembly Max: 34C (93F) - HD #1 Air Flow Min: 31C (87F) - HD #1 Air Flow Max: 43C (93F) - HD #2 Assembly Min: 31C (87F) - HD #2 Assembly Max: 32C (89F) - HD #2 Air Flow Min: 31C (87F) - HD #2 Air Flow Max: 32C (89F) [B]Fans:[/B] - CPUFANIN0 Min: 1776 RPM - CPUFANIN0 Max: 1795 RPM - Case Fan 120mm Front: 1800 RPM - Case Fan 120mm Back: 1800 RPM [B]Steam Directory:[/B] D:\Program Files\Steam [B]Time problem first occurred:[/B] Tuesday July 13th 2010 +/- 20:15/08:15 PM GMT/UCT [B]Game where the problem occured:[/B] Team Fortress 2 @ 2Fort 32/32, [B]Average ping during Game:[/B] 41 ms, (UK Hosted server) [B]Game Resolution:[/B] 1280 x 720 Window/Full screen [B]Aspect Ratio:[/B] Widescreen 16:9 [B]Game Graphics Settings [u]before[/u] problem occured:[/B] - Model detail: High* - Texture detail: High - Shader detail: High* - Water detail: Reflect all* - Shadow detail: High* - Color Correction: Disabled - Antialising mode: 4x MSAA - Filtering mode: Trilinear* - Wait for vertical sync: Disabled* - Motion Blur: Disabled* - Multicore Rendering: Enabled - High Dynamic Range: Full (if available)* - FPS inside (Idle): +/- 60 - FPS outside (Stress): +/- 30/40 [B]Game Graphics Settings [u]after[/u] problem occured:[/B] - Model detail: Medium - Texture detail: Medium* - Shader detail: Low - Water detail: Reflect World* - Shadow detail: Medium - Color Correction: Disabled - Antialising mode: None* - Filtering mode: Bilinear - Wait for vertical sync: Disabled* - Motion Blur: Disabled* - Multicore Rendering: Enabled - High Dynamic Range: None - FPS inside (Idle): +/- 100 - FPS outside (Stress): +/- 10/20 [B]Environment Temperature Min:[/B] 25C (77F) [B]Environment Temperature Max:[/B] 35C (95F) [B]My Problem:[/B] You might have already noticed what the problem is when going through the last bit of information. The game went from one moment to another from 30/40 FPS to 10/20 FPS when stressing the Graphics Card, This "stressing" is when going into a firefight on the bridge in 2Fort with Sentries, Snipers, Demomen, soldiers, scouts and heavies. I tried lowering the Graphics settings with little to no avail. The Graphics card is not overheating, it is staying at a max of 62C (143F). Is the end nigh for my Graphics Card? Is it a different part in my computer? What could be the problem that caused the frame rate drop? [B]TL;DR[/B] Frame Rate drops to 10 when stressing the Graphics Card. What could possibly be the problem?

What happens if you put the graphics lower? try that and post results

It's the first thing I did after checking if it was overheating. [Quote=Wokkel]Game Graphics Settings after problem occured: - Model detail: Medium - Texture detail: Medium* - Shader detail: Low - Water detail: Reflect World* - Shadow detail: Medium - Color Correction: Disabled - Antialising mode: None* - Filtering mode: Bilinear - Wait for vertical sync: Disabled* - Motion Blur: Disabled* - Multicore Rendering: Enabled - High Dynamic Range: None - FPS inside (Idle): +/- 100 - FPS outside (Stress): +/- 10/20[/Quote]

So before you had no problems, but only since recently you started getting those framedrops? Perhaps you could check whether any TF2 updates were made at that time. And are those GPU temps taken immedeately after a framedrop? Also I wish that everyone made an OP here like you did

Updated drivers recently? The last NVidia update made my Borderlands and few other games lose ~30fps and I've downgraded. Other than that it might be due the card being old and not having an amazing amount of Video RAM.

