Problems with old system and a "stutter"

Madmaxneo · Mar 2, 2014

My rig:
MB: Dell optiplex 745
CPU Core 2 quad 2.66ghz (Q6700)
RAM 8gb 800 mhz
Graphics: EVGA GT 630
Sound: Soundblaster Zx
HDD: WD Blue 1 TB & the 160gb that came with the system.
My issue: When I first got this computer last december for $120 I got a geforce 8400gs video card and connected it to my vizio 24" tv with HDMI. I noticed quite often there was this stutter when playing windows media player. I assumed it was my video card and the HDMI out. I purchased the GT630 video card and the soundblaster Zx card, and I thought at fist the "stutter" was gone. The truth is it happened less often and wasn't as loud. Now it is back and as strong as before. I at first thought it was when I was putting a heavy load on my graphics card or cpu but that doesn't seem to be the case. I am able to run Battlefield 4 just fine (albeit at the minimum settings), and the stutter doesn't happen that often that I notice.
What I mean by "stutter" is basically my whole system will freeze for a second or two, the sound will do a fast rumble sound and any video game will stop for the small amount of time it happens. The "stutter" usually only lasts a second or two, But it shouldn't be there. I have tried running a few basic tests but nothing shows up. Does anyone have any ideas or maybe some other tests I can run to see if I can locate the issue?
I am in the process of building a new more powerful rig but this computer will be used by others like my grand nephew when he comes to visit this summer and we can play video games together.
Bruce

jnewegger23 · Mar 2, 2014

Download evga precision x and see if increasing the max voltage to max value helps.
http://www.evga.com/precision/

Sometimes even the default settings "starve" the gpu of needed volts and this can result in stuttering. By allowing the gpu to draw needed voltage given certain tasks increases stability and tends to keep video output smoother. The heat increase on 600 series cards is negligible. Make sure to check mark the "start up" box so it saves your settings when you restart your pc otherwise it will revert to default max voltage. It could be completely something else but I've found this to be the easiest fix for many. Hope it works!

Thanks,

Justin S.

Madmaxneo · Mar 2, 2014

Will do. I already have precision x. It did the same thing with the original card (8400 gs), but I also had a 275 watt psu then, and the card supposedly required a 350 watt. Everything else ran fine.
Thanks Justin.
Bruce

Madmaxneo · Mar 2, 2014

When I tried overclocking the power I got a message saying "this device isn't supported".
Right now I am running the standard test, again. But this time I am letting it run a lot longer.

Bruce

jnewegger23 · Mar 3, 2014

I'm not having you adjust anything in terms of overclocking. Just the voltage setting to allow it to hit max. See pic below:

Also you said you had a 500w psu from another thread and that is more than good for this card (needs 400W) but nonetheless we are discussing voltage not wattage. Hope this clears everything up. I know the jargon can blur after a while if you don't take a break or do it everyday.

Madmaxneo · Mar 3, 2014

That is exactly what I clicked on it. When I click on the 'voltage' button it says "this device is not supported" then I get these two error messages about windows trying to find the problem then closing the program that is causing the problem. Then it closes the voltage box. That's it.

Bruce
Edit: I contacted EVGA support to see if the GT 630 supports voltage overclocking. But it will probably be a few days........

jnewegger23 · Mar 3, 2014

Yeah, not all gpus are fully supported by precision x. I was hoping yours was. If I can think of something else I'll bring it up. Sorry I misunderstood you.

Madmaxneo · Mar 4, 2014

I contacted EVGA and they said the GT 630 is not supported. They told me what to do, uninstall everything and do a clean install of all my drivers for the nvidia card. I did and it didn't work. They are offering to replace my graphics card, but I don't think that is the cause as I had this same problem with the older 8400 gs card (that consequently is now in my moms computer...lol). At this point I think it has something to do with the motherboard. I am thinking of replacing it, but don't know what to get. Suggestions will help. I am looking for something with more options than the one that came with the computer. It is a dell optiplex 745 (mid tower version). From CPU-Z I get this: model 0rf703 Chipset Q95. Though I am not sure if I trust CPU-Z at this point as it incorrectly identifies my ram as about 600mhz (in the bios it says it is 800 mhz which is correct). I have a core 2 quad 2.66ghz cpu which is a socket 775 I believe. If you do recommend a MB, I need it to be cheap, but better than the dell one I have.

