Haz567

Okay well whats happening with my computer is this.

I have a lot of lag that seems to stem from any use of my second 500 GB hard drive i recently installed. It is a SATA II drive slowed down using jumper settings to run on my SATA I only motherboard. I have made a similar thread before but i've boiled down a few things that might make it easier on you guys to understand and possibly help me with.

First thing is that everything on my primary hard drive seems to operate fine for the most part, when i run processes and programs there is no trouble. If i play music or watch a movie clip it runs reasonably smooth.

However whenever i am doing something with my 2nd hard drive, the computer gets incredibly sluggish and i cannot multitask anything. If i copy data off of a cd to a folder on that drive, the computer starts lagging and my mouse gets jumpy when i move it. If i am playing a song the sound will start getting choppy and crackle. Videos do much the same. If i am running any kind of process involving the 2nd hard drive, even if it's just saving within a folder on it, my computer goes funny as described above. Now it isn't limited ENTIRELY to the 2nd hard drive, as sometimes things jump on the first. But it only seems to have gotten this way since i installed it.

My first thoughts was that i may have a failing power supply, as I have had several problems with turning my computer on previously and adding extra hardware could of done a number of the psu. Could these be possible symptoms?

I notice my CPU usage goes up to a hundred percent using only a couple programs that should not constitute my 1 gb of ram at all. RAM could be an issue here, but i ran a couple of diagnostic programs off the web to test how how my memory was faring and all came up positive. I checked my hard drives using diagnostic programs, and they seemed fine as well.

Could it be motherboard failure, or the CPU itself? If so are there any diagnostic programs you could recommend that would help me identify. I know i cannot diagnose the PSU without a multimeter but i am quite certain its a big part of what is happening. Thank you very much if you've read this far

Kalim

Yes, your previous thread: http://www.techsupportforum.com/hard...n-lagging.html was very similar, but you didn't reply back to dai's questions at the end which we all need to know now once again.

Additionally, which PSU do you have make/model? (open side of case and read off the label on the power supply). Make sure to include your cooling setups; i.e. fans, direction, size, heat sink+fan etc.

It can be PSU related, if the ripple is bad on the 3.3/5V lines or the voltage regulation is poor, or even if the fluctuation is erratic although within spec. The 3.3V/5V drawing components are very power sensitive, not much needed to go wrong and you have end damage.

It can be if your HDD is fragmented heavily. (Defragment under System Tools)
It can be if your HDD has many errors. (Start>Run>chkdsk /f /r)
It can be if you have little free space remaining on a drive.

It may very well be simply as you are using 100% of the available CPU power. That will make any system lag heavily.

Doesn't look like motherboard nor CPU failure to me based off that and what I've read in the previous thread of yours.

speedster123

Follow Kalim's advice -
and tell us what antivirus/malware scans were performed on both drives recently.

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Haz567

Thanks guys.

Sorry Kalim i misread Dai's post, i thought he was asking me to post specs on that link he provided.

My Specs -

Asus A8VE Deluxe Motherboard
cpu - AMD Athlon 64 Processor 3000+ 1.80 GHz
video card - onboard Nvidia? i'm not sure how to check
ram - 2 sticks, total 1 GB of ram
hard drives - 2, a Western Digital WD1600JD & WD5000AAKS.
floppy - no floppy
cd/dvd drives - a single pioneer DVD burner

PSU Model - TT ATX-400, 400 Watts

Well glad to hear its not motherboard related, i heard faulty PSU's can play havoc on a motherboard though is that true? Cheers.

I've run Spybot and have Avast on constant scan with no hassle so i think it should be fine. I have formatted a couple of times and reinstalled windows to no avail so i think it would be hardware related.

linderman

what make and model motherboard

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Haz567

sorry, Asus A8VE Deluxe

also...

a speedfan screen cap if it helps anyone

linderman

Geeze I hate the feeling when you advise someone to buy a component and it doesnt fix the probelm



FWIW I personally in your boat would replace the TT power supply for two reasons, #1 400 watts is on the light side for your rig especially after a year or two of running and capacitor aging is figured in.
#2 the common Thermal Take PSU was noted & proven to be low quality. The new tough power sereis is top notch, but thats almost about it for good TT offerings.

