X2 game issue...Is it the same with ATI and NVIDIA?? How many problems are the P-Ds having???

[Markfw]

Originally posted by: fatty4ksu
Ughhh..please fix this problem AMD!


:|

See the post above yours, THERE IS NO AMD PROBLEM, ONLY USER ERROR OR OMISSION (not reformatting or not using the X2 driver)

 

[rise]

Originally posted by: Snatz

Originally posted by: rise4310
i only have to set affinity now with serious sam 2 but thats still a demo.

format and install xp w/ sp2
install chipset drivers (no nv ide)
install x2 driver
install nv graphics driver

Well, a format and reinstallation of XP + the X2 driver seems to have done the trick for me. BF2 runs smooth as silk now.

I have to say, after getting through the frustration, and seeing how smoothly the game runs with AVG scanning in the background........I'm a believer now.

cool, makes a big difference, huh? glad you got it working nice. :thumbsup:

 

[keitaro]

Originally posted by: fatty4ksu
Ughhh..please fix this problem AMD!


:|

To be frank, blunt, and straightforward, if you got nothing else to provide that can help us or contribute, then don't bother posting at all.

Originally posted by: rise4310
i only have to set affinity now with serious sam 2 but thats still a demo.

format and install xp w/ sp2
install chipset drivers (no nv ide)
install x2 driver
install nv graphics driver

Since having heard of Serious Sam 2 going gold, I'm betting that the likelihood that it runs well with X2 CPUs out-of-box is slim. I'll report in (unless others do so before me) on how the retail code turns out.

 

[fatty4ksu]

Sure, my PC was built from scratch.

Wouldn't that already constitute a "format?"

The driver IS installed.

 

[rise]

Originally posted by: keitaro
Since having heard of Serious Sam 2 going gold, I'm betting that the likelihood that it runs well with X2 CPUs out-of-box is slim. I'll report in (unless others do so before me) on how the retail code turns out.

thats probably true. it runs fine with affinity set to a single core and its not a big deal to set affinity but its nice not to have to.

 

[compnurd9]

It is an AMD problem because intel dual core users are not having the problem and i am not using the X2 driver to get certain games to work.

 

[evilharp]

Originally posted by: compnurd9
It is an AMD problem because intel dual core users are not having the problem and i am not using the X2 driver to get certain games to work.

Yes, X2's are the only dual-cores with this problem. Why?

Is it hardware?

or

Is it software?

If it was hardware, nothing would work. Reasoning leads one to realize it is software.

Causes:

1) Driver (AMD)
2) Load Balancing (OS)
3) Software (the actual games)

Why is intel immune, look at the 3 points I listed, and think about the past 4 years. What did Intel bring to the desktop that AMD did not? Answer: Hyperthreading which was/is dual core (1 real, 1 pretend).

Intel has more experience with the drivers, and Intel chips have better software support than AMD chips (why? Because of market share.) Programmers have learned to work with (or around) hyperthreading to make their programs work. Intel did have problems when Hyperthreading first came out, but they have no trouble now.

Give AMD time, the drivers and support will catch up. X2 is only a few months old. Also, look at the games with problems: how old are they and how old is the "engine" they are based upon?

As for a Hardware bug, I've heard a rumour that the X2 chip has a shared cache thats leads to problems. I can't confirm this at all, but one forum member claims to have proof. Maybe Anand will figure this one out for us (it has been a while since his X2 Blog entry).

 

[striker64]

Guys,

Games aren't the only problem. My Sapphire Theatrix 550 is giving me loads of problems on my X2 3800+. No matter what I try, I cannot get the Live TV in MCE 2005 to not stutter every 10seconds. But when I move the exact same tuner, to my Athlon XP system, it works like a charm. It's driving me nuts.

 

[tedhbrown]

Hey guys,

I'm planning on buying an X2 4400 in about a week, so I'm doing research about it so I know everything I need to do so it runs well. You guys seem to be experiencing problems with games. I've read through the entire thread, and I didn't see anyone mention this. Microsoft released a hotfix that you have to email them to get that fixes something with dual core cpus. Now I don't have a X2 yet so I can't test this, but those of you having problems still might want to try this. Here is a link to this hotfix:

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=896256 < Describes hotfix

http://exphose.com/upfiles/1/WindowsXP-KB896256-v3-x86-ENU.exe < Direct Link

Those still having problems, it won't hurt to try this out and see if it fixes your problems.

