bad performance with fast computer

[proto_prime]

my specs are
e8400 @ 3ghz (eist, c1e off)
2gb 800mhz A-data ram
EVGA 780i Motherboard
EVGA 8800GTX
32bit windows XP
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 160gb 7200rpm SATA 3gb/s internal HD(8mb cache)

4Mbps DSL connection

i would expect this computer of mine to be fast but ever since i got it its been slow it
seems. I'm running PC Wizard 2008 all day, i turned off c1e and eist, and my computer is
always running at 3 ghz... but it when using my computer, it doesn't seem any faster than a
2ghz single core. just browsing around my computer files doing simple file operations my
computer is kinda slow and stutters at times (freezes for a few secs then returns to
normal), same with my internet browser--sometimes it takes (IE v7) 4+ seconds to close a tab
(it freezes up a bit), which is absolutely unacceptable given that the websites I go to are
MSN and NFL.com. I'm real fast at scrolling around performing all the things i do on my
computer and I'd expect my wolfdale to keep up with me. I just yesterday reinstalled Windows
and all the sites I've been to since then are clean (McAfee says so). I can run Crysis on
Very High settings with x8 AA and not get a stutter but i attribute that performance mainly
to my beefy graphics card.
I have scanned for viruses = none
i have scanned for spyware = removed some non-critical items = no performance boost
does anyone have any ideas??

 

[derek2006]

I think it may have to do with the hard drive. It stutters because it is loading information and the HD has a low IO performance, or it may just be bad.

 

[roadrunner197069]

I was thinking hard drive as well.

 

[Zorg]

That drive gets average read of 50-60MB/sec., which should not cause stuttering, but it could be bad. Get the DOS bootable Seatools and test it.

 

[proto_prime]

I used HD Tach to test my hdd and these are the results
random access: 16.9ms (this is a little high isnt it?
average read: 60.7 mb/s
CPU utilization 25 (+/- 2%)
burst speed: 243.3mb/s

the chart dips alot but most notably in performance from 75mb/s at 23gb to 27mb/s at 26gb, which coincidentally is around the amount of space im using on this hdd at the moment

i consulted PC Wizard 2008 and it said that my hdd is at 90% health with 84% performance, both estimated.

i tested my hdd using seatools and it passed all the tests

btw, whats IO performance?

 

[Zorg]

It's input output performance. A random access of 16.9ms is high and a CPU utilization of 25% is astronomically high, it should be a few percent. Do you have a different model drive to try?

Are all the mobo drivers the latest ones?

 

[evilshuriken]

IO=Input Output

 

[proto_prime]

oh sorry, thats a typo. i meant 2% (+/- 2%)

no i do not have another hdd to try.
my friend suggested i get 64bit XP because itll be faster. is there any truth in that statement to justify shelling out another 99 or so $

there was an nvidia storage driver in the driver update for my motherboard, is this necessary to install? i think it had to do with raid. it said something about raid but it didnt say it was for raid directly

btw: the whole screen doesnt freeze, just the thing im trying to use such as a tab in IE im trying to close and the mouse skips at times

 

[Zorg]

CPU usage of 2% is right. No, your problem is not being caused by the 32 bit OS.

That's probably a RAID driver. I assume you have the drive set as IDE.

 

[Zorg]

Go into task manager [ctrl - alt - delete]. Under options select always on top. Click on the processes tab. Stretch the window vertically to show all running processes.

Recreate the stuttering and see if a process spikes in CPU usage.

 

[proto_prime]

clever idea. no luck though. nothing jumped significantly, just a few norton processes with slight jumps. could it be the swap file size? or maybe my ram speed? (800mhz, 2gb)

 

[Zorg]

Norton? God help me! That's your problem... just kidding.

So you didn't try the things that caused the stuttering with the base install of the OS, before you started loading all the pig crap into it?

If that's the case there are things we can try.

Run the machine in safe mode with networking and try to duplicate. Safe mode can get a little glitchy on its own, but it may give you some insight.

You can also either uninstall potential problem programs, like Norton etc., or stop them from booting and turn off their services.

