Possible hardware configuration issues?

JohnTitor · 23-04-2006, 06:51 PM

I am posting this here because I think this is a hardware configuration problem. It seems that my computer is slow and I am not sure what is causing it. My games, specifically GTA San Andreas, Civ 4 (Retail and patched), Galactic Civilization 2 (new.) Are REALLY fucking laggy. I think with my system specs I should not be getting jerky slow response times from these games:

Okay so here are the specs:
Intel P4 HT 2.6ghz
D865PERL Mobo early version (1.1 I think) latest bios installed.
1.5 gb RAM (here may be a problem cuz it is DDR 400 clocked to 320?)
2 HDD’s both running at ultra DMA 5
ATI All in wonder radeon 9800 128mb DDR 400

OS = MS Win XP Pro (RETAIL) service pack 2 and all latest updates
I have the latest drivers for ALL the hardware that I am aware of.

The RAM is a mystery it’s this cheap Corsair value edition DDR 400 RAM which I had to clock down to 320 and turn the CPC override to disabled in order for the computer to function. Any ideas? Do you think this is the problem? I am somewhat skeptical for two reasons: one, being that 320 is still fast; and two, being that it seemed at one point GTA was working decent then when I got back into playing it, it was all laggy.

Any help. Is GREATLY appreciated.

PS: CPC override, according to the description in the BIOS, allows the controller to attempt chip select assertion in two consecutive common clock. Whatever that means?

RAM Settings:
RAS = 8
CAS = 2.5
RAS to CAS = 3
RAS Precharge = 3

Also a potential problem that I just noticed while looking in the BIOS is the my CPU temp is at 80C. That can't be right? Seems high and I can't feel that heat? My system zone one is at 30c. How can the cpu be at 80 and zone one be at 30. It has to be broken?

sabashuali · 23-04-2006, 02:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JohnTitor

Also a potential problem that I just noticed while looking in the BIOS is the my CPU temp is at 80C. That can't be right? Seems high and I can't feel that heat? My system zone one is at 30c. How can the cpu be at 80 and zone one be at 30. It has to be broken?

Up untill this, it was all Tajikistani to me....

Anyway both temps, if true are critical. Your mobo (I am assuming - zone one is the mobo) should not be higher than 28C and 80C, even for a (again, a wild assumption) prescott is far too high.
At this tempreture, if correctly provided, Intel chips will freeze (funny choice of words....) or throttle and your system might lag.

So lets reverse for a sec.

Is your system self built?
What monitoring program are you running?
Is the system overclocked in anyway?
To what extent?
How is you CPU cooled?
When was the last time you cleaned inside your PC?

As you can see I am guessing your system is overheating....

Big B · 23-04-2006, 02:52 PM

Well, what I'd do is look at your cooling. If it's not making proper contact, then the heatsink won't feel warm because it's not transferring heat all that well. Another issue would be if there's too much thermal paste or too thick of a thermal pad in use. This will act as an insulator for the heat. The P4's will downclock if they get too hot, and it's fair to say that's probably the main reason you're getting lag.

Another thing you might want to do if you haven't done so before (or in a while) is get a can of compressed air and blow out your dust bunnies. I've cleaned my case out once and had a 6*C drop in the CPU temp. I don't think that's the main issue here, but since you're going to be opening the system anyway, this might be an ideal time to blow it out.

JohnTitor · 23-04-2006, 03:54 PM

Hi, all. Thanks for the replies.

sabashuali, to answer your questions:
1) Was the system self built?: Yes, by me.
2) Is the sys OC's in any way?: No. None whatsoever.
3) How is the CPU cooled?: Via standard stock intel tin heatsink with fan.
4) When was the last time you claned the sys?: I dusted it out a couple of days ago. I checked again, and this time I took a closer look at the CPU heatsink: and it was CAKED. Between the heatsink and fan was only dust. The blower obviously did not get it. So I cleaned it.

5) How are you checking temps?: Via BIOS and now I downloaded Intel monitor prog that rang bells when I loaded it. Before cleaning it was running at 85 C, idle. :{ After cleaning it is @ 65 C with media running and some other stuff. Still crap. I didn't have any heat compound, so I don't think I will play any games till I get some. I'll pick some up tomorrow and put it on. If that doesn't help, I'll get a brass heat sink.

Thanks for the advice sabashuali and Big_B. I wait till after I put the compound on, run the games, and see if that solves things, and get back to the forum.

EDIT: I forgot to mention that system zone 1 (@ 33 C) is the mobo area and system zone 2 which is my HDD's I beleive is at 55C . I have two fan coming in at zone 2 and 2 fan going out at zone 1 near the CPU. I am alright there, and suprised it didn't help the CPU temp.

EDIT 2: I checked the CPU temp on the BIOS again and it still says between 75 and 80 but when in the OS 2 monitors (intels and MBM) say that the temp is between 50 and 80 depending on activity. So which one is right. The CPU should be idle while in the BIOS, right? So why would it be so hot while in the BIOS and not so hot while idle loaded in the OS?

JohnTitor · 24-04-2006, 09:21 PM

Yea, I purchased some heat compound and applied it. It help bring the temp down to 45c at idle but it still goes up to 75c on a full load. And yes it does seem to cause lag when the chip gets hot. So I am going go look at some oter heating options tomorrow. Any suggestions?

JohnTitor · 25-04-2006, 09:14 PM

I installed a new heat copper heatsink and fan...it's a zalman. And added another fan to my AGP card. Temp stays around 30-40c now (BIG DIFFERENCE FROM 80.) And most importantly my games aren't laggin like they were.