I personally would try an Antec Trio Power 550 watt TP-3 they are about $99.00

or look for OCZ 500 watt unit, might save a buck


The antecs are sold at your local best buy, staples, comp usa stores, the advantage here is if the problem is not cured you can return, and I think neweegg.com will do the same ??????????????? except I dont think the chain stores charge a re-stocking fee ?????? but not sure ?????

either way, I would not be at ease with a 400 watt low quality PSU when I was experiencing problems

I recently read a review on a 480 watt TT unit that tripped the protection on a 277 watt load ! thats sad!

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Haz567

thanks a million mate :)

Kalim

What are those 126C temperature measurements?

Somethings high even if not at that specific temp. Because everything else seems to be sensed quite accurately.

Could it be the Northbridge or Graphics? Try to run your system under load if you can and see if you can barely touch the Northbridge. If its hot then putting a finger near it will warn you that the chip is heating high.

If its not you'll be able to touch it like touching the system case while the computers running.

If its boiling, it'll burn your finger so don't touch it but get an approximation.

I agree with Linderman. For a PSU, the one you have will be drawing and wasting too much power from the socket, i.e. more utility bill. All that heat will make it ineffective, louder and shorten its life. Let alone it won't compare with mediocre supplies nowadays in its range.

Haz567

I really don't know what those temp measurements are, i don't know how to use Speedfan. It was the only program i could find that seemed to measure some kind of voltage. Is 126C abnormal?

Also the north bridge would probably be the smaller fan unit underneath the main processor fan correct? I'll check out what i can. Thanks.

Kalim

Looks highly likely that its an error but better be safe than sorry. It could very well be a sense diode being picked up wrongly, but yet the real component still overheating.
Yes, bang on.

Just make sure its not too hot, thats all.

linderman

Kalim is right on the money


to blatently ignore a high heat warning is the equilivant of ignoring the oil light in your vehicle.

I would try to lightly touch the north bridge heat sink and see what sort of temps that is running at

if the northbridge is really that hot you will soon know it, it will be uncomfortable to the touch. of course you dont put pressure down with finger; just cautious probing

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Haz567

Well i touched the side of the north bridge fan, to get as close as i could. It seems reasonably cool to me its far from uncomfortable to touch.

Okay so all up should getting a new fan likely fix this problem? Linderman, you recommend it and Dai said in my other thread that Nero slows down the computer because it takes extra power when it gets used. I only have around $100AU to spend on a fan currently and the Antec True Power 550 watt TP-3 you recommended averages around $150 AU from what i can see on the web. If i am running everything on a low quality power supply and can't afford one until a later date should i stop using the computer to avoid further damage? Is there a cheaper, still recommended brand i could pursue or is it definitely in my best interests to pay the cash to get a good quality power supply. Thanks.

Kalim

If its touchable, it'll be fine!

$100AU is a tough squeeze to get a decent 500W. Best you may be able to find is the Enhance ENP-5146GH or ENP-5150GH (the 80PLUS versions). They won't be much in price compared to the others, maybe $90-105AU mark.

I am not a good searcher for AU based stuff so someone living there should know of better deals and how to search for them aswell as where. Others I could find in AU...

Antec Earthwatts 500W ($129):
http://www.i-tech.com.au/products/33...er_Supply.aspx

SilverStone Element 500W ($119, $110):
http://www.digitan.com.au/product.ph...cat=878&page=2
http://www.i-tech.com.au/products/78..._20_24pin.aspx

SilverStone Strider 560W ($129):
http://www.i-tech.com.au/products/78..._PSU__SLI.aspx

CoolerMaster iGreen 500W ($119, $119) :
http://www.sltech.com.au/eshop/produ...roducts_id=766
http://www.pcmaniacs.com.au/product_...oducts_id=3464

All of those are TOP quality. IMHO I wouldn't bother running with something poor quality because when it decides to go south, it won't be asking you that's for sure.

Haz567

Thanks a lot, appreciate it. 500 watts is definitely sufficient? Also are most power supplies the same consistent size, will i have to make sure it will fit in my tower? Do i also have to make sure it has the required types of power connections (the standards ones, sata 2 etc) or are these generally standard issue.

Sorry about the n00b questions i've never bought a PSU before.

dai

yes they are standard you will not have any problems fitting
psu are not cheap here
http://www.pluscorp.com.au/Content.asp?CategoryID=220

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