Vid Display / Sound Stutter Issue, Any Thoughts?

[[iX]AnnaBeaver]

Ok, I've been having some weird issues with my video and audio. Lets use this as an example. While playing on the INV. server....the video acts as though I'm having a lag spot, and for a few secs the video and movement is jerky. In addition, while this is occuring, the audio stutters. Once the video resumes normal operation, sound does to. Everything will be just fine for a period....and then out of the blue...it will do the same thing again.

I thought it was possibly UT, but a reinstall with all patches resulted in the same issue. I thought it may be my vid card, but...got a brand new bigger faster vid card for xmas...still same issue. I've updated drivers til I'm blue in the face, but today I decided to run the direct x diagnostic tool. For display you can test direct draw, and direct 3d. Direct draw test did fine. Direct 3d test.....was F'ING Whacked Out!!! That direct x 3d cube was spinning so fast...and the image was distorted all to hell. In direct x 8 interface..and direct x 9 interface...the cube looked the same. Only difference was that in the DX9 interface test, it spun out much faster.

Let's just say this....I was only able to distinguish the direct x logo on that cube when it was testing in direct x 7 interface...and even then it's movement was jerky. I downloaded the full SDK 9.0c version of direct X..and I even tried the direct draw override settings...no effect. Anyone else ever had this issue? Or am I just a doof..LOL!

Tomorrow, I'm going to disconnect my LCD monitor and drag my mom's LCD in here and hook it up to my pc to see if it may have anything to do with the monitor. After all....my monitor is about 7 yrs old. Hell...I don't even know if a monitor glitch would even cause these sort of probs.

So, if anyone has any suggestions or opinions...let me know! Thanks

[BaronVonRotterdam]

Ok, I've been having some weird issues with my video and audio. Lets use this as an example. While playing on the INV. server....the video acts as though I'm having a lag spot, and for a few secs the video and movement is jerky. In addition, while this is occuring, the audio stutters. Once the video resumes normal operation, sound does to. Everything will be just fine for a period....and then out of the blue...it will do the same thing again.

I thought it was possibly UT, but a reinstall with all patches resulted in the same issue. I thought it may be my vid card, but...got a brand new bigger faster vid card for xmas...still same issue. I've updated drivers til I'm blue in the face, but today I decided to run the direct x diagnostic tool. For display you can test direct draw, and direct 3d. Direct draw test did fine. Direct 3d test.....was F'ING Whacked Out!!! That direct x 3d cube was spinning so fast...and the image was distorted all to hell. In direct x 8 interface..and direct x 9 interface...the cube looked the same. Only difference was that in the DX9 interface test, it spun out much faster.

Let's just say this....I was only able to distinguish the direct x logo on that cube when it was testing in direct x 7 interface...and even then it's movement was jerky. I downloaded the full SDK 9.0c version of direct X..and I even tried the direct draw override settings...no effect. Anyone else ever had this issue? Or am I just a doof..LOL!

Tomorrow, I'm going to disconnect my LCD monitor and drag my mom's LCD in here and hook it up to my pc to see if it may have anything to do with the monitor. After all....my monitor is about 7 yrs old. Hell...I don't even know if a monitor glitch would even cause these sort of probs.

So, if anyone has any suggestions or opinions...let me know! Thanks

It maybe your mother board or your monitor thats all I know. Other than that your guess is as good as mine. I would try to install your video card on a different pc and run the same tests and see what happens.

[XL500]

Do you have a built in sound card to your motherboard or a separate one? Built in sound card uses your CPU. Your video card, is it AGP or PCI-Express? If you have changed your AGP video card, you will also need to change the AGP settings in your bios to get proper performance.

[[iX]AnnaBeaver]

Ok, I have a built in sound card. My Vid card is AGP. Unfortunately, the only thing I'm able to change with the AGP in the BIOS is to either turn it on..or turn it off. There aren't any aperture settings etc. Just the on/off. I kinda hope it's not the MOBO! :roll: This PC isn't that old...and it's got a good processor etc. But..I kinda hope it's the MOBO...then maybe my parents will buy me a new pc...LOL! For sometime now, I've been thinking that it's about time to replace my monitor. I did notice a while back that I was having an issue with the monitor cable where it plugs into the PC. It when I'd move the cable itself..my monitor colors would weird out. :roll: So, that may be what the prob is.

Cause I downloaded RivaTuner to overclock my vid card...and even with the OC settings...I still have the same stutter I'm gonna switch out my monitor with my mom's monitor..cause hers is brand new...and see how it reacts. If it runs like a dream..I'll know that's the problem. Cross your fingers..LOL!

[Archangel]

You might have to RMA that vid card..........sounds like a bad card to me.

EDIT: Might try that card in another machine and see what happens.....

[Archangel]

First Anna.......Don't oc until you figure out what's causing your problem. Let me ask this Anna.... What type of case are you running and have you checked to see what your temps are on that vid card running normally? Go to the manufacture's site to see what the recommended temps are. This may well be a cooling/overheating issue. If your running a midtower, you should run a fan on the sidedoor that will blow cool air on the vid card and make sure you have adaquate airflow throughout the case. A fulltower case is way better for airflow and cooling. This that might help in airflow is tidding up all the wiring so it doesnt hinder airflow.

This is my case wiring......

[[iX]AnnaBeaver]

Archangel..you'll take any opportunity to flaunt images of your wealth at me..I bet your sh*t don't stink either!! LOL rofl What type of case? You mean..the metal box thingy?? :-k I'm running the one that HP put on it..if that's what you're talking about. I did OC with the with the RivaTuner. Fortunately it has options for people who aren't really advanced...so it has an option to set the clock speeds to the max optimal OC speeds that are determined by the card itself. So, when I did OC it...I didn't crank that bitch up or anything.

