100% cpu usage when scrolling through videos (1 Viewer)

[roncore]

Any version
Any theme
XP sp3, XP Media Center, Vista Ultimate
AMD XP 3000+ (2.1ghz)
2 x WD 250gb IDE 7200
2.5gb P2100
A7n8X-E deluxe Nforce chipset mobo
Nvidia PCI FX5500 (256mb)
Nforce Chipset


I've had this problem (there is a previous thread about it) for months now. Since I started using this hardware I've had this issue.

When browsing videos (doesn't matter if it is 30 or 300) and moving down to the next page of videos, I get stutter in the GUI and the cpu usage jumps to 90-100%, usually freeing up a little after the next page of movies scrolls up. I've tried everything I can think of and cannot figure this out. I've tried DB vs Share. All movies are on a local drive. I've disabled plugins to no avail, tried old version to new svn builds. I've resized images, turned off animations, changed themes, etc. Always the same thing. I tried this on XP media center, Vista ultimate, and XP w/sp3 (what I'm on now).

Windows Media Centera, XMBC, Meedio, everything else works great, fluid transitions, except Mediaportal. This being a problem because I am most adapt to Mediaportal, and think it is superior in all aspects. Please help!

I can provide video if needed.

 

[Paranoid Delusion]

Have you carried over any databases when you have swapped OS's, did you format prior to install, as old corrupt files will remain (except Vista clean install).

Wondering if its the nvidia pci card as nowhere near as good as agp, you may be able to tweak the pci settings in the Bios for this to a degree, but it will never come close to 4x or 8x on agp.

http://www.tweakguides.com/NVFORCE_2.html

May help, also using older drivers 89\94 series may be better for your card.

Regards

 

[roncore]

I've thought about the PCI, but I don't think that is the problem, but I will most def look into it for sure tonight. Clean format each time, actually two different drives for one build. No DB's carrying over. I never even used the DB's prior to this on my old machine with similiar specs and never had a problem. The pci card is only around 6 months old actually, plays WoW like a champ. I will also check the drivers, but seeing how I've used vista and xp, plus the standard vga driver and get the same result, it really puzzles me. I'll see if I can swap it out for a agp card for temp test. Thanks so much for the response.

Once question. How is gui being rendered in Mediaportal, vs Media Center, Meedio, XMBC, etc? Does it use a different engine?

 

[Paranoid Delusion]

Mediaportal uses DX9, MCE, Meedio, GB-PVR and most of the rest use overlay, so the chances are if MCE runs fine, then its DX9 related to MP thats the issue.

What if you set your card to not use hardware acceleration.

 

[roncore]

I'm thinking I've tried not using it, but then again I haven't messed around in a month or so. I'll do that first off when I get home and report back. So, it def seems to be related to DX9, which most def is video card related I would think.

 

[Paranoid Delusion]

Make sure that the card is allowed to use the full 256mb of memory (again Bios), not just a auto setting, only a afterthought i had.

 

[SciDoctor]

I think the problem is down to pci bus bandwidth and latanecy . (NOT AGP ,NOT pci-e)

From my own testing with an AIW9000pci and the excellent HD2400pci the 32 bit pci bus has some severe limitations when data throughput is busy.

Moving these cards onto a 64bit pci-x bus and these limitations were not present, i don't think either card was fully 64 bit compliant but the extra bandwidth availble on the pci-x bus allowed them to reach closer to their theoretical maximum more so tan the restrictive 32 bit bus.

The 32 bit pci bus is so busy and shared with many other devices, this is where latency settings can make or break bandwidth hungry devices.

Drivers can implicitly set higher latency (ie the time on the bus is increased for that device) or you can use an app called 'pci latency' to change settings for all devices.

LAN drivers can set their latency too high and Creative drivers are notorious for ridiculous latency (to make up for their cr-ap drives I think)

So raising latency for your pci GPU and lowering others can help give data time on the bus to complete transactions .

Obviously this can only help to a certain amount as the DRIVERS for your NV card may not be that good.

The pci HD 2400 allows full VISTA aero and gives excellent smooth MP operation at 50FPS sync from my testing.

 

[roncore]

Ok, with that being said, all I have spare to test with is a non DX9 64mb agp 8x card. Would you suggest that it still might respond better than the pci I have?

 

[Paranoid Delusion]

all I have spare to test with is a non DX9 64mb agp 8x card

really will struggle to work with the 64mb, we have found even some in theory, crappy non DX9 graphics adaptors have worked when set to 256mb, so this seems pretty critical.

 

[roncore]

I tired disabling hardware accelleration, and Mediaportal would not even run.... Hilarious thing is..I have 4 video cards here laying around and for some strange reason they are all PCI. WTF?

I'm scared to go and pick up agp card tomorrow when I get paid and that not work either...