Super Desktop, Inferior Game Running :(

[Niv]

Originally Posted by blkhogan

3GB of memory with only 2 sticks?

well... I only see 2 slabs of looong sticks with what seems to be 8 RAM chips arranged in groups of 4 per stick.

[hat]

yeah blkhogan said it all I never heard of a 1.5gb stick of RAM
Are you combining your system ram and your video ram? Under the memory tab when you fill out your system specs you're only supposed to list your system ram... video ram is seperate.

[Niv]

:S sorry if I've made a dumb mistake and confused you guys. I just copied the RAM off my MyComputer properties where it said 3GB of RAM. I think what I may have ordered (or what it may be that's in the slots) are 1 1GB RAM stick and 1 2GB RAM stick. If this is not possible please let me know how I can check and find the needed info.

[blkhogan]

1- 1GB and 1-2GB is possible for a total of 3GB. That would be a strange way to do it. Its not the way ddr runs though. Need matched sets for duel channel.

[hat]

yeah, 1 1gb stick and 1 2gb stick does amount to 3GB of ram but no dual channel

[Niv]

:S I didn't know this information when I ordered the RAM boost. I just asked the shop keeper to increase my RAM to higher than 2GB when I ordered the parts. Should I exchange the 1GB one for a 2GB?

[blkhogan]

I suggest you pull the RAM and send it back for a matched set of DDR2 pc6400 800MHz. Get 2GB's that would be 2x1GB for a total of 2GB. That would be a good start on your way to figuring out your gaming problems.

[blkhogan]

Who ever sold it to you that way needs to be slapped up-side the head

[Niv]

Roger sir! How did you figure out that it's pc6400 800MHz? I will do that asap!

[hat]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820146565

[DonInKansas]

Maybe 2x2gb only showing 3 gig in a 32 bit OS?

[Niv]

Originally Posted by hat

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820146565

this website doesn't tell me how you found out about the RAM sticks... it only told me what they are. (They don't look like the ones I have in the case btw...)

[blkhogan]

Originally Posted by hat

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820146565

+1

Very true Don. What OS and is it 32 or 64 bit?

[echo75]

Originally Posted by DonInKansas

Maybe 2x2gb only showing 3 gig in a 32 bit OS?

i will show up as 3.25 or something else just above 3G , i have same myself.

[JC316]

Originally Posted by Niv

I think what I would like to stress is that the games start most of the time ULTRA-fast. Games run at 2x~3x their supposed speed for 5~10secs then lags to some incredible degree (as if the computer processed too fast and then decided to do nothing), then goes back to the 2x~3x hyper-speed again (as if computer realized that it has forgotten about the game program and decided to pick up the work again) which of course will result in the lag again. This process repeats at a steady pace as if the computer times it.

Wait a second, you say that it's running ultra fast? Ok, try this, when you start the game, Alt tab out and pull up the task manager and click on the game in the processes tab. Right click on it and hit "set Affinity" make sure that it's only set to core 0 and not both cores.

I had this same problem with ground control and it was loaded on both cores and screwing things up.

[Mussels]

contrary to other peoples comments, this problem IS software. hardware problems result in crashing or consistent behavior, running smooth and then chugging/going crazy quite often points at software/viruslike behaviour.

hardware checklist: overheating CPU or video card

Software checklist: viruses, drivers
One important driver for the 'ultra fast' issue is the AMD dual core optimiser available here
http://www.amd.com/us-en/assets/cont...imizer_113.zip


Also, if you just moved your old windows hard drive across that wont work. you will need to format windows to make it work properly, and that would be my reccomended fix for your current problems anyway, if the above things i mentioned do not work.

[Niv]

Originally Posted by blkhogan

+1

Very true Don. What OS and is it 32 or 64 bit?

the OS is listed in the specs field: Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2002
As for whether it's 32 or 64 bit... I don't know how to find that out... Can someone tell me?

Originally Posted by JC316

Wait a second, you say that it's running ultra fast? Ok, try this, when you start the game, Alt tab out and pull up the task manager and click on the game in the processes tab. Right click on it and hit "set Affinity" make sure that it's only set to core 0 and not both cores.

I had this same problem with ground control and it was loaded on both cores and screwing things up.

