Somthing Seems Very Rong

[xLastShotx]

Ok, I just built my new pc and it seemed a bit slower than it should be. So I used the Cpu-Z program to see what my cpu was at and Im pretty shure that the FSB is much slower than it should be. Heres the Screen shot: http://www.TemeculaMustang.com/rong.jpg and this is the cpu info Sempron 64 2800+ (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819104245) Shouldn't the FSB be somewere around 800 and not 205.9?

[hockey man]

One word: Multiplyiers. I'm not sure exactly what they are for that CPU. The FSB is "pumped" X amount of times and that is the number on the packaging. So don't worry nothing is wrong :p . To improve performance, how many programs do you have running at start up? What AV/ Firewall are you using?

[xLastShotx]

Shouldnt it have an 800 mhz fsb tho? there are some overclocking things in the Bois

[hockey man]

Wait for Saphalline chimes in. He knows all these things like the back of his hand.

[xLastShotx]

Yeah he does seem to know everything. Do you know of any good free benchmarking programs?

[hockey man]

I don't, but that does not mean that they do not exist. See if Saphalline has any recomendations.

[i an not a nerd]

The FSB on a AMD cpu is supposed to be 200mhz-ish. Then the CPU multiplier determines the cpu speed. for example, the AMD64 3000+ runs are 1.8ghz, so a x9 multiplier with a 200mhz (9x200=1800) would make the cpu run at 1.8ghz. Now say if i increase the FSB to 250mhz the cpu would run at 2.25ghz.

Now for benchmarking, you can either use PCmark05 or 3Dmark05 by futuremark, or you can use the Mersene Prime program http://www.mersenne.org/freesoft.htm (run it in benchmark mode) and compare your benchmark to what they have on their site.

[jayfox]

hello master geeks

[jayfox]

i have a problem...can i share?

[i an not a nerd]

jayfox, start your own thread please to avoid confustion. THanks.

[xLastShotx]

What would the disadvantages be of raising my fsb? The bois alows it to go up to 400 somthing

[pangea33]

Take a thorough look at your hardware documentation before doing anything like that. You can physically damage or destroy your components. Overclocking is a very involved topic, and there are a lot of resources available. In fact, you'll find a lot of sites solely devoted to the subject. Look here (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=overclocking&btnG=Google+Search)

[jlreich]

From the looks of it you already have it overclocked. The FSB should 200MHz with a multiplier of 8 = 1600MHz. Just so you know that means the rest of your system is overclocked a well. That's a fairly modest overclock but be aware and accept the risks. Even a modest overclock can damage and shorten the lifespan of you system. ;)

As pangea33 said, if you want to overclock research first to understand what you are doing.

[xLastShotx]

Yeah it went up form 200 after I Changed some special option in my bios that said Performance Boost On/Off or somthing like that so I Put it on On

[jlreich]

What are you doing that makes you think it's running slow? From the look of you video card I would say games? I also notice you only have 512MB ram. Adding another 512MB ram would help a lot with gaming. Even though the X800GTO FireBlade Ed is good video card you really need 1GB ram to play games these days.

Yeah another stick of 512MB would help a lot. The lack of ram is a pretty big bottleneck for a good card like that ;)

[xLastShotx]

Well rite now the newest game I have is Battlefield 1942. Which isn't very new and it doesnt run very fast at all. I Am planning on getting 1g of ddr 400 (2 x 512) once I Have the money

[pangea33]

Are you using a newer hard drive, or did you keep one from an old machine? I noticed that you didn't list one in your signature. The first thing that makes me wonder if you're using older components, is the fact that you've got slower ram than your mobo can handle, which I noticed you're planning to upgrade. Still, the rest of your system description reads like my current "realistic-for-me" system wishlist.

[jlreich]

No Battlefield 1942 (the first one) shouldn't run slow on 512MB ram.

Is windows up to date? Have all patches for the game? What about the HDD, is it new or old, 7200RPM, or is it slower? Latest video drivers from ATI or did you use the ones on the disk with the video card?

Do you have security in place, AV, FW?

Oh I almost forgot, did you install the chipset drivers for your mobo? Very important. ;)

[xLastShotx]

Yeah im using my old drive, which is a Maxtor (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822140133&ATT=22-140-133&CMP=OTC-streetprices)
One day i want to upgrade to a Sata Hard Drive.

[pangea33]

Could be slower. IMHO, that seems like a fine drive for the time being.

[xLastShotx]

No Battlefield 1942 (the first one) shouldn't run slow on 512MB ram.

Is windows up to date? Have all patches for the game? What about the HDD, is it new or old, 7200RPM, or is it slower? Latest video drivers from ATI or did you use the ones on the disk with the video card?

Do you have security in place, AV, FW?

