Intel Core i5 3570K @ 3.40GHz questions

[sharpshorts]

Note that I use my machine for a futures trading application with real-time charting – NOT for 3D gaming.

How can this processor's capabilities be best enhanced for 2D applications?

1 - Installing a better cooling system?
I've read that Intel's processors have a built in limiter if temperatures rise above a certain amount...**
Currently I have just the fan that came with the CPU (and several case fans).

2 - Installing better RAM (lower latency or higher speed?)
I have Crucial 16.0GB Dual-Channel DDR3 @ 802MHz (11-11-11-28)

3 – Installing a motherboard with a better chip-set?
Currently I have an ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. P8Z77-V LK (LGA1155)

4 – Installing a better video set-up ?
Currently run two 1023MB NVIDIA GeForce GT 520 (EVGA) GPUs and two Sabrient USB adapters to operate six AOC 24" monitors

** (CPU core temperature rarely goes above 145 degrees, even if I open multiple programs, browsers etc. along with the trading software)

I'm trying to rectify a general slowdown in my ApexTrader futures software program that occurs at active times in the markets. My trading program's time stamps on the charts lag my system time by a couple seconds at first but can lag as much as 4, 6 or 10 seconds after several minutes. This mostly happens at 9:30 AM when the major markets open. (Apex says it's not due to their software, of course)

I don't think the lag is due to my SSD (119GB OCZ-VERTEX4 ATA Device) or a weak power supply (80% gold 650 watt) or my Win 7 64-bit operating system...The system is not overclocked...

5 - Would overclocking help?

Anyone care to make comments or suggestions?

Additional info:
I never noticed the issue when using CenturyLink DSL (in Florida) as my ISP but I'm not sure whether or not the slowdown
was happening then or not... I recently moved (to SC) and now use Charter Communications Cable...
- Using their 'speed test:
Download Speed: 66.03 Mbps (8.25 MB/sec transfer rate)
Upload Speed: 4.34 Mbps (0.54 MB/sec transfer rate)

i built the machine 3 years ago and it's worked perfectly since then, but perhaps it's time for a new build with an i7 processor...

 

[GhislainG]

How busy is the CPU when the slowdown occurs?

 

[sharpshorts]

How busy is the CPU when the slowdown occurs?

According to Task Manager:
Processes 45....CPU Usage 15 to 30%......Physical Memory 14%

I've tried different virtual memory settings but saw no improvement so am back to letting Windows allocate it.
Also tried different configuration setting (msconfig) un-checking unneeded startup stuff, tried turning Services stuff to manual or disabled but no help...I returned all those changes back to the way they were.
So many variables to investigate...IE changes to the data coming from the exchanges, version updates to the APEX software, ISP changes, etc.)

(I've added additional info to the original post)

 

[GhislainG]

The CPU obviously isn't the issue; therefore overclocking shouldn't help. Your Internet transfer speed should be fine; what were the SpeedTest results with CenturyLink? If the only change is your ISP, then what are your ping times (you may not be able to check if ICMP traffic isn't alloowed) to the site that you connect to? SpeedTest doesn't show how fast you actually are connected to a site; it only shows how fast your link is when connected to a server having the lowest ping time. My download speed is half yours and my upload speed is 10 Mbps with a 12 ms ping time; however a ping to another site may be much longer.

 

[sharpshorts]

Your Internet transfer speed should be fine; what were the SpeedTest results with CenturyLink? If the only change is your ISP, then what are your ping times (you may not be able to check if ICMP traffic isn't alloowed) to the site that you connect to?
.

I don't remember exactly what the speed test results were with the DSL ISP but am pretty sure they were slightly lower for download (55 to 60 Mbps) but higher uploading (7 or 9 Mbps )

I'll have to do some research on ICPM and pinging the site that I get the data from - (never did it before).

If it has something to do with TCP/IP settings, I have tried changing my DNS (and flushed the Resolver cache) to Google Public DNS and then to OpenDNS ... Charter already provides the OpenDSL settings.

