P4-3.6Ghz too slow - WHY & Help.

[FatRakoon]

I have got a P4 3.6Ghz

Mobo is an Asus P5GD1-FM/S

Its got 2x512MB Samsung RAM, and as of this morning, its got 36GB Raptor as C: and a 200GB WD SATA as D: with a DVDROM and a DVDRW Drive. Graphics are X700 PCI-E and Audio is a SB Live24.

Not too bad.

Anyway, I will be totally honest with you, but its a pile of cack.

With the x700 I dont expect gaming to be seriously good, but its fine, and as expected, but the real issue is that the CPU is far too underpowered to be real.

Encoding video files from VCD to DVD using TMPG DVD Author is taking about 15 to 20 minutes for about 2GB, while on my AMDs its far, far, far quicker, and even the slowest PC I have, which is a sempron 3100 S754 does the very same files in under 10 minutes???

The best score I have acheived on SuperPI ( 1M ) is 42 seconds... Hell, considering a 1.8Ghz Sempron does it in 50, this is a very poor CPU indeed.

I wasnt it to run better, I have been told that the CPU is simply not doing anywhere near as well as it should be. I have had well under 40Second with both my Winchester and the X2 when clocked, but this P4 is doing my nut in.

So, can anyone help me here?

Offer me anythign to go on??

I will also point out, that there is some device in this PC that is unknown and no driver that I have ( All the disks that came with the PC dont seem to have it, nor does the MS updates seem to know either ) and I am thinking that, this unknown device could be a source of the problem, but what is it? -0 I really cant say without telling you what devices I dohave, and see if I can work out by knowing what I do have, and whats left? Erm, I dont know?

The basic PC is a Fujitsu Scaleo P, whether that may help or not I dont know?

Anything?

I have been playing about a few days now, and right as things stand, I am gettign nowhere very quickly.

 

[WJA96]

1. Is Hyperthreading turned on?
2. Have you installed the correct motherboard/chipset drivers?
3. Is it overheating and thermal throttling?

I have a 560J (3.6GHz) in an Abit AA8 Duramax with an AC Freezer 7 Pro and it does a 1M SuperPi in 32 secs on a fresh install of Windows.

So I would agree, it seems a bit slow. The three things I have mentioned above have been the three things that have caused me to have slow processing times in the past with P4 rigs.

 

[slap ed]

do you know what your temps are ?

 

[FatRakoon]

1. Is Hyperthreading turned on?
2. Have you installed the correct motherboard/chipset drivers?
3. Is it overheating and thermal throttling?

1 - Yes, and no.

I have tried it with it on and with it off. It seems to me, that there isnt all that much difference about this, unless I install with it off.

2 - Drivers.

This is the one isnt it? I have the C Dthat came with it, its one of those generic "I Do them all" kind of CD, that has all the necessary updates etc for the safe running of the system, and it installs tons of those, as well as all the drivers for the motherboard, but there is still one device that eludes it, plus it does not actually install the audio drivers properly either... I need to go online to do that, so whats that all about???

I have also downloaded drivers too, but these dont seem to make any difference at all either?

So, while I would like to say yes, I must actually say no

3 - Temps - Seem to be hovering at about 62c
Throttling? - I doubt it, but in the BIOS, I have forced it to stick at 3.6Ghz rather than do that speedy-upy-thingy cos as normal, it was on 2.7, which bugged me.

 

[NeptuneUK]

mine runs well at 3ghz stock. it flied at 3.6.

 

[FerretBoy]

Never used this, but it might well help:

http://www.softpedia.com/get/Tweak/CPU-Tweak/ThrottleWatch.shtml

 

[AWPC]

1: Go to Intels website and get the newest mobo chipset drivers then install & reboot.

2: Always leave HT on. P4s rarely benefit from it being disabled as they are designed to operate with it always on.

3: Make sure your Ram is running @ the correct ratio. 1:1 is best but a lot depends on your ram. I think your mobo supports DDR400 so it should be using a 200 Mhz FSB any higher will be unstable unless you have expensive DDR Ram.

4: Make sure your Vcore setting is correct for your CPU. Many Asus mobos incorrectly set too high or low vcore for the 5 + 6 series CPUs when the vcore setting is set to Auto.

5: Go to Asus website and check to see if they have any Bios updates for your mobo. If so read about them then apply if your happy they do not make it worse.

6: Double check in the Bios that you have all the settings configured correctly. The one you mention about speedstep is really designed more for laptops than desktops to save on battery power & reduce heat. Disable any TM1 or TM2 setting + Speedstep+C1E+Thermal Throttling as all of these reduce the vcore & CPU multiplier to reduce heat but on a desktop with decent cooling not really needed although in reality they increase the vcore instantly so should not cause any performance issues. Some mobos are unstable with them on.

7: If you do not have a decent PSU by this I mean one which is stable & also supplies enough power then you can run into issues with the CPU not getting enough power when it needs it. A lot of generic/oem models are inadequate for the 5 series as they are the worst P4 of them all for power leakage issues.

8: Is your windows install for an APCI PC. If not then that is another potential issue as it may not pick up all the required system drivers. If you have disabled HT @ some time it is possible that your Windows install is messed up. A full re-install with the correct Bios settings for the CPU+Ram+Power Management may help.

9: What type of HSF do you have as the std Intel one is only just about adequate for the 5 series. Also all P4s need good case cooling otherwise they overheat rapidly. You need @ least 1or2 decent front intake & 1or2 decent exhaust fans. Even if they do not provide much CFM the air to cool the CPU will be of a lower temp and it makes a big difference hence why Intel say that the mobo case temp should be below 38C for optimal performance. Some cases do not have enough ventilation so hot spots build up and thermal throttling kicks in. Case air flow is critical for P4s.

Unless your CPU or other hardware is damaged then this must be a config issue as its main strength is encoding media. HT makes a huge difference if it is disabled. On my 670J I can rip a 4.5GB DVD in under 10 mins even surfing the web or emailing @ the same time!

 

[FatRakoon]

I think its all sorted now.

Dont know what happened, one day I was on 43 Second SuperPI, the next I am at 35 so why I dont know, but it was probably somehtign in the BIOS?

I have NOT updated it, its the same one as was supplied, so it wasnt that, but I have been messign around the BIOS, so I recon its there somewhere?

PSU
Agreed. The supplied one was a poorly 300w job. Pathetic that these companies that supply PCs ready-built can actually get away with cutting corners like this hoping that 99% of the users dont do anything more than surf the net with them... There you go!

Temps
Again, the case is tighter than the wifes bank account... Its a lovely case however, but with the SATA Drives side on, and me adding another HD ( My usual attempt at speeding up systems, always end up with multiple HDs ) and so the 40GB for C: is a PATA drive with a Serillel adapter that only just fit, so I have swapped the guts out of this one, into my DFI / Clawhammer37 PC.

I am now runnning inside an Aluminium case, 2x80mm YSTechs blowing stone cold over the 1x40GB + 2x200GB Drives, the rear of the case has 2x80mm pulling the stuff in & out, with a Hyper 480w for the juice.

I have also taken off the stupid CPU Air Sleeve thingy off, and one of the rear fans is blowing air directly towards the CPU with a 45 Degree air-duct adapter.

The Case temps are hovering at about 18c right now, and the CPU is at an all-time low of 44c... Previously I was at 36c & 62c so a fairly massive drop in temps have been had today.

I am 50-50 as to making it my main PC, but the AMD is still the better system for now... If I do swap them over, it will be going into either the TT Armor or the CMS Case... Not decided which one, but I prefer the Armor which is a surprise to many.

Cheers for the advise.