When I stream video from almost any source, it gobbles up 100 percent of my CPU usage and becomes choppy and unwatchable. I've tried every trick in the book. Any suggestions?
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posted by ronofthedead
on Jan 26, 2013 -
15 answers
I'm buying one of the new iMacs. I'm torn between paying for an upgrade to the CPU or an upgrade to the video card. Help me decide!
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posted by Effigy2000
on Dec 20, 2012 -
7 answers
How can I track down the cause of periodic spikes in CPU usage caused by a plugin-bloated WordPress install on a LAMP server?
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posted by cowbellemoo
on Dec 5, 2011 -
5 answers
I need to build a server that runs a CPU-bound, memory-intensive task that fully utilizes 3 cores and 24GB of RAM, but never needs to read/write from the disk other than loading the OS. What's the fastest CPU/RAM combination available for this task? I don't need server-level data integrity, but I don't mind buying a server-class CPU if it's the fastest option.
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posted by helios
on Nov 1, 2011 -
10 answers
The target: massive data-sets requiring week-long number crunching. The need: serious desktop processing power with fat memory pipelines. The catch: must be rigged for silent (or near-silent) running.
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posted by jpolchlopek
on Oct 21, 2011 -
24 answers
Why do the specs of some non-x86 processors seem so much better than those of the latest Intel chips, even though Intel's manufacturing is more cutting-edge?
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posted by Xezlec
on Dec 7, 2010 -
8 answers
My HP tx2500 recently conked out with a blink code 1 (replace CPU). I've replaced the CPU and reapplied thermal paste + copper penny shim to the GPU, to no avail. Could I do anything else before buying a new laptop?
posted by ntartifex
on Nov 3, 2010 -
5 answers
How do I tell if the CPUs on a Windows Server 2003 are having their clock rates changed by a power-saver scheme?
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posted by Kahomono
on Aug 25, 2010 -
4 answers
Almost every program causes my computer to launch into some kind of super-intensive CPU cycles, clocking 100% for about 30 seconds or so before I can use said program. Happens with almost every program with any girth to it -- not Notepad, but definitely does it for Acrobat, Firefox, Word, etc.
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posted by chitlin
on Jul 2, 2010 -
16 answers
I'm ready to buy a new desktop PC with Windows 7, and I can't decide whether to spend more money on a faster CPU or more memory, if either. Which would be better in the long run: i7-860 (or even i7-920) with 6 GB RAM, or i5 with 8 GB of RAM? Considering the CPU alone, is an i7 instead of an i5 worth the extra money?
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posted by Tin Man
on May 7, 2010 -
12 answers
The "System" process on my work PC is intermittently causing the CPU utilization to spike to 50-100%, freezing the computer for a few seconds each time. Why, and is it fixable?
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posted by gemmy
on May 3, 2010 -
7 answers
Please help me make this computer run faster. It's running Windows XP, and I'll tell you everything else I know inside.
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posted by desjardins
on Apr 7, 2010 -
18 answers
Firstly, I apologize for asking about computer cooling, as I'm sure there are tons of questions about it, but my problem is with the specifics.
The fans in my gaming computer have been running much more lately, probably due to the warmer weather making my room quite hot. (My current fans are adequate, the computer's never been above 128f, they're just loud and high-pitched)
I salvaged 2 fans from older Dell desktops, but I'm pretty clueless about the many types of connectors involved. It looks like I'll be buying a fan controller, but first I need to know what connectors it needs to have.
In addition, I want to make sure that the added fans won't be too much for my power supply
In short, can you please give me advice on the best way to cool my computer, preferably with the fans I already have? [more inside]
posted by N2O1138
on Apr 5, 2010 -
6 answers
Windows 7 paranoia: the desktop CPU/RAM clock doohickey is now the central preoccupation of my life. But I'd like to know why does my RAM usage continually creep upwards?
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posted by Kandarp Von Bontee
on Mar 30, 2010 -
9 answers
Is it possible for my CPU to have been running over 100c without any warnings at all?
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posted by lakerk
on Feb 10, 2010 -
15 answers
I'm interesting in upgrading the processor on my computer, but I'm having a hard time getting good information on how to determine a viable upgrade.
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posted by SpacemanStix
on Jan 6, 2010 -
10 answers
I now own a MacBook Pro 17". And now I have some questions relating to MacOS and Windows 7, hardware upgrades and getting Applecare-on-the-cheap.