Update - I used a command prompt to ping ApexTrader.com ... ( Don't know if that is where my program's data comes from or not)...If I type ApexTrader.com into a browser search it goes to "Web Server's Default Page" that's hosted by Paralleis Plesk ???
Anyway this is what I got:

 

[GhislainG]

Your pings are fine. The only change is the lower upload speed, but I can't tell you if that's the cause of your issue. I would contact Apex Trader to explain what happens as they may be able to determine where the issue is. Unfortunately you aren't absolutely sure the issue didn't occur before; that makes it more difficult to identify it's cause.

 

[sharpshorts]

Your pings are fine. The only change is the lower upload speed, but I can't tell you if that's the cause of your issue.... Unfortunately you aren't absolutely sure the issue didn't occur before; that makes it more difficult to identify it's cause.

Thx GhislainG for your suggestions
Re the ping test - I will contact Apex to see if the site I pinged is indeed the feed for the software...
I have discussed the slowdown issue with them recently but they came up with nothing...
(I would think if it's on their end that it would have been reported by many other clients...)

I suspect you are on the right track with the ISP's inability to supply the data - may be a bad modem/router...
I've tried loading the software on two other Win 7 machines at my house and it happens on them too...
The commonalities are the connection and the software...So, I'm eliminating my machine as the cause, which narrows down the possibilities a little.

As of now I can live with it by avoiding trading during the 'busy' hours...
But it still bugs me and I'd like to know the cause...

9/28/2015 Update RE ping address
Apextrader support replied to my inquire with the following addresses:
sim.openecry.com\ and http://www.openecry.com
I had to remove the " \ " from the first one and the " http:// from the second to get a ping response.

It seems that the ping times to & from the sites are OK but it still does not tell me whether there are
packet loss or latency issues with my ISP when it relays the high amount of data from the sites to my machine.
(plus I'm still not sure that the software actually does go to either of these sites to get the data...)

Anyhow, these are the results I get from pinging :

 

[sharpshorts]

Heat Kills Performance...
Even though my tower has excellent ventilation
(front, side, back, bottom and top venting with (2) 120mm fans as well as (2) video card 15mm fans and the power supply's built-in fan )
improving the CPU cooling made a huge performance improvement...

Added a " heat pipe" CPU cooler - it reduced the core's temp significantly which allowed the Intel i5 CPU to operate in it's built-in "Turbo mode" almost constantly when under higher loads - Core speed went from 1600 MGz max to 3800 MGz and all four cores stay cooler...apparently, the CPU would automatically slow-down-to-cool-down thus preventing it from operating at it's full potential.

Also flipped my upper 120mm case fan 180 degrees - both the front and top fans were drawing into the case from the factory...now the fan in the lower front draws in, the top one blows out...better air circulation in the case has benefited my motherboard and video card running temps to a great degree.

 

[GhislainG]

That makes a lot of sense, the original fan configuration kept too much warm air inside the case. I'm surprised the CPU had a heat issue when running at such low utilization; I'd presume the cooler wasn't making full contact or there was too much heat paste.

 

[sharpshorts]

That makes a lot of sense, the original fan configuration kept too much warm air inside the case. I'm surprised the CPU had a heat issue when running at such low utilization; I'd presume the cooler wasn't making full contact or there was too much heat paste.

I don't know, the CPU always seemed to have low utilization...but never a performance issue until I moved north.

Maybe the CPU lost some contact in the move from between Florida (Gulf coast) and SC (up-state) - it was transported in the bed of a pickup...
Or perhaps the heat paste deteriorated somehow, maybe the different climates/elevations/environments between the two states affected it...

At any rate, I'm happy my 3 year "old" build is back to great performance...
And thanks for your help and interest. I learned a lot!

 

[GhislainG]

The cooler got partially dislodged in the transport; thermal paste doesn't deteriorate if the cooler isn't removed or moved.

 

[bystander]

The low CPU utilization is likely due to low core usage. Speeding up the CPU will improve each cores performance. That also means that an OC may also help, but that might only matter if you have an issue now.