Serious lag spikes or connection problems?

Hello all new here and have a ?.
My specs-
2.01 ghz
1 gig of ram
AMD Athlon 64 3200+
X1300 Radeon PCI 512
We have comcast cable.

My computer is always updated and clean.

My problem is I can't play games anymore(well never really been able to play well) because of lag spikes. My fps will go from 120 and drop to 60 repeatedly in COD2.
I can't even play Quake Wars on the lowest possible settings.The audio distorts and sounds like a broken record. It is so laggy and jumpy I quit after 2secs.
Any replies would be greatly appreciated.
Thank You for the great site.

 

You might try:
1) check your hard drive - you need room for the page.sys file and be sure that file is not fragmented. If you cannot specifically check, be sure to have at least a gig free and defrag often.
2) check for background programs and downloaders, possibly a Windows update or anti-virus update, maybe even a virus scan or Windows index. If one of these is running you will usually see slowdowns only at certain times of the day. Hit Ctlr-alt-delete and see what is running. WOW is infamous for starting its downloads while trying to play causing death, death and more death for your character.
3) Are you playing the same games? Newer games take more hardware, compare your old experience with your old games to have good results.
4) Check the hardware and reinstall the audio and video drivers. Rarely they become corrupted or Windows replaces them thinking it knows better.