To answer your questions. Those temperatures shown as Min and Max are Idle and Stress. Min indicates when I'm at my desktop and Max indicates during heavy firefights. The Max Temperatures are during those frame drops. (If I die, and respawn, I get back to the spawn room, at that moment my Frame rate goes back to 100) I even tried lowering the graphics settings to TF2's lowest possible settings. When I'm in the spawn room my Frame rate is about 250, however, as soon as I go outside it goes back to 10. The environment temperature has been increasing the couple of days due to the "summerish" temperatures. I ordered some new thermal paste that contains 99.9% Silver. I will reseat my cpu and gpu tommorow and apply new thermal paste. (I am replacing the stock cooler with an Artic Freezer 7 Pro (Which I still have lying here, I had to clean it, it was full of dust when I took it out of my computer last summer. The reason why I put my stock cooler in is because I cleaned the Sink of the Artic Freezer 7 Pro with water to ensure all the dust was gone.) I also ordered a new Graphics Card Cooling unit because I feel that the current stock fan is not sufficient. And a can of compressed air to clean the littlest dust particles. This only cost me about 40 euros, so its worth a short. If all of the above fails, I will see if I find it worth buying a new card. Edit: There has been no TF2 Update on the 13th of July.

[quote] TL;DR Frame Rate drops to 10 when stressing the Graphics Card. What could possibly be the problem? [/quote] Your computer is a dual core @ 2 Ghz with a 8600GT. [b] That is normal. Framerates drop when the computer is stressed. [/b]

[QUOTE=1337asian;23362523]Your computer is a dual core @ 2 Ghz with a 8600GT. [B] That is normal. Framerates drop when the computer is stressed. [/B][/QUOTE] I had a 2.4ghz Athlon 64 and 7900GS, and I would never drop below 30 FPS on max settings. I doubt this is normal. Only thing I can suggest to OP is to try another graphics card... unfortunately, not many people have spare ones lying around. :/

I do, well my dad has the same card, but from XFX, its his work computer. (That I built for my brother that sold it to my mum for my dads birthday.) ...In case anyone wanted to know :smile: [editline]12:43AM[/editline] Swapped the graphics card [B]Graphics Card:[/B] XFX Nvidia 8600 GT 256 MB DDR3 [B]Game Graphics Settings after I swapped the card:[/B] - Model detail: High* - Texture detail: Medium* - Shader detail: High* - Water detail: Reflect world* - Shadow detail: High* - Color Correction: Enabled* - Antialising mode: None* - Filtering mode: Trilinear* - Wait for vertical sync: Disabled* - Motion Blur: Disabled* - Multicore Rendering: Disabled* - High Dynamic Range: Full (if available)* - FPS inside (Idle): +/- 60/80 - FPS outside (Stress): +/- 30/35 [B]Temperatures:[/B] - SYSTIN Min: 38C (100F) - SYSTIN Max: 38C (100F) - CPUTIN Min: 31C (86F) - CPUTIN Max: 43C (108F) - AUXTIN Min: 19C (66F) - AUXTIN Max: 19C (66F) - Core #0 Min: 31C (87F) - Core #0 Max: 45C (112F) - Core #1 Min: 32C (89F) - Core #1 Max: 46C (114F) - GPU Core Min: 54C (129F) - GPU Core Max: 66C (150F) - HD #1 Assembly Min: 33C (91F) - HD #1 Assembly Max: 36C (96F) - HD #1 Air Flow Min: 33C (91F) - HD #1 Air Flow Max: 36C (96F) - HD #2 Assembly Min: 32C (89F) - HD #2 Assembly Max: 33C (91F) - HD #2 Air Flow Min: 31C (87F) - HD #2 Air Flow Max: 32C (89F) [B]Game tested:[/B] Team Fortress 2 @ 2Fort 28/32, [B]Average ping during Game:[/B] 38 ms, (UK Hosted server) [B]Game Resolution:[/B] 1280 x 720 Full screen [B]Aspect Ratio:[/B] Widescreen 16:9 [B]Conclusion:[/B] It seems that the problem has disappeared, I can't really tell anything from a 15 minute test. I also updated the Drivers to make sure I had a fresh install on the swapped card, even though its the same card. I will swap the card back tomorrow and see if the improvements (new coolers and thermal paste) work. I will keep you people updated. If not... I will look into buying a new card.

I got a new card, the Ati Radeon HD 4850. The temperature stays below 54C (129F) at all times, playing TF2 on high during firefights still results in a frame rate of about 25/30 What is this? How? What? Test Drive Unlimited and Just Cause 2 run smooth on Highest settings.