Problems with slow fps (or is my computer really that bad?) [solved]

Question

I'm having quite some trouble with my fps in games like StarCraft 2 (actually it's just here that I noticed it). Anyway I've decided to test how good my computer actually is using unigine heaven benchmark.
And it's really bad. As I said I have slow fps in Starcraft in which fps is around 15, but in unigine it falls to average 4/5 depending on how I set it.
While my computer is quite old, it's still not that old, and I don't have any problem with other graphically demanding games like C&C3 or Medieval 2: Total War.
My hardware is:
System: Linux 2.6.36-ck x86_64
CPU: AMD Athlon(tm) 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 4400+ 2310MHz MMX+ 3DNow!+ SSE SSE2 SSE3 HTT
GPU: GeForce 8500 GT PCI Express 260.19.12
System memory: 2008 Mb
Video memory:  512 Mb
(this is what unigine "shows")
Also under "render" unigine shows this:
Renderer: NVIDIA NV50 512Mb
OpenGL vendor: NVIDIA Corporation
OpenGL renderer: GeForce 8500 GT/PCI/SSE2
OpenGL version: 3.3.0 NVIDIA 260.19.12
Found required GL_ARB_map_buffer_range
Found required GL_ARB_vertex_array_object
Found required GL_ARB_vertex_buffer_object
Found required GL_ARB_half_float_vertex
Found required GL_ARB_half_float_pixel
Found required GL_ARB_occlusion_query
Found required GL_EXT_texture3D
Found required GL_EXT_texture_cube_map
Found required GL_EXT_texture_sRGB
Found required GL_EXT_texture_swizzle
Found required GL_ARB_shader_object
Found required GL_ARB_vertex_shader
Found required GL_ARB_fragment_shader
Found required GL_ARB_draw_buffers
Found required GL_ARB_framebuffer_object
Found required GL_EXT_framebuffer_blit
Found required GL_EXT_framebuffer_multisample
Found optional GL_ARB_draw_instanced
Found optional GL_ARB_transform_feedback
Found optional GL_ARB_draw_elements_base_vertex
Found optional GL_ARB_blend_func_extended
Found optional GL_ARB_uniform_buffer_object
Found optional GL_ARB_geometry_shader4
Found optional GL_ARB_gpu_shader4
Found optional GL_EXT_Cg_shader
Found optional GL_ARB_texture_rg
Found optional GL_ARB_texture_array
Found optional GL_ARB_texture_snorm
Found optional GL_ARB_texture_multisample
Found optional GL_ARB_texture_compression
Found optional GL_ARB_texture_compression_rgtc
Found optional GL_ARB_seamless_cube_map
Found optional RGB10A2 render texture format
Shading language: 3.30 NVIDIA via Cg compiler
Maximum texture size: 8192
Maximum texture units: 32
Maximum draw buffers: 8
Which, while I'm no expert, for me seems quite OK.
So where's the problem?
Is my computer really that old already?
On the related note, sometimes KDE loses the window decoration or even more it just disappear. So it might be the nvidia driver (as you can see I use nvidia-beta).
But I'm not sure if it's the driver or is it the graphics card.
Thanks for any help. If nothing else you could at least tell your frame rate and hardware so I can compare if my computer is "where it supposed to be" or if something really is wrong with it.
Last edited by Primoz (2010-11-01 01:26:56)

Answer 1

Well I finally found the glxgears, and the fear I always feared, but didn't mentioned it in my OP came true. FPS is somewhere near the refresh rate of the monitor, and my monitor is also a TV (or should I say primary TV) so my refresh rate is 50hz or up to 60FPS. So I guess the actual and the biggest bottleneck is my monitor and not anything else. Well yeah not that my other hardware is any good, but I could say that the low FPS rate in StarCraft 2 and in Unigine Heaven is due to my bad monitor.
I can say this is solved, but not removed until I get a new monitor.
Edit: Actually there is another thing, how come that while my monitor refresh rate is 60; FPS in both Starcraft  and Unigine are so much lover - instead of 60FPS there are from 4-17FPS.
Last edited by Primoz (2010-10-31 01:39:59)