I've just tried this and it solved half the problem. Instead of the game going 2x~3x its normal speed it's going AT its normal speed. However the repeating lag cycle is still there. Thus I moved on to the next suggestion and I tried that in all combinations with this suggestion; still no luck. (No more ULTRA-speed games! Is this good or bad? D

Originally Posted by Mussels

contrary to other peoples comments, this problem IS software. hardware problems result in crashing or consistent behavior, running smooth and then chugging/going crazy quite often points at software/viruslike behaviour.

hardware checklist: overheating CPU or video card

Software checklist: viruses, drivers
One important driver for the 'ultra fast' issue is the AMD dual core optimiser available here
http://www.amd.com/us-en/assets/cont...imizer_113.zip


Also, if you just moved your old windows hard drive across that wont work. you will need to format windows to make it work properly, and that would be my reccomended fix for your current problems anyway, if the above things i mentioned do not work.

I've just tried this method too by itself and in combination with the previous method. Sorry to say that it did the same thing as the previous method did. (Instead of having one CPU going bonkers and the other sleeping, I now have 2 sane and working CPUs)

**For both suggestions listed above, I've tried them in combination with turning off protection programs => Didn't work.

[Mussels]

media center 2002 is only 32 bit, it has no 64 bit variant. Thats why only 3GB of ram is showing, even though you have 4GB. you'll need a 64 bit operating system to see all 4GB.

[Niv]

Before we settle on this new piece of RAM info, can you tell me how to confirm that it physically is 3GB and not 4GB? From what I remembered, the shop owner did suggest that 3 GB is available for upgrading, and being all stupid and cheap, I told him to upgrade to the next cheapest possible option other than 2GB. If this is indeed 3GB RAM instead of 4GB, what would the impact be on the system?

[Hayder_Master]

see my system specs

[tkpenalty]

Before we go on with anything may you tell us what game you are playing? I would leave the RAM AS IT IS. It is totally stupid to go from 3GB back to 2GB for just general purposes, unless you can have your money back switching the 2GB stick for the 1GB stick.

Anyway I would take the system back to the store to check for any problems.

[Mussels]

the AMD driver is a fix so that you dont need to manually set the affinity, that is its purpose.

Now that you only have the lag issue, its time to sort that out. What we need to find out now, is if your hard drives are running properly. its possible they are in PIO mode, which makes hard drives slow/laggy, and therefore games tend to do it as well.

Go into device manager and have a look at IDE controllers - it varies, but more or less have a look at every device that shows there and see if they mention DMA or PIO mode. Hard drives should be UDMA 5, DVD drives UDMA 3, and SATA drives UDMA 5 or 6.

TK - he has 4GB of ram most likely, on a 32 bit OS.

[Hayder_Master]

Originally Posted by Mussels

media center 2002 is only 32 bit, it has no 64 bit variant. Thats why only 3GB of ram is showing, even though you have 4GB. you'll need a 64 bit operating system to see all 4GB.

right only win xp64 see 4gb or vista

[Niv]

Originally Posted by hayder.master

see my system specs

I see your specs. What is your point?

Originally Posted by tkpenalty

Before we go on with anything may you tell us what game you are playing? I would leave the RAM AS IT IS. It is totally stupid to go from 3GB back to 2GB for just general purposes, unless you can have your money back switching the 2GB stick for the 1GB stick.

Anyway I would take the system back to the store to check for any problems.

The games HAVE been listed above but I'll list again:
Voyage Century Online
WarHammer 40,000 - Dark Crusade
Caesar IV

Originally Posted by Mussels

the AMD driver is a fix so that you dont need to manually set the affinity, that is its purpose.

Now that you only have the lag issue, its time to sort that out. What we need to find out now, is if your hard drives are running properly. its possible they are in PIO mode, which makes hard drives slow/laggy, and therefore games tend to do it as well.

Go into device manager and have a look at IDE controllers - it varies, but more or less have a look at every device that shows there and see if they mention DMA or PIO mode. Hard drives should be UDMA 5, DVD drives UDMA 3, and SATA drives UDMA 5 or 6.

TK - he has 4GB of ram most likely, on a 32 bit OS.

k one sec I'll follow this through right now.

[Niv]

Okay, here's what I see from the IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers:
Primary IDE Channel
Primary IDE Channel
Secondary IDE Channel
Secondary IDE Channel
Standard Dual Channel PCI IDE Controller
Standard Dual Channel PCI IDE Controller

Can you let me know which one is Hard Drive, DVD drive and SATA drive?