Poor graphics performance

[moses555]

I was playing a game that my system should handle easily, and my graphics performance seems to have just deteriorated in a matter of seconds. A perfectly smooth game went to about 1 frame per second.

I was looking for a good way to diagnose where the problem is. I've tried multiple software solutions, and I'm left thinking hardware might be the problem.

If anyone has any suggestions, I would be eternally grateful.

Thanks.

 

[180Mhz]

what is your graphics card?
itegerated, or agp?
and the model?

 

[moses555]

Abit NF7-S mb
ATI Radeon 9800 256MB
512mb RAM

Probably should have thought to post this info the first time

 

[180Mhz]

k so it stard artifacting and lagging... check the heatsink and fan on the card, if there is no fan (as mine had none) add an fan from an old socket 7 cpu. also your power supply should be rated at least 450W max to run that card.
and by the way nice choice on the mobo.

 

[moses555]

the problem is that this wasn't a problem when I played through HL 2. Then I start playing Neverwinter Nights a week or so later, and then this happened.

I've tryed playing HL2 to make sure NWN isn't the problem. It just seems to be graphics that cause problems.

Thanks for your help, 180Mhz.

 

[CorruptAssassin]

lol, you dont need "at least a 450watt" power supply, anything around 350 - 400 watt should get you going well enough... my 6600GT, which probably draws more power than your 9800 is fine on my 400 watt power supply.

Have u made sure you have the right drivers for your card? Maybe get the latest, and see what that does. Otherwise, it may very well be a heat, or other hardware-related matter.

Is the card still under warrenty, in case it is the card?

 

[bunnymanboy]

You definantly dont need a 450 watter for a 9800, you need more like 300-350