Dual Core Cpu Questions

[agsnowdon]

Hey All,

I have been burning alot of avi files to DVD which means transcoding then burning. Whilst doing this it is not possible to watch anything on media player as it just stutters.

I have a Athlon 64 3000+ at the mo but if I was to replace that with an AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 3800+ (Socket 939) would I be able to do my burning and watch media with out the stuttering or ids there some other way of fixing this?

Thanks for your help!!

[Tywais]

Hey All,

I have been burning alot of avi files to DVD which means transcoding then burning. Whilst doing this it is not possible to watch anything on media player as it just stutters.

I have a Athlon 64 3000+ at the mo but if I was to replace that with an AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 3800+ (Socket 939) would I be able to do my burning and watch media with out the stuttering or ids there some other way of fixing this?

Thanks for your help!!

I have an AMD Athlon X2 3800+ but with 2GBytes of memory and it is not a problem at all to run the burner and watch a video at the same time. Actually I haven't found anything I couldn't run at full speed and full features on (games) on my system. Of course a good Video card will help also.

[youngkiwi]

A dual core processor will certainly help with multitasking, however you will also find an improvement with increasing your RAM. Changing your processor only without having adequate RAM will not increase performance dramatically. I would suggest a minimum of 1GB RAM. I have 2GB RAM on my system (without a dual core processor) and can burn DVD's, watch media files simultaneously without any jittering.

[agsnowdon]

Hey All,

I have been burning alot of avi files to DVD which means transcoding then burning. Whilst doing this it is not possible to watch anything on media player as it just stutters.

I have a Athlon 64 3000+ at the mo but if I was to replace that with an AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 3800+ (Socket 939) would I be able to do my burning and watch media with out the stuttering or ids there some other way of fixing this?

Thanks for your help!!

I have an AMD Athlon X2 3800+ but with 2GBytes of memory and it is not a problem at all to run the burner and watch a video at the same time. Actually I haven't found anything I couldn't run at full speed and full features on (games) on my system. Of course a good Video card will help also.

Well I have 1gb of memory but my graphics card is bottom end really but is pcie.

I dont play any games on my pc and never will. Do you think !gb of memory is enough and to keep my graphics card and just buy the new cpu to enable me to multi talsk so to speak?

cheers

[youngkiwi]

I would suggest increasing your RAM from 1GB to 2GB in the first instance. I don't think it is necessary to change your processor. I run a Pentium Mobile processor myself with a basic graphics card also. It's the RAM which will make the biggest difference in your case.

[agsnowdon]

I would suggest increasing your RAM from 1GB to 2GB in the first instance. I don't think it is necessary to change your processor. I run a Pentium Mobile processor myself with a basic graphics card also. It's the RAM which will make the biggest difference in your case.

As I allready have 2 512 sticks in will I have to replace these with 2 1gb sticks?

I have the 2 512 sticks in the 2 blue slots can I just add a futher 2 512 sticks in the black slots?

[agsnowdon]

I may have just found a free way to get around my problem.

Im actually burning a DVD now and am using NEro Vison and at the burning and transcoding screen you can set the Priority.

I have just tested this and if set to below normal the jittering in media player stops.

Am I correctr in think when changing the priority this changes how much of the ram and cpu usage that nero uses?

[Tywais]

I may have just found a free way to get around my problem.

Im actually burning a DVD now and am using NEro Vison and at the burning and transcoding screen you can set the Priority.

I have just tested this and if set to below normal the jittering in media player stops.

Am I correctr in think when changing the priority this changes how much of the ram and cpu usage that nero uses?

It changes how much time the process gets in the process list, memory useage is the same. However I would not recommend doing that when you are actually burning the DVD, it requires non-interrupted time to burn or the DVD will be corrupted. No problems with the encoding though, but will take longer to do since it is not getting as much CPU time as before.

[agsnowdon]

I may have just found a free way to get around my problem.

Im actually burning a DVD now and am using NEro Vison and at the burning and transcoding screen you can set the Priority.

I have just tested this and if set to below normal the jittering in media player stops.

Am I correctr in think when changing the priority this changes how much of the ram and cpu usage that nero uses?

It changes how much time the process gets in the process list, memory useage is the same. However I would not recommend doing that when you are actually burning the DVD, it requires non-interrupted time to burn or the DVD will be corrupted. No problems with the encoding though, but will take longer to do since it is not getting as much CPU time as before.

Well theres another problem sorted thanks to all.

All I shall do is set the priority to low when Im watching then after I have watched my film whack it up to full and make sure not to interupt the burning process as I just di so I hope this dvd turns out ok lol

Thanks all!!