Oh I almost forgot, did you install the chipset drivers for your mobo? Very important. ;)

My Windows is still SP1 I don't want to update to SP2, I Have the newest patches for the game, my hd is pretty new ( check link in my last post) I used the video drivers from the disc I have Anti Virus Programs and Anti Spyware, I think I installed the chipset drivers, I just installed all the drivers that came with my Mo-Bo disc and my Graphic Card Disc.

[xLastShotx]

Rite Now my BF1942 can run alrite (a little choppy somtimes) in 1024x768x32 With all settings maxed. That isn't really as much as I would have thought it could run, My last pc could run BF1942 great in 800x600x32 With all settings maxed. Which isn't that much different considering how much better this new system is.

[pangea33]

You might reconsider the update, but that's just a suggestion. You can download the service pack without going through the Windows Authentication Verification, if that has anything to do with it.

From the Microsoft website:
The latest Service Pack for Windows XP—Service Pack 2 (SP2)—is all about security, and it’s one of the most important service packs ever released.http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/sp2/topten.mspx

[xLastShotx]

Thats really the only reason why I havn't upgraded to SP2 yet.

[pangea33]

You can download a full install copy of the service pack, without using the Windows update manager, directly from M$ here (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=049C9DBE-3B8E-4F30-8245-9E368D3CDB5A&displaylang=en)

You should search the forums for help with drive imaging before you do anything else.

[xLastShotx]

Do you think if I get SP2 it will make a difference?

[pangea33]

SP2 may not have a direct impact on the performance of your computer in this particular instance, but it's very important. You're running an absolutely stunningly high risk of malware infection if you don't update. Are you still using Internet Explorer? I very strongly suggest you install the service pack, but you'll come to your own conclusions about that. Details about what's in the patch here (http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/winxppro/maintain/sp2top.mspx)

[xLastShotx]

I don't use IE anymore due to exessive popups and lots insecurity, I switched to Firefox

[jlreich]

My Windows is still SP1 I don't want to update to SP2,
I also recommend SP2. If this is a pirated copy of XP that may very well be the problem. If it is just a copy that you had on your old machine but a valid copy your ok, you shouldn't have any problems with the MS genuine check.

Even though you don't have SP2 at the moment do you have all the other security updates? This is very important because there are many security updates that protect you from being infected by just being on the internet regardless of any AV/FW. If you just installed windows with SP1 and did not get any updates I would suspect a malware infection.

Also if you haven't gotten any security updates do not install SP2 until you know you have a malware free machine. If you install SP2 on a infected machine it will cause many problems.

From a hardware standpoint you shouldn't have any problems with B1942. Besides a malware infection the only thing I can think of if to get the latest video drivers directly from ATI. The ones on the CD are almost always outdated. And check for a newer version of the chipset drivers directly from nVidia as those are often outdated as well.

If the latest drivers do not help, I would suggest starting a new thread in the "Applications and Security" forum and let the security experts have a look at your machine. If you do please post a link in this thread for us and others to follow.

EDIT - I just saw this.
I don't use IE anymore due to exessive popups and lots insecurity, I switched to Firefox
Excessive popups would indicate a malware infection.

[hockey man]

If you decide to download SP2, I would suggest you run HijackThis (You can get it from Budfred's sig) and posting in Applications and Security.

[xLastShotx]

I just heard on a tv show that if you have bought a windows disc you can install it on two different computers, and apperently microsoft doesn't care as long as its not more than 2.

[saphalline]

The Sempron64, and other K8-based CPU's from AMD, have no FSB. What's listed as the "FSB" is really the HyperTransport Link, which is something else, but it's the closest to the classical CPU spec of FSB so that's what everyone refers to as the "FSB".

With that technicality aside, your CPU looks fine. 200 MHz is the signal given to the CPU directly from the system clock, which then gets multiplied by 4 (or 5 for 940/939 CPU's) for the HT Link bus that goes from the CPU's onboard memory controller to the Southbridge (or in the case of Opteron servers, multiple HT Links go out to all other CPU's and chipset chips). The 200 MHz part gets used by the CPU for core clock settings - thus 200 x 8 = 1600 MHz. The 200 x 4 = 800 MHz part is the speed of the HT Link, which is essentially the speed of the "FSB" for the chipset. The "Performance Boost" option in the BIOS is a tiny overclock app that runs in the BIOS (and thus is covered under warranty) that will test the system for an optimum system clock setting that is above the default 200 MHz. As you can see, this tiny overclock is only about 2-4%, but that's still 2-4% extra CPU speed that is free and completely covered by the warranty. A lot of new mobo's now have some sort of speed booster option.

I seriously doubt SP2 would affect gaming performance, but I agree that it would be a good idea to get it. There are tons of security holes in SP1 and the original release that are plugged with SP2. And in the case of many security and .NET framework updates, SP2 is a requirement, not an option. I don't understand the reluctance to upgrade to SP2 considering it's a major security fix? :confused:

Not true. M$ is extremely explicit about licenses. Buying one license of Windows and installing it on two computers would land you in jail with a fine if M$ or the law ever found out! :eek: In order to install the same Windows CD on more than one computer, you'd have to buy another license from M$ (slightly cheaper than another retail copy of the OS) and follow their instructions for activation. Or the easier & cheaper way is just buy as many OEM copies of Windows as you have computers.

