I should also clarify that when I start the game up and it is running well, it does so from the onset and it stays that way for as long as I choose to play it. When I get a "bad" start-up, it also is like that for as long as I choose to run it. Nothing changes in game in either situation, it seems to be determined from the get go, I never have any drastic fps changes mid-game.
Do you have something in the BIOS startup that might be interfering? For example, I have an AMD CPU, and there is a program called "Cool and Quiet" that is enabled by default in the BIOS. It basically regulates CPU processing to keep things quiet, and, well, cool. But the only way to disable it is to go in BIOS....it doesn't show up (that I'm aware of) in background processes.
I realize you are using an Intel CPU, so it wouldn't be the same program, but maybe there is something in there that might be contributing to a "poor" computer startup.
Disclaimer: I do NOT recommend shutting off or changing anything in BIOS unless you know for sure what it is and what it does. Digging around in BIOS can do some strange things to a system if you don't know what you are changing.
Alternately, there's also a chance you've got something misfiring hardware-wise, such as RAM or maybe a fan isn't working properly.
It's very possible I have some hidden system software running on my computer. I know my motherboard drivers installed with some added software. I just find it odd that it might be running after system startup but NOT after a reset. I'll do some digging around in BIOS and see what I can find. I generally know how to tool around in BIOS and not screw things up, I won't be changing anything I'm not certain about. Thank you for the heads up.
As for the misfiring hardware theory, could a fan really have that much effect? And is there any way for me to be able to determine whether or not it is happening with my RAM?
Thanks for your help!
You'd be surprised what affects performance. Old drivers or software file corruptions can affect gameplay, for example. I've had old audio drivers prevent a new game from even starting up (though this was a long time ago).
If a fan isn't working or you don't have enough in your case, overheating components can cause computers to shut down in the worst situations; otherwise they can cause stuttery/choppy performance. I'm not saying its your particular problem (since yours seems random to how the computer starts up), but certainly doesn't hurt to check (also check fans on video card/CPU and case fans).
There's a somewhat easy way to check if RAM is misfiring. The program MemTest will test RAM. I've used it before, though the one time I did have a RAM problem was from a particular error that others had which turned out to be the RAM itself.
I'm not sure what else to check. If nothing else, these are things that we all should keep an eye on to keep our systems running smoothly.
I guess I'll probably have to take a more in depth look at what is running during different instances and boot ups. I did actually run a memtest on my RAM a couple months ago that came up clean. My fans seem to be running fine and I haven't noticed any overheating from playing this game thus far. Not as likely either of those are the issue.