Thanks for the help.

23-04-2006, 06:51 PM	# 1 (permalink) Top
JohnTitor Geek Trainee Join Date: Apr 2006 Gender: Posts: 4 Status: Offline	Possible hardware configuration issues? I am posting this here because I think this is a hardware configuration problem. It seems that my computer is slow and I am not sure what is causing it. My games, specifically GTA San Andreas, Civ 4 (Retail and patched), Galactic Civilization 2 (new.) Are REALLY fucking laggy. I think with my system specs I should not be getting jerky slow response times from these games: Okay so here are the specs: Intel P4 HT 2.6ghz D865PERL Mobo early version (1.1 I think) latest bios installed. 1.5 gb RAM (here may be a problem cuz it is DDR 400 clocked to 320?) 2 HDD’s both running at ultra DMA 5 ATI All in wonder radeon 9800 128mb DDR 400 OS = MS Win XP Pro (RETAIL) service pack 2 and all latest updates I have the latest drivers for ALL the hardware that I am aware of. The RAM is a mystery it’s this cheap Corsair value edition DDR 400 RAM which I had to clock down to 320 and turn the CPC override to disabled in order for the computer to function. Any ideas? Do you think this is the problem? I am somewhat skeptical for two reasons: one, being that 320 is still fast; and two, being that it seemed at one point GTA was working decent then when I got back into playing it, it was all laggy. Any help. Is GREATLY appreciated. PS: CPC override, according to the description in the BIOS, allows the controller to attempt chip select assertion in two consecutive common clock. Whatever that means? RAM Settings: RAS = 8 CAS = 2.5 RAS to CAS = 3 RAS Precharge = 3 Also a potential problem that I just noticed while looking in the BIOS is the my CPU temp is at 80C. That can't be right? Seems high and I can't feel that heat? My system zone one is at 30c. How can the cpu be at 80 and zone one be at 30. It has to be broken?

23-04-2006, 02:52 PM	# 3 (permalink) Top
Big B HWF Godfather Join Date: Dec 2001 Age: 29 Male Posts: 9,721 Times Helpful: 594 My Mood: Devilish Status: Offline My Computer	Well, what I'd do is look at your cooling. If it's not making proper contact, then the heatsink won't feel warm because it's not transferring heat all that well. Another issue would be if there's too much thermal paste or too thick of a thermal pad in use. This will act as an insulator for the heat. The P4's will downclock if they get too hot, and it's fair to say that's probably the main reason you're getting lag. Another thing you might want to do if you haven't done so before (or in a while) is get a can of compressed air and blow out your dust bunnies. I've cleaned my case out once and had a 6*C drop in the CPU temp. I don't think that's the main issue here, but since you're going to be opening the system anyway, this might be an ideal time to blow it out. __________________ Hardware Forums\|HWF Rules\|My DVD's\|PSU FAQ\|HWF Folding Team

23-04-2006, 03:54 PM	# 4 (permalink) Top
JohnTitor Geek Trainee Join Date: Apr 2006 Gender: Posts: 4 Status: Offline	Hi, all. Thanks for the replies. sabashuali, to answer your questions: 1) Was the system self built?: Yes, by me. 2) Is the sys OC's in any way?: No. None whatsoever. 3) How is the CPU cooled?: Via standard stock intel tin heatsink with fan. 4) When was the last time you claned the sys?: I dusted it out a couple of days ago. I checked again, and this time I took a closer look at the CPU heatsink: and it was CAKED. Between the heatsink and fan was only dust. The blower obviously did not get it. So I cleaned it. 5) How are you checking temps?: Via BIOS and now I downloaded Intel monitor prog that rang bells when I loaded it. Before cleaning it was running at 85 C, idle. :{ After cleaning it is @ 65 C with media running and some other stuff. Still crap. I didn't have any heat compound, so I don't think I will play any games till I get some. I'll pick some up tomorrow and put it on. If that doesn't help, I'll get a brass heat sink. Thanks for the advice sabashuali and Big_B. I wait till after I put the compound on, run the games, and see if that solves things, and get back to the forum. EDIT: I forgot to mention that system zone 1 (@ 33 C) is the mobo area and system zone 2 which is my HDD's I beleive is at 55C . I have two fan coming in at zone 2 and 2 fan going out at zone 1 near the CPU. I am alright there, and suprised it didn't help the CPU temp. EDIT 2: I checked the CPU temp on the BIOS again and it still says between 75 and 80 but when in the OS 2 monitors (intels and MBM) say that the temp is between 50 and 80 depending on activity. So which one is right. The CPU should be idle while in the BIOS, right? So why would it be so hot while in the BIOS and not so hot while idle loaded in the OS? Last edited by JohnTitor; 23-04-2006 at 07:40 PM..

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24-04-2006, 09:21 PM	# 5 (permalink) Top
JohnTitor Geek Trainee Join Date: Apr 2006 Gender: Posts: 4 Status: Offline	Yea, I purchased some heat compound and applied it. It help bring the temp down to 45c at idle but it still goes up to 75c on a full load. And yes it does seem to cause lag when the chip gets hot. So I am going go look at some oter heating options tomorrow. Any suggestions?

25-04-2006, 09:14 PM	# 6 (permalink) Top
JohnTitor Geek Trainee Join Date: Apr 2006 Gender: Posts: 4 Status: Offline	I installed a new heat copper heatsink and fan...it's a zalman. And added another fan to my AGP card. Temp stays around 30-40c now (BIG DIFFERENCE FROM 80.) And most importantly my games aren't laggin like they were. Thanks for the help.

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