Nearly homebuilt

[podlod]

Hi, I hope I am in the correct category for asking this question as I am new to Tomshardware.
I play a game called Empire total war, and I find that after 3 or 4 hours i start getting a distortion of sound and the voice of the characters in the game breaks up. Generally it does not play 100% especially when more characters and buildings start appearing in quantity, in other words it is using more memory. My CPU seems to be ok and temp stays at approx 45% even after 4 hours, any idea of the prob. My specs are below;
Processor
Model : AMD Athlon(tm) 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 3800+
Speed : 2.10GHz
Cores per Processor : 2 Unit(s)
Threads per Core : 1 Unit(s)
Type : Dual-Core
Internal Data Cache : 2x 64kB, Synchronous, Write-Back, 2-way, Exclusive, 64 byte line size
L2 On-board Cache : 2x 512kB, ECC, Synchronous, Write-Back, 16-way, Exclusive, 64 byte line size

System
System : System manufacturer System Product Name
Mainboard : ASUSTeK Computer INC. A8N-SLI Premium
Bus(es) : PCI PCIe IMB USB FireWire/1394 i2c/SMBus
Multi-Processor (MP) Support : No
Multi-Processor Advanced PIC (APIC) : Yes
System BIOS : Phoenix Technologies, LTD ASUS A8N-SLI Premium ACPI BIOS Revision 1008
Total Memory : 3GB DDR

Chipset
Model : AMD Athlon 64 / Opteron HyperTransport Technology Configuration
Front Side Bus Speed : 2x 1.05GHz (2.10GHz)
Total Memory : 3GB DDR
Memory Bus Speed : 2x 175MHz (350MHz)

Memory Module(s)
Memory Module : SUPERTALENT02 1GB DDR PC3200U DDR-200 (3.0-3-3-8 2-11-0-0)
Memory Module : SUPERTALENT02 1GB DDR PC3200U DDR-200 (3.0-3-3-8 2-11-0-0)
Memory Module : Kingston K 512MB DDR PC3200U DDR-200 (3.0-3-3-8 2-11-0-0)
Memory Module : Kingston K 512MB DDR PC3200U DDR-200 (3.0-3-3-8 2-11-0-0)

Video System
Adapter : ATI Radeon HD 4800 Series (2GB, PCIe 2.00 x16, PS3.0, VS3.0)

Windows XP Home Edtion

Thanks for any help.

 

[podlod]

Mr Zip, sorry, what I meant to specify was that it stays at a regular 40C to 45C temp wise, but please dont ask me anything that is other than a laymans question, as i think you have guessed by now that I am not 100% knowledgeable towards computers. Maybe you are correct in saying that it is the processor, or maybe the memory, who knows, I dont? any help please.

 

[jared51182]

Honestly if it runs fine for 3+ hours, and then starts getting choppy, it sounds like it is a heat issue. A good test for this would be to play the game with the side of your computer removed, this should eliminate that as a problem.

However, if it is something that gets bad, even early on in play, when there are lots of characters and graphics, then it is likely either a bottleneck (CPU slowing down the GPU as Zip suggested) or insufficient RAM somewhere.

You could also try playing the game as a lower graphics setting to see if it still happens, as this will tax the system less.

If it is distortion of sound after 3 hours, it probably isn't too hot of a CPU, but maybe build-up of heat around the sound card or circuits (if its onboard).

 

[podlod]

Hi Jared and thanks again for your prompt reply.
Previously my card was a NvIdia gforce 7800 and although the graphics on the game sttings were all low, I had the then problem I still have now, but at least the graphics now are 100% improved and the game is more enjoyable. The pc engineer says it may be the CPU or not enough memory and he suggests he has the pc in the workshop to test for a couple of days. the only prob here is I am now worried how much this is going to cost me? this is the reason I would like to tell him the problem, or maybe I could have a go at replacing the item needed, that is if I new? now you see my dilemma.

 

[jared51182]

Yeah, I see your problem. Well, here it was suggested you have a bottleneck with the CPU, and it appears that the Tech agrees, at least to some degree. From the spec's you listed, it appears you have 2x1 and 2x512 of RAM, for a total of 3GB of RAM. You also have a vid card with 2GB onboard, so I don't think RAM is your problem.

That is a pretty old CPU - have you overclocked it at all? This might help you determine if it is indeed the CPU. My guess is it is the CPU that is bottlenecking.

From what I can tell, you are on socket 939 (if you are using the 3800). The best CPU for that socket is the FX-60 (at least that is what I have read: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/221613-28-best-fastest-socket). However, they are not really commercially available, and they are like 200+ on eBay.

Do you have money to upgrade your computer - primarily the Mobo and the CPU? Or are you really trying to get a work around with what you have? You could keep everything you have and just upgrade the mobo and cpu. Let us know if this is something you are interested in, and what your budget might be, and we might be able to get you a pretty good deal, even below the cost of one of those FX-60s.

 

[podlod]

Hi Jared, I carried your idea which you stated in saying remove the side panels of the PC which I did, played the game for 3 hours and then let it run on its own for another 4 hours, when I returned to the game I then again tried out the game and it worked perfect, so you are right it is a heat build up, and you are the first and only person that has suggested that idea after asking so many people. Problem now is can I place something in my pc to cool it down, if so, will I be able to do this myself if not to difficult, if yes, what do I buy, and how and where do I fit it?