[Tywais]

All I shall do is set the priority to low when Im watching then after I have watched my film whack it up to full and make sure not to interupt the burning process as I just di so I hope this dvd turns out ok lol

Wouldn't set the priority too high or you will find yourself having a heck of a time getting the computer to respond to anything except that process. That's one advantage of dual core, you can assign the one process (dedicate) to one CPU and your other tasks to the other.

[agsnowdon]

All I shall do is set the priority to low when Im watching then after I have watched my film whack it up to full and make sure not to interupt the burning process as I just di so I hope this dvd turns out ok lol

Wouldn't set the priority too high or you will find yourself having a heck of a time getting the computer to respond to anything except that process.

cool, ill just set it too above normal. Thanks again!

[waldwolf]

agsnowdon - For info and future planning:

1. AMD will discontinue all socket 939 processor production by the end of 2006, in favor of socket AM2 designs which feature virtualization technology, are more "energy-efficient" and also support "dual-channel" DDR2 memory.

2. Intel just announced it will begin OEM shipments of its QUAD DUO 2 (four-cores-in-one) processors next month, instead of in mid-2007, as earlier announced. (AMD's "quad-processors" are still scheduled for mid-2007 release.)

With the forthcoming release of Windows Vista, new "quad" processors, new DVD burners, etc., you may wish to wait a bit for the smoke to clear, before committing resourses to hardware which may shortly be out-of-date.

waldwolf

[Jing-jo]

I would suggest increasing your RAM from 1GB to 2GB in the first instance. I don't think it is necessary to change your processor. I run a Pentium Mobile processor myself with a basic graphics card also. It's the RAM which will make the biggest difference in your case.

As I allready have 2 512 sticks in will I have to replace these with 2 1gb sticks?

I have the 2 512 sticks in the 2 blue slots can I just add a futher 2 512 sticks in the black slots?

one question before you buy any more memory it is best to check what spec the stuff you already have is

check on the motherboard manufacturers website what is supported memory wise?

ddr1 or ddr2

latency timings

speed of the chips

(best if you can match the speed and timimgs as well as the manufacturer and batch if poss)

and which slots one can use for which type

also you can check the memory settings in the bios

as well as the cpu range supported and its settings too

the people who built your computer might not have it set correctly

these are the relatively cheap easy upgrades you should follow first IMHO

plus if you cpu fan is a bit noisy or it runs a bit hot use artic pro 64 cooler unit very good cooling very quiet very cheap (£18 or so)

hope this has helped

[Richard-BKK]

I burn DVD's (LG H10L) running a Celeron socket 370 @ 1400Mhz, 384 MB internal memory and WD 40GB hard drive 8MB cache.

With MS Windows impossible to burn and do anything else, but I run Linux and browse the internet, watch my favoriet TV show (which I download) etc...all no problem at all.

For MS Windows I can also advice, that not only the internal memory has to be big, but look at the hard disk also. A "slow" 40 or 80GB hard disk 5400RPM can really make your system the not performing DVD snail

[agsnowdon]

Well I have only just brought my system, well its about 6 months old and consists of the following.

O/S Windows XP PRO SP2

MainBoard - ASUS K8N-5X (939)

CPU - AMD ATHLON 3000+

512 x 2 Kingston DDR 400

PCI EXPRESS XFX GeForce FX 5200 256MB

Seagate 80gb SATA 2

Maxtoor 250gb SATA 2 7200RPM with 16mb cache

I understand that AM2 is comming into place but I think this set up will do me for at least another year or so.

If I set the prority to below normal on Nero Vision I can do everything else fine.

Jing Jo, You mention my system might not be set up right, any ideas or futher tips on how to do this as I'm abit of an amature.

Do you think this spec is built to go together???? if so where and how can I improve for performance?

I have no idea on the following

ddr1 or ddr2

latency timings

speed of the chips

Or how to change settings for my CPU I wouldn't want to do this without advice as not to sure how or what to do.

As for the CPU fan its great quiet can't comment on the temp but my 2 hard drives always run between 38 - 40.

If you or anyone could help that would be cool!!!

waldwolf, thanks for your info as I won't be upgrading anything really for a year or so AM2 dosen't come into play but your info is much appriciated!

[Tywais]

Do you think this spec is built to go together???? if so where and how can I improve for performance?

I have no idea on the following

ddr1 or ddr2

latency timings

speed of the chips

Or how to change settings for my CPU I wouldn't want to do this without advice as not to sure how or what to do.

If you or anyone could help that would be cool!!!

