Can't run games without serious lag.

Hi ucantbeserious23, I'm a bit confused by your post. What is the actual gaming problem that you are having? Cheers, Lee

Hi ucantbeserious23

First let me caution that a utility as powerful as ComboFix should not be run without expert assistance.
Next, We do not provide Virus, Trojan, Spyware investigation and removal services in this particular sub-Forum.

If you do suspect that your machine has become infected, please
Read Here
Post here

If malware infection is not the issue, then we could probably provide some assistance, but would need more information about your machine, operating system, internet access, networking, and specific games with which your machine may be displaying the stated "serious lag".

Often, advanced games demonstrate "lag" if the machine resources are not strong.
– Check the game publisher for minimum machine requirements

Sometimes, if a game has previously played well on the machine, but then starts developing lag, one or more of the following may be at issue:
– Heat - Machine needs physical cleaning or other hardware attention
– StartUp Menu - new applications may have been installed that reside in StartUp and consume more and more of your machine system resources.
– Too many other applications are open
– Unwanted processes of infection may be using resources of the machine and band width
– Device Drivers may need updating.

Can you please tell us more about your Machine, Operating System, Installed applications, Network, and recent changes.
Also please be specific about the actual game situation that is causing difficulty.

Best Regards

No signs of any infection on my machine. As far as my referring to "lag" goes I do not mean internet connection lag, merely the lagging and skipping of the gameplay. I do not expect my machine, being a laptop, to run Steam games quite as well as a beefier desktop, but I have run these Steam games before with a much less notable "lag". I have done some cleanup by removing unnecessary applications which run on startup, and I have cleaned up many useless files/programs. Since I was first able to play Steam games, I do not recall any major installations/uninstallations of programs since, so my best guess is that age and wear are slowing my machine down. Here are some specs for my laptop HP Pavilion Entertainment PC Intel Core2Dueo CPU, P8600: 2.4GHz 4 GB RAM Windows 7 Ultimate, 64 bit Graphics: ATI Radeon HD 2400 Series Let me know if you need any other information, Thanks.

Run SpeedFan and post your temperatures.
Download available here

Run the PCPitstop Overdrive Full Tests, to give us an overview of the machine and its present performance.

Here's how:

You must use your Internet Explorer for this procedure. (doesn't work so well in Firefox or others). If your machine is running Vista or Windows 7, you must Select IE to “Run as Administrator”. After completing PCPitstop OverDrive you can close your IE browser and re-open it Normally so that you are no longer running as administrator.

Go to: http://www.pcpitstop.com
Click on "Free Computer Check-up" listed below PC Pitstop OverDrive
In the User Login - Click on "Sign up FREE!"
You'll need to submit a valid email address and create your own password, then click - Create Account(button)

Now enter your email address and password to Log in, Select - Scan this system Now!(button)
You will then be asked to download an ActiveX component and allow it to install.
It is safe and does not compromise your privacy.
Follow the on-screen prompts to install the ActiveX and to allow the Full Tests to be run on your machine.

The Full Tests take about 2 1/2 - 3 minutes on most machines.
When complete, a Results - Summary - Recommended Fixes will be displayed.

Please post the URL internet address, from your Results, back here into this Topic Thread so that we can review the configuration and present performance levels of your machine.

Note: During the graphics 2D and graphics 3D testing, your screen will display some rapidly moving objects.
If you are sensitive to visual flashing, it may cause dizziness. Therefore, look away from the screen during that portion of the testing.

After reviewing the results we will be more informed and may be able to provide better recommendations for you to work towards improving your machine's performance.

While PCPitstop does offer a variety of Paid Products, the PCPitstop OverDrive testing is FREE. Please ignore the references to Paid Products. At WTT we prefer to provide manual solution instructions that you can apply directly to your machine.

Best Regards

SpeedFan Results: HD0: 50C HD1: 53C Temp1: 61C Core 0: 46C Core 1: 48C

http://www.pcpitstop.com/betapit/sec.asp?conid=24317783

Actually looks to be ok. I thought it would be worse than that.

You are correct. PCPitstop OverDrive performance looks pretty good for that machine.

There are two older and vulnerable JAVA JRE versions installed, which should be removed (uninstalled) prior to installing the most recent JAVA JRE version for your machine.
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Those Temperatures are higher than what I would prefer, but nowhere near levels that would begin to provoke Lag.

Still, it may be useful to crack open that case to inspect for dust-bunnies, clogged heatsink fins and restricted air passage at intake and exhaust.

