CPU Core usage

[Graham_s]

Was wondering if anyone can help...

I have a dell XPS 630i with vista, 4GB RAM, 750GB HDD, Intel quad core 2.66Ghz, nVidia 9800 GX2 1GB GPU, 128MB Ageia PhysX etc etc...

so my computer should be able to make mincemeat out of any game available at the moment, such as crysis and fallout 3. However, I have experienced severe problems with both games. With crysis, I decided to put it down to terrible programming, as it has terrible hardware support and its made by EA.
With fallout, which has lower requirements, it seems to run slow in some areas as well, so I tested my computer on 3D mark06 and on the graphics tests, my computer wasn't as fast as it should be, but didnt drop below 50FPS. however, when it got to the CPU test, I didn't even have 1 FPS...
I have come to the conlusion that either my CPU is screwed (better not be because its a new computer) or not all the cores are being used, so my computer basically has a 2.66 single core processor.

I have looked int he BIOS to see if there is anything there about activation of separate cores, but no success.

here are my scores from 3d Mark06. The second time I did it, I got ~14000 but the CPU still had a terrible score...

3Dmark score: 12950

SM 2.0 score: 4788
SM 3.0 score: 6280
CPU score: 3802

Does anyone have any ideas?

Thanks





EDIT: also, i have noticed that in loads of programs, such as everest and 3D mark, my RAM isn't showing up as 4GB which it is, instead in everest it shows up as 2.812GB and and something different in 3D mark. In CCleaner, it shows up as 4GB though...

 

[GThomp6654]

I don't know why you're cpu score appears to be so low, but what I am sure about, which will be corrected if I am wrong, is that if you are using a 32bit O/S and not a 64bit, the max that it can 'see' is 3gb.
If however you are using a 64bit O/s then just totally ignore what I say

 

[Graham_s]

I don't know why you're cpu score appears to be so low, but what I am sure about, which will be corrected if I am wrong, is that if you are using a 32bit O/S and not a 64bit, the max that it can 'see' is 3gb.
If however you are using a 64bit O/s then just totally ignore what I say

Ok, that explains the RAM thing, as I am using vista 32bit. Does that mean that it isn't making usage of the full 4GB though, or it is, but it isn't programmed to show numbers that go that high?

anyone else have any ideas about my CPU?

 

[Rage_3K_Moiz]

A 32-bit OS does not allow you to use all of your RAM.

As for your problem, I'd chalk it down to a malware infestation. Check out this thread and follow the instructions in it.

 

[Graham_s]

A 32-bit OS does not allow you to use all of your RAM.

As for your problem, I'd chalk it down to a malware infestation. Check out this thread and follow the instructions in it.

hmmm... would have been nice for dell to mention that it wouldn't allow all that RAM with the OS that came with it.

Thanks for the heads up about malware. Is it common for that much CPU power to disappear with malware though?

 

[Rage_3K_Moiz]

Yes, it is.

 

[tastegw]

also, the cpu part of the test is allways going to be slower than the other tests

wasnt sure you were aware of that.

i havnt seen double digit fps there myself, but im running dual core @ 3.2

 

[Graham_s]

also, the cpu part of the test is allways going to be slower than the other tests

wasnt sure you were aware of that.

i havnt seen double digit fps there myself, but im running dual core @ 3.2

Surely it should run smoothly though?
I just thought that it confirmed my beliefs that there is something wrong. it should run any game totally maxed out, but my friend's XPS which is half the spec. of mine and several years old now, runs everything better than mine...


I run near enough all those malware tests and found nothing...

Yes, it is.

ok i will keep checking and cleaning the computer.
in the mean time, do you have any other suggestions?

 

[tastegw]

are you sure you have a 9800gx2?

i was checking dell and the 630's i saw didnt offer the 9800 gx2.

here are the cards they had up for options

nVidia GeForce 9800 GT 512MB [Included in Price]
Dual nVidia GeForce 9800 GT 512MB [add $250 or $7/month-1]
Dell Recommended
ATI Radeon 3870X2 1024MB GDDR3 [add $350 or $10/month-1]
nVidia GeForce GTX 280 – 1024MB [add $500 or $15/month-1]
ATI Radeon HD 4850 512MB [add $50 or $1/month-1]
Dual ATI Radeon HD 4850 512MB [add $300 or $9/month-1]

here is the specs i get from their 630 models like yours.

