Every few minutes in a game, computer gets choppy

[lawenforce]

HP Pavilion a6030n
AMD Athelon 64 x2 Dual Core Processor 4800+ 2.50 GHz
2.00 GB RAM 32-Bit
Vista Home Premium Service Pack 1
GEForce 8500 GT 256 MB DDR2


I hope that helps. I have recently been playing games, and have an issue. The game plays fine for a few minutes and then gets very choppy, just for a few minutes, then plays fine again. I have tried to disable background programs, and the issue persists. It is now happening with Empire Total War and I am at my wits end. For the revolution cannot continue without my leadership. Anything would be appreciated. Thank you.

[ronallandottk]

Do you have the AMD Dual-Core Optimizer installed?

This small app corrects timing issues affecting AMD dual-core processors when it comes to games.

http://www.amd.com/us-en/assets/content_type/utilities/DCO_1.1.4.zip

While you're at it, maybe it would be a good idea to see if all your drivers, especially your video card's, are up to date.