Weird mouse lag problem

[Nelviticus]

On my home PC I have started having serious mouse lagging when I play one particular game. It's like dragging the mouse through golden syrup. Here's my system:

Windows XP Pro SP3 32-bit, fully up-to-date
Core 2 Duo E8500
6GB RAM (I dual-boot 64-bit Vista)
ATI Radeon 4850, using latest November drivers
System installed on 500GB RAID1 array
Games installed on 500GB RAID0 array
RAID is Intel ICH9R
Logitech MX620 wireless laser mouse
1680 x 1050 monitor
All motherboard/chipset drivers were latest WHQL ones from the Asus web site when I re-built the system a couple of months ago.

I mainly play two games, X3: Reunion and Lord of the Rings On-Line. X3 is the more graphically demanding of the two but the mouse is fine in that, it's only with LotRO that it becomes almost unusable. The game itself plays fine, very smooth, it's just the mouse that's terrible. It behaves like a ball mouse with gunk in the rollers and it misses a lot of clicks.

It can't be a problem with the wireless signal because it only happens in the one game.

In terms of the strain they put on the hardware, the main difference between the two games is that LotRO reads a lot more data from the hard drive. I have a niggling feeling that this is where the problem lies but I don't know much about how the Intel 'fake' RAID stuff works - surely high rates of data transfer wouldn't slow down the USB bus?

I really can't figure it out - my CPU, RAM, graphics card and hard drive set up can easily play LotRO at that resolution on max settings; the game-play is silky-smooth, it's just the mouse that makes it unplayable.

Any ideas?

Nelviticus

 

[kjv1611]

Lord of the Rings On-Line

I think that may be your problem - on-line. It doesn't have to be a wireless signal issue.

1. It could be an issue on the game server
2. It could be an issue with your internet modem (overheating)
3. It could be an issue with the RAID 1 configuration for your system, but I doubt it, based on what you said.

It really sounds like an internet issue, most likely, or either just really bad programming on that game. If you played before on a previous computer, and did not have as much difficulty, then I'd say it's definitely something internet-related.

Your PING level might also be a factor here....

--

"If to err is human, then I must be some kind of human!" -Me

 

[wahnula]

Gaming with a wireless mouse??? Tsk, tsk. First step (even though it makes little sense) is to try a USB or PS/2 mouse. Other that that, I am clueless, but at a LAN Party all you see are corded mice...must be a reason.

Tony

Users helping Users...

 

[Nelviticus]

@kjv
I don't think the on-line part is the problem, as if I ignore the mouse and just use the keyboard everything is great - no lag and silky-smooth frame-rates. It's the mouse itself that seems to malfunction - you drag it across the mouse pad and it hardly moves across the screen.

@wahnula
I agree trying a corded PS2 mouse might work around the problem but I'm stubborn and I want to find out why it's happening. After all, a wireless mouse should work.

I think I may have to just file this one in the Cupboard of Unsolved Mysteries.

Regards

Nelviticus

 

[kjv1611]

Nelviticus, let's look at what information you gave:

You said that the other game is much more intense on graphics, and thus uses more resources, but yet the mouse works fine. Is that game also played online? If not, then I still think it could have to do with your connection. The same mouse should work the same for both games, unless it's just a programming issue (perhaps something conflicting with the mouse driver) within the LOTR game.

I would try some form of wired mouse if possible just to see. Also, if you don't have the mouse manufacturer's driver installed, try that as well. If you do have it installed, try uninstalling it, and see if the generic MS drivers work better for some reason.

--

"If to err is human, then I must be some kind of human!" -Me

 

[Nelviticus]

You know, it's funny how you can struggle with a problem for a while yet when you come to write it down, it all starts to become clear. I had forgotten that a couple of weeks ago I changed a BIOS setting to stop the case fans running at full speed because they were pretty noisy (I chose the 'only run fast enough to cool the case to X degrees' setting). The night after posting here it occurred to me that I'd only been experiencing mouse lag since I turned the fans down. Last night I added an extra old fan to the side panel and tried LotRO again - it ran fine.

Clearly the case was getting too hot and the USB controller was getting flaky. I guess X3 isn't as demanding as LotRO then!

Regards

Nelviticus

 

[kjv1611]

Either that, or X3 is just programmed better than LOTRO.

Sometimes the programming quality makes all the difference in resource usage.

--

"If to err is human, then I must be some kind of human!" -Me

 

[kjv1611]

And thanks for following-up and letting us all know what the issue was.

--

"If to err is human, then I must be some kind of human!" -Me