FPS drop after 1 minute of gameplay

[cookietime]

Problem: I have begun playing Final Fantasy XII and while it starts off at 60 fps and plays very smoothly, after a minute of gameplay, the fps drops down to 30 - 40. I have tried tinkering with some settings and that helps to bring the speed back up to 60 fps. However, it is just a temporary cure, since it relapses back into 30 - 40 fps after a while. The drop doesn't have anything to do with the game itself (meaning it doesn't drop when I enter a new area or enter a battle) - it has more to do with the lapse of time. A scene that runs at 30 fps could be run at 60 fps if I change some settings and reset the emulator.

Game: Final Fantasy XII (IZJS) iso

Hardware Specs

Graphic Card: Nvidia 310 m

Version: The latest one available (1.21)

Non-default settings: I've used Vsync, some speedhacks, and I also use everything found on this link: Low-End Settings

Other relevant information: I've used pcsx2 on this laptop previously to play Persona 4 (Dec 2012) and it worked perfectly back then. I also played about half of Final Fantasy 12 (Feb 2013), which worked equally fine (although there were severe fps drops at that point, which is why I decided to stop playing it)

Thanks for your help!

[nosisab Ken Keleh]

Probably heat forcing the processor to throttle down.

Dusty and/or poor airflow may cause it.

[V3-571G]

Probably heat forcing the processor to throttle down.

That's exactly what i was going to say as well. Although my laptop is a 'Gaming' laptop, it has chronic problems with overheating and the GPU seems to be constantly throttled as a result. I don't have many problems in PCSX2, but with other more graphically intense games such as GTA 4, it becomes a real issue.

[refraction]

3rd opinion, agree with the other two, your cpu is overheating, due to either dust or lack of airflow. Make sure the fan/heatsink is clean and use your laptop on a hard surface.

[cookietime]

Thanks for the suggestions: I tried using my fan but it was to no avail.

I've decided that I'll just use my brother's/parents' computer when it is available instead.