Intel® Core™2 Q9400 (6MB,2.66GHz, 1333FSB)
Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Edition SP1, 64-Bit (but yours is 32-bit?)
4GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 800MHz - 4 DIMMs
750GB - 7200RPM, SATA 3.0Gb/s, 16MB Cache
Dual Drives: 16x DVD-ROM Drive + 16x DVD+/-RW w/ dbl layer write capable
Dual nVidia GeForce 9800 GT 512MB
Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio

your ram may be causing a bottleneck with your cpu being different frequencys.

do you know the model of your motherboard?
if possible, you should upgrade your ram to 1333mhz

 

[Graham_s]

are you sure you have a 9800gx2?

i was checking dell and the 630's i saw didnt offer the 9800 gx2.

here are the cards they had up for options



here is the specs i get from their 630 models like yours.

Intel® Core™2 Q9400 (6MB,2.66GHz, 1333FSB)
Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Edition SP1, 64-Bit (but yours is 32-bit?)
4GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 800MHz - 4 DIMMs
750GB - 7200RPM, SATA 3.0Gb/s, 16MB Cache
Dual Drives: 16x DVD-ROM Drive + 16x DVD+/-RW w/ dbl layer write capable
Dual nVidia GeForce 9800 GT 512MB
Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio

your ram may be causing a bottleneck with your cpu being different frequencys.

do you know the model of your motherboard?
if possible, you should upgrade your ram to 1333mhz

yes, i definately have the 9800 gx2. They may have changed what they make available for this model.

not sure about motherboard, as everest doesnt say. is there any way I can find out? I get the impression it probably wont be written on the actual motherboard itself?

my RAM is as you say, 800MHz. Again, why would they allow it to be an option to choose these components if they aren't compatible!!!

I am going to have to have some serious words with them I think.

I can't really afford to replace the RAM, incase it might work, as this is already a very expensive computer, and in all fairness I shouldnt have to, as I have already bought the RAM once.

Thanks very much for your help

 

[Rage_3K_Moiz]

Use any of the programs here to find your motherboard's model.

 

[peterdiva]

Your 3d Mark score seems about right, i.e. ~14000. The CPU test is supposed to run at ~2 FPS. In comparison, my Phenom 9550 @ 2.64GHz scores 3509.

What settings are you running the games at, i.e. resolution, AF and AA.

 

[Graham_s]

Use any of the programs here to find your motherboard's model.

thanks again

i'm a bit of a noob when it comes to hardware!

motherboard is:

Dell 0PP150 with nvidia nForce 650i SLI chipset and southbridge

 

[Graham_s]

ok i just spent 68 mins on the phone and remote assitance to dell and the guy said that my computer won't support 64 bit system, but he said that 32bit vista *does* support UP to 4GB but no more. he also said that as far as he can tell, the CPU is ok but they dont have any proper diagnostic software to test it.
He didn't say much about the speed of the RAM but suggested that it should be fine. So I think i am back to the malware thing, although I haven't found anything. I will post some of the logs later, which may help.

 

[Graham_s]

Your 3d Mark score seems about right, i.e. ~14000. The CPU test is supposed to run at ~2 FPS. In comparison, my Phenom 9550 @ 2.64GHz scores 3509.

What settings are you running the games at, i.e. resolution, AF and AA.

surely a quad core at 2.66Ghz each should run better than 0-1FPS though? I don't see the point in them making a visual test like that if it never runs smoothly.
Also, the score I got, is only very very slightly higher than a "standard" system.

resolution is as high as the game and my screen (1680x1050) will support. I have heard that crysis just won't run at all if above 1024x768, and it still jutters on my computer after about 3 mins of play (its as if I am playing online with ~500 latency) I have started turning down object fading and things like that, but I shouldnt have to, this computer should run it properly. What do you mean by AF and AA?

 

[Graham_s]

oh I know what you mean by AA and AF - antialiasing and anisotropic filtering? I had them both on 8x i think. I had V-sync off, and tried it forced off with nvidia control panel. i have tried different screen resolutions and using it in a window instead of full screen. If I get it to detect my optimum system settings for fallout 3 then it sets it to medium/high, when it should be able to play it on "ultra" without any issues.

