new comp and having problems plz help!!!

i just got my new comp up about 1 week ago and i built it for gaming so this are the specs.

windows xp sp1
Intel core2duo E6400 2.13gh
4gigs of patriot ram ddr2 6400 but windows only allows 3.25gigs
Abit Fatal1ty FP-IN9 SLI Socket 775 Motherboard
630 watt ps
Seagate barracuda 320GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s
Sony NEC Optiarc 16X DVD-ROM 52X CD-R 32X CD-RW 52X CD-ROM 2MB Cache
Nvida XFX 8800GT 512mb ggrd3 aplha dog edition
CoolerMaster CM 690 ATX Mid Tower Case

nothing is really instaled right now. all i have is.
cod4
ut04
company of heros
windows sp1
mobo drivers
vid card drivers

and when i play any game the cpu jumps to like 80%-100% and i cant do anything. even when i defrag the cpu jumps to 100%. so any help i would much appreciate it.

 

For starters I'd suggest you download and install SP2 for Win XP. Then check to see if there is a more recent version of your motherboard BIOS available. If so, before attempting to upgrade to the newer BIOS, make sure you know how to 1) reset the CMOS chip on your motherboard (look for instructions in the motherboard manual) -- the CMOS chip is what actually stores the BIOS data and programs that you can access at startup; 2) backup and restore you old BIOS if there is some problem with the newer version of the BIOS.

Once you know how to do that, then you can "flash" the CMOS chip with the new BIOS to see if that improves your comptuter's game performace.

Similarly, look to see if there are more recent drivers for you graphics card and also for your sound card.

Also be sure to check for updates/patches for each game your having problems with. Find the most recent patches for the version of the game you have and install those patches.

A newer BIOS version, newer drivers for key game hardware (such as graphics and sound cards) and updating your games with the most recent patches are the first things to try if you're having problems running games on a system that more than meets the minimum hardware requirements.

Even if you purchased all this hardware very recently, months can pass between the time a piece of hardware gets manufactured, shipped to a warehouse, and is finally sold off a store shelf or via an internet retailer. In the meantime reports of problems with various programs, especially games, start coming and and fixes for those problems start to get implemented in newer versions of mobo BIOSes, graphics and sound card drivers, and in patches for specific games, so don't just assume all your hardware related software is up to date. Go to each relevant website (mobo manufacturer, graphics card, sound card, and each game's official website) and check to see if you have the most recent software for that particular item -- be it a BIOS update, more recent hardware driver or a game patch.

If none of those things apply or help, then try reducing some of the graphics and other game settings to reduce the load on your hardware. You can also try utilities like GameOS or Game Acclerator Pro that allow you to run games with a scaled back version of Windows, thus freeing up more system resources to run demanding games.

 

Try reducing your memory to 2gig and see what happens, pay special attention to which slots to use for double datarate memory, which is the most benificial setup. It in effect doubles the data rate of the memory by allowing two clock cycles simulataniously (200mhz memory bus times 2 is 400mhz bus or 400mhz x 2 for 800mhz).

XP works best with 2gig of memory and Vista will accept 4 gig without problems.

 

ok ill try that. but for one thing i think im gonna upgrade to the quad core. and i got this program its called drivermagican and ill that when i get my internet back.

 

Quad core may not make a noticeable difference, at least not playing most games. Few games are designed to take advantage of dual core processors and even fewer make effective use of quad core. Before you spend the additional money check on the particular games you're most interested in playing to see if they support quad core. And check out web gaming sites to see if users really report increased frame rates and better overall performance when running on quad core systems.

Even if you get a quad CPU you may find that you're still having performance problems that can only be overcome by updating your BIOS, graphics and sound card drivers, and by patching your games.

Good luck!