Memory leaks?

[Pink]

Hi,

lately, every game i play has some sort of problem.
when i start the game, i get about 25 - 30 fps (after playing around with the video settings)
and it runs great, for about 10 - 15 minutes, and then it starts running slow, like 10 fps.
if i alt-tab out of the game, and then get back to the game, it starts going 25 - 30 fps again for about 5 minutes, then it's back to snailtown.

I read somewhere in the internet that this might be a memory leak, could it be? and if it is, how to i fix it?

I close Firefox, and most aggressive apps when i play.

Thanks guys, this has been bothering me for a while now

 

[JMMD]

Memory leaks won't normally cause a slow-down unless it's a really bad one and it's consuming all of your system ram or page file. It sounds more like your CPU is over heating and throttling itself. What are you temps when the system is under load?

 

[Pink]

ok, normal temperatures (normal pc usage; using Speed fan for this) are:

Temp1: 46c - 50c
Temp2: 38c
Temp3: 25c
HD0: 48c
HD1: 50c - 52c
Temp1: 40c
Core: 50c - 53c
HD1: 38c

and my GPU is: 55c - 60c

I'll post temperatures when games start to stutter in 30 minutes.

 

[Pink]

Ok, new temps are these:

GPU 100c

Temp1: 68c - 78c
Temp2: 42c - 43c
Temp3: 25c
HD0: 48c
HD1: 53c
Temp1: 40c
Core: 68c - 76c
HD1: 38c - 40c

these help in the diagnostic?

 

[nismo91]

clearly your system is running too hot. what I can suggest is try open your case and clean ur case thoroughly if it's dusty. home vacuum cleaner usually does the job easily.

if it isn't dusty at all, perhaps time to re-apply thermal gel.

 

[Pink]

ok, i've opened my heatsink's vent (wasn't easy; it was held by plastic retractors so i had no idea how to open it. eventually i found on the net) and it was FULL of dust bunnies! you can make a wig out of all those dusties.

Anyway, temp is down 10c, but i still didn't get a chance to see if games lag after a while. will test tonight and post.

Thanks!

 

[Pink]

ok so, lower temps (goes up to 65 tops) but still gives me choppy animations etc.
it's better than before, but it's still there. and al+tabbing in and out still solves it for 5 minutes or so.
btw, i opened up my heatsink and checked my processor; it still has plenty of themal paste and i applied a little bit more.

 

[nismo91]

great the temps has lowered alot. for the stuttering i can only suggest to try get the latest driver. or btw have you checked the graphic card heatsink as well?

 

[Pink]

i got the last driver, 10.9, and i have absolutely no idea how to open my gpu's heatsink. it's a Sapphire 4670 HD

 

[Pink]

Also, my HD's temp is 50c, is that normal? if not, what can i do to cool it?

i have 3 hds. they were all crammed together, so i moved the newest one (the one's that's heating up) lower, so he has space to breathe. but now it's at 45 for a while but goes right back up to 50 when my case is closed (i tried opening it up, stable 46)

 

[Wendig0]

Ok, new temps are these:

GPU 100c

Temp1: 68c - 78c
Temp2: 42c - 43c
Temp3: 25c
HD0: 48c
HD1: 53c
Temp1: 40c
Core: 68c - 76c
HD1: 38c - 40c

these help in the diagnostic?

Your GPU is running extremely hot. If I understand your other posts correctly, you just cleaned the CPU heatsink and fan right?

I recommend removing the gpu heatsink/fan, and reapplying TM. Also, what graphics card are you using? edit: (Sorry, didn't see that you already posted the 4670 HD )

Also, my HD's temp is 50c, is that normal? if not, what can i do to cool it?

i have 3 hds. they were all crammed together, so i moved the newest one (the one's that's heating up) lower, so he has space to breathe. but now it's at 45 for a while but goes right back up to 50 when my case is closed (i tried opening it up, stable 46)

What case do you have and how many case fans are in it? Is it possible, in your case, to add another case fan for your hdd cage?

(edit 2:

i got the last driver, 10.9, and i have absolutely no idea how to open my gpu's heatsink. it's a Sapphire 4670 HD

)

Apparently I can't read today. There should be 4 screws on the back of the pcb board on your graphics card. These are the mounting screws for the heatsink. Remove these, clean the existing TM from the gpu and heatsink (once it is completely cool) with a q-tip and plain rubbing alcohol, then reapply the TM. You should see lower temps.