Though this seems just now to be making its rounds around the net, it's been out since july.

 

[fatty4ksu]

Nice to see MICROSOFT step up to the plate and fix the problem.

I'll give it a shot. Thanks for the link.

 

[keitaro]

Originally posted by: fatty4ksu
Nice to see MICROSOFT step up to the plate and fix the problem.

I'll give it a shot. Thanks for the link.

Contradicting yourself now, eh? Does that mean you're realizing the error of your original assumption and now openly looking into determining what may be the real issue at hand? After all, the lot of us do not know if you've done the necessary research and diagnostics in determining what may be the appropriate cause of the problem you are experiencing.

And just a FYI to those thinking that this may fix something, the KB and hotfix is looking to be related to ACPI and power management. If you actually read the KB article, you'll notice that the hotfix addresses "possible decrease in performance on single-threaded workloads when processor performance states are using demand-based switching" which has absolutely nothing to do with those who disabled Cool-n-Quiet or do not bother with using dynamic on-demand speed switching.

The issues described in the KB article is only very specific and is apparently geared towards those who uses power management and/or Cool-n-Quiet. If your system is continuously on at full speed, this hotfix does not apply to you. And it will do virtually nothing for you if you install it. Read first, research first, and understand first.

 

[tedhbrown]

Don't have to be an ass keitaro, I was just trying to help. Also, you never know what will work, so it doesn't hurt to at least try the hotifix.

Edit: Anyway looks like you are wrong. People in another thread are reporting that this has fixed their problems.

 

[KillerBurke]

Previous post in Anands blog for X2 Gaming problems
**************************************************
I have searched the boards and tried the various fixes (including AMD driver) and still this issue persists. Seting affinity had no effect.

Clean install Win xp64
amd x2 4200 (no overclock) updated driver
ASUS SLI- Premium
BFG 7800GTX OC(stock overclocking)
2 gig (matched 1 gig sticks) OCZ Platinum rev 1 2-3-2-5 -very stable in Burn in testing (set to 1T, didn't make a difference when set to 2T)
Enermax 535 watt PS (very stable rails)
WD raptor 74gb drive primary
Maxtor diamondmax 16mb 300gb storage
Zalman 7700 alcu HSF
nec 3520a
Sony oem dvd drive

BF2 - no issues -max settings plays for hours both single and multiplayer
Americas Army = no issues - same max settings
COD UO = no issues - same max settings

tried 32 bit version of Far Cry - locks after about 1 minute
tried 64 bit version of Far Cry same deal (yes I installed it exactly as instructed)

Far Cry plays for 1 minute about and then locks every time - the video stops and sound continues for about 15 seconds then looping sound effect and then complete lock requires hard restart.

Drivers I have tried various sets with no change for primary parts based on suggestions from others- it only seems to be Far Cry? Doom 3 also would hang during cinematic sequences never got to gameplay.

Other games just look and play ridiculously well with this rig - it just is very aggravating to not be able to play Far Cry

Any HELP!!!!
*********************************************************************

UPDATE
All problems solved - This turns out for me to be a simple audio problem - the onboard sound for the Asus SLI Premium is not very good at least when it comes to my sample anyways - it works fine outside of gaming environments. -I disabled the sound and Far Cry problems resolved completely as well as DOOM 3 which was locking up as well

I now have no more gaming issues although the EAX code for Far Cry must be crappy because I still had to set it at medium quality even with a new Audigy 2 zs so it would play without locking. Doom 3 is sweet, BF2 is as well, now I able to play with video settings all maxed out for all games - no runfirst or affinity issues to deal with.

X2 has no gaming issues at all for me it turned out to be an onboard audio issue after all.

With this major frustration resolved - I would not hesitate to recommend this processor, I know many will laugh at building a rig that cost $1900 and I was using onboard sound. I have learned my lesson - no need to pile on

I hope someone else with these similar problems finds a solution as simple as the one I have found !

good luck

 

[Gogar]

Just curious, but does linux show any sign of the problems described? Does linux have any of the games that show problems on windows?

 

[athanor]

just had to join to say ---

Thanks Guys !!!

AMD 64x2
ABIT fatality MOBO (also got a DFI nf4 SLI that I thought was faulty and now realise isn't)
2GB corsair ram
2x PointOfView GeForce 7800GT sli
western digital caviar 200gb
audigy platinum

I have just built the rig and haven't had so many problems with a pc build for years !

