x99 PC slow - Why?

FatRakoon

FatRakoon

FatRakoon

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I have a problem with waffling, so I have this post in 2 parts.

Read the first part then forget abotu the second part unles you want to listen to me waffling on!

Part 1

I have an old PC that is running slow as hell. its a 3.5Ghz I7 that is somehow running about 3 times slower than a 2.5Ghz AMD.
The Motherboard is a SabreTooth x99 and it has 32GBRAM, boots of an SSD and the data is on a pair of 2TB Hybrid HDs
I was running Linux but have been toying with Windows since games were slow, but they are just as slow under Windows, so I have done some tests but I cannot work out why its slow?

Anyone have any ideas?

If you dont want to get annoyed, stop here... If you are a glutton for punishment, carry on.


Part 2




I got an old x99 SabreTooth PC here, its kind of been a pile of junmk since I got it, however while its crashed more times than Richard Hammons of TopGear when using Windows,. its been fairly stable-ish with Linux, and so its been used as a testing PC for Linux, and its been fairly ok.

Anyway, one thing I have noticed about it, is that for gaming under Linux, its been a completely useless PC. I have just accepted this as its not really been used for anything serious.

But I have decidewd to have another play about with it and I have, for whatever the hell reason, decided to throw Windows onto it, and so far, its been fairly reliable, its not actually crashed and its been messed about with on and off for over a week now.

However, I have noticed something that I did not consider before, but when I tried to play games on this, I found it to be a bit iffy at best.

I have chucked in a GTX970 and so thats far more than I need for the gaming that I am doing.

Anyway, its sluggish for gaming and thats not the GRFX card.

Cut to today, and I have just also been playing with my old Server too!

My old Server is a 2.5Ghz AMD Opteron, this x99 is running a 3.5Ghz I7

Now, what I have setup, is a simple program to convert some video files over from MOV and MPG to MP4 and so this is so my Tablet can play them back.

I thought I would try out to see just how different they will be.

The Server is a Quad AMD Opteron 6380 @ 2.5Ghz , The x99 is an Intel running a single 5930 @ 3.5Ghz

The Software uses up to 4 cores, so the other cores are wasted really.

Now, copied the same files onto both the PCs and I ran the very same settings so that the output files will be the same, and when I started them off, I found that the AMD was more than 3 times quicker than the Intel.

This did surprise me a great deal and so I left them both go, and sure enough, the AMD was finished in about 4m 23s and the intel was only just 43% into it.

I left it finished and sure enough the videos were both the same sizes and the codecs were the same etc, so I had them both setup the same.

I did the same test, but now using only one core, and this time with a different file, the rsults were the same. The 2.5Ghz Opteron was coding videos at about 3 times the speed of a 3.5Ghz I7

This is of course simply not likely, I know that, and what I am going to do, is setup the software on a few other PCs and try running the very same tetss to se what I get, but I have already hit on a warning with the software in that I have activated it too many time in too short notice, so I hope I dont get it struck off for being copied because its a legit reason that I am rtrying the software out on my own PCs.

Anyway, I am waffling here, but the thing is, that he whole PC is lagging like hell and I have tried a few obvious things to look at, but I am at a loss as to why the whole thing is so slow?
 
Can you run some more benchmarks, like 3D Mark, Unigine, Cinebench and have HWMonitor or hwinfo running alongside?

Your test could be meaningful, but, it's hard to say 100% because there can be funny business with optimisation, instruction sets 'n stuff.
 
Its quite simple really, your AMD setup is a number crunching server grade CPU, thats why its so much faster than a desktop CPU: https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=AMD+Opteron+6380&id=2498&cpuCount=4

Intel chip https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i7-5930K+@+3.50GHz&id=2336

Theres a huge difference, just compare the CPU test suite average results section, your Intel chip isnt even close, if you're looking for an Intel chip to come close to the AMD one then you need to buy a Xeon.

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Yeah, I know what you mean about benchtets.

This PC has always been a PITA

I bought it from the MM and the guy said it runs perfect when setup right, but getting it right is a PITA and the simple truth is, that its always been a poor PC.

I firstly blame the board if I am honest. it crashes constantly in Windows, but under Linux, it ran ok. It did however give a message on booting, stating that there was an issue and that its bypassing that and I never did read what it was, but I am assuming that bypassing it mean that it ran slower, but at least it ran.

Its also running much better now, seems to be much mroe stable, but at the cost of it being sluggish.

I have an I5 thats 3.5Ghz and probably the same Generation.. Ill have to check it out, however thats in my Hackintosh PC.

However, what I do have, is a pair of Radeon 580 Cards and so I can knock up a PC thats not that far off this one, the only real difference would be the I5 vs the I7 and the x99 chipset vs the Z270 but apart from that, they would be pretty much on par and I will do some tests with those.
 
