how much does GPU lose its processing power over time?

when my 8400gs card was brand new, it was able to play most wanted and carbon on mid setting without any lag. I play need for speed A LOT and recently i started notice hicups, even lags in game play. is it due to the graphics card losing its powver over use, is it due to the fact that I havent reinstalled my system in hafe a year? on my laptop is a 6 month old vostro 1400

 

not your gpu--more likely disk fragmentation and an increased load on the rest of your system due to additional programs running than before

 

i have hear abt Li ion batteries degrading over time....not GPUs...both of gpus are still in perfect condition and i havent noticed any performance trouble....and one of them is 2 yrs old too.......either this is ur imagination or ur computer is getting filled up with trash so its general performance decreases here are some tips for u

1.) remove all unnecessary stuff from startup....use msconfig here
2.) uninstall all unnecessary programs
3.) make sure ur C drive has atleast 1/3 space free fro pagefile expansion
4.) avoid installing programs into c drive
6.) download some cleaning program like Ccleaner and clean all junk
7.) use registry mechanic to optimise ur registry
8.) regularly defragment ur hard drive

 

Generally, internal computer components don't really noticeably degrade in performance over time unless they break. Like Gerry said, the most likely culprit is your software. You may also want to keep in mind that the 8400 GS is a lower-midrange card, so don't expect it to run Crysis on High settings.

 

Your gpu is exactly the same as it was when you bought it. Hardware doesn't get slower over time.

 

There is one thing that will slow the GPU down and that's heat. I remember someone complaining a while ago that their nvidia card was getting 1-2 fps when it started out at 35-40fps 6 months prior. He opened the case and there was tons of dust everywhere. After vacuuming his machine out it went back up to the 35-40fps.

I'd check for any cooling issues-- put some compressed air through your heatsink and clean out any dust you find. It accumulates over time.

gerryf19 had another good point though-- it could just be some fragmentation.

 

In a way it does, as time goes by games become more demanding and thus your hardware now feels "slower" than before.

 

That's true, it's definately a psychological aspect at work here.

Games have just been advancing so much that people "feel" as if their hardware is getting slower, when the GPU is processing just as fast as before.

This even happens within the same game! One reason might be that later levels in a game will usually be more graphically intensive, so people feel as if their hardware is the problem.

To the OP, try reinstalling your drivers and checking your GPU temps, just in case. A good way to see if it's really your hardware is to check the FPS by using a tool like fraps. Run the same level in the game to see if the FPS is the same.

 

oh, thats a good point. thanks