Hello,
2 months ago i switched from windows to linux. And i loved. The only problem i have are the games.
I play only csgo and quake arena. After a few nice minutes suddenly fps drops almost to zero. But if i alt+tab and switch to another software and back i can play again maybe 2 minutes.And i can repeatedly do this. And this problem is hauting me in every linux distro so far.( mint, mx linux and now manjaro) I tried old drivers, different kernels, window mode… with no luck. Is there still something i can do?

Operating System: Manjaro Linux
KDE Plasma Version: 5.26.2
KDE Frameworks Version: 5.99.0
Qt Version: 5.15.6
Kernel Version: 5.15.76-1-MANJARO (64-bit)
Graphics Platform: X11
Processors: 4 × Intel® Core™2 Quad CPU Q9550 @ 2.83GHz
Memory: 3.8 GiB of RAM
Graphics Processor: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960/PCIe/SSE2
Manufacturer: Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd.
Product Name: EP31-DS3L

Well if it occurs in different distros/drivers/etc, that would suggest it's either an odd bug with those two games, or an issue with hardware.

Are those games running native, or via Wine/similar?
Also, you didn't specify if KDE Plasma was another constant? If you haven't it would be useful to run via another desktop to rule that out.

Anyway, some initial suspicions would include maxed out RAM, or maybe overheating/throttling. How quickly are you alt-tabbing out and back again - if it's straight away that would probably rule out the latter.

Maybe leave System Monitor running in the background when you start the game, then check it before the game slows down (to see what in-game "normal" is), and then again once it slows down, to see if anything abnormal has occurred (e.g. RAM/swap usage).

You could also compare "inxi -Ist" under normal running (both pre-game and in-game) and then again once the slowdown starts - if you have the ability to ssh into the device, running it both before and after you alt-tab might also highlight something.

Thanx for the reply.
Both games are from steam. CS GO is native quake not. But around 10 min is by both games same issue.
I tried from xfce, cinnamon and now kde, all are facing the same problem.
The time alt+tab out and back is around 3 seconds.
I have screenshoots from htop and inxi out and during the game but can't find where can i attach here?

Posting as text within "[code]..[/code]" tags is best, but otherwise there's a "Manage Attachments" button under the "Additional Options" section below the posting area.

(If you're in "Quick Reply", press "Go Advanced" button.)

CPU frequency scaling, maybe?

Have you tried this?

https://github.com/FeralInteractive/gamemode

Yes, in linux mint i had gameready installed, wich includes xanmod, gamemode, wine... same.

thanx,

I attached screenshoot before and during a quake arena game. By CS GO is the same just game need more ram.

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Maybe it's a Steam issue? Perhaps some form of DRM check that should occur in background but is buggy and doesn't engage until the game isn't in foreground. *shrug*

To help diagnose further, you could try running non-Steam ioquake3 - to play Quake III Arena with it you would need to transfer the relevant data files from your Steam copy, but it would be a good idea to ensure any Steam clients/processes are completely disabled whilst testing it.

I tried with just web online games which don't require much ram and cpu power and it's the same issue. But in this case the game doesn't froze all the way, just for 2 sec and then it's like a refresh button and works again. In other games (CS GO and Quake) i noticed that if you alt+tab before freze (like refresh) the game run, or if the game is loading and loading in infinity, i just alt+tab and i'm in the game. I tried some settings on nvidia drivers, looking for some refresh intervals or something,but i did't find nothing. There is still something......

Guys i tried with just fullscreen video on youtube and the system was not responding after 10 min. Ram was only around 40% in use.
I think that i need to go back to windows with this pc if nothing helps.

Can you try "sensors" command (may need to install lm_sensors) - it can give more info than inxi; maybe it'll show some other part of the system near a critical threshold.

Otherwise, my best guess is still some background process triggering it (either Steam-related or something else).

Have you checked in "/var/log" directory and/or "journalctl" to see if there are any unusual log records that coincide with the lockups?

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Pc was not responding with this temperatures in Psenors while i watched youtube video.(attachment 1)

Second attachment is a picture with my logs. I didn't find nothing unusual.

Btw im on mint right now

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I appreciate you sharing the link.