Could just be that your GPU is on its last legs... Do you know what GPU it is, or how old it is? One last thing you can try is making sure your graphics drivers are updated, but that shouldn't cause the issues you're having

If it is your GPU, and you're not really looking to get a new computer just yet, it might be worth investing in a new GPU, since those can be easily transferred to a new computer if/when you get one. For TF2, a neat little card is the GTX 1050. Not too expensive, and easily powerful enough to run all games out rn on at least low/medium settings. TF2 isn't a graphically intensive game, so a 1050 would be more than enough. Maybe look at a 1050 Ti if you've got the money. A little more in price, but a decent upgrade from the standard 1050

How old is the computer? 3rd generation intel cpu is pretty old, but tbh, it sounds like something to do with the RAM... If it were the cpu, you'd get warning and crashes

Keep an eye on your cpu speeds, temps, and usage, as well as your gpu speed, temps, and usage. If this happens outside of TF2, then it seems like a hardware issue. If it's slowing your computer down once it's stopped then it sounds like either the cpu or gpu are suddenly running at a lower speed (When I was testing OCing my old graphics card, it often crashed, and the speeds went down to like 10% what they should have been), or it could be that the ram is faulty or getting clogged up with something.

To find out if your RAM is full, you can check in task manager, under the processes tab. Also, to make sure the RAM is running fine, follow these steps. https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff700221.aspx

Just saying again, it sounds like a hardware issue, but nothing too serious. Keep an eye on your temps and stuff

I got to grade 4 in violin, but I always wanted to learn the piano. Piano is an instrument that sounds great alone or with a group, whereas I feel violin sounds best with a group or duo or something, it just lacks texture for anything substantial. Additionally, you don't have to worry about your fingers being in exactly the right place - not too far up, or not too far down - with piano.

Final part of my rant is that my violin teacher wasn't awfully friendly with me, and so that put me off.

Alright, that puts my mind at ease a bit :) I was just worried slightly because the route to the hotel includes an underpass or overpass, which can be quite dodgy at night in big cities

Okay, so I was recommended the Arden Hotel as a cheap option by someone, so I know other TF2 people are actually staying there, but I was just wondering if I can get to know some people?

Main reason is that I'm rather uncomfortable walking back from the NEC at night, alone and in a place I don't know. Additionally, a few people to have a drink with at the bar before bed wouldn't be bad!

Let me know, and we can meet up at the event :)

xzcvbm2

yes this is a good streamer I approve xD

Unfortunately you've also got to get an operating system, HDD, power supply, motherboard, case, and so on. Your probably looking at a bit more than $150 for a low end pc, but I'll see if I can make a build when I get home or something

That's a similar cpu to what I use to have before I recently upgraded, and it worked nicely with tf2. 2GB isn't much, but it might do if you're not running any other programs. Could be a problem with mumble or discord.. is that cpu compatible with ddr2 ram though? That's very old ram. I'd suggest trying to invest in 4 or 8GB, and maybe a cheap GPU. A GTX 600 series will be perfect if they still sell those

Damn, if only I'd known sooner! Already booked mine. At least I know there's gonna be a lot of people to chill with at the Arden hotel

Cheers! I didn't quite get as good a deal as you, but I got 4 night at the same place for £260, which is much better than I was thinking I'd have to pay. Thank you!

It's only a few months off now, but what are people doing for accommodation? It looks like I'm going to be paying about £100 a night for a hotel near the NEC. Anyone else got better offers or doing things differently?

Shitty internet maybe? :thinking: Try using that program I gave you, even if just to monitor the internet usage in your house. The whole download speed thing dropping when you're tabbed out just sounds like the program has been moved to a lower priority, and so isn't requiring as much bandwidth.

If it legit is your computer fucking things up for you, there's some retarded loop DoSing you or some shit like "Hey, I just got this package from the server. I'll just send back what changed client side AND a load of other useless data to clog up the internet! Glad I could help! -network card xoxo"

Yeah, that last point is very unlikely unless you've literally got a troll virus. I've never even heard of anything that retarded though

What I did to improve was make rules for myself to work on those key flaws. Just simple things like "always go in after someone else" or "always have a sticky trap up while holding". I put those things at the front of my mind while playing, and saw improvements pretty quickly. After a while, you start breaking those rules, but you've got much better game sense at that point.