The first two items are associated with the memory type. If you buy an additional 512MBx2 it would be best if it is the same brand and model to match your existing memory. Wouldn't recommend changing the CPU speed (overclocking) without knowing what you are doing, could lock up the system and have problems getting back, plus heat problems it will possibly introduce. One thing regarding the DVD is to be sure DMA mode is enabled, this can reduce the CPU load some when burning the DVD. Normally it is enabled by default but just in case look at this site > DMA

The video card is an entry level and not high performance but it is the same as I use with my multi-meda computer and will be ok. Video encoding/transcoding is a very cpu intensive job, so you can set your priority lower with no problem. Again have to be careful with burning DVD's at a lower priority while you are running another cpu intensive program at a higher priority.

Here are a couple of sites with tips to increase XP performance.

http://www.tweakxp.com/performance_tweaks.aspx

http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=1590

[agsnowdon]

Do you think this spec is built to go together???? if so where and how can I improve for performance?

I have no idea on the following

ddr1 or ddr2

latency timings

speed of the chips

Or how to change settings for my CPU I wouldn't want to do this without advice as not to sure how or what to do.

If you or anyone could help that would be cool!!!

The first two items are associated with the memory type. If you buy an additional 512MBx2 it would be best if it is the same brand and model to match your existing memory. Wouldn't recommend changing the CPU speed (overclocking) without knowing what you are doing, could lock up the system and have problems getting back, plus heat problems it will possibly introduce. One thing regarding the DVD is to be sure DMA mode is enabled, this can reduce the CPU load some when burning the DVD. Normally it is enabled by default but just in case look at this site > DMA

The video card is an entry level and not high performance but it is the same as I use with my multi-meda computer and will be ok. Video encoding/transcoding is a very cpu intensive job, so you can set your priority lower with no problem. Again have to be careful with burning DVD's at a lower priority while you are running another cpu intensive program at a higher priority.

Here are a couple of sites with tips to increase XP performance.

http://www.tweakxp.com/performance_tweaks.aspx

http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=1590

Thanks for that, guess what I got another question too...

I have been burning alot of avi files to dvd using nero vision and burn't 2 avi files today to dvd, problem I get alot is that the audio goes out of sync. The audio is in perfect sync in the avi file so why is the audio getting out of sync?

Is this because during transcodaing I'm using up the cpu too much with something else? or is it during burning? or is it just one of those things? any way round this or to prevent this?

Cheers for everyones help so far!!!

[Tywais]

I have been burning alot of avi files to dvd using nero vision and burn't 2 avi files today to dvd, problem I get alot is that the audio goes out of sync. The audio is in perfect sync in the avi file so why is the audio getting out of sync?

Is this because during transcodaing I'm using up the cpu too much with something else? or is it during burning? or is it just one of those things? any way round this or to prevent this?

Not related to the CPU time. This is one of those 'tough' questions to answer. It has to do with the way the audio is embedded in the AVI file. Sometimes transcoding will 'skew' the time between them because of different sample rates of the audio versus video. I've had this issue myself and it takes a bit of work to get it right by using software that allows you to add/subtract a skew time.

Also some transcoding software works better then others at syncing it. You might download and try TMPgenc (google) it is free and gives some flexibility in the encoding process. Problem is that it adds an additional step to the already time consuming process. It encodes from the AVI format to the mpeg (DVD) format then the mpeg has to be run through a DVD authoring software and then burned.

This is one of the reasons I stopped making DVDs and just built a low end multi-media computer. Now I can play avi/mpg/etc directly from the PC to my plasma TV. Saves countless hours and frustration from the myriad of problems trying to make a DVD.

[agsnowdon]

I have been burning alot of avi files to dvd using nero vision and burn't 2 avi files today to dvd, problem I get alot is that the audio goes out of sync. The audio is in perfect sync in the avi file so why is the audio getting out of sync?

Is this because during transcodaing I'm using up the cpu too much with something else? or is it during burning? or is it just one of those things? any way round this or to prevent this?

Not related to the CPU time. This is one of those 'tough' questions to answer. It has to do with the way the audio is embedded in the AVI file. Sometimes transcoding will 'skew' the time between them because of different sample rates of the audio versus video. I've had this issue myself and it takes a bit of work to get it right by using software that allows you to add/subtract a skew time.

Also some transcoding software works better then others at syncing it. You might download and try TMPgenc (google) it is free and gives some flexibility in the encoding process. Problem is that it adds an additional step to the already time consuming process. It encodes from the AVI format to the mpeg (DVD) format then the mpeg has to be run through a DVD authoring software and then burned.

This is one of the reasons I stopped making DVDs and just built a low end multi-media computer. Now I can play avi/mpg/etc directly from the PC to my plasma TV. Saves countless hours and frustration from the myriad of problems trying to make a DVD.

