# How best to optimize CPU performance?



## WizardKing78 (Jun 12, 2012)

I rebooted my PC the other day and noticed, quite by accident, that on the loading screen it said "3 cores are active". This troubled me because I'm running a phenom x4. So I went into BIOS and enabled the fourth core. Now it says that 4 cores are running when I boot up the system.

That's all good, but I noticed when I went into BIOS that it was displaying a 6th core, even though the CPU doesn't have 6. It said that the 6th core is 'enabled'. Is it supposed to be like this?

I'm slightly worried that my CPU hasn't been configured properly and I'm wondering if someone could tell me the best way to make sure that its running to optimum efficiency. I'm suspicious that it isn't running properly because I've been suffering terrible lag in online games. Do I need to configure or update my BIOS in any way?

*CPU= AMD Phenom II X4 955
Mobo= Asus M4A89GTD PRO*

Many thanks,

WizardKing78


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## WizardKing78 (Jun 12, 2012)

*Bump*

I've just been running the game ARMA2 alongside the task manager. When I alt+tabbed out of ARMA, I noticed that it has been unequally utilizing the CPUs.










I'm strongly suspicious there's something wrong with the CPU, or perhaps the BIOS settings.

Again, thanks for any help. :smile:


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## FlyingScotsman (Jun 21, 2011)

Any OS will tend to utilize one CPU over another in my experience, it is not always going to use every single core equally. However, since your system is seeing a 6th core something else is likely wrong (as you may have surmised). Is a 5th core displayed as well? Have you updated your motherboard drivers and BIOS to the latest manufacturer supplied version? I am curious to see if you experience problems on non-online games, since there are so many factors for online games that can involve the server, your connection, and others. try a good single player game and see what happens. Also, when did this start? Is this a new build? Did you make some system changes (install new drivers, etc.) Recently? Any and all information you can give would be really helpful, thanks!


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## A1tecice (Jun 1, 2010)

Hello WizardKing78, 

Lets see if its windows causing this, follow thees instructions:

1) press windows key+ R (to bring up run)
2)type in "msconfig"
3) go to the boot tab
4)press the button "Advanced options..."
5) Check in the new window that "number of processors" is unticked, Or if you wish tick it and select the highest number to enable all your cores after a pc restart.

Post back your findings,
Altie


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## LMiller7 (Jun 21, 2010)

Equal usage of CPU cores was never a design goal in Windows, neither is this desirable. The goal in core scheduling is always optimum performance. This is actually a very complex process with many factors considered. One thing that the scheduler does try to do is whenever possible use the same core for the same thread. That if course is not always possible but that is the goal. In the short term, and even in the long term, this can produce very uneven core usage. Usage may appear to be uniform at times but that is merely incidental to the goal.


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## WizardKing78 (Jun 12, 2012)

Thanks for the replies. :thumb:



A1tecice said:


> Hello WizardKing78,
> 
> Lets see if its windows causing this, follow thees instructions:
> 
> ...


I followed your instructions (the box was unticked, so I ticked the box and selected 4 cores. It seems to have made no difference. I still get the same poor frame rate in-game, and task manager still gives the same kind of readout:













FlyingScotsman said:


> However, since your system is seeing a 6th core something else is likely wrong (as you may have surmised). Is a 5th core displayed as well?


Nope. That's what perplexed me as much as anything. BIOS only shows cores 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6.



FlyingScotsman said:


> Have you updated your motherboard drivers and BIOS to the latest manufacturer supplied version?


I don't recall doing so.



FlyingScotsman said:


> I am curious to see if you experience problems on non-online games, since there are so many factors for online games that can involve the server, your connection, and others. try a good single player game and see what happens.


I tried several single player games of ARMA2 on the same map and this is what happened. Basically I created a custom game on the same map that I play online. In that custom game there were no enemy soldiers or friendlies; just me running around the city on my own. According to FRAPS I was obtaining a respectable FPS of around 50.

