Why is my PC slower than comparable PCs? - Page 2

Xyzzy · 2003-07-16, 21:58

Device manager should list the onboard VGA as disabled...

You could always hook up two monitors to check, too!

I suppose when your iteration times decrease you will know for sure!

QuintLeo · 2003-07-17, 13:56

Dell machines in my experience are *NOT* targeted at performance - they aim at the corporate environment for the most part.

As a result, they tend to do things like use on-board video and not give BIOS options for performance enhancing capabilities.

This tends to make them noticeably SLOWER with a given CPU than most other machines.

Just one reason I avoid Dell (and the other big "name brands", they all tend to do the SAME junk)....

nomadicus · 2003-07-17, 21:28

If I don't build a machine myself, I buy Dell but I don't expect to overclock and tweak.

Bought a Dell 2.8GHz tower (AGP video obviously) and a 2.53GHz laptop which has onboard video with its own video RAM separate from system RAM. The tower surprised me with its speed; I didn't think Dell double pumped memory would have the positive impact I got.

Both 24x7 and I am very satifisfied with their respective speeds/stability :D

Given any prebuilt machine you just have to study the details.
-=- john

QuintLeo · 2003-07-19, 18:05

The last machine I bought that I hadn't built myself was a Packard Hell P5-120 (don't laugh).

5 or so years ago, cost me $20 (used). Tthe 3c509-Combo and 16 Megs of EDO RAM in it were worth the $20 by themselves at the time. Also had a HD in it (smallish, I want to think 540 meg) and the CPU. Turned out the BIOS and HD controller were flaked, so I ended up making it a sneakernet floppy-based RC5 box (wouldn't run LINUX at all, and wouldn't talk to the HD).

I've since retired it. The Ram is in one of my K5 boxes, the CPU was a partial trade for a K5-PR166 in one of my boxes, I think the HD is in another box (LLF failing, but it's got 300ish usable Megs of space left, if it's the one I think it is), and the LAN card is in a box or is one of my spares. PS died, and it and the chassis/MB got tossed earlier this year.

markhl · 2003-07-22, 18:47

Xyzzy's PCI video card really helped! Thanks to him and to you folks.

I put in the PCI Matrox Millennium video card.
Windows XP recognized it and installed drivers.
I disabled the onboard video in Device Manager and moved the video cable to the card.

Now Prime95 runs faster, at a speed independent of video settings! It runs 5% faster at minimal monitor settings than the onboard video, and even better it runs 18% faster at the settings that I like to use! Here are the benchmarks. I pulled out the common items from each benchmark:

Intel(R) Pentium(R) III processor
CPU speed: 863.87 MHz
CPU features: RDTSC, CMOV, PREFETCH, MMX, SSE
L1 cache size: 16 KB
L2 cache size: 256 KB
L1 cache line size: 32 bytes
L2 cache line size: 32 bytes
TLBS: 64
Prime95 version 23.5, RdtscTiming=1

800*600, 16-bit, 60 Hz, onboard video
Best time for 384K FFT length: 92.618 ms.
Best time for 448K FFT length: 112.110 ms.
Best time for 512K FFT length: 123.753 ms.
Best time for 640K FFT length: 163.743 ms.
Best time for 768K FFT length: 194.430 ms.
Best time for 896K FFT length: 230.422 ms.
Best time for 1024K FFT length: 265.089 ms.
Best time for 1280K FFT length: 348.192 ms.
Best time for 1536K FFT length: 410.470 ms.
Best time for 1792K FFT length: 512.186 ms.
Best time for 2048K FFT length: 571.369 ms.

1152*864, 16-bit, 70 Hz, onboard video
Best time for 384K FFT length: 102.791 ms.
Best time for 448K FFT length: 123.913 ms.
Best time for 512K FFT length: 138.733 ms.
Best time for 640K FFT length: 178.570 ms.
Best time for 768K FFT length: 218.499 ms.
Best time for 896K FFT length: 255.061 ms.
Best time for 1024K FFT length: 295.955 ms.
Best time for 1280K FFT length: 386.271 ms.
Best time for 1536K FFT length: 452.639 ms.
Best time for 1792K FFT length: 569.861 ms.
Best time for 2048K FFT length: 640.942 ms.

800*600, 16-bit, 60 Hz, Matrox Millennium
Best time for 384K FFT length: 89.366 ms.
Best time for 448K FFT length: 106.138 ms.
Best time for 512K FFT length: 118.868 ms.
Best time for 640K FFT length: 156.046 ms.
Best time for 768K FFT length: 186.776 ms.
Best time for 896K FFT length: 220.890 ms.
Best time for 1024K FFT length: 251.369 ms.
Best time for 1280K FFT length: 334.348 ms.
Best time for 1536K FFT length: 391.704 ms.
Best time for 1792K FFT length: 489.960 ms.
Best time for 2048K FFT length: 540.340 ms.

1152*864, 16-bit, 75 Hz, Matrox Millennium
Best time for 384K FFT length: 89.404 ms.
Best time for 448K FFT length: 106.782 ms.
Best time for 512K FFT length: 118.875 ms.
Best time for 640K FFT length: 156.956 ms.
Best time for 768K FFT length: 187.041 ms.
Best time for 896K FFT length: 221.443 ms.
Best time for 1024K FFT length: 253.159 ms.
Best time for 1280K FFT length: 334.342 ms.
Best time for 1536K FFT length: 392.145 ms.
Best time for 1792K FFT length: 490.244 ms.
Best time for 2048K FFT length: 540.265 ms.

