Bottlenecking?

[Thurrdome]

Hi, everybody! This is my first time posting here in several months.

My computer's stats are in my sig. When playing Counter-Strike lately, I have noticed that I usually only get around 70-80 FPS on maps like de_aztec and cs_office. Shouldn't my FPS be higher b/c of my 2 gigs of RAM and my video card? If so, could my CPU be causing the problem? If not, what is going on?

Also, my computer is having trouble connecting to the internet. I have two LAN ports on my mobo, but the LAN cable only works when plugged into the upper port. Even then, my connection only lasts for a few days, after which my computer tells me that "a LAN cable has been umplugged," or something like that, from a warning icon appearing next to the time at the bottom-right of my screen. I have tried using two different LAN cables, but to no avail. When I plug the cable(s) into my laptop (a Mac), however, the internet connection never stops working after a few days -- rather, it lasts forever (not literally, but you know what I mean). Therefore, I take it that there is no problem with my router (a Netgear router, which both LAN cables are hooked up to). The only way to get my connection to my PC working again is to plug its LAN cable into the cable modem, restart the cable modem, and then plug the LAN cable back into the router.
I have noticed that, although the computer may not have access when plugged into the router, when I plug it into the cable modem, the connection lasts for a few days. Then, when I change the course of my connection (e.g., from modem to router or visa versa), my connection works for another few days before dying out. Recently, I have not been able to get a connection through both the router and the cable modem (when I hook up to the cable modem my computer flashes between "establishing connection" to "a LAN cable has been unplugged).
What could be going on with my internet connection? I have tried re-installing the mobo drivers from the CS that came with it, but that does not work (my computer shows the "ethernet controller" as a processing chip with a yellow question mark over it, but all the other LAN drivers do not have question marks over them). I have tried using a PCI-based networking card, but when I plug a LAN cable into this device, which is supposed to have drivers that are immediately recognized by the computer, I STILL can not get internet access. Please, help me!

[newbuilder14]

You should be getting much higher FPS. I get more than you sometimes with my P4 530 + GeForce 6600. Are all the power cables attached to the video card?

[Thurrdome]

Yes, I have a six-outlet, or whatever you call it, power cable attached to the video card. Is that alright?

To stop this bottlenecking, should I ask for a faster CPU for Christmas? My RAM is all being detected by my comp., so that is not the problem.

[newbuilder14]

That processor should be fine for gaming, that is what's strange.

[Thurrdome]

Hmmm . . . that's strange, b/c according to dxdiag, everything is being detected properly. Could it be a PSU problem? Probably not with my PSU, right? Any ideas about what to do?

[dogdude16]

i have a internet problem just like yours my moms comp will say local area network connection unpluged sometimes and i will have to repair the connection to get it working again.

[Thurrdome]

Originally Posted by dogdude16 i have a internet problem just like yours my moms comp will say local area network connection unpluged sometimes and i will have to repair the connection to get it working again.

Yeah, that's really annoying, isn't it? I WOULD try to update my video card drivers to try to up my FPS, but I can't because my internet connection won't work

[tetsuo]

Keep in mind I'm not one of the experts here. Or anywhere.

I wonder if the computer has it's IP info assigned automatically. I've experienced problems with that before...it may help keep the connection consistent if you manually assign a fixed IP.

[whubbard]

Have you tried reinstalling the drivers that are on the mobo CD? They might have somehow gotten corrupted

[Thurrdome]

My internet randomly started working again, so it's okay for the moment.

But, what about the FPS?

[Thurrdome]

ANY ideas? Please help me!!!

[whubbard]

Probably Spyware or Malware. Or a Virus.
Scan your PC.

[vaboz]

i am not sure on your fps issues... but what OS are you using? I have heard that Windows Vista RC2 has had some issues with networking connectivity with the NF4 chipset.