Processors
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Process Lagging Unexpectedly (i7-720QM)

idata
Employee
1,722 Views

hey there. so i have a dell studio laptop with a i7-720qm in it. everything seems to be running fine and dandy until a process starts pushing the processor

more specifically skype. when i make a call with a few people or a video call with someone, at first its fine but after awhile skype requires more power (i dont know). so turbo boost kicks in (only to about 2.00-2.15ghz, max is 2.8) and things start getting laggy. in my task manager, it says skype is using around 12-15% cpu and that only about 25% is being used total. but if i go to the Resource Monitor (button in the Performance tab of the task manager) and go to my cpu tab, it says that it is running at about static 110% maximum frequency. after several trials/tests, it seems to lag when the resource monitor says a static max freq. over 100%.

i'm not sure whats going on or why. i dont understand why the cpu cant push more power if it needs it; however it doesnt seem like it needs it if only 25% is being used. oh! also only skype is lagging. in other words, when i'm typing into the chat, the text lags. when people talk, i hear them and then after a second or two their name highlights indicating they're talking. i can go to other processes (web browsing, video editing, etc) and they will be operating normally.

any help would be beneficial!

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9 Replies
Salem_W_Intel1
Employee
724 Views

Hi!

If the problems you report take place only when running Skype*, I'd recommend ensuring you're running the latest update(s) for this software. Also, make sure your system's