AMD X2 Dual Core and Gaming

[stdepriest]

I have a question about the AMD Dual Core processors and performance. Basically, I upgraded my 2 year old computer last week from a P4 2.8 GHz machine to an AMD 4400+ X2 chip. I also moved from an AGP 6800GT to a PCI-E 7800GT. In Battlefield 2, my performance on the same graphical settings feels slower than my older machine. I have also encountered multiple problems with the dual cores and gaming. Basically, in Battlefield 2 I have to use set affinity in WinXP and disable one of the processor cores from running on the BF2.exe process everytime I play the game. I have also experienced this problem on SW:KOTOR where the game went into a dialogue loop and garbled graphics. I am starting to wonder if I should have stuck to a single core solution since I mainly game. Personally, I was under the impression that the dual core would react as a dual processor machine and ignore the second core when running single threaded applications like games, but that doesm't appear to be the case. I must admit I feel a little let down by the performance as well, so any helpful suggestions are appreciated.

System Specs:
New
Lian Li PC7-B Plus Case
Antec 480W NeoPower PS
Gigabyte GA-K8N-SLI-Pro MB
Samsung 200GB Spinpoint SATAII
4x512 Geil PC3200 DDR
GeForce 7800GT 256MB PCI-e
SB Audigy 2 ZS
2 Lite-On DVD drives

Old
Thermaltake Xaser II
Thermaltake 480W PS
Gigabyte MB (Intel 478)
2 36GB WD Raptor SATA150
4x512 Geil PC3200 DDR
GeForce 6800 GT 256 AGP
SB Audigy Gamer
2 Lite-On DVD drives


I would also like to point out that the WD Raptors were not striped, but set up as separate partitions.

 

[HardWareBoss]

For what I've read. For gaming now. You are better off with single core CPU.

 

[sturm]

Untill game softwar is written to take advantage of the dual cores they wont do squatt for gameing. Stay with a higher clocked single core for gameing. Only go dual core if you multitask alot or have a lot of multithreaded software.

 

[slvr_phoenix]

<pre><font color=orange> ∩_∩
Ω Ω
(=¥=)</font color=orange> - Or run F@H. Don't forget F@H. (Or else SP will eat me!)<font color=orange>
_Ū˘Ū_</font color=orange></pre><p> یί∫υєг ρђœŋίχ
<font color=red><i>Deal with the Devil. He buys in bulk.</i></font color=red>
@ 197K of 200K!

 

[HardWareBoss]

2 Years. Wow 2 more before my next upgrade.

 

[emogoch]

With Dual-cores out now, you really should see microsoft update windows in such a way that you can get better program management. I'd personally love to see an option where I can say run this thread on this core/CPU only.

From your supposed symptoms, best guess I can say is that rather than sticking on a single core, BF2 is switching between the cores. As each cores has separate caches, etc, every time the program switches from one core to the other, you have to copy all the cache, register, and other CPU data from one core to the other before execution can continue.

 

[emogoch]

I rememeber seeing seeing it a long time ago. Don't happen to have a clicky for it, do you? If you don't, don't worry about it. I'll find it and grab it myself later.

 

[mpasternak]

windows XP does have the ability to set what CPU or core you want an application to run in.

open up your task manager and Right click a task, and select "set affinity", you can then assign what "cpu's" you want it to run on, than set the priority accordingly.

you can for example if using an X2 open your DIVX encoder, set it to run exclusively on CPU 2, then set the priority to realtime on that application. it will now take up 100% of your second CPU, while everything else you do will send to the first CPU, alternatively, you can also then set everything else through "set affinity" to run exclusively on CPU 1 so that your CPU2 can decode DIVX without any other interupption

 

[timhuas]

So far as I know, dual core is not suitable for gaming
purpose! The game developer still can't find a way to
get power from the second core!

 

[jmwpom3]

Sweeet! I wasn't aware of that bit of info. And, I think like everything else, the more people buy dual core proc's the more software will be written to take advantage. Same as 64bit,, the more who use it, it gives more incentive for the developers.

<font color=green> I doubt, therefore I might be. </font color=green>

 

[emogoch]

My guess, the THG program will just use the windows API to set it up like you would through task manager. If I remember correctly though, the THG app will save your settings, where task manager doesn't.

 

[apesoccer]

Hmm...Geil Value...4x512? You're probably running at 333mhz (auto divider with 4x512 5/6), cripling your ram speeds.

Which might give you a slower feel to the game. Also going from a 10k drive to a 7.2k drive would affect bf2, since it loads such large files. With the 2gb you should be running fine once everything actually gets going...but that 4x512 @ 333 might be holding you back. If i were you, and you had another $300, i'd buy different ram (assuming that the ram is part of the issue). There is some 2x1024 mushkin high perf 2 3 2 400mhz stuff for 280 or so.

But then, i wouldn't want to spend another 300 either...you might see if you can force it to run 400...run a couple of memtest86+'s on it, then if needed add some voltage to get it stable.

However none of this address's your weird issues with thread handling. This is the first i've heard of people having trouble with that kind of thing.

F@H:
AMD: [64 3000+ (down)][2500+][2400+][2000+][1.3][366]
Intel: [X 3.0x3][X 2.8x2][P4 3.0x2][P4-M 2.4][P4 1.4x5][P4 1.3]

"...and i'm not gay" RX8 -Greatest Quote of ALL Time

 

[liquidpaper007]

wow no one said anything about the dual channel

(\__/)
(='.'=)
(")_(") bunny pwns j00

 

[liquidpaper007]

<A HREF="http://www.tomshardware.com/cpu/20040528/index.html" target="_new"> w00t I found it</A>

(\__/)
(='.'=)
(")_(") bunny pwns j00

 

[ratas911]

QUOTE(Karmashock @ Aug 20 2005, 12:25 PM)
"Ok, I found a workaround that only needs to be done once. It's called RunOnProcessorExplicitly or 'ROPE', it's a command line affinity setter that's allowed me to bipass the problem by setting each of the games with issues to ONE processor. All I have to do is modify the shortcuts.

For example, I changed my painkiller shortcut to read:
"D:\Program Files\innes.org\ROPE\ROPE.exe" -f 0 -n F:\Painkiller\Bin\Painkiller.exe

Or use processor "0" on application with Name "F:\Painkiller\Bin\Painkiller.exe"

Also the "start in" field should read the location of the application you actually want to run. For example "f:\Painkiller\Bin\"
This is an annoying problem because all the games run smoother on two processors then one... that is when they run at all. But it's something.
I needed something like this for a few games because they'd error out within 4 seconds of clicking on them which made going to the task manager just about impossible. One of the things that has the lowest tolerance for out of sync processors is Blink video. That errors out just about instantly every time. It was so bad that before I found rope, I had to remove the movies from most of the games I wanted to play... or the company logos would error out the game in the first few seconds.
An app like Rope should be offered by AMD and put on their web page... This is a REALLY useful app that is a must for anyone with multiple processors."

If it still give you more problem, go to this thread for more answer.

http://forums.amd.com/index.php?showtopic=53288&st=0

 

[Guest]

Make sure you have the latest A64 driver (from the .exe, not the .zip), it will fix your BF2 problem. Doesn't fix all games' problems, I still have problems with Madden 2k5 being too fast.

Your system should definitely be faster than your old one...you do have a 3700+ and a 7800GT for all gaming intensive purposes. A setting must be buggered somewhere.

__________________
No thanks.