Sounds like your video encoding software actually does use more than 4 cores :)


Also worth checking the basics:-
- use something like CPU-Z to actually check that the CPU is running at the correct speed, and boosting to the speeds it's capable of.
- are temperatures ok? Is the cpu fan actually plugged in?
- is the GPU in the correct slot?

What memory have you got in the X99? is it in the correct slots and set up correctly? Memory speed could make a huge difference with games if nothing else
 
Jamin280672 said:
Its quite simple really, your AMD setup is a number crunching server grade CPU, thats why its so much faster than a desktop CPU: https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=AMD+Opteron+6380&id=2498&cpuCount=4

Intel chip https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i7-5930K+@+3.50GHz&id=2336

Theres a huge difference, just compare the CPU test suite average results section, your Intel chip isnt even close, if you're looking for an Intel chip to come close to the AMD one then you need to buy a Xeon.

Ok, there is that and thats true, but AMD is rotten to use as a desktop PC, but as a number cruncher and especially for video encoding, its a decent setup. I have known that since I got it.

However, while I mentioned this, I suppose I was taking away from the fact, that the Intel is running poorly.

Like I said, I used it as a play about test machine with llinux, and so I also tried to play some games on it, but it was dire. I have STEAM loaded up and I have a load of games and manyu of them are Linux compatible and I can also use the compatibility stuff to play some others, and so, I did not expect miracles, however I also have these very same games on some of my other machines too, I have Windows and Linux installed onto a Desktop and a Laptop, and they run the games I want, just fine. This x99 is rotten to play them.

I have tried various distros and various cards, but they all seem to be just as poor.

I then installed Windows into that PC and even under Windows, the PC is also a lot of cack under Windows.

So yes, I should not have wasted time by even mentioning the Server, its just that a while back I did similar tests comparing the AMD with the Xeon and then looking at these, I am finding the I7 to be a load of poo, but I think its all mostly down to the Motherboard and not the CPU.

Ah, I am going to plop windows onto the I5 setup and compare them two as they will be as close as I can get them with my stuff.
Click to expand...

 
Armageus said:
Sounds like your video encoding software actually does use more than 4 cores :)


Also worth checking the basics:-
- use something like CPU-Z to actually check that the CPU is running at the correct speed, and boosting to the speeds it's capable of.
- are temperatures ok? Is the cpu fan actually plugged in?
- is the GPU in the correct slot?

What memory have you got in the X99? is it in the correct slots and set up correctly? Memory speed could make a huge difference with games if nothing else
Click to expand...

More than 4 cores
I have tried it using the full CPU as well as forcing 4 and 1 core on both the AMD and the Intel.

CPUs are running at the correct speeds. I{ have also sety the speed rather than have them dynamically clock.

Temps.
Yeah, this is something that I was hoping to sort out a while back, I never got round to it.
The case is a Lian Li v2100 and has plenty of 120mm fans to get plenty of air through it.
The CPUs all have Noctua 120mm Coolers on with 2x120mm fans on them.
The Chipset Chips however are quite toasty and I have put on some 40mm fans to help them stay cooler. I do have some copper Heatsinks for the chipset, but they are a tad too heavy as I have the board mounted side on, and with the 4 Noctua coolers already putting stress on the board, I dont like the idea of any more weight.

Hang on, you mean the x99 now dont you?

Ok, well the case is a corsair and has excellent air flow.
CPU is cooled by a Corsair H85 AIO Setup

RAM is Corsair Dominators 4 sticks and yes, while the Board DOES have 8 slots, I am using the correct ones for 4 sticks.

I was using a Creative Recon3D however, that sounded aaawful and it seemed to be dying off.I put in a Xonar DX2 and that was not that much better.,
 
You seem to be asking why a very old PC is slow. But also why is it slower than a faster old PC. Are those not questions that answer themselves.
 
OspreyO said:
You seem to be asking why a very old PC is slow. But also why is it slower than a faster old PC. Are those not questions that answer themselves.
Click to expand...

LOL yes, I know exactly what it looks like, but what I am saying, is that this PC is running slower than it is supposed to.

Its running slower than it should be doing.

I am trying to play a game, that runs perfectly fine on my slowest PC, but on that one, which, ok, is not top of the range, is still a 6 core I7 @ 3.5GHz with a GTX970 and for that game, is massively more power than it neds to, but the game simply wont play without serious lagging issues.

I regret mentioning the Server now cos I know that is a great number cruncher, but hey ho.
 
It does it with everything, but the game that I tried playing is Dawn of War - SoulStorm.

