x800 pro fps loss?!?!

hey guys 1st off here are the specs on my comp...lanparty mb, x800 pro sapphire, 512 mb ram, 200 gig hd, amd 64 3500+. now i dont play cs source too much, but as many cs players know there is a video stress test. now when i used to run the stress test i would average 180+ fps, but since yesterday when i ran it i averaged about 90...now many people will say thats good, but the problem is that its not constant, it will run 100+ for about 4-5 seconds, then drop to about 45 for about 2-3, then jump back up to 100+, and it will repeat this throughout the test. can u guys help me plz, ive tryed omgea drivers instead of default sapphire drivers, and i get the same problem?

 

is your comp free of spyware,trojans and viruses?

 

yes, i run adaware every 2 days, and run norton every friday.

 

The first and easiest thing to try is to remove your current drivers with drivercleaner available in the download section and install the latest ones.It could also be extra proccesses running that you dont need check out this guide

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310353

You really need to upgrade your ram to 1gig,as you have used your comp,I suspect a few apps,prog and procc's are running in the background and its become just enough to swamp the ram and the comp has started dipping into the virtual memory.

1gig of memory is a must these days especially with the spec of the rest of your computer,you will also be able to make use of the dual channel memory feature with 2 sticks of ram.edit,if your mobo is the 754 dfi dual channel isn't available.

 

alright, yeah i knew that my ram was due for an upgrade, next paycheck im plainning on getting dual 512 sticks of corsair xms pc4200. any suggestions on better ram for about the same price? its about $250 for the pair.

 

Its close to what I have and I like it,I have corsair 3200 xms twinx running at 2-3-3-5,in performance in sandra its right near the top,only beaten by the tighter timed dual channel 2-2-2-5,I cant remember the bandwidth off hand.Lately though I have heard that,crucial and kingston memory is much better,especially for overclocking.I havn't researched memory for a while,a few reviews should soon put you on the right track

Grunville has had the memory your about to purchase as king of the hill for quite a while now

http://www.gruntville.com/kingofthehill.php

So I'm gonna stick with corsair

 

well i dont trust my self to overclock neway, i know enough to build my computer, but im too scared to overclock. i'll jus stick with factory settings thks for the help though <3