 

[Graham_s]

A 32-bit OS does not allow you to use all of your RAM.

As for your problem, I'd chalk it down to a malware infestation. Check out this thread and follow the instructions in it.

everything else came out ok, so here is my HJT log:

Logfile of Trend Micro HijackThis v2.0.2
Scan saved at 00:14:22, on 18/11/2008
Platform: Windows Vista SP1 (WinNT 6.00.1905)
MSIE: Internet Explorer v7.00 (7.00.6001.18000)
Boot mode: Normal

Running processes:
C:\Windows\system32\taskeng.exe
C:\Windows\system32\Dwm.exe
C:\Windows\Explorer.EXE
C:\Program Files\Windows Defender\MSASCui.exe
C:\Program Files\Java\jre6\bin\jusched.exe
C:\Windows\System32\ico.exe
C:\Windows\System32\nvraidservice.exe
C:\Windows\System32\Pmxmiced.exe
C:\Program Files\Creative\Sound Blaster X-Fi\Volume Panel\VolPanlu.exe
C:\Program Files\AVG\AVG8\avgtray.exe
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office12\GrooveMonitor.exe
C:\Windows\System32\Ctxfihlp.exe
C:\Windows\System32\rundll32.exe
C:\Program Files\Spybot - Search & Destroy\TeaTimer.exe
C:\Windows\ehome\ehtray.exe
C:\Windows\SYSTEM32\CTXFISPI.EXE
C:\Program Files\PeerGuardian2\pg2.exe
C:\Windows\ehome\ehmsas.exe
C:\Program Files\Raxco\PerfectDisk2008\PD91AgentS1.exe
C:\Windows\system32\wbem\unsecapp.exe
C:\Windows\System32\mobsync.exe
C:\Program Files\Winamp\winamp.exe
C:\Windows\system32\SearchFilterHost.exe
C:\Program Files\Trend Micro\HijackThis\HijackThis.exe