It plays perfectly fine on even my slowest laptop. and so it should have been flawless on that PC

What I am about to do, is chuck in a RAID card and have the entire PC running off that, rather than its own onboard Controlers, just to see what happens?

The card I have had in other PCs and so it does let me install and its a quick card, plus I can do some silly tricks for fast HD speeds with it, so...

But yeah, SoulStorm is the main game, but they all do the same thing.

It runs so shabbily, that the audio crackles and spits, and its as if you are pausing the PC a hundred times a second.
 
Online looking at performance issues with that game there's issues on some hardware like like recent video drivers. Or high resolutions. But it's a very old game. Odds of incompatible with recent windows and drivers are high..
 
I see what you are saying, however, a few things are also in play.

1 - I have the game also running on a number of other PCs, and wit hvarious O/Ses and various cards etc... It plays fine on every other PC
2 - TRhis is only one game... The whole PC is slow as a whole, and it does this with all software, not just that one game.

Ok, well today, I gave it a full fresh install, and for a giggle, I went with Windows 8.1 and thats purely because I have plenty of Licences spare for Windows 8 ( I wonder why? LOL )

I also have a bit of a play about with the RAID options on board. I will answer my own questions about that some other time, but I have seup the 2x2TB as 1x4TB for the time being and see if that helps speed things up a notch, however, while disk access is certainly nippier, it is not making the overall speed of the compurer any better?

I have also NOT yet installed any other benchtests, or rather I have 3DMark and PCMark in my steam, but I have NOT run them, just yet.
I have also NOT yet put Windows onto the I5 either. I dont know why the hell I have done it, but its got Mojave running perfectl on it and I have set it aside for Apple stuff and that too I never bother using but I just dont want to lose the Mac ability of it??? - So, I wil chuck some spare Hds into it in order to play with that.

I will run banches on those two.

The thing, is that I have noticed over the years, that Benchtests so often mean almost nothing in some many systems.

I mean, I have had system that score amazingly in benchtests and yet are sluggish machines overall, and also vice versa too!

Ah well, its late and my Morphine is wearing off.
 
I would think a 5930K would be faster than an AMD Opteron unless the AMD Opteron has more cores, and the software is using them. From memory, think the 5930K was 2-4 generations newer so the single threaded performance should be a lot better.
 
5930k is Haswell, whilst not cutting edge, it still shouldn't seem slow. Even in gaming terms it should still put on a decent show as Haswell had decent IPC (and indeed the few generations after didn't really gain much, until recently)

I've still got an ivy bridge pc - in general windows usage it feels no slower than any of the other much newer Ryzen based pcs I have at home or at work.
 
Soulstorm is ancient and will probably only use 1 core, so you're never gonna get crazy fps off it. Make sure you patch it so it can use more memory the 4Gb aware patch -there are a couple of others that will force the highest level of detail (which is still very low).
 
OspreyO said:
What you need to is test every part in a different PC to see do they perform differently.
Click to expand...

In as much as I can, yes, I have done, but the CPU and Mobo are paired up and I dont haver any others to try there in.
The GFX, RAM, AUDIO are all changed over, and the HDs are all new too!

The sluggishness of this particular PC is down to the Motherboard I am sure of it.
 
FredFlint said:
I would think a 5930K would be faster than an AMD Opteron unless the AMD Opteron has more cores, and the software is using them. From memory, think the 5930K was 2-4 generations newer so the single threaded performance should be a lot better.
Click to expand...

Yes, I have tried a few things single and multicore and Multi, is when the AMD comes alive, but only when its crunching numbers.

The AMD is 4 CPU and each has 16 Cores and so its got a massive 64 cores. The ONLY reason I bought it to be honest.
The Intel is 6 core and Hyperthreading shows 12 so its a nice little machine. Not one bit sluggish at all... Or it should not be.
 
BS Dave said:
Soulstorm is ancient and will probably only use 1 core, so you're never gonna get crazy fps off it. Make sure you patch it so it can use more memory the 4Gb aware patch -there are a couple of others that will force the highest level of detail (which is still very low).
Click to expand...

No, I dont expect mega FPS, I nevber have, but I do expect it to be smooth and perform as it should, noit like I have it running in a Celeron using floppy disks to read the data from.

And yes, I have loved the DoW games since they came out and so yes, I have patches all over the gaff for this and that. More RAM, Zoomout , etc etc

But these are all the same patches that I use on all my Pcs that I play games on, including my laptops... Hang on... I just clicked... I got a Laptop thats a 2.6 HexCore Inel that has a GTX1650... I got a 1650 somehwre, I will put that in and play. and then see how the laptop compares with the Desktop... Not that I expect much, there is a reason why this one is slow and I just cannot get to it? Its not the install, its not the opther hanrd ware, I think the Mobtherboard is just crap.
 
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