Are you familiar and comfortable with working inside the case?
Have a read here for a good overview of risks and precautions: > Maintenance Safety, Cleaning, and ESD

Hi ucantbeserious23, All good and sound advice from Doug so far, but I would be very careful about cracking open a laptop. After a quick look at your Laptop manual online, it looks like a job for an experienced PC Tech. Opening it up is one thing, but being able to put everything back together correctly and without damage is the really hard part. If your Laptop is more than a couple of years old, the plastic becomes brittle and often breaks where for some parts, it is supposed to bend For a Laptop, your temps. aren't that bad as indicated by Doug and if you can afford to have the internal dust professionally removed, it would help. Your CPU is fine but for a lot of games your Video Card might be a major concern. Your card came out in 2007 and even then it was a relatively low spec. card. For some games it would certainly be OK, but not for some of them that came out during 2008 and later (especially War games with lots of action and explosions), Your Video Card might meet a game's minimum required specs. but for any game, it is always wise to consider min. specs. as a bit of a fib (to sell more games), if half-decent frames rates at a reasonable resolution and lack of lag is expected. Knowing exactly what Game your having trouble with would help a lot and also what screen resolution are you using? Is your card a 2400XT or 2400Pro.? As you can see in the diagram below (2007), there is a definite performance difference between the two and especially if you have a 128MB memory model. [attachment removed] Cheers, Lee

Lee is "correct" Sorry. I reviewed the Pit Test without even noticing it was a laptop. Laptops "are" more complicated and delicate. Unless you are well experienced, professional help in that regard is recommended.

I appreciate the advice. I understand that I'm getting just about the best I can out of this laptop. It has been a decent machine for me but I'm considering buying a desktop. I needed the laptop for college but I have rarely taken the laptop away from my desk since I graduated. I don't run many programs besides Internet explorer, office, and various Steam games so any suggestions for a new desktop that won't be outdated in a year? Thanks again for all the advice, I have removed the old Java versions and will keep this machine as free'd up as possible. Gig 'Em.

any suggestions for a new desktop that won't be outdated in a year?

The pace of PC development is quite alarming. A store bought computer is quite often fairly much out of date soon after leaving the store

Building your own PC is worthwhile and far easier than people think. Just make sure you start out with a decent mid-priced case without a PSU. As an example, I have an Antec Solo midi-tower case (keep away from cases with trendy perspex side panels that hold in heat. Fans remove heat but so does the metal of a case). Fit a quality PSU and you have a great computer platform at least, that won't be out of date for a very long time indeed !

Brand New 2yr. old components (any longer than 2yrs. and they become hard to get new) are usually about half the price of what they were when they came out and for all intents and purposes are "up to date" and good for any current game or task, as hardware is mostly about 2yrs. ahead of most software anyway, including games. Why pay full price now for current hardware that is still waiting for software to catch up?

An upgrade revision every 2yrs for the CPU and Video Card is my main strategy and 4yrs. for motherboards. It's cheap computing. Towards the end of this year I'll replace my 9800GT card (it's playing Mass Effect2 at high settings
really well) with a new ATI HD5770 for about half price. I'll then change that in another 2yrs.

Anyhow, that my strategy for cheap and "up to date" computing


Cheers.
Lee

You could go super pricey custom built: [attachment removed] Or super creative hand-made (empty case only without rear panel): [attachment removed] Cheers, Lee :

I prefer going the graphics card route. I don't want to buy a graphics card that is made for use on a computer that outperforms my laptop. What is the biggest limiting factor for buying a new graphics card that I can acutally run effectively given my laptop's limitations? I don't want to buy a million dollar graphics card just to run it on my 100 dollar laptop…

Considering that most games around are only Direct X9 capable, a handful Direct X10 ready and only two games I know of that can utilize direct X11, you do not need a Card from the latest crop of direct X10 or 11 Cards (a good example of what I meant by hardware being about 2yrs. ahead of software).

All Laptops are are not really suited to modern(ish) action games that require a much better Card than you already have.

Why?

HEAT.

The more intensive the game and more powerful the card and heat becomes a real issue for Laptops (I have 4 fans plus the PSU and CPU fans in my desktop case). And you can't fit a special CPU cooler into a Laptop.

[attachment removed]

Yes, you could go for a bit better card than you have now but you would have to have it professionally installed and the cost of that would probably be around $80-$100 labor and another $70-$150 for the Card. You would then have to stick to graphically moderate games (the Sims or such like wouldn't be a problem ).

Tilt

A loss, loss situation for Laptops that starts to make the desktop PC route seem far more attractive if you want to stay interested in gaming and especially the more graphically intensive ones that you obviously like ( after viewing from "Pitstop" the 1/2 dozen odd games you already have on your PC).

Half Life 2 was a hoot, wasn't it? But it had low PC resource needs by today's standards.

If you really want to go down the route of upgrading your Laptop card, let me know and I'll recommend one for you, but it is a long term waste, waste situation.

Laptops can end up being quite expensive for gaming.

Cheers,
Lee