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2003-07-16, 21:58	#12
Xyzzy "Mike" Aug 2002 10000000101010₂ Posts	Device manager should list the onboard VGA as disabled... You could always hook up two monitors to check, too! I suppose when your iteration times decrease you will know for sure!

2003-07-17, 13:56	#13
QuintLeo Oct 2002 Lost in the hills of Iowa 2⁶×7 Posts	Dell machines in my experience are NOT targeted at performance - they aim at the corporate environment for the most part. As a result, they tend to do things like use on-board video and not give BIOS options for performance enhancing capabilities. This tends to make them noticeably SLOWER with a given CPU than most other machines. Just one reason I avoid Dell (and the other big "name brands", they all tend to do the SAME junk)....

2003-07-17, 21:28	#14
nomadicus Jan 2003 North Carolina 2×3×41 Posts	If I don't build a machine myself, I buy Dell but I don't expect to overclock and tweak. Bought a Dell 2.8GHz tower (AGP video obviously) and a 2.53GHz laptop which has onboard video with its own video RAM separate from system RAM. The tower surprised me with its speed; I didn't think Dell double pumped memory would have the positive impact I got. Both 24x7 and I am very satifisfied with their respective speeds/stability :D Given any prebuilt machine you just have to study the details. -=- john

2003-07-19, 18:05	#15
QuintLeo Oct 2002 Lost in the hills of Iowa 2⁶·7 Posts	The last machine I bought that I hadn't built myself was a Packard Hell P5-120 (don't laugh). 5 or so years ago, cost me $20 (used). Tthe 3c509-Combo and 16 Megs of EDO RAM in it were worth the $20 by themselves at the time. Also had a HD in it (smallish, I want to think 540 meg) and the CPU. Turned out the BIOS and HD controller were flaked, so I ended up making it a sneakernet floppy-based RC5 box (wouldn't run LINUX at all, and wouldn't talk to the HD). I've since retired it. The Ram is in one of my K5 boxes, the CPU was a partial trade for a K5-PR166 in one of my boxes, I think the HD is in another box (LLF failing, but it's got 300ish usable Megs of space left, if it's the one I think it is), and the LAN card is in a box or is one of my spares. PS died, and it and the chassis/MB got tossed earlier this year.

2003-07-22, 18:47	#16
markhl Apr 2003 California 2²×23 Posts	Xyzzy's PCI video card really helped! Thanks to him and to you folks. I put in the PCI Matrox Millennium video card. Windows XP recognized it and installed drivers. I disabled the onboard video in Device Manager and moved the video cable to the card. Now Prime95 runs faster, at a speed independent of video settings! It runs 5% faster at minimal monitor settings than the onboard video, and even better it runs 18% faster at the settings that I like to use! Here are the benchmarks. I pulled out the common items from each benchmark: Intel(R) Pentium(R) III processor CPU speed: 863.87 MHz CPU features: RDTSC, CMOV, PREFETCH, MMX, SSE L1 cache size: 16 KB L2 cache size: 256 KB L1 cache line size: 32 bytes L2 cache line size: 32 bytes TLBS: 64 Prime95 version 23.5, RdtscTiming=1 800600, 16-bit, 60 Hz, onboard video Best time for 384K FFT length: 92.618 ms. Best time for 448K FFT length: 112.110 ms. Best time for 512K FFT length: 123.753 ms. Best time for 640K FFT length: 163.743 ms. Best time for 768K FFT length: 194.430 ms. Best time for 896K FFT length: 230.422 ms. Best time for 1024K FFT length: 265.089 ms. Best time for 1280K FFT length: 348.192 ms. Best time for 1536K FFT length: 410.470 ms. Best time for 1792K FFT length: 512.186 ms. Best time for 2048K FFT length: 571.369 ms. 1152864, 16-bit, 70 Hz, onboard video Best time for 384K FFT length: 102.791 ms. Best time for 448K FFT length: 123.913 ms. Best time for 512K FFT length: 138.733 ms. Best time for 640K FFT length: 178.570 ms. Best time for 768K FFT length: 218.499 ms. Best time for 896K FFT length: 255.061 ms. Best time for 1024K FFT length: 295.955 ms. Best time for 1280K FFT length: 386.271 ms. Best time for 1536K FFT length: 452.639 ms. Best time for 1792K FFT length: 569.861 ms. Best time for 2048K FFT length: 640.942 ms. 800600, 16-bit, 60 Hz, Matrox Millennium Best time for 384K FFT length: 89.366 ms. Best time for 448K FFT length: 106.138 ms. Best time for 512K FFT length: 118.868 ms. Best time for 640K FFT length: 156.046 ms. Best time for 768K FFT length: 186.776 ms. Best time for 896K FFT length: 220.890 ms. Best time for 1024K FFT length: 251.369 ms. Best time for 1280K FFT length: 334.348 ms. Best time for 1536K FFT length: 391.704 ms. Best time for 1792K FFT length: 489.960 ms. Best time for 2048K FFT length: 540.340 ms. 1152864, 16-bit, 75 Hz, Matrox Millennium Best time for 384K FFT length: 89.404 ms. Best time for 448K FFT length: 106.782 ms. Best time for 512K FFT length: 118.875 ms. Best time for 640K FFT length: 156.956 ms. Best time for 768K FFT length: 187.041 ms. Best time for 896K FFT length: 221.443 ms. Best time for 1024K FFT length: 253.159 ms. Best time for 1280K FFT length: 334.342 ms. Best time for 1536K FFT length: 392.145 ms. Best time for 1792K FFT length: 490.244 ms. Best time for 2048K FFT length: 540.265 ms.