Xvid encoding going extremely slow..

[daking]

First off I have these specs:

Pentium 2.4 Ghz, 1 GB DDR 333 Ram, ATI Radeon 9800, Windows XP SP2

All of a sudden when I try to encode ripped DVD's to Xvid it goes very very slow. Usually it would take maybe 7-8 hours. Now I leave my computer on and even after 16+hrs it hasn't done half. I am using #1 Dvd Ripper and the Xvid codec. I have uninstalled and reinstalled both, reset all the settings to the ones I used, still the same. I have no idea why this is happening, it now drops down to 7fps etc when before it was going at 24fps. The only thing I can think of is it is getting very hot here and my cpu goes up to 60c sometimes. Would the cpu slow down itself during encoding if it is getting hot? I can't think of anything else...

[SCDVD]

You may have another process running. One possibility is some sort of malware. Do a CTRL-ALT-DEL (Once) and check to see if any other processes are running.

[redwudz]

Most CPUs will slow down if the get too hot. 60C shouldn't be too bad, though, but it's getting up there.

You should be able to check the speed your CPU is running at a 60C to see if it's slowing down.

But I would more likely suspect background processes, like SCDVD mentioned. Check your Task Manager while you encode and it may give you an idea what's running. Your CPU should be at 100% during an encode, so any other processes can slow things down.

[celtic_druid]

Ctrl+Shift+Esc will bring up task manager directly. I would also try something other than #1 DVD Ripper. Plenty of free apps for converting DVD's to Xvid.

[daking]

I check for spyware regularly. I have only 20 processes running when encoding. I don't know what it is. What is a good freeware encoder for doing two-pass xvid? Something that is easy to use, because #1 DVD ripper is very easy.

[redwudz]

I find FairUse Wizard one of the easiest. There's a freeware version on the FUW toolpage. But there is also AutoGK, avi.NET or just VirtualDub Mod and the Xvid codec, though it's not as easy to set up as it involves more steps.

[SCDVD]

I check for spyware regularly. I have only 20 processes running when encoding. I don't know what it is. What is a good freeware encoder for doing two-pass xvid? Something that is easy to use, because #1 DVD ripper is very easy.

An easy way to find out what these processes are is to use Google to search for each one. Just write down the name and enter it in Google exactly as it appears. You can find a description that describes what it is as well as what to do about it if it happens to be something that doesn't belong. Be careful to not delete a process unless you specifically know what it is. The names are pretty cryptic and some of them are an important part of Windows.

[daking]

I found out what the problem is. My cpu seems to be getting very hot. I used Asus probe to check my mb temperatures and it is idle at 50c and going up to 68c when i do something cpu intensive. When it gets that high it begins to throttle the cpu causing it to slowdown. I can't find what is causing this, my heatsink fan seems to be spinning and feels cool. I turned off the thermal throttling using a program and my computer shut off after encoding for a few minutes. Someone told me it could be bad thermal paste on the cpu or bad sensors on the motherboard?

[jagabo]

I would go out and buy an aftermarket heatsink and fan. Something like a Zalman or ThermalRight will get you much better cooling than stock coolers.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010110574+50001647&name=Zalman

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010110574+50001444&name=Thermalright

Be sure whatever you get is appropriate for your CPU and will fit in your case. Retail coolers like these usually come with a small packet of thermal transfer paste.

[TBoneit]

It is possible that the thermal paste between the CPU an dthe heatsink has gone bad. I recently did a cleaning and reapplication on a 3 Ghz P4 before I sold the computer on as I had been hearing the fan start to speed up and slow down and I figured after years it was due.

If the thermal compound has gone bad the conduction of heat from the CPU to the heatsink will be impaired thus the processor could be hot and the heatsink still be cool.

We see this as a fairly common problem on older laptops that shut down after running a while. We also see dust buildup blocking airflow.

Last one I saw there was approx 1/8" of dust blanketing the fins on the heatsinks so that the air from the 3 fans was useless. HP desktop replacement. Once it was cleaned so it would stay running a it was a nice running laptop.

Myself if the CPU has been doing the job a good cleaning and new Heatsink compound will probably put you right.

While the Heatsink is off carefully disassemble it and using a brush clean everything including blowing out the dust.

OTOH if you are a smoker or have a smoker in the house there will be crud built up on the fins of the heatsink that can a pain to remove and needs removal as it will block cooling.

[daking]

I took my computer to a shop. They found out the problem was the cpu bracket was broken and bad. They replaced it and also cleaned the fan. Everything seems to be working fine now. It's weird that the cpu bracket would be broken, I don't move my computer or touch anything in it often. They said it might be due to overheating. Thanks for the help anyways.

[TBoneit]

I've actually seen that a couple of times in a Dell where the square plastic bracket that holds the CPU heatsink down had one or more broken clip holes.

The last one the daughter was working away and there was a load noise that another family member heard too. The computer shut down and would net run long enough to get to windows. Easy fix, $25 for parts and labor + sales tax and done. Of course if they were not a regular customer we would have charged more. We gave them a break.

Edit: It was a dell so we didn't even have to pull the motherboard, just the four screws holding the bracket. and swap, new thermal compound and test, done.

Just curious what you paid if I'm not being nosey. I like to keep up with what others are charging.