FPS and CPU Drops While Gaming

[MZslayer11]

I got my HP Pavilion 17 about 1 year ago and its been doing pretty good up until this point.

Specs:
8GB RAM (I upgraded from 6)
Intel Core i3 @ 2.40 GHz
Windows 8.1
Intel HD Graphics 4600

I realize that it is not a Gaming PC in any way, however, I am/was able to run older games at low-medium graphics without any trouble before.

Here is what happens:
After beginning to play a game my FPS is decent, around 30-60 depending on the situation. However, after playing for a few minutes, my fps slowly begins to drop. It keeps dropping until it hits approx 1-5 FPS. Then everything gets all jerky and the sound from both my Game and my Skype call get choppy and sound like a robot. This lasts for about 5 seconds and then it goes right back up to normal. This happens about once every 3 - 5 minutes and is very annoying.

I took a look at my CPU usage during these drops and I thought it would say 100%. However, I saw just the opposite. The CPU usage was extremely low, at 1-10% during these drops. My RAM was about 50% so that can't be the problem.

I had this problem once before, but it went away in a few days and I haven't had this problem until now and it doesn't seem to be going away this time. This happens in only some of my games.

Some games that are having FPS drops:
CoD: WaW
CoD: MW2
Tom Clancy Ghost Reckon Phantoms
Resident Evil 5
Sniper Elite: Nazi Zombie Army

Some games that do not have FPS drops:
Borderlands 2
Borderlands The Pre Sequal
Garry's Mod

I hope I gave enough information. Has anyone ever experienced this before? How can I fix this and how can I prevent it from happening in the future? Any help is appreciated

 

[turkey3_scratch]

Is it getting very hot at all that would cause it to throttle?

 

[Remixex]

Either CPU temp or your HDD could be making your CPU throttle (happens when you don't format in a long while)
Check your heatsink and clean it from the dust (the gray part between the CPU fan and the CPU itself), unscrew the fan (while turned off of course, also turn off the PSU) and check for dust
so yeah, the HDD can throttle the CPU (that happened to me) or the Temps
after cleaning tell me your temps with this
http/www.alcpu.com/CoreTemp/
good luck

EDIT= GOD DAMMIT i just noticed it's a laptop, do not open it xd just tell me the temps you're getting

 

[abhisheksscorpion]

HP laptops have a tendency to go Voodoo after a year usage. Check the CPU , Ram usage when the stuttering occurs. Also check the Temps on the cores and the GPU. Ensure proper ventilation i.e don't game while sitting on the bed , use a table instead. Probably there is dust clog in the between the vents and the fan. Don't try to clean it yourself, call HP and get it cleaned from the technician. It is not a major problem , happens with every laptop with time.

 

[MZslayer11]

Either CPU temp or your HDD could be making your CPU throttle (happens when you don't format in a long while)
Check your heatsink and clean it from the dust (the gray part between the CPU fan and the CPU itself), unscrew the fan (while turned off of course, also turn off the PSU) and check for dust
so yeah, the HDD can throttle the CPU (that happened to me) or the Temps
after cleaning tell me your temps with this
http/www.alcpu.com/CoreTemp/
good luck

EDIT= GOD DAMMIT i just noticed it's a laptop, do not open it xd just tell me the temps you're getting

Thanks for the replies. I when I played WaW today, I got no lag spikes like I got yesterday. However, I was still getting less FPS than usual. I usually get between 45-60 while playing WaW but today I was struggling to get above 30. I used that program while I played today and this was the result after playing for 10 ish minutes.

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I'm not sure if this is good or not. Let me know what ya'll think.

 

[DEADLY9996]

If those are correct, i'd give your CPU a break and try vac around the heatsink & fan if possible. And get one of those USB laptop coolers or something!


Checking the heatsink, and maybe reapplying some thermal paste would be a bonus.



Btw i take it the fan is going at full pelt at that point? Actually, kinda surprised it didn't shut down..

 

[Remixex]

Watch a guide of how to clean your laptop don't go all in by yourself

 

[MZslayer11]

I actually found a (Temporary) solution to this problem. I just did a Disc Defragmentation, a few Norton scans which removed some spyware, and I just shut down my computer for a good 30 mins or so. I started it up and I was getting normal FPS again, with no drops or freezes! Thanks for all your help guys.

 

[Remixex]

Cleaning doesn't hurt, but maybe this means your HDD is acting funny, when was your last clean install? how full is your HDD?