VideoHelp Forum
+ Reply to Thread
Results 1 to 8 of 8
Thread
  1. I have been using an Athlon 1.2GHz 256MB memory + 30GB HDD for OS (Windows 2000) , 120GB HDD for video data.
    I have a new system (Pentium 4, 2.8GHz, HT tech., Windows XP Home Ed.)
    When I rip DVD or do video conversion, the first system appears to run very smooth, I can do other things with fast response time.
    However the new system, seems to run slower (conversion time is lower), I try to do other things and the response time is awfully slow. Clicking the mouse , I have to wait a 3 to 6 seconds to get the system to respond !!!
    I suspect WinXP Home Edition is not quite to par with Windows 2000.
    ktnwin - PATIENCE
    Quote Quote  
  2. WinXP Home or otherwise basically is Windows 2000 with some GUI improvements so I don't think your problem lies there.

    Possibilities:
    Are you sure your HDD and DVD drives are using DMA on your new machine?

    Also, if you had a separate HDD for video data on the old machine, that makes a big difference (though your new machine still shouldn't be that slow).

    Regards.
    Michael Tam
    w: Morsels of Evidence
    Quote Quote  
  3. Member Soopafresh's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    United States
    Search Comp PM
    How much RAM in the new system ? Anything less than 512MB for XP is not enough.
    Quote Quote  
  4. Member normcar's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2003
    Location
    USA - IL
    Search Comp PM
    Here is how to set DMA, and I would also recommend you do the memory check.
    http://www.mrbass.org/dvdnewbie/

    I too have a 2.8 in one of my computers, and is is more than enough for converting video. You might check your system settings to ensure that you do not have the HD idle time powerdown to something like a minute. Also check the temp to ensure that your system is not throttling back on the CPU usage. This throttle may be as much as 50%. The CPU will heat up during conversions, as conversions are very CPU intensive.

    To shorten conversion times, you should convert from 1 HD to another HD if possible, this is the fastest way to shorten conversion time without adding equipment.
    Some days it seems as if all I'm doing is rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic
    Quote Quote  
  5. Thanks for all efforts to help.

    Here are details of my new system.,

    Dell 4700, WinXP Home edition, 2.8GHz with hyperthread technology, 512MB DDR RAM, 40GB SATA HDD, I just added a NEC DVD writer (DVD+/- R/RW) IDE insterface, wireless Internet connection (11Kbs, not 54Kbs).

    I have a 120GB ATA HDD (for video data) to it but the cable is not long enough to share between the DVD writer and the HDD, I probably have to get another SATA drive.

    The old system has:
    home built, Windows 2000, 1.2 GHz Athlon, 512 MB PC-133 memory, 40GB primary HDD for OS and applications, 250MB HDD on the secondary IDE for video data,very old graphic adapter and audio card, no Internet connection at all.

    Have not tried any video encoding on the new machine yet (expect to be 2x faster at least). But tried to transcode a DVD (DVD2ONE) and found that the new system is a bit slower than the old one !!!

    If I tried to play Freecell game for example while the transcoding is in progress, the new system responds a lot slower than the old system.

    That's weird.
    ktnwin - PATIENCE
    Quote Quote  
  6. Member normcar's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2003
    Location
    USA - IL
    Search Comp PM
    It is best to not share the cable unless necessary, use a seperate IDE cable for the 2 drives. Almost every motherboard has 2 IDE controllers.

    2 Questions. Did you ensure that DMA is set correctly for the IDE controllers? Did you encode from 1 disk to the other? I would also use the following utility to check your CPU temp while you are encoding. Download SpeedFan 4.23 at ZDNET.com.

    Also run Adaware to ensure that ad programs are not slowing your computer down. These programs can rob your computer of resources.
    Some days it seems as if all I'm doing is rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic
    Quote Quote  
  7. My Dell PC has only one IDE controller and two separate SATA connectors, one of them already used by the system drive. This is currently the ONLY HDD in this system.

    SATA is not an IDE interface so I assume that WinXP automatically set it up properly (it's is fast), actually Dell preconfigure the system this way.

    The DVD writer is connected to the only IDE connector in the system. And it is locate far enough from the slot for the second IDE drive, I have no way to connect an IDE HDD and DVD writer on the same IDE cable.

    This is why I plan to get a second SATA HDD (120GB) to store video files.

    I can certainly add another IDE controller in order to use my existing 120GB IDE HDD drive instead. But this will create a mess of cable inside the system. SATA cable is pretty small (about the size of the network cable diameter wise).

    I forgot to mention that I have an USB-2 HDD drive connected externally via USB-2 port !!!

    For the one who think I am crazy , I have all sort of HDDs , IDE, USB-2, SATA available to me.
    ktnwin - PATIENCE
    Quote Quote  
  8. Member normcar's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2003
    Location
    USA - IL
    Search Comp PM
    I would suggest buying the round IDE cables, which help in reducing cable clutter. However, have you checked your CPU temp? You may need a new cooler because video encoding is very CPU intensive, and the CPU will heat up very quickly. Always remember, Dell will always use low cheap parts, so for intensive applications like gaming or video encoding, you may need to replace/add parts like CPU coolers, system fans, controllers, etc.
    Some days it seems as if all I'm doing is rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic
    Quote Quote  



Similar Threads

Visit our sponsor! Try DVDFab and backup Blu-rays!