As for the slow performance in BF 1942, that's most likely a driver problem. Download the latest chipset driver (http://www.nvidia.com/object/nforce_nf4_winxp32_amd_6.70.html) (6.70) and install it. Reboot. Download the latest ATI graphics driver (https://support.ati.com/ics/support/KBAnswer.asp?questionID=640) (Catalyst 5.13) and save that to your desktop, but don't install it yet. Notice the ATI driver has a note about SP2. ;) Now reboot into Safe Mode (hold down F8 after the POST) and go into the Control Panel, then Add/Remove Programs. Find the current ATI graphics driver and remove it. Reboot, cancel the Found New Hardware Wizard, and install the latest ATI driver that you saved to your desktop. Reboot.

After doing all of that, see if BF 1942 plays any faster.

[xLastShotx]

I installed SP2 and now everytime I boot up my pc rite after the windows loading screen I get the blue screen and my pc restarts, I am using a different pc rite now since it doesnt work

[pangea33]

You should search the forums for help with drive imaging before you do anything else.
Any chance you paid attention to me when I mentioned this?

[jlreich]

Or this? ;)

Also if you haven't gotten any security updates do not install SP2 until you know you have a malware free machine. If you install SP2 on a infected machine it will cause many problems.

Try booting into Safe mode by hitting the F8 key right before windows boots up. If you can successfully boot, try to uninstall SP2 through add and remove programs. You can try system restore but I don't think it works in safe mode.

[xLastShotx]

i think i missed that, i dont even know what that is, i have a windows disc that im gunna use, im just gunna have a fresh copy of windows on my system.

Not true. M$ is extremely explicit about licenses. Buying one license of Windows and installing it on two computers would land you in jail with a fine if M$ or the law ever found out! In order to install the same Windows CD on more than one computer, you'd have to buy another license from M$ (slightly cheaper than another retail copy of the OS) and follow their instructions for activation. Or the easier & cheaper way is just buy as many OEM copies of Windows as you have computers.
And about microsoft allowing ppl to use one windows cd and code for two pcs, I heard about that on the show called "Call for Help" on G4 TV do you think that show could have made a mistake? If so thats kinda a big mistake I think.

Also Before I installed sp2 I ran several different virus and spyware porgrams so I dont think that the prob, ill try safe mode tho

[xLastShotx]

I think I found what was causing it to crash, I went into safe mode and I delete a program I use called Boot Skin and now SP2 Seems to work fine, althought it loaded really slow but maybe thats just because its the first bootup with sp2.

[hockey man]

You should dowload and run HijckThis (http://www.downloads.subratam.org/hijackthis.zip). That will allow the experts to better analyse your system. MS wants one pc per key- not two. If you don't have a legal copy, XP home can be bought for under $100.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16837102059

[jlreich]

althought it loaded really slow but maybe thats just because its the first bootup with sp2.
yeah SP2 will take a long time to go through all the setup it needs to go through on the first boot after the initial install.

[xLastShotx]

I think everything is working fine now I updated all my drivers for everything, and now battlefield1942 runs way better. What does everyone think of that Windows x64 Edition (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16837102034) ?

[hockey man]

From what I have gathered, there are still not enough apps for it to mak eit worth it. Stick with XP.

[xLastShotx]

alrite, I'll prolly just buy a license for windows XP because I have a brand new Windows XP disc

[hockey man]

A legal copy is a great thing. How did you get a disk and not a license?

[xLastShotx]

One of my friends has some kind of disc that has Win xp home, Win xp pro, win xp media center edition, and one other one.

[hockey man]

Yeh, follow my link above and get at least Xp Home. If you wafe the money go for Pro.

[xLastShotx]

I ran hijackthis so now what? There are alot of things running on the log file, I can tell the programs I want to be running apart from other ones but I dont want to risk stopping some or deleting some ones that are important. If this can help here is the hijackthis.log (http://www.temeculamustang.com/hijackthis.log)

[xLastShotx]

Im currently using a 30 day trail of pro, which means that I can't use windows update to update anything due to the new Windows Verification thing.

[jlreich]

You might want to copy the log to a post so the security experts are more likely to notice it. Use more than one post if needed. And don't fix anything until told to by an expert or you could render you system useless.

Glad to hear things are working better. Outdated drivers are one of the most common problems. Many people think because the drivers came on the CD with the mobo or video card they must be the latest. But drivers are updated so fast sometimes by the time the product gets to the warehouse they are outdated. This particularly true for video drivers.

Hell it's been over a month since I did my core upgrade I probably should head over to ATI myself. :eek: