Dual Core Gaming Fix Guide

sleepeeg3 said:
Does disabling power management fix the problem? Seems like it would be the easiest fix. I always disable it, since it causes problems overclocking and never noticed an issue.

Didn't work for me. I never had power management enabled and I still had problems.
 
Newest AMD Dual core optimizer 1.1.1(?) didn't edit my boot.ini file anymore. Nor did it give any error message like it used to if it wasn't on drive C:.

Do I need to put the /usepmtimer there myself or is it not needed with this new version?
 
tuhnu said:
Newest AMD Dual core optimizer 1.1.1(?) didn't edit my boot.ini file anymore. Nor did it give any error message like it used to if it wasn't on drive C:.

Do I need to put the /usepmtimer there myself or is it not needed with this new version?

Are you having problems? If you are, try adding the /usepmtimer manually and see if that fixes your issues.
 
kirbyrj said:
Are you having problems? If you are, try adding the /usepmtimer manually and see if that fixes your issues.
I was just wondering if the switch is still needed. I heard that this 1.1.1. patch would fix the nasty XP freeze problem with certain nforce4 mobos when moving large files to/from USB harddrives. I don't have drive myself, but I'll test it when someone comes over with one.
 
If we want to upgrade the AMD Dual Core Optimizer (1.1) or the Windows Dual Core Hotfix (v4) should we uninstall everything in order (including amd drivers)?:

1 - Uninstall the Hotfix, go into ad/remove programs, click on show updates and remove update numbered KB896256

2 - Reverse the registry entry.

3 - Uninstall the AMD drivers.

4 - Uninstall the AMD Dual Core Optimizer.

There seems to be a v4 of the Windows Dual Core Hotfix KB896256 and some other I really don't know if I really need because I never had problems with my CPU not responding, which is this one - KB924441. Do you think it's necessary to install that one as well? I've heard that the KB896256 replaces it, although someone analyzed the filedates etc and this are the results:

KB896256
Date Time Version Size File name
--------------------------------------------------------------
28-Sep-2005 23:35 5.1.2600.2765 134,272 Halmacpi.dll
29-Sep-2005 00:02 5.1.2600.2765 2,136,064 Ntkrnlmp.exe
28-Sep-2005 23:35 5.1.2600.2765 2,057,344 Ntkrnlpa.exe
28-Sep-2005 23:35 5.1.2600.2765 2,015,744 Ntkrpamp.exe
29-Sep-2005 00:04 5.1.2600.2765 2,180,096 Ntoskrnl.exe
28-Sep-2005 23:32 5.1.2600.2765 30,720 Arpidfix.exe

KB924441
File name File version File size Date Time Platform
Ntkrnlmp.exe 5.1.2600.3014 2,137,600 12-Oct-2006 12:26
Ntkrnlpa.exe 5.1.2600.3014 2,059,136 12-Oct-2006 11:45
Ntkrpamp.exe 5.1.2600.3014 2,017,280 12-Oct-2006 11:45
Ntoskrnl.exe 5.1.2600.3014 2,181,888 12-Oct-2006 12:28

But another guy said this:
"As I stated in my post before, that update is replaced by KB896256 as KB896256 includes nt*.exe and halmacpi.dll version 5.1.2600.3023, while KB924441 inclludes nt*.exe version 5.1.2600.3014."

My guess is that the details on the KB896256 files are from revision 3.2 (last updated on September) so it doesn't reflect changes made on v4 (last released on December).
 
tuhnu said:
I was just wondering if the switch is still needed. I heard that this 1.1.1. patch would fix the nasty XP freeze problem with certain nforce4 mobos when moving large files to/from USB harddrives. I don't have drive myself, but I'll test it when someone comes over with one.

I don't know...you'd have to test it yourself and let us know. I don't have an AMD dual core anymore, so I can't test it :(.
 
Pedrovsk said:
If we want to upgrade the AMD Dual Core Optimizer (1.1) or the Windows Dual Core Hotfix (v4) should we uninstall everything in order (including amd drivers)?:

I would probably uninstall the AMD drivers if you're moving to the DC Optimizer, but not the hotfix (unless you wanted to see if any problems are fixed with the optimizer apart from the Hotfix).

As for the files as part of the hotfixes, I would probably stick with the KB896256. I think the other hotfix is more of a specific issue with instability as opposed to game glitching. Both are related to power states, but the issues are slightly different.
 
Uncle said:
By any chances are these duel core fixes done in Vista.

I know the hotfix won't work in Vista. I'm sure that Microsoft is aware of the problem and will probably address it for Vista. Other than that, I haven't really tried any games in Vista. Anyone have any problems with the RC's?
 
Wow, Im amazed to see how many of you are having problems with your dual core setups. I'd like to share my experiance switching from FX55 to Dual core Opty165.

At first i thought I'd just have to swap out the cpu's, clear the cmos and im good to go. But, that sure was only wishfull thinking. After clearing the cmos the pc booted up just fine, setup my bios, and the windows loaded normally but there was a small delay prior windows loading up. I was a bit concerned so I checked everything again in bios and everythign seemed okay but the problem continued upon every restart. Anyway, I easily overclocked my cpu to 2.6ghz without any extra voltage and I was quite happy to have an FX60 for 150 dollars. Now, came the game tests, first i loaded up CS source, and then BF2 and both games ran without a hitch. Then after some browsing and listening to some music i got bored so i decided to play again. First CS source, the game started to move very choppy, it really wasnt the choppines you get from a lousy video card but it was something different, my frames were going up and down like my cpu/gpu was dying. After some extensive research online, I realized i was dealing with "slowdowns" , and found out a huge thread in xtremesystems forum about dual core amd processors having serious power managment problems and etc.

To solve my problem and eliminate any other possibilities, I decided to reformat my pc and start fresh. After all the windows patching, drivers, and software I first wanted to check if i would have a same problem before any hot fixes or patching. I loaded up BF2 game and it ran fine for first time. I then closed the game and restarted again and the problem began all over again. Everything felt laggy, choppy, missing frames, it was impossible to play and pawn noobs. My first experiment was the amd dual core optmization , I installed it and restarted my pc, loaded BF2, and it ran very smooth, constant 100fps. I wasn't quite happy yet until i restarted the game again because thats when the problem starts. Upon the second start, everything was smooth without any frames dropping or slowdowns. CS source also benefited from the patch, nothing was slowing it down. So i came to my conclusion to believe that anyone who is upgrading from a singel core to dual core you will have some obsticales to work around so I highly recommend re-formating your pc , and you may only need to install the AMD's dual core Optimizer and everything will be okay, atleast on my rig. Take care and goodluck. :)
 
Thanks for sharing the experiences. I've always found that a good format will help when moving to dual core, but others say they can get by without it. I always ran into problems.
 
I think some of the biggest problems people have upgrading from Single Core to Dual Core, is getting Windows to update the HAL correctly. It's imperative that in Device Manager the system is now reading MultiProcessor ACPI System. If don't see that, Windows is not seeing your system correctly.

In addition, it needs to be running the correct multiprocessor kernels as well. So to really verify that Windows is now working in muliprocessor mode go into \Windows\System32, and check the properties of these files, and check the Original Filename of them (on the 2nd tab IIRC)

ntoskrnl.exe - Should have ntkrnlmp.exe as the original filename
ntkrnlpa.exe Should have ntkrpamp.exe as the original filename
hal.dll - Should have halmacpi.dll as the original filename

If you don't have it like this, You'll need to extract these 3 files ntkrnlmp.exe, ntkrpamp.exe, halmacpi.dll, from sp2.cab, rename them to ntoskrnl.exe, ntkrnlpa.exe, and hal.dll respectively, then copy them into system32. Should be able to do that in safe mode, but if not, bootdisks are your friend.

You might not have to do anything. I went from a 3500+ to a 4400+, and all I did was flash my bios to the latest, turn off power saving features, uninstall the AMD Cpu driver, pop in the new proc, and fire it up. Windows detected the CPU correctly, and installed the correct HAL and kernels. I installed the AMD CPU driver for the X2, and the Dual Core Optimizer, and everything seems to be ok thus far. This is a recent upgrade for me though, and I'm having it stress test the CPU right now, before I start messing with games, but so far so good. This is on my MSI K8N Neo2 (NF3 Ultra) board, so I'm getting some mileage out of it.

Hope that this helps some that might be having some problems with their upgrades. I'll report back on games once I have the chance to see what happens.
 
OK, I've been going crazy trying to get rid of the jitters in CSS. Here's what I've done.

I pulled out my 4000 sandy that had been a sweet chip, just wanted dual core. I installed the 170 with no issues, re-booted, chip got recognized, and I had no issues. Spent the next couple days Overclocking, and testing for stability. Installed CSS, and one of the patches, but never really noticed any issues before or after during that time. I decided to do a fresh install, and re-implement raid-0 with the raptors. After install, While waiting for steam to update, I found this site, and proceded through steps 1, 2, and 3 without even testing to see if I needed these. I assumed that it was a needed thing and that was that. Ever since then, CSS has a constant jittery lag issue. I've uninstalled, 1, and 2, and set 3 to 0, and re-installed 1, and it was better. But, still not as good as with the single core

I'm just curious, am I wasting my time. This is so frustrating, that I'm debating on going back to the 4000 @ 2.8, But that would be such a huge dissapointment for me, as I've wanted this chip (170 @ 2.8) for about a year now.

Any advise is appreciated.
Thanks.
-dunc4n
 
OK, I've been going crazy trying to get rid of the jitters in CSS. Here's what I've done.

I pulled out my 4000 sandy that had been a sweet chip, just wanted dual core. I installed the 170 with no issues, re-booted, chip got recognized, and I had no issues. Spent the next couple days Overclocking, and testing for stability. Installed CSS, and one of the patches, but never really noticed any issues before or after during that time. I decided to do a fresh install, and re-implement raid-0 with the raptors. After install, While waiting for steam to update, I found this site, and proceded through steps 1, 2, and 3 without even testing to see if I needed these. I assumed that it was a needed thing and that was that. Ever since then, CSS has a constant jittery lag issue. I've uninstalled, 1, and 2, and set 3 to 0, and re-installed 1, and it was better. But, still not as good as with the single core

I'm just curious, am I wasting my time. This is so frustrating, that I'm debating on going back to the 4000 @ 2.8, But that would be such a huge dissapointment for me, as I've wanted this chip (170 @ 2.8) for about a year now.

Any advise is appreciated.
Thanks.
-dunc4n

What is your PSU??
 
PSU now in sig.

Well I don't have much time right now to test, but I uninstalled the Optimizer, and re-installed Opteron Driver, and MS patch, and initial tests seemed better.

Thanks for the reply, and we will see...:rolleyes:

**Edit
Question, for the A8N people like yourself. What patches/fixes are you using?

Thanks
 
PSU now in sig.

Well I don't have much time right now to test, but I uninstalled the Optimizer, and re-installed Opteron Driver, and MS patch, and initial tests seemed better.

Thanks for the reply, and we will see...:rolleyes:

**Edit
Question, for the A8N people like yourself. What patches/fixes are you using?

Thanks

ok you power is good

I have all pacth install without the amd dual core fix because lower my perfomance, maybe you need search any tweak of CSS for dual core, For example on Rfactor I need put in the shothcut "C:\Archivos de programa\rFactor\rFactor.exe" +fullproc this option for run with dual core.
 
No hablo español :) jk

Well, I removed the ms hotfix, so now I'm just running the amd driver. Seems even better. Weird.

I'm not sure what Rfactor is, I'm assuming its a game.

When you say "I have all pacth install without the amd dual core fix because lower my perfomance"

I would take that to mean you have the optimizer, and the driver installed, but not the hot fix?

Thanks.
 
No hablo español :) jk

Well, I removed the ms hotfix, so now I'm just running the amd driver. Seems even better. Weird.

I'm not sure what Rfactor is, I'm assuming its a game.

When you say "I have all pacth install without the amd dual core fix because lower my perfomance"

I would take that to mean you have the optimizer, and the driver installed, but not the hot fix?

Thanks.

I have all drivers and fix, only dont have the dual core optimizer by AMD. because when I install lower my perfomance, and yes the Rfactor is the best game for drivers cars www.rfactor.net
 
pretty sure I'm only using the dual core opt driver and that 896256 hotfix. no problems here.
 
Anyone have any problems running FEAR v1.0 Director's Edition DVD?

It seems that this version of FEAR only seems to be using one CPU (I watch the Task Manager's CPU Usage on my other screen while I'm gaming on my main monitor) and it is very choppy. It will run very fast for a few seconds and then completely freeze for 3 or 4 and then start again really slow, speed up and then repeat the whole cycle again.

Anyone know if a new version of FEAR is out to take care of this problem or do I need the optimizer or something?

Thanks in advance!
 
Anyone have any problems running FEAR v1.0 Director's Edition DVD?

It seems that this version of FEAR only seems to be using one CPU (I watch the Task Manager's CPU Usage on my other screen while I'm gaming on my main monitor) and it is very choppy. It will run very fast for a few seconds and then completely freeze for 3 or 4 and then start again really slow, speed up and then repeat the whole cycle again.

Anyone know if a new version of FEAR is out to take care of this problem or do I need the optimizer or something?

Thanks in advance!
your bios version of mobo is old try the last 1302

you very same pc, i dont have problem
 
Anyone have any problems running FEAR v1.0 Director's Edition DVD?

It seems that this version of FEAR only seems to be using one CPU (I watch the Task Manager's CPU Usage on my other screen while I'm gaming on my main monitor) and it is very choppy. It will run very fast for a few seconds and then completely freeze for 3 or 4 and then start again really slow, speed up and then repeat the whole cycle again.

Anyone know if a new version of FEAR is out to take care of this problem or do I need the optimizer or something?

Thanks in advance!

typical benny hill factor, if you dont have any luck using the dualcore hotfix or amd dualcore driver, then either set affinity manually or use procaff and set your game shortcut so that the game will only run on one cpu thus stopping the benny hill effect of speeding up and slowing down and stuttering.

As for someone having exact same setup and not getting that problem, I had a amd 4400 before this 4800 and it was in the same exact pc, the 4400 needed everything set to run on one core, it was bad, whilst this 4800 doesnt need practically anything set, so I had a shit 4400 that needed affinity for everything and the 48 i am using now I maybe use affinity/procaff for 1 or 2 games and thats about it. I guess some cpu's are better than others ?
 
typical benny hill factor, if you dont have any luck using the dualcore hotfix or amd dualcore driver, then either set affinity manually or use procaff and set your game shortcut so that the game will only run on one cpu thus stopping the benny hill effect of speeding up and slowing down and stuttering.

As for someone having exact same setup and not getting that problem, I had a amd 4400 before this 4800 and it was in the same exact pc, the 4400 needed everything set to run on one core, it was bad, whilst this 4800 doesnt need practically anything set, so I had a shit 4400 that needed affinity for everything and the 48 i am using now I maybe use affinity/procaff for 1 or 2 games and thats about it. I guess some cpu's are better than others ?

I have not used either the dualcore hotfix (unless I automatically get that through Windows update?) or the amd dualcore driver yet because I have had no problems with any games so far. If I do install these things, is it easy to "uninstall" them if they mess my other games up?

Also, has anyone had any experience with newer versions of the game? I'm curious if they fixed some of the dual core issues with patches for the game?
 
has anyone a fix for the dual core on lineage 2 now, now that it messes up with any Creative product ??
 
got the latest and the greatest. L2 has always had problems with minor things. Theres always been a way around it though.

Since C5, everyone has had problems with launching their game, with a creative card in their pc, and of course the dual core problem still exists... it seems NCsoft does not attempt to rid of problems. Seems they only attempt to create more :)...
 
I just upgraded from an amd 64 3400+, the old kind 135 nu running on a slow 800mhz transport bus to an FX60. I first ran the amd processor driver. then the latest microsoft hotfix, and finally the AMD dual core optimizer. I added the /pmstimer command to boot.ini as well

Running Elder scrolls iV oblivion is making me nuts. Its so choppy it makes me sick.. On the old technology 3400+ I had it running 100% faster. Everything was smooth with HDR 1024x768, high shadows , high water reflection.. Everything was on the highest setting Looked beautiful. Any Ideas why its running like such shit now?
 
I just upgraded from an amd 64 3400+, the old kind 135 nu running on a slow 800mhz transport bus to an FX60. I first ran the amd processor driver. then the latest microsoft hotfix, and finally the AMD dual core optimizer. I added the /pmstimer command to boot.ini as well

Running Elder scrolls iV oblivion is making me nuts. Its so choppy it makes me sick.. On the old technology 3400+ I had it running 100% faster. Everything was smooth with HDR 1024x768, high shadows , high water reflection.. Everything was on the highest setting Looked beautiful. Any Ideas why its running like such shit now?

I would reinstall the game if possible.
 
So, now with Vista out for 2 days, how is the gaming on dual core athlons?

Do we still need any of the fixes listed here? Anybody still have teh jittering/stuttering problems?
 
I looked in add/remove programs to see if I could disbale the WindowsXP-KB896256-v4-x86-ENU hotfix..
but its not showing up there!! Could this be the problem, that the update isn't installing?
 
I looked in add/remove programs to see if I could disbale the WindowsXP-KB896256-v4-x86-ENU hotfix..
but its not showing up there!! Could this be the problem, that the update isn't installing?

You enable it disable it this way:

Originally Posted by Microsoft.com
1. Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK.
2. Right-click HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Curr entControlSet\Control\Session Manager, point to New, and then click Key.
3. Type Throttle for the new key name.
4. Right-click Throttle, point to New, and then click DWORD Value.
5. Type PerfEnablePackageIdle for the value name.
6. Right-click PerfEnablePackageIdle, and then click Modify.
7. In the Value data box, type 0. Make sure that Hexadecimal is selected in the Edit DWORD Value dialog box, and then click OK.
Note You can type 1 in the Value data box to enable the new performance state policy behavior.
8. Quit Registry Editor.
 
Ill try that straigt away! :)

EDIT

Hmmm ... the key was already there... I dont remember adding it. Is that normal?
 
I took the advice from this thread, removed the /usepmtimer, modified the registry enty for the MS hotfix and turned that off. now oblivion seems to be alot smoother, and faster!
 
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