GeForce 6600GT performance issues

[Rats!]

I just bought a Leadtek GeForce 6600GT 128MB AGP card, and it's not working the way it's supposed to. After installing the card, I uninstalled the old Forceware drivers (81.85), installed the new ones (81.95) from nVidia's web site, and rebooted.

In CS Source I can't get more than 25-30fps at any resolution, even with AA turned off. IIRC a 6600GT should be getting 70+ FPS at any time in CS Source. I also downloaded 3DMark and got a score of 2174 which is abysmal. At times, the frame rate would stay below 1fps.

Here's my system specs:

Antec 480W PSU
P4 3.2GHz (800MHz FSB)
1.5GB PC3200 DDR RAM
120GB SATA HDD (23GB free)
Windows XP SP2
DirectX 9.0c


Anyone have any idea what's wrong?

[JohnXDoe]

Have you tried the driver disc that came with the card? Seems obvious, but you never know. Have you checked card settings in the Nvidia control panel?

[Klown]

Right, I just asked my friend who knows quite a bit more about this sort of stuff than me, he suggested that maybe AGP speed is set wrong, or the Apeture size is too small.

Resolution will also make a difference (obviously running it at a lower res will allow for more FPS to be processed).

He is running a x600 256mb and only gets about 50 FPS in CSS. Apparently you should be getting around 45 FPS tops.

[Rats!]

I looked around and found that low framerate issues are usually caused by bad power supplies so I put in an Enermax 465W I have and it didn't change a thing.

I checked all the card settings, they are all correct. AGP is set to 8X, and I tried setting aperture to 64MB, 128MB, and 256MB, and got crappy performance with each setting.

I'll try the driver disc now.

[Rats!]

Tried installing the drivers from CD and also from the manufacturer's web site and they just produced worse results. If I can't find a solution within the next couple days I'll just return the card.

[Rats!]

forget everything I said in this thread. my goddamn cpu is overheating. first it started shutting down on its own, then it got that NTLDR is missing error, so i tried booting frmo the xp cd and then it shut down on its own again, so i touched the cpu heatsink and it was really ****ing hot and then checked the temps in my bios and it was at 83 degrees celsius! so hopefully when i get this crap straightened out it will fix everything

[Pop music sucks]

Seriously, use that Dust-Off canned air to clear out all that dirt once a month.

They really get clogged about 2 1/2 months.

[Klown]

Seriously, use that Dust-Off canned air to clear out all that dirt once a month.

They really get clogged about 2 1/2 months.
Good advice.

Be careful when using compressed air on the fan though because it can cause it to spin much faster than it was designed to. Whatever you do, DON'T HOOVER IT.

Static electricity from the hoover can really mess up your computer.

I had problems with my CPU overheating not so long ago and I just cleaned the dust off of the heatsink and fan and everything worked fine.

[Rats!]

OK, I'll do that. I'll also get a better heatsink and fan and put new thermal paste on because I've wanted to do that for a while since my current fan is pretty noisy.

[Klown]

OK, I'll do that. I'll also get a better heatsink and fan and put new thermal paste on because I've wanted to do that for a while since my current fan is pretty noisy.
It might be a good idea to get a new case fan to try and keep the airflow moving inside your computer, if there's a decent airflow the dust wont have a chance to settle inside.

I recently put a new case fan in the front of my PC so it sucks cool air in from the front and forces the warm air out the back, everything works well, my GPU is at a constant 60 degrees.

[Pop music sucks]

Be careful when using compressed air on the fan though because it can cause it to spin much faster than it was designed to. I gently hold the CPU fan's center with my thumb and index finger and spray with my free hand.

You can be amazed at how much dust is blown out, even if it looks like there's nothing in there.

[The Digital Pimp]

I originally thought your problem was that the AGP card wasn't hooked up the PSU, but I see now it's because of overheating. My brother cleaned out his Shuttle last week and got an 8 degree celsius drop in CPU and case temperatures. It just goes to show how dust acts as an insulator.

[Rats!]

ok i put some arctic silver 5 thermal grease and a new fan on and it works great now. 60-115 fps in CS with everything at high quality and im about to play the new need for speed and fear