Firstly I still dont think the activearmour / nforce4 firewall works properly - I was experiencing memory leakage, corrupt downloads, inability to access websites etc etc.

Both BF Vietnam and BF1942 would load and then freeze after a random period of time - normally less than 5 mins. It seemed to be an audio problem as reducing the audio detail seemed to prolong the period before freezing.

I have searched all over the web for what I thought were firstly audio problems, then nforce4 problems, then psu problems (although I thought a 450W OCZ modstream would be up to the job), and then sli problems. There is a fair smattering of topics on all of the previous, but none seemed to help.

I stumble across this modest thread, straight to AMD site, update the driver and hey presto - everything seems to be working up to now (fingers crossed of course !)

Why isn't this problem more widely recognised - i.e. even microsoft could include an update in their xp automatic update ?!

Again - many thanx, it seems like this is the only forum where people actually know what they are talking about...........

 

[Markfw]

Welcome Athanor ! And thanks for the good words. we try hard (except the trolls)

 

[athanor]

anyone want a slighly used (albeit much cursed at) dfi sli mobo.....

(hehe, probably have to use it for updating my trusty old rig)

 

[OhNoPoPo]

Hey athanor,

which DFI mobo...I might be in the market for one...give me a PM.

 

[Markbnj]

[Why isn't this problem more widely recognised - i.e. even microsoft could include an update in their xp automatic update ?!]

That's a damn good question. They offer me upgraded drivers for virtually everything else in the system except the Audigy. You'd think that drivers for the... uh... cpu would rate.

 

[Qbah]

Well... I own a Pentium-D 820. The BOX cooler, when kicked to high gear, was untolerable! Bought myself a Zalman CNPS9500-LED. At stock speed of 2.8GHz the temps are around 40 celsius (with BOX they were 60-62). Under load it never reached 60 (58 tops). Best thing is, the cooler runs at 5V now and is completely noiseless! When I kick it to highest RPM it runs like the stock cooler at highest load, as far as noise is concerned. Though it runs at 3.4GHz stable all the time. Max temp around 60 too.

As for the game problems, I was using ROPE (it is a free program) to set affinity to one processor. Whenever I had problems, ROPE solved it. I recently switched to WinXP x64 and no problems what so ever. Not in games that had the jumping/speed hops/etc problems inder WinXP 32bit. Using FW 81.85 now. Had no problems with the 77.77 as far as speed is concerned. And the best thing is, I don't need no drivers for my CPU Everything runs butter smooth, just the way I like it Have a 7800GT with that. Also, Powerstrip alows You to set affinity for a specific application You select, but it is a shareware program. As I said, in WinXP 32bit I was using ROPE. Solved all my problems. Under x64 no problems, so no need to use programsl ike that

Had never any problems with regular applications. Nor do I have any now.

 

[Duvie]

Qbah...so is this confirmed that even dual core Pentium users have experience similar core issues with games???

 

[Qbah]

Qbah...so is this confirmed that even dual core Pentium users have experience similar core issues with games???

Well, I know my CPU showed the same symptoms in Riddick and Painkiller, as many of the X2 owners had. And the same thing helped me (setting affinity to one core). So I would guess this is an application issue, not a CPU one. Or I may be missing something

EDIT: However, once I switched to WinXP x64 all the problems disappeard. No need for me to set the affinity. Riddick and Painkiller run fine (apart from graphical issues, but that's another topic).

 

[Markfw]

OK, well, I think that is a confirmation of what we already knew, software issue !!!! Not EITHER of the chips.

I wonder if WC3 will run on a 6 meg PCI Alliance provision Video card using standard vga drivers in win2k ???? The I could also test.

 

[athanor]

DFI LanParty NF4 SLI-DR (Socket 939) PCI-Express Motherboard (MB-011-DF

but i'm in the uk !

 

[keitaro]

I went for a quick run through Serious Sam 2. As expected, the retail code doesn't have proper support for dual-core CPUs. Setting up affinity will solve the problems I've mentioned before on my run through the Serious Sam 2 Demo. The latest patch (2.064b) didn't indicate any fixes to handle dual-core CPUs better. As such, I didn't grab it to patch it up. If someone has it patched up, I'd like to know if they sneaked in some general code changes.

This is UT200X-related so I'll mention it here having tested this first-hand. Might as well slap me upside the head or beat me down with a crowbar but I reinstalled Tribes: Vengeance on the system and took it for a joyride. The game ran surprisingly well without any problem. Sadly, this is as good as it'll ever get... *sigh*