[xXxShOcKeRxXx]

About a year and a half ago, I got a computer built for me strictly for gaming. Apon my purchase of that computer, about a couple months or maybe it was days or weeks( I don't remember, it's been awhile)I started having these very annoying lag spikes( In game and just net surfing). I would start a game up, play for about 5 minutes then the lag would commence! it would last about 30 or 40 seconds or maybe more depending on how graphically demanding the game was and then stop...two minutes later, it comes back! Except the time between each lag spike after the first one is a lot shorter. I took it back to the guy that built it and he was basically no help. I've done everything from whiping my comp clean, reformatting, installing all my newest drivers for everything I could find, I even just purchased a new Geforce 9500 GT videocard which was better then my last one and it STILL does it. I'm getting to the point of basically taking a 50 caliber machine gun to my computer and teaching it a lesson. Can someone please help me.

These are my comp specs:
Manufacturer:
System manufacturer
Processor:
AMD Athlon(tm) 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 5000+, MMX, 3DNow (2 CPUs), ~2.6GHz
Memory:
2048MB RAM
Hard Drive:
83 GB
Video Card:
NVIDIA GeForce 9500 GT
Operating System:
Windows XP Professional (5.1, Build 2600) Service Pack 3 (2600.xpsp_sp3_gdr.090804-1435)
Motherboard:
Asus

[pjhutch]

It really depends on the game you are playing. Maybe its not the computer but the network or the game site you are playing on.

[xXxShOcKeRxXx]

No, the games I play are Runescape, Crysis, Counterstrike Source, WoW, Far Cry 2 and Dead Space. All of them lag, even when I'm not playing and watching stuff on youtube, it lags. I played my games both on and offline( unplugging all sources of internet) and still no dice. Whenever it lags, my cp and ram usage go basically right up to 100% too.

[peck1234]

Every single one of those games exluding couterstrike is very demanding on your gpu...

Your budget 8600GT will not be able to play these games on all high settings...

So either lower your ingame settings and resolution... or its time to upgrade...

also check for the latest driver updates for your card HERE http://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-us

[xXxShOcKeRxXx]

The guy at Futureshop told me my Geforce 9500 would play these games no problem. I know not maxed out or anything but a lot better then before I upgraded my Videocard. I highly doubt that it's the games causing it because it does it on a simple 2D game like Starcraft and when I watch videos on Youtube or other sites as well. I have done the things you have told me and it still does it. It seems the more graphical the game is, the more I can notice the lag, but the less graphical it is like Starcraft, it isn't as bad. It just seems like the framerate has dropped A LOT for the less graphical games. I asked a friend today about it and he was saying it could be my motherboard being defective or having something wrong with it. Could that be a possibility?

[peck1234]

it could possibly be something working on your cpu causing the lag...

please check your temps and run a malware scan (both links in signature) (run hwmonitor play your game for 5 minutes then post temps) (screenshot)

Also a scan with AVG wouldent hurt...

[pjhutch]

You have not specified what version of driver you have installed. The latest is from ASUS website for 9500EN is: 190.45 from

http://support.asus.com/download/dow...Language=en-us

[peck1234]

http://www.nvidia.com/object/winxp_191.07_whql.html

Latest drivers are on link above...

[xXxShOcKeRxXx]

No, I've updated everything to it's latest driver and still nothing.

[pjhutch]

The Geforce 9500 GT is a budget graphics card so to get max performance without lag is to reduce the quality levels a bit so that the card can keep up and give good FPS.
For example, the game Mass Effect will give 17-22 FPS, (which is quite low), when you need 30+ FPS for playability.

See this review page: http://www.guru3d.com/article/geforce-9500-gt-review/7

[peck1234]

pjhutch is rite...

the 9500 is no better than a 8500 or even a high end 7 series card!