Cheers for your help!

Time for bed now!

Just looked at those sites and some great reading there, and will await anymore input anyone has.

Cheers!

Ash

[Gary A]

I'm surprised that no one suggested buying the best video card you can find. That is a simple approach and can be installed into a new computer if you get one.

[Tywais]

I'm surprised that no one suggested buying the best video card you can find. That is a simple approach and can be installed into a new computer if you get one.

I think you meant to say the best video card you can 'afford', a LEADTEK Quadro FX4400 G costs 125,000 Baht (in Thailand).

[Jing-jo]

Well I have only just brought my system, well its about 6 months old and consists of the following.

O/S Windows XP PRO SP2

MainBoard - ASUS K8N-5X (939)

CPU - AMD ATHLON 3000+

512 x 2 Kingston DDR 400

PCI EXPRESS XFX GeForce FX 5200 256MB

Seagate 80gb SATA 2

Maxtoor 250gb SATA 2 7200RPM with 16mb cache

I understand that AM2 is comming into place but I think this set up will do me for at least another year or so.

If I set the prority to below normal on Nero Vision I can do everything else fine.

Jing Jo, You mention my system might not be set up right, any ideas or futher tips on how to do this as I'm abit of an amature.

Do you think this spec is built to go together???? if so where and how can I improve for performance?

I have no idea on the following

ddr1 or ddr2

latency timings

speed of the chips

Or how to change settings for my CPU I wouldn't want to do this without advice as not to sure how or what to do.

As for the CPU fan its great quiet can't comment on the temp but my 2 hard drives always run between 38 - 40.

If you or anyone could help that would be cool!!!

waldwolf, thanks for your info as I won't be upgrading anything really for a year or so AM2 dosen't come into play but your info is much appriciated!

Just looked on the asus website this board number you list is not there are you sure it's not a gigabyte board?

see link

http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Products/Mother...Type=socket+939

have a look at the board listed in system properties or install interogation software and get a definitve model number and manufacturer then look at the specs on the website for your upgrade + settings options

the worst things on this combo are the graphics card and the amount of memory (quality is good though so buy same type and speed is it pc3200/3700 or what? then the cpu you should be able to fit a faster cpu (up to 4200 and maybe even a x2 cpu 4800 lots of Bht though

cheers

[Tywais]

Just looked on the asus website this board number you list is not there are you sure it's not a gigabyte board?

Good point, found very few references anywhere to a K8N-5X, wonder if it is a A8N-5X > http://usa.asus.com/products4.aspx?modelme...2=15&l3=207

[agsnowdon]

Well I have only just brought my system, well its about 6 months old and consists of the following.

O/S Windows XP PRO SP2

MainBoard - ASUS K8N-5X (939)

CPU - AMD ATHLON 3000+

512 x 2 Kingston DDR 400

PCI EXPRESS XFX GeForce FX 5200 256MB

Seagate 80gb SATA 2

Maxtoor 250gb SATA 2 7200RPM with 16mb cache

I understand that AM2 is comming into place but I think this set up will do me for at least another year or so.

If I set the prority to below normal on Nero Vision I can do everything else fine.

Jing Jo, You mention my system might not be set up right, any ideas or futher tips on how to do this as I'm abit of an amature.

Do you think this spec is built to go together???? if so where and how can I improve for performance?

I have no idea on the following

ddr1 or ddr2

latency timings

speed of the chips

Or how to change settings for my CPU I wouldn't want to do this without advice as not to sure how or what to do.

As for the CPU fan its great quiet can't comment on the temp but my 2 hard drives always run between 38 - 40.

If you or anyone could help that would be cool!!!

waldwolf, thanks for your info as I won't be upgrading anything really for a year or so AM2 dosen't come into play but your info is much appriciated!

Just looked on the asus website this board number you list is not there are you sure it's not a gigabyte board?

see link

http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Products/Mother...Type=socket+939

have a look at the board listed in system properties or install interogation software and get a definitve model number and manufacturer then look at the specs on the website for your upgrade + settings options

the worst things on this combo are the graphics card and the amount of memory (quality is good though so buy same type and speed is it pc3200/3700 or what? then the cpu you should be able to fit a faster cpu (up to 4200 and maybe even a x2 cpu 4800 lots of Bht though

cheers

Hi JJ

Its actually a A8n-5x

http://uk.asus.com/products.aspx?l1=3&...amp;modelmenu=1

Could you help me with the setttings? please

Hey tywais

You beat me too it lol

Edited October 22, 2006 by agsnowdon