R1 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Default_Page_URL = http://www.google.co.uk/ig/dell?hl=en&client=dell-usuk&channel=uk&ibd=1080914
R1 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Search Page = http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=54896
R0 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Start Page = http://www.google.co.uk/
R1 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Default_Page_URL = http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=69157
R1 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Default_Search_URL = http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=54896
R1 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Search Page = http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=54896
R0 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Start Page = http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=69157
R0 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Search,SearchAssistant =
R0 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Search,CustomizeSearch =
R1 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Window Title = Internet Explorer provided by Dell
R0 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Toolbar,LinksFolderName =
O1 - Hosts: ::1 localhost
O2 - BHO: AcroIEHelperStub - {18DF081C-E8AD-4283-A596-FA578C2EBDC3} - c:\Program Files\Common Files\Adobe\Acrobat\ActiveX\AcroIEHelperShim.dll
O2 - BHO: WormRadar.com IESiteBlocker.NavFilter - {3CA2F312-6F6E-4B53-A66E-4E65E497C8C0} - C:\Program Files\AVG\AVG8\avgssie.dll
O2 - BHO: NCO 2.0 IE BHO - {602ADB0E-4AFF-4217-8AA1-95DAC4DFA408} - (no file)
O2 - BHO: Groove GFS Browser Helper - {72853161-30C5-4D22-B7F9-0BBC1D38A37E} - C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office12\GrooveShellExtensions.dll
O2 - BHO: Java(tm) Plug-In SSV Helper - {761497BB-D6F0-462C-B6EB-D4DAF1D92D43} - C:\Program Files\Java\jre6\bin\ssv.dll
O2 - BHO: (no name) - {7E853D72-626A-48EC-A868-BA8D5E23E045} - (no file)
O2 - BHO: Browser Address Error Redirector - {CA6319C0-31B7-401E-A518-A07C3DB8F777} - C:\Program Files\Dell\BAE\BAE.dll
O2 - BHO: Java(tm) Plug-In 2 SSV Helper - {DBC80044-A445-435b-BC74-9C25C1C588A9} - C:\Program Files\Java\jre6\bin\jp2ssv.dll
O3 - Toolbar: (no name) - {7FEBEFE3-6B19-4349-98D2-FFB09D4B49CA} - (no file)
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [Windows Defender] %ProgramFiles%\Windows Defender\MSASCui.exe -hide
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [Bluetooth HCI Monitor] RunDll32 HCIMNTR.DLL,RunCheckHCIMode
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [SunJavaUpdateSched] "C:\Program Files\Java\jre6\bin\jusched.exe"
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [PMX Daemon] ICO.EXE
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [NVRaidService] C:\Windows\system32\nvraidservice.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [VolPanel] "C:\Program Files\Creative\Sound Blaster X-Fi\Volume Panel\VolPanlu.exe" /r
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [UpdReg] C:\Windows\UpdReg.EXE
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [Adobe Reader Speed Launcher] "c:\Program Files\Adobe\Reader 9.0\Reader\Reader_sl.exe"
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [AVG8_TRAY] C:\PROGRA~1\AVG\AVG8\avgtray.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [GrooveMonitor] "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office12\GrooveMonitor.exe"
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [CTxfiHlp] CTXFIHLP.EXE
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [NvCplDaemon] RUNDLL32.EXE C:\Windows\system32\NvCpl.dll,NvStartup
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [NvMediaCenter] RUNDLL32.EXE C:\Windows\system32\NvMcTray.dll,NvTaskbarInit
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [SpybotSD TeaTimer] C:\Program Files\Spybot - Search & Destroy\TeaTimer.exe
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [ehTray.exe] C:\Windows\ehome\ehTray.exe
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [NVIDIA nTune] "C:\Program Files\NVIDIA Corporation\nTune\nTuneCmd.exe" resetprofile
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [EPSON Stylus DX4000 Series] C:\Windows\system32\spool\DRIVERS\W32X86\3\E_FATIBEE.EXE /FU "C:\Users\Graham\AppData\Local\Temp\E_S5B5A.tmp" /EF "HKCU"