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posted by Effigy2000
on Nov 11, 2009 -
19 answers
Do I need a new power supply with the correct connection, or can I get an adapter and not fry anything?
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posted by ZaneJ.
on Jul 30, 2009 -
4 answers
I broke my PC's motherboard :( Please help me pick a replacement and guide me through the installation process...
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posted by mullacc
on Jul 3, 2009 -
4 answers
I'm in the middle of grabbing all the parts to build a new PC for myself. I have pretty much all the components, but I can't figure out which kind of memory I need to go with an Core 2 Duo E8500 (3.16GHz) and ASUS P5Q-E. I've looked at both Intel's and Asus's websites, and of course the Google to no avail. Details on what I'm looking for inside.
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posted by arcolz
on Jun 22, 2009 -
8 answers
Will a dual-1366 (Nehalem, Xeon 5xxx) motherboard work with a single CPU?
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posted by Skorgu
on May 18, 2009 -
4 answers
Help me understand Intel Core 2 Duo processors. Wikipedia has a
confusing chart that seems to indicate matching processor to the RAM is more important than the actual specs of the RAM or processor.
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posted by brenton
on Apr 8, 2009 -
15 answers
I would love a huge poster of something like
this. But I can't find anything like it on sites that sell posters. Does anyone know where I could find very high resolution images of die cores?
posted by SouthCNorthNY
on Mar 25, 2009 -
10 answers
I'm installing a new CPU and motherboard into my friend's case. If I were installing it for myself, I'd slap the thing together and see if it worked but since the computer does not belong to me I'm going to try to be more careful. The CPU is a boxed Intel E5200 and the motherboard is a cheap ASUS. As I understand it the E5200 is going to have pre-applied thermal interface material, a.k.a. thermal grease, on it and all I'll have to do is pull the tape off and put the heat sink on. Right? Also, if anyone has any tricks to gracefully seating the heat sink I'd love to hear them.
posted by rdr
on Mar 24, 2009 -
3 answers
How do computer speeds vary with different core counts? Is a twin core 3000 as fast as a single core 6000? What about a quad core?
Is there any point in multicore chips for home use and gaming, or does this need fancy threaded software to take advantage of it?
posted by talitha_kumi
on Jul 31, 2008 -
11 answers
Games PC CPUFilter: Is it worth upgrading from an Athlon64 3500+ Venice to a 4000+ San Diego? (plus a bonus question on 3GB RAM in XP and dual channel memory).
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posted by boosh
on May 30, 2008 -
12 answers
I want my computer to work exactly the same, but faster. I can't add any more RAM. Motherboard/CPU upgrade?
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posted by grrarrgh00
on Mar 2, 2008 -
16 answers
In a modern CPU, how many individual electrons, approximately, are "let through" in each clock-cycle of, say, an individual transistor or logic gate?
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posted by Jimbob
on Jan 8, 2008 -
7 answers
For a good reason, I need some program, any program that I can leave unattended and will eat up CPU on a windows xp box. Recommendations?
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posted by vacapinta
on Dec 20, 2007 -
7 answers
Why are CPUs not getting faster any more?
This plot is some data I scraped from a few sources around the web. I know it's not exhaustive, but I'm looking to pick out long-term and general trends. It's clear to me that processor clock speed has plateau'ed around roughly 4 GHz.
Why? [more inside]
posted by sergeant sandwich
on Dec 9, 2007 -
30 answers
I have a Dell Inspiron 531 desktop that came with an Athlon X2 64 5600+ processor. I have heard that the last in this line of processors (and the last socket AM2) will be the 6400 - did I lock myself into a dead-end CPU upgrade path? Or will I be able to upgrade in the future to AMD's next line of processors, whatever it is?
posted by nervestaple
on Oct 23, 2007 -
3 answers
Can you help my ACER L100 stop over-heating? (Please say yes, I'm trying to write my thesis!)
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posted by mateuslee
on Sep 1, 2007 -
14 answers
After a messy processor installation.... How can I remove spilt thermal paste from my best trousers?
posted by rumbletum
on Aug 28, 2007 -
2 answers
Upgrading AMD Processor for 939 motherboard. Athlon 64 X2 4200+ or Opteron 170?
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posted by zaphod
on Aug 21, 2007 -
11 answers