After I set the OC of course it doesn't take effect until restart. But when I did restart...it had no effect on the stuttery thing. I did drag my dads LCD flat panel monitor in here..and hook it up to my pc. Same thing happened. When I ran the dxdiag...that cube was whacked the F out on the d3d8 and d3d9 test. I dunno why they even suggest that you use the dxdiag...that thing truly is useless. It's obviously not a direct issue with directx....but if I had to guess..I'd say it's some sort of imcompatibility issue with something else. Cause I can't think of a reason why when the vid lags out....the audio stutters and skips right in line with the vid prob.

The nvidia driver version I installed has a GPU temp monitor. It also has options to continually monitor GPU temp and keep a running temp log. It also has an option for alerting me if the temp starts causing performance issues...or just gets to hot. But so far...the temp is fine and steady. No probs there.

What I did so far, was to update my audio driver....who knew there was a brand new version out!! Not me! I used Driver Cleaner Pro to remove all instances of the Nvidia driver...and then I installed the 93.71 driver version. So far..I only had one brief skip in vid while playing UT. But for the most part..it seems ok. Also, I may have to check the jumpers on my hdd. I may have read the install instructions incorrectly pertaining to the jumpers. My HDD is a 2nd Gen. Serial ATA WD Caviar®SE - 7200 RPM from Western Digital and apparently the jumpers also determine wether or not the drives "Spread Spectrum" clocking feature is enabled or disabled. So, I may have boo boo'd and added a jumper....when in fact I wasn't supposed to add one.

I wish this damn BIOS had more advanced setting options for the F'ing AGP. My last PC from HP had xtra AGP options....and that kinda Pisses me off!

BTW...it appears as though the PCI-E card connects to your mobo via a wire connection to slot....rather than card to slot? All that advanced rich people techno stuff confuses me...LOL! 8)

[Archangel]

ROFL........No, I routed the wiring under the mobo. It's a great way to tidy up and hide wiring. Most of my wiring is either under the mobo or behind the mobo tray. Plastic zip ties are handy for this.

As for your video probs.....Try this: If you are running a stock PSU, try getting a 500w or better PSU. The Thermaltake Purepower 500w is a good-cheap choice. As this is sounding more and more like a PSU issue. See, as the PSU begins to faulter, the first thing it usually effects is the vid card as that particular hardware draws a great deal from the PSU. I'd also look into getting a cheap "full-size" case for better air flow or mod your HP case with an exhaust fan in the rear and intakes in the front and side. Or what could help in the cooling department is to cutout a large square, leaving only about 2 inches of the edge and epoxy some small mesh screen for airflow. And of course, you too can tidy up the wiring just like I did. It takes time and planning but, once it's done, it's a sweet deal.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6817153052

[[iX]AnnaBeaver]

Well...I haven't even looked at the PSU to determine what the power rate is. I do have an additional fan that I haven't done anything with...it's still sitting in a box. It's the same size fan that sits on top of my processors heat sink. But, I took the easy way out for xtra cooling...I just removed the side panel of my case...LOL! Which I'm sure that's not a necessarily good thing to do....since it does allow more air in...it also allows more dust in...so, I have to clean it out more often.

So, in terms of power supply.....how do you determine if it's too much...or not enough etc. Is it the mobo that regulates the power to peripherals or what? I just don't want it to burn anything out. I know the mobo as well as processor typically have specific requirements for power supply. Let me just say this......I know absolutely nothing when it comes to power supply or power distribution..LOL! And I do mean..NOTHING!

My temps for processor, vid card, hdd seemed to all be within normal levels, but my main hdd was in one of the upper bays...just underneath my cd drives...and my storage hdd was in the bottom bay. So, I switched them out, placing my main hdd in the bottom bay which isn't obstructed by any wiring or other drives. I also noticed another problem, the belt connector to my storage drive had a couple of the wires broken where the belt meets the connector. So, I have to replace that too.

I just wish there was a better way to diagnose issues like this

[Archangel]

Well, lets break it down in regards to all the questions.....

The mobo and the PSU both regulate as a team how much power is needed.

There should be a sticker on the side of the PSU that says what wattage that PSU is. Sounds like you have the original PSU, which is usually between 250w - 350w. Which is fine if you keep your tower stock and don't add in a video card and/or a sound card, another optical device or another hard drive. But as soon as you do add other items, it does put more stress on the PSU and that can cause a number of problems. If you ever heard of a "Brownout Effect" then you know what I mean. For those who don't know what a "Brownout Effect" is, it's when there's such a draw on the PSU that it fails to provide sufficent power and causes shorts. You may have heard people unplugging refridgerators, freezers and TVs during an electrical storm in case there is a power failure and when power is restored and power doesn't imeadiately return to full capacity. The same happens when you start adding other items on top of a stock system. PSUs in OEM machines are only rated for only the items within that machine. That's why I suggested looking at your PSU as the "root cause" of the problem. PSUs can also get damaged from power surges (even when a surge protector is used).

A good name brand PSU that's rated at 500w or more would be sufficent until you start using video cards that require a great deal more power like the Nvidia 7900/8800 series and higher or the ATI 1900/3800 series. Using cards like these would require at least 650w or better and be able to do it continuously. Good name brands are Thermaltake, Antec, Hiper etc.

One thing to realize is that it won't hurt your system if you put a PSU that's higher than needed. So you can put that 1k PSU in and not worry.

As far as cooling, make sure you have one fan in the front and one on the side to draw in cool air. The have one fan in the rear and one at the top to exhaust the heated air. If space permits, I'd use 120mm fans for all points but if you can't, 80mm will do. Couple that with some good wire management to keep the airflow from obstruction and it should be fine.