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [PeerGuardian] C:\Program Files\PeerGuardian2\pg2.exe
O4 - HKUS\S-1-5-19\..\Run: [Sidebar] %ProgramFiles%\Windows Sidebar\Sidebar.exe /detectMem (User 'LOCAL SERVICE')
O4 - HKUS\S-1-5-19\..\Run: [WindowsWelcomeCenter] rundll32.exe oobefldr.dll,ShowWelcomeCenter (User 'LOCAL SERVICE')
O4 - HKUS\S-1-5-20\..\Run: [Sidebar] %ProgramFiles%\Windows Sidebar\Sidebar.exe /detectMem (User 'NETWORK SERVICE')
O8 - Extra context menu item: E&xport to Microsoft Excel - res://C:\PROGRA~1\MICROS~3\Office12\EXCEL.EXE/3000
O8 - Extra context menu item: Send image to &Bluetooth Device... - C:\Program Files\WIDCOMM\Bluetooth Software\btsendto_ie_ctx.htm
O8 - Extra context menu item: Send page to &Bluetooth Device... - C:\Program Files\WIDCOMM\Bluetooth Software\btsendto_ie.htm
O9 - Extra button: Send to OneNote - {2670000A-7350-4f3c-8081-5663EE0C6C49} - C:\PROGRA~1\MICROS~3\Office12\ONBttnIE.dll
O9 - Extra 'Tools' menuitem: S&end to OneNote - {2670000A-7350-4f3c-8081-5663EE0C6C49} - C:\PROGRA~1\MICROS~3\Office12\ONBttnIE.dll
O9 - Extra button: Research - {92780B25-18CC-41C8-B9BE-3C9C571A8263} - C:\PROGRA~1\MICROS~3\Office12\REFIEBAR.DLL
O9 - Extra button: @btrez.dll,-4015 - {CCA281CA-C863-46ef-9331-5C8D4460577F} - C:\Program Files\WIDCOMM\Bluetooth Software\btsendto_ie.htm
O9 - Extra 'Tools' menuitem: @btrez.dll,-12650 - {CCA281CA-C863-46ef-9331-5C8D4460577F} - C:\Program Files\WIDCOMM\Bluetooth Software\btsendto_ie.htm
O13 - Gopher Prefix:
O18 - Protocol: grooveLocalGWS - {88FED34C-F0CA-4636-A375-3CB6248B04CD} - C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office12\GrooveSystemServices.dll
O18 - Protocol: linkscanner - {F274614C-63F8-47D5-A4D1-FBDDE494F8D1} - C:\Program Files\AVG\AVG8\avgpp.dll
O20 - AppInit_DLLs: C:\PROGRA~1\Google\GOOGLE~2\GOEC62~1.DLL,avgrsstx.dll
O20 - Winlogon Notify: !SASWinLogon - C:\Program Files\SUPERAntiSpyware\SASWINLO.dll
O20 - Winlogon Notify: GoToAssist - C:\Program Files\Citrix\GoToAssist\514\G2AWinLogon.dll (file missing)
O23 - Service: Avira AntiVir Personal - Free Antivirus Scheduler (AntiVirScheduler) - Avira GmbH - C:\Program Files\Avira\AntiVir PersonalEdition Classic\sched.exe
O23 - Service: Avira AntiVir Personal - Free Antivirus Guard (AntiVirService) - Avira GmbH - C:\Program Files\Avira\AntiVir PersonalEdition Classic\avguard.exe
O23 - Service: AVG Free8 E-mail Scanner (avg8emc) - AVG Technologies CZ, s.r.o. - C:\PROGRA~1\AVG\AVG8\avgemc.exe
O23 - Service: AVG Free8 WatchDog (avg8wd) - AVG Technologies CZ, s.r.o. - C:\PROGRA~1\AVG\AVG8\avgwdsvc.exe
O23 - Service: ##Id_String1.6844F930_1628_4223_B5CC_5BB94B879762## (Bonjour Service) - Apple Computer, Inc. - C:\Program Files\Bonjour\mDNSResponder.exe
O23 - Service: Bluetooth Service (btwdins) - Broadcom Corporation. - C:\Program Files\WIDCOMM\Bluetooth Software\bin\btwdins.exe
O23 - Service: Creative ALchemy AL1 Licensing Service - Creative Labs - C:\Program Files\Common Files\Creative Labs Shared\Service\AL1Licensing.exe
O23 - Service: FLEXnet Licensing Service - Macrovision Europe Ltd. - C:\Program Files\Common Files\Macrovision Shared\FLEXnet Publisher\FNPLicensingService.exe
O23 - Service: GoToAssist - Citrix Online, a division of Citrix Systems, Inc. - C:\Program Files\Citrix\GoToAssist\514\g2aservice.exe
O23 - Service: InstallDriver Table Manager (IDriverT) - Macrovision Corporation - C:\Program Files\Common Files\InstallShield\Driver\11\Intel 32\IDriverT.exe
O23 - Service: Performance Service (nTuneService) - NVIDIA - C:\Program Files\NVIDIA Corporation\nTune\nTuneService.exe
O23 - Service: NVIDIA Display Driver Service (nvsvc) - NVIDIA Corporation - C:\Windows\system32\nvvsvc.exe
O23 - Service: PD91Agent - Raxco Software, Inc. - C:\Program Files\Raxco\PerfectDisk2008\PD91Agent.exe
O23 - Service: PD91Engine - Raxco Software, Inc. - C:\Program Files\Raxco\PerfectDisk2008\PD91Engine.exe
O23 - Service: PnkBstrA - Unknown owner - C:\Windows\system32\PnkBstrA.exe
O23 - Service: PnkBstrB - Unknown owner - C:\Windows\system32\PnkBstrB.exe
O23 - Service: ServiceLayer - Nokia. - C:\Program Files\PC Connectivity Solution\ServiceLayer.exe
O23 - Service: stllssvr - MicroVision Development, Inc. - C:\Program Files\Common Files\SureThing Shared\stllssvr.exe