 

[jared51182]

Well if you liked the suggestion, mark it as problem solved 😀. But at this point the problem isn't complete solved. What case are you using. This may be a simple fix. If you have additional fan spots on that case that are not currently used, you can get a new fan, and that is a pretty cheap solution, as you will just be removing more air from the case. Another option, if you have all the spots filled, is to get a better fan, meaning a fan with a higher rpm.

If you are not sure, you can always take photos of the inside of your computer, and post them here - if you have a digital camera.

I think first things first would be to tell us the case you have and the number of fans you have installed, even if you don't know if all the spots are filled, we can probably figure it out for you if you can expand.

Edit: Also, when your computer is on, feel near each of the fans, and make sure they are all working.

 

[podlod]

Hi Jared, Well I thought I would try it today again to see if I imagined it. I played the game for over 4 hours with the sides of the PC off and low and behold the same distortion sound started again, so I switched off the pc for 5 min, then switched off a download which I switch on when I play the game called Game Booster, then started my pc on again and the game worked ok for 20 mins while playing, then I switched off, so I am still none the wiser?tried to copy and paste my pc but would not work?

 

[jared51182]

Is this the only game it has the problem with? (Or is this the only game you play?)

You never answered my question about the overclocking. If you haven't OC'd, you may be able to up it stably, and see if that clears up the problem. As ZipZoom had originally suggested, the CPU may be bottlenecking the GPU, so upping the speed of the CPU might give you enough bandwidth to play stably.

I was reading some reviews, and it appears that Game Booster is primarily for RAM deficiencies, which you certainly don't have. I would recommend playing without it for a bit again, and see what happens. People were commenting that it does nothing to affect CPU load. - http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10229569-1.html

As I said, it frees up RAM, not CPU load. I presume you are running a 32-bit Win XP system, not 64. So the computer can only utilize 4gb max (and after setting aside system memory down to about 3.15gb). You have 5gb installed in your computer, 3gb in sticks, and 2 gb on the gpu, so you have an abundance of memory in your system.

Also, after looking into the game specs and benchmarks:

http://bx.businessweek.com/microprocessors/view?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dvhardware.net%2Farticle33885.html

It appears that it would be very highly probable that you CPU is just not up to snuff. Did this problem develop recently, or has the game always had this problem. Are you able to upgrade your computer?

 

[jared51182]

Here is a thread on overclocking an Athlon 3800 - I think this is the first thing to do.

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/252114-29-overclock-athlon-3800

Also, is the only problem you have now the sound, or is the game getting choppy all over, including the graphics?

Edit: Helps when you actually put in the link...silly me.

 

[podlod]

Hi Jared, you say my CPU may need to be upped as you say, prob is I am not sure how to carry out this task so may need some help (laymans terms) and as for overclocking my Athlon pro, well I have not got a clue where to start. Yes I can upgrade my comp but only to a certain amount, as cash is not very forthcoming at this moment in time. Yes I have played Warcraft in the past no prob, Oblivion no prob but all on low options, but as you now know I have upped my Graphics. The Graphics on my Empire game are all at high, and is brilliant, it is just that movement sound is choppy and the characters when they talk in sentences seems to brake up, the sound that is. I tried to copy and paste a photo of my pc on the last reply, but for some reason it would not let me paste in the reply box provided? I am very grateful for all the help you are giving me.

 

[jared51182]

Well you have two options:

1. We can try to help you overclock - which is detailed in the link I posted above. Basically, you have to enter the BIOS of the system and change some settings. It is pretty simple.

or

2. You can tell us your budget and we can help you pick out new parts.

My suggestion is to try overclocking, as this is a pretty simple way to determine if the CPU is really the problem, without having to spend any money. If you overclock, even just a little, and the problem goes away, then you know two things, 1. that the CPU was the problem and the limiting factor, and 2. you would likely benefit from an upgrade, at some point, but that it isn't necessary at this time.

Finally, if it doesn't have any effect at all, then it might not be your CPU, and then it could possibly be an issue with the MOBO. Let us know what you feel like doing. I would recommend taking a look at the link I posted above, giving the articles a read, and then give Overclocking a try.

 

[podlod]

Hi Jared, I would very much like to try and learn how to overclock first, and if that does not work then I can go on from there. Please could you lead me step by step on this overclock please, thank you. I did read your articles but they were a little above my head.

 

[jared51182]

Podlod - unfortunately I have not had the chance to overclock in like 5 years, and so I would not be able to walk you through the steps. However, there is a Forum subsection that is directed solely to overclocking. I would suggest you post a thread there explaining that you have never overclocked before, and you would like someone to walk you through the steps.

Unfortunately, I only have an iMac right now, so the setup is very different, and not as conducive to overclocking, so I can't even mess around with my own computer right now, just to try to help.

Good luck! and let me know if you need help with anything else.

 

[podlod]

Hi Jared, thanks for all your help and i will take your advice, then will let you know what proceeds, thanks again.