 

[Pink]

Hey, yeah i already cleaned the CPU's fan/heatsink thoroughly.
i have no case fans lol... i had one that was broken so i had to get it removed, so currently there is the PSU fan, the GPU fan and the CPU fan, that's about it. i now have my case open and temps have gone down considerably:

Temp1: 32c
Temp2: 34c
Temp3: 25c
HD0: 43c
HD1: 45c
Temp1: 40c
Core: 40c
HD1:30c

btw, which of these is the GPU temp?

and i'll try to do the GPU cleaning later today or tomorrow. will post results accordingly.

Thanks!!!

EDIT: my case is a very generic looking Capricorn II (photo link: http://www.puterz.co.uk/imgs/components/cases/capricornblue.jpg)

 

[Wendig0]

I honestly don't know which of these temps is the GPU, though I believe speedfan has a tab for that (I haven't used speedfan for years). The latest temps you're showing are great though.

Case fans are very cheap. Newegg has them for as little as $5. I highly recommend investing in at least 1.

 

[Pink]

Hey, well to find out my GPU temp i use the CCcenter and go to the overdrive tab. right now (on idle) it's showing 55c for my gpu, and it usually climbs to 100c when i'm gaming intensively.

 

[nismo91]

well i think that explains the stuttering. probably you'll need to re-apply the thermal gel for your 4670. i'm not using 4670, but so far on my nvidia cards, there would be 4 big screws below the board. unscrew these 4 screws and the heatsink should pop off. if it doesn't, it can also means the old paste has been dry and thus sticky.

notice the 4 screws and the "X" print?

 

[Pink]

Ok, i took out my card, tried to unscrew the 4 screws, but they won't budge!!! i don't wanna harm the card so i didn't try to pry it or anything. i use a philips wrench, a 1,4mm wrench, a 1,8mm wrench, nothing works... it fits but the screw won't budge. do you guys know any techniques to loosen a REALLY stubborn screw?

Anyway, i took the 1,4mm and a small flashlight and peeked inside the fan hole, and poked around gently inside and found something rubberlike inside. after poking a bit (and being afraid of taking out something that BELONGS in there! lol) i took out a SERIOUS amount of dust bunnies. like a wig. maybe the same amount as i had in my cpu's heatsink (although i couldn't watch around for more)
i dug around, and took out a lot of dust bunnies, and it seemed cleaned afterwards (although, it still has dust) but i couldn't see anymore because i couldn't remove the heatsink... GPU temp was 45c, now it's 49c, i dunno if it'll go to 55c again, but removing the dust helped. i just need to remove the rest of the dust by removing the heatsink... but damn friggin screw won't budge!

EDIT: 50c :-\

 

[Pink]

Oh and, don't freak out when you see this:

http://img230.imageshack.us/img230/801/newapt011.jpg

my heatsink before getting cleaned

 

[LNCPapa]

O... M... G...

Get yourself a can of air and blow that sucker out. Do you have a dog/cat or smoke by chance?

 

[wizardB]

gpu temps

go into the catalyst control center click on manual fan control set it to 100% click okay and then go play your game if the noise is to much for you when your finished playing unclick manual

 

[Wendig0]

50c is perfectly fine for a graphics card. After 90c you start closing in on the upper limits of the card. I believe 110c is the max for that card, though you'll definitely notice a decline in FPS when you hit 90c+.

I try to blow out the inside of my machine once a week with canned air. After awhile it becomes routine and only takes about 5 minutes. At the very least, it's cleaned twice a month.

 

[Pink]

Ok guys, i'm happy to tell you that problem is solved. it was the GPU temps.
after cleaning it (and taking out enough dust bunnies to make an afro wig)it's on a stable 50c on idle, and goes up to 75c - 83c tops when playing games (tested with MoH and Fifa 11 for now) and games are running perfectly.

as for LNCPapa's question, no lol, i do not have any dogs or cats and i don't smoke either. i really have no idea how it got that way!!! but i have this processor for about 3.5 years and i have never removed the fan to clean the heatsink... guess that's what did it. gpu i have for 2 years without cleaning.
i gotta get myself an air can...

Thanks a lot to everyone for your help and dedication lol, also can someone here please let me know how do i loosen those tight screws on my gpu's heatsink?

Thanks a lot to everyone again! you guys rule

 

[nismo91]

Oh and, don't freak out when you see this:

http://img230.imageshack.us/img230/801/newapt011.jpg

my heatsink before getting cleaned

yeah, i was helping my friend with his PC which he bought at late 2008. never touch the innards before. the dusts are as bad as yours, lucky he got a vacuum cleaner ready, otherwise i'll be sick inhaling all those dusts :haha:

 

[generalkenobi2]

how do you fix a memory leak on a zune?

 

[Wendig0]

how do you fix a memory leak on a zune?

That's a whole new topic of discussion for a different thread