Windows 7 Graphical Performance Issues on Windows 7 64-bit

[Blinck]

Hello,

I'm having some graphical performance issues while simply navigating in windows.
Simply by dragging icons or open folders I can notice some stuttering, almost like a framerate issue. Minimizing or maximizing folders is also NOT smooth, it's almost like I don't have video card drivers installed ( which I have ), things just seem to drag.
I also have performance issues on software like Adobe Photoshop CS3, zooming in or out of pictures is very slow and choppy.

My system specs are:

Intel Core i5 750
4GB Ram DDR3
ATI RADEON HD 5850 with the latest drivers.
600W power supply
Windows 7 64 bit.

Now in videogames my performance is generally pretty good. Oddly, on heavier games like Crysis, it runs better then more old games like World of Warcraft ( which can have some pretty heavy framerate drops on some zones with heavy vegetation). Other games like Mass Effect 2, Dragon Age, Alien vs Predator ( the new one ), the performance is great.

This problems are getting very annoying and the problem is that I'm not sure if they are related to Windows, or my hardware.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance!

 

[BigFeet]

When you last upgraded you graphics drivers, did you uninstall the old drivers, and use a driver cleaner (driver sweeper) before installing the new drivers? Sometimes there's parts of the old drivers left behind that can cause problems.

 

[kemical]

As well as BigFeet's suggestion are all your other drivers up to date? These drivers are equally as important and should be updated along with the graphic drivers too..
A very good guide for general tips ect can be found here: TweakGuides.com - The TweakGuides Tweaking Companion

I cannot recommend this guide enough.. Simply put, it's awesome!