Low end Athlon64 giving stuttering problems.

[denominator]

Hey guys,

I am new to this forum, but have been reading it for shits and giggles for quite sometime.. Enjoyable lot, I must say

Anyway.. I built my first computer from scratch about 1 year ago, paying attention to every detail to make sure things ran fine. It was just a temporary build, to hold me off until this whole Conroe/AM2 mess. Also to hold off until Vista..

Here's my build before I go onto the problem:

Asus K8s-MX Mobo (Cheapest one I could find)
Athlon64 2800+ @ Stock 1.8Ghz - s754 (I know..)
1gig Kingston ValueRAM (Been doing a sexy job)
160gb WD 5400rpm
6800GS AGP
Dvdrw, floppy etc.
Running an Antec 380W PSU

CPU Temp fluctuation: 30C-50C
GPU Temp fluctuation: 50C-65C
5 Case fans running


My problem is that, since the beginning, any CPU intensive thing I do in programs like Premiere, After Effects, WinRaR, I experience frequent pause lag during rendering. These never shut down the computer, but they frustrate me as.. For example.. The countdown to render completion gets frozen for up to 20 seconds. If I so much as touch my CPU overclocking, this problem gets emphasized to the point of PC shut down.

This problem does NOT carry onto games.. Infact, I have been playing Oblivion, NFS:MW, COD2, BF2, CS:S casually, and they are all running like butter.. Even with such a crap processor, the video card truly picks up performance to an enjoyable level.. WITH eye candy

Also, my front USB ports have been disconnected due to their statically shutting down of my pc whenever I try to put in a USB flash drive, or even touch metal onto them. This is a cabling problem with my grounder inside my case.. I have never been able to figure out how to cure this.. Cables onto the MOBO have been changed, the grounding unit in my case has been rewired afew times, but to the same effect with the USB @ the front ;/

Anyway, any suggestions would be fine. I am financially stable, so suggesting a more powerful 'x' or more cost-worthy 'x' would be fine. But keep in mind, I want to sell this computer before I build my next Vista/DX10/Conroe or AM2. This thing is easily worth $600 Canadian..

Thanks guys,

Deno

 

[old_times]

The bottleneck of your system is your Hard Disk not your CPU. The USB problem is weird. It could be that ur PS is too weak or your have not connected your cables correctly. Beware that there 2 layouts for front USB ports.

 

[MrsD]

I doubt the power supply is the problem. I have basically the same hardware with a Antec 350 and I have never had any problems.
Hardrive could be the problem. Its a generation behind most of your other components.

 

[jap0nes]

the disk may be bottlenecking... if it's 5400rpm it probably has only 2mb cache.
you can try defragmenting it, also run virus/spyware scan and disable unused services running...

for the grounding, probably the ground wires at your house are screwed...

 

[denominator]

Update:

I'm an idiot. My HDD is actually a 7200RPM Caviar, with 8mb of cache.

So.. Can this stuttering be associated with anything else guys? As I said, if I overclock my CPU, the stuttering is more frequent and more intense..

The problem is not heat, power or HDD. Is this a possible indicator of a faulty build? Incorrect CPU mounting or something of the sort?

I did not actually put the CPU in my mobo.. That's the one part I was intimidated by when I built this computer.. But since then I have expanded my knowledge, per say. Thanks for the help guys.

Also, about the USB connectors static problems.. I have looked into changing the cabling one more time to see if that can be fixed. Bleh

Deno

 

[jap0nes]

CPU Temp fluctuation: 30C-50C

hmmmmmmm i was checking my bios yesterday and i noticed it was set to thermal throttle at 51C, although it never reaches that temp.
you said when you overclock the stuttering becomes more frequent... it may happen that you have cool and quiet or some kind of thermal throttling set to react with a low temperature... try to check your bios