 

[proto_prime]

i only installed 1/2 of the programs i normally use and figure arent causing any problems. I cant uninstall norton or i wont have any virus protection

i dont understand the point of going into safe mode to make it stutter, does it have error reporting in it or something?

 

[roadrunner197069]

Norton is a resource hog. Disable Norton and see if it still happens.

AVG Free is better then Noton and uses way less reources.

 

[aznguy0028]

okay...get rid of your norton antivirus, it's crap and it hogs up so much resources on any machine. even if it's not the case of your slowdowns, your system would respond faster with it out

i would recommend for you to use avg antivirus, not a system hog and it is better than norton, there is a free edition out that has free updates.

http://free.avg.com/

 

[aznguy0028]

roadrunner, u beat me to it

 

[proto_prime]

i disabled norton but i still get stutter. interesting note though, when i make it stutter just browsing through numerous files, explorer.exe takes up some of my CPU, i got it up to 18 just now, then other times at 2

 

[Zorg]

The reason to go into safe mode is that it only loads minimal services and programs. If it doesn't stutter you can rule out hardware and concentrate on the programs and services that load in normal mode.

The purpose for shutting down or removing Norton etc, is for testing purposes. I didn't want you to shut them down permanently.

As far as using Norton or having no virus protection at all, even while searching virus laden sites, it's a toss up. :lol:

Like they said, get AVG free or Avira.

Go to EVGAs site and download the latest drivers for your mobo and install them. Possibly even get the latest BIOS.

 

[caamsa]

Have you tried going to pcpitstop and running a free scan of your computer?

http://www.pcpitstop.com/

It might give you some useful information about what is going on with your system.

 

[Zorg]

:lol: Sorry, I couldn't help myself.

 

[proto_prime]

in safe mode (network) i cant get it to stutter consistently; i mean, sometimes if i exit a large word document and try to quickly enter another one it could freeze momentarily, which is normal? exact same scenario with tabs in IE. this is supposed to be a real fast processor and considering no other background non-windows processes are running, including AIM, WLM, and NORTON, im a little disappointed in my wolfdale =(. i would have hoped it could handle so many of my background programs but maybe its just norton, huh? just browsing around my computer, its fast, for the most part. though its not as fast as i thought it would be just displaying thumbnails in a folder full of my photos. then other times if i just exit a document it might freeze a bit without me trying to enter another document

 

[MrManO1]

3 things...

1. AVG is terrible virus protection - I agree it's better than Norton, so that makes it the second worst you can do.

2. You mentioned McAfee and Norton, are you running both?

3. How many processes are you running in Task Manager, Windows XP should be about 30, if you're running Norton then 35

 

[proto_prime]

1. ill try another then if you have anything better.
2. just McAfee SiteAdvisor, not virus protection. i think they have that i just cant find it anywhere
3. 48 before uninstalling Norton (which i am)

 

[Zorg]

I didn't think Norton would load in safe mode. If the stutter is ocurring in safe mode it doesn't mean that much. As I said safe mode can be a little glitchy because it's running on minimal drivers/services. It would have meant something if it didn't stutter and that was the reason to try.

I'll say it again, uninstall all programs, except maybe MS office, including Mcafee Site Advisor and anything else you think you need.

At this point I would reload XP and mobo drivers. Test to see if you have the problems. Set a restore point and start updates. Reboot and test between each group of updates, to ensure the problem isn't there. Set a restore point between each group of updates. Continue with the same procedure with the programs.

It's a hassle, but you didn't do the initial reload with any method conducive to finding the problem.

 

[proto_prime]

oh no, i norton didnt load up in safe mode. i uninstalled norton in normal mode and its still stumbling around like a drunk old man. i meant that in safe mode it didnt stutter as often as it normally does and i could fly around my computer with minimal stutters and slowdowns (many fewer than normal)

so in normal mode you want me to uninstall unnecessary programs? is this to narrow down the list of which programs could be slowing my computer down?

i thought my previous windows got its registry messed up or something..