Mega computer lag problems (not net lag) in HL

[Captain Colon]

Okay, so every time I play HL now since getting back from CSJ's I get a TON of computer once in a while...the kind where your frame rate display still flickers between 98 and 99 fps, but your keyboard and mouse inputs do NOTHING and you just keep running in whatever direction you last pressed like 10 seconds ago, then after a bit of time everything you entered is registered. The only thing that's changed between the laggy and non-laggy periods were my wireless antenna (my dad threw out my old coat hanger and aluminum foil rod so I had to get new ones)...it doesn't seem to affect packets going in and out either, cause everything in games still happens at its normal speed, I just can't do shit about it because I'm running in the direction I wanted to run 10 seconds ago. Sometimes I'll get what looks like classic frame rate lag, but even though it LOOKS like I'm getting 5FPS, the FPS monitor in the corner is still switching between 98-99 every tenth of a second.

I'm thinking it's a motherboard overheating issue but I really have no idea...putting a fan back by my computer hasn't helped at all, though it does bring my CPU temp down by like 8C

[Enforcer]

UHM

Try running single player and see if it still happens?

[Captain Colon]

Update: just happened while I was playing with music and winamp freezes when it happens. I'm using Winamp with DirectSound instead of WaveOut...starting to think it might be a mobo issue :(


Of course it could always just be a spyware issue. Or something with DirectSound/DirectInput...:(

[Enforcer]

kjfdfahfskjhfsj

The motherboard very rarely causes problems. Maybe it's something new you may have added?

[whuh?]

try uninstalling and reinstalling the drivers for the keyboard/mouse. maybe select another driver. I remember my mouse used to scale weird in games and have acceleration even though I turned it off. I installed another default driver and that went away.

[Captain Colon]

I'll try that, but I'm not sure it'll help...I haven't changed anything at all since it started. :(

*E* no fixy :(

You know something's wrong when you have to deal with lag deaths on your own server :\

[Somedude]

Try playing without sound, see if it still has problems. If that fixes the problem, you know your culprit and can proceed to reinstall the audio drivers, etc.

[Captain Colon]

Plays fine with my sound disabled...hopefully reinstalling will fix it :)

Think I might just scavenge another mobo from soemwhere in the house today so I can have AGP 8x instead of 4x anyways :D

Meh reinstall didn't fix it...probably glitchy drivers or something. Hopefully the mobo swap will fix everything up :)

*E* Awwwwww fuck, the box just has an OLD mobo in it :(

*E2* Okay I just installed the old mobo that was in there and the problem is gone now :) Also while moving the CPU I managed to fix the abonimable thermal paste job I did and my CPU is down to <60C with Folding@home running (as opposed to 70C+)

*E3* Christ I'm getting pissed, it's STILL doing it. Next thing I'll try I guess is using an external sound card.

[Captain Colon]

Okay NONE of these things have worked so far :( Using a seperate sound card seems to cause th eleast problems next to disabling sound entirely...or maybe I just didn't play with sound disabled long enough for problems to creep up?

*E* nope, no sound = no problems...will try reinstalling directX next

*E2* still no good...okay i'm totally out of ideas here


I also have a mysterious "audio device" that I've never been able to either get rid of or find a driver for, along with "floppy controller," but I don't see how they could be related since they've both been there since I installed windows, and this problem only started when I got back from CSJ's last tuesday. It also ONLY affects HL1 from what I can tell.

*YET ANOTHER FUCKING EDIT* It seems to be related to the number of sounds playing at once...I wasn't having any problems playing NS with 6 people, but now that it's up to 16 and the marines have got their base built up, every time I run in there and the turrets start firing I can't do shit.

[StandingCow]

70C is kinda hot for your CPU... you sure you have a really thin layer and not a shitload?

Also make sure the heatsink is dust free in between the fins.

Also, try turning down your hardware accel for sound.

[Captain Colon]

Tried that, didn't help. I'm thoroughly baffled, as is everyone I've asked about this. Mafi suggested it might just be a STEAM glitch, a memory leak or something...one other person in NS said he was experiencing some similar symptoms to mine, and they started around the same time...

[Enforcer]

Is it only happening in HL? Did you try any another non-steam based games like OP:F or something else?

[Captain Colon]

It's all HL1 games and mods. KOTOR2 has no problems, GTA2 has no problems, I'll try CS:S right now and see what happens.

*E* CS:S has no problems either. It seems to be limited to HL1 only.

70C is kinda hot for your CPU... you sure you have a really thin layer and not a shitload?

Also make sure the heatsink is dust free in between the fins.
Uh yeah, the problem was there was pretty much NO paste between the die and the heat sink, and a shitload of paste all over the rest of the chip and the sink...so I just took the corner of a dentyne ice gun packet and spread some of the extra paste onto the die, and made sure there was a thin layer of it covering the heat sink evenly....voila! Used to idle at 50C, now it's 50C with folding@home running, 39C at idle (case temp usually registers around 37...but with this board the case temp sensor doesn't seem to work or possibly exist...I know my case isn't -47C :o)

[Enforcer]

:o)

It's probably a software problem then. WUT KIND OF CPU DO U HAVE. PLZ

[StandingCow]

Hmmm, have you run a memtest? It is possible that that game is accessing a part of your ram that other games dont touch.

Ya got me. Try and find out that other guys specs, find out what you both have in common.

[Captain Colon]

Possibly, but if it was a memory issue then disabling my sound card shouldn't affect it. My memory is all fine anyways :)

[StandingCow]

Possibly, but if it was a memory issue then disabling my sound card shouldn't affect it. My memory is all fine anyways :)

So.. maybe your sound card is fubar?

[whuh?]

...:o all were telling him now is stuff hes already done.

[StandingCow]

...:o all were telling him now is stuff hes already done.

Thats fine, all he has to do is say tried that.. somewhere in the mess of suggestions we are bound to hit something.

[whuh?]

Well I want to know what motherboard he has and maybe we can go from there in another direction.

[Captain Colon]

So.. maybe your sound card is fubar?
No, I have tried the sound card and the onboard sound on two different motherboards made by different companies. I'm pretty certain it's just a half-life issue :gun:

[StandingCow]

No, I have tried the sound card and the onboard sound on two different motherboards made by different companies. I'm pretty certain it's just a half-life issue :gun:

Then write some code up for a patch to fix it. :)

[Captain Colon]

I'll do that when valve pays me to get off my fat ass and do anything but bitch about how their software sucks.

[StandingCow]

I'll do that when valve pays me to get off my fat ass and do anything but bitch about how their software sucks.

Well, sorry we couldn't help. Not much you can do when its the software... at the mercy of the big company.

[Captain Colon]

GAH!!!! It does in Bloodlines now!!!!

*stabstabstabstabstabbbbb*