--
End of file - 9096 bytes

 

[tastegw]

my RAM is as you say, 800MHz. Again, why would they allow it to be an option to choose these components if they aren't compatible!!!

I am going to have to have some serious words with them I think.

it is compatible with your cpu, but its just different frequencys.

your cpu has a fbs of 1333 and your ram @ 800

think of the coke bottle (the old glass one)

throw information thru the bottle and where the wider part of the bottle is your cpu and the top of the bottle (the part you drink from) is your ram.

its most likely not that huge of a performance blocker as i make it out to be, but they really got you on that one.

all-in-all, i hope you get everything worked out and running they way it should run.

good luck.

 

[Graham_s]

it is compatible with your cpu, but its just different frequencys.

your cpu has a fbs of 1333 and your ram @ 800

think of the coke bottle (the old glass one)

throw information thru the bottle and where the wider part of the bottle is your cpu and the top of the bottle (the part you drink from) is your ram.

its most likely not that huge of a performance blocker as i make it out to be, but they really got you on that one.

all-in-all, i hope you get everything worked out and running they way it should run.

good luck.

ok, thanks very much for your help. I really hope I get it working too. when you spend just over 1.5k on a sodding computer, you expect it to f***ing work how its supposed to...

 

[DaMak420]

ok i just spent 68 mins on the phone and remote assitance to dell and the guy said that my computer won't support 64 bit system, but he said that 32bit vista *does* support UP to 4GB but no more. he also said that as far as he can tell, the CPU is ok but they dont have any proper diagnostic software to test it.
He didn't say much about the speed of the RAM but suggested that it should be fine. So I think i am back to the malware thing, although I haven't found anything. I will post some of the logs later, which may help.

He lied. Either that, or he doesn't know his head from his rear end.

to break it down a little bit...

A 32-bit system can only use 32-bits to reference a memory address. So a 32-bit system can theoretically reference 4,294,967,295 addresses which would allow in reality it to reference just over 4gbs of memory. Pretty much every component in a pc needs to be assigned memory addresses by the OS, most only need a few kb but graphics cards can take up many mb's of addresses. Once all your components have been assigned their required memory any and all addresses left over will go towards main memory (RAM) which might be less than the amount of memory actually installed.


64-bit systems allow you to reference alot more memory.

Basically.... your system *CAN* use 4 gigs..... but because so much gets allocated to other things, you will rarely see more than 3.5 gigs used(specially if you have a decent graphics card with lots of memory)

surely a quad core at 2.66Ghz each should run better than 0-1FPS though? I don't see the point in them making a visual test like that if it never runs smoothly.

That part of the test is NOT a visual test. it is designed to ONLY test your cpu, and is designed to run at 0-2 frames per second. It is NOT running slowly because of any malware, that is how it runs.

 

[Graham_s]

He lied. Either that, or he doesn't know his head from his rear end.

to break it down a little bit...

A 32-bit system can only use 32-bits to reference a memory address. So a 32-bit system can theoretically reference 4,294,967,295 addresses which would allow in reality it to reference just over 4gbs of memory. Pretty much every component in a pc needs to be assigned memory addresses by the OS, most only need a few kb but graphics cards can take up many mb's of addresses. Once all your components have been assigned their required memory any and all addresses left over will go towards main memory (RAM) which might be less than the amount of memory actually installed.


64-bit systems allow you to reference alot more memory.

Basically.... your system *CAN* use 4 gigs..... but because so much gets allocated to other things, you will rarely see more than 3.5 gigs used(specially if you have a decent graphics card with lots of memory)



That part of the test is NOT a visual test. it is designed to ONLY test your cpu, and is designed to run at 0-2 frames per second. It is NOT running slowly because of any malware, that is how it runs.

ok, thanks for clearing that up for me. As i said, my knowledge on hardware is awful! I still have a suspicion that my CPU isn't running as fast as it should. Fallout 3, which I was having some problems running on max graphics seems to run fine now, but only if I have the AA on 4x or lower, so i think that may be a bug with the game, and I know crysis was bugged to hell, so i will just ignore that completely. is there any diagnostic software to test the CPU other than 3D mark? Its probably fine, probably just me worrying, but for my own piece of mind I would like to test my CPU.

 

[DaMak420]

You could try one of these.... although I am unsure if one is better than the other.

http://www.freedownloadscenter.com/Best/cpu-test_free.html (not a direct downloand link, but rather a download selection page)

 

[Graham_s]

You could try one of these.... although I am unsure if one is better than the other.

http://www.freedownloadscenter.com/Best/cpu-test_free.html (not a direct downloand link, but rather a download selection page)

ok, thanks very much

 

[Rage_3K_Moiz]

TechSpot's download page has a nice selection of benchmarking tools for that purpose as well.

 

[Graham_s]

TechSpot's download page has a nice selection of benchmarking tools for that purpose as well.

ok thanks for the tip. its about time I had a good look at TS's downloads anyway.
I'm running that CPU test and its taking 6 hours... just over half way through now.