I then created another custom game, in which everything was exactly the same (same starting place for my character), but this time I added 200 AI controlled soldiers and placed them far away from from my character; well out of view. In fact they were about 12 kilometres from my character, so I can be sure that any change is FPS was not caused the GPU having to render extra soldiers in my immediate surroundings. Anyway, according to FRAPS the frame rate has now dropped to around 25 per second; approximately half what is was before I added all the AI soldiers. This has lead me to assume that the CPU must be under strain from having to account for all the extra soldiers.

The odd thing is, however, that according to the task manager, the CPU cores are not even being fully utilized. So why the drop in FPS??? Perhaps the motherboard is bottlenecking the CPU resources, or perhaps BIOS is not configured properly?




FlyingScotsman said:


> Also, when did this start? Is this a new build? Did you make some system changes (install new drivers, etc.) Recently?!


I paid a local computer technician to build my PC back in September 2010. It was almost top-of-the-range back then and totally cost nearly £900. Since then I haven't added any hardware upgrades, although I'd like to do so soon. 

I've been playing ARMA2 for 18 months now and it's always suffered this kind of lag.

To my memory the only drivers I've updated are the GPU, which I did last week.

There. That's a detailed answer for you! :wink:


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## WizardKing78 (Jun 12, 2012)

*Bump*


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

what are the rest of specs.

Just so you know, no game will use four cores, most don't even use two.

Lag is usually down to cpu,ram,video card, heat and power.


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## WizardKing78 (Jun 12, 2012)

Hi greenbrucelee and thanks for the reply.

Specs=

*Asus M4A89GTD PRO
AMD Phenom II X4 955
Kingston 4GB DDR3 1600MHz
Corsair 450W PSU
Zotac GTS250 ECO Edition
Western Digital WD5000AAKS 500GB SATAII 7200RPM*


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

please go into your BIOS and post the temps and voltages.

or download CPUID hardware monitor and post a screenshot.

does it lag on any other game? Arma2 is one of the buggiest games I have ever played.


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## WizardKing78 (Jun 12, 2012)

Done.


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

your hard drive and graphics card look hot. You need to cool them down.

Your voltages dont look promising either.


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## WizardKing78 (Jun 12, 2012)

Thanks again for the reply.

That's it I'll get some fans fitted ASAP.

What are the optimum voltages/temperatures?


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

+ or - 10% from 12, 3.3 and 5v I actually prefer to say 5% but 10% is the official statement. If your figure drop or rise by more than 10% you need a new power supply.


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## WizardKing78 (Jun 12, 2012)

I bought that PSU new back in 2010. How in the heck could it be malfunctioning now? I thought Corsair was supposed to be a quality make.


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## gcavan (Aug 13, 2009)

ATX specification on voltages allows a tolerance of *+/- 5%*.

HWMonitor, like every monitor application I've seen, will not give accurate readings in every instance. For that matter, yours would not be the first motherboard with a failed or inaccurate monitor chip. The voltage readings may be accurate, but I would first check the idle readings in BIOS.

In your case, I would tend to disregard all of the readings from HWMonitor until confirmed by other means. Look at other monitor applications such as CoreTemp or even SpeedFan. You might also try PCProbe, which came bundled in the software package with your motherboard. If you have access to one, use a multimeter to confirm the voltages while the system is operating.

I would not replace any power supply on the word of just a software application. For one thing, the voltages delivered to the motherboard generally need to be within spec before the system will even boot.



> I bought that PSU new back in 2010. How in the heck could it be malfunctioning now? I thought Corsair was supposed to be a quality make.


There is no set time limit as to how long it, or any component, will last. A few will fail at birth (DOA); others may last weeks, months, years, or even decades. Yours is on the light side for your system and may or may not be failing, but in either event, it should still be under warranty.


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## WizardKing78 (Jun 12, 2012)

I fitted a front, back and side fan to the case today. Since then I've been playing ARMA2 for several hours. Here's the latest CPUID:










Any better?


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