Bruce

jnewegger23 · Mar 4, 2014

Here's the cheapest 775s I can find:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/221376282387?lpid=82
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Intel-BLKD945PLNML-D945PLNML-microATX-LGA775-New-Motherboard-with-Accessories-/200708962431?pt=Motherboards&hash=item2ebb2fb87f
I'm not sure about it's reliability etc. First link is a refurb, 2nd one says new but charges 12.00 shipping so keep that in mind.
Perhaps your psu is struggling? This is pretty odd. The only other thing I can think of is that the GT 630 is pci-e v 2.0 and maybe it's struggling like the 8400gs was with the mobo's pci-e v 1.0? This shouldn't be an issue bc pci-e 2.0 cards are backwards compatible with pci-e 1.0 but you never know how things actually play out even if they are supposed to work. In that case you may replace the board and still have the same issue; not likely the issue but I'm stumped at the moment. I'll research this more but it's a doozy.

Madmaxneo · Mar 4, 2014

I like the Asroc one. The intel one only supports 2 RAM strips amongst other things.
The Asroc one states it doesn't come with the I/O back plate, which can be a problem as it has a few different I/O ports than my current dell has (HDMI for one)

As far as researching the "stutter/freeze" my system encounters every so often, is there any kind of test that I can download or simply run? Or maybe even a monitoring program that can tell me what is happening.

When I check the event log it is filled with shutdown and startup errors saying it is taking to long. The errors I am getting are: 100, 101, 106, 107, 108, 200, 203, 300, 301, 302, and a couple 500 and 501. They are startup, shutdown, and standby monitoring errors. The 500's are desktop windows manager errors. Would any of those errors have anything to do with this?

Bruce

jnewegger23 · Mar 4, 2014

I don't know off hand. Usually it's due to a driver but that doesn't seem to be the case here. I'll see if someone I know has seen something like this. Sorry I don't have a good answer at the moment.

Madmaxneo · Mar 4, 2014

I looked into the errors a little more and the slow shutdown errors are from Java taking to long. The startup ones are familiar, but I don't think they are anything serious.
I really think this has more to do with the motherboard than anything else.

Bruce

jnewegger23 · Mar 5, 2014

I haven't learned anything new but this website reminded me of something we didn't check:
http://www.gamespot.com/forums/pc-mac-discussion-1000004/can-motherboards-cause-stutter-ingame-27493620/

RAM can cause stuttering sometimes. However, I see you have 8Gb. What version of windows do you have? eg Win 8 64bit? please include whether it's 32 or 64 bit whatever version of windows you have. Thanks.

Doubt this is it but just taking a shot in the dark here.

Madmaxneo · Mar 5, 2014

I have 8gb of 800 mhz ram. the RAM I received from the same people I ordered the computer from.
I am using windows 7 64 bit Ultimate
Edit: I am going to run the memory test now.
Bruce
EDIT: Ran Memtest, no problems. Are there any good programs that will run a test and indicate problems withe the MB, or other parts of my rig?

jnewegger23 · Mar 5, 2014

There isn't one that I'm aware of. Here's what intel suggests that I naturally do when I can be hands on:
http://www.intel.com/cd/channel/reseller/emea/eng/membership/411559.htm

I'll update you if I find something else.

jnewegger23 · Mar 5, 2014

When did you last update bios? I was researching for mobo diagnostics and realized we haven't even thought of that. I'm guessing as intelligent as your responses are that you've already done that but that could be a huge fix.

Madmaxneo · Mar 5, 2014

Umm, In January about 2 and half months ago... Sometime around there.
It is interesting that EVGA was offering to replace the video card I have, but I seriously doubt it is the video card.
The primary reason I believe it is the MB is that since I first experienced this "stutter" I have upgraded the video card, the sound card (twice) and the cpu. I also added 4 more gbs of RAM. I tested the memory and it works just fine. On the other hand CPU-Z incorrectly identifies my memory every time as 600 mhz instead of the 800 mhz it is. But I have no reason to trust CPU-Z.
I will just have to buy another MB and see. Which brings me to my next question. I've been searching motherboards and I am not sure what is best for this chipset. I can go a little higher than $30 or $40, but not to high. I was surprised to find a MB for the 775 chipset that still costs over $600. The description said it supported SATA3 and PCIe 2.0. But that was way to expensive for this old rig. So I am still open to suggestions on motherboards for this mid tower.
In your opinion, what is a good manufacturer for the socket 775 mb's?
Bruce

jnewegger23 · Mar 6, 2014

I have had a great experience with Asus. I also like MSI and Gigabyte.
Here's a new ASUS mobo for $45:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Asus-P5VD2-VM-SE-Core2-Socket-775-Micro-ATX-Motherboard-W-Onboard-Vid-DDR2-/310877087976?pt=Motherboards&hash=item4861b7e8e8
For $55 here's a good looking brand new ASUS mobo with sli pci-e 2.0:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Asus-P5N-D-Socket-775-Core-2-Quad-Extreme-ATX-Motherboard-W-750i-SLI-4x-DDR2-/310876499495?pt=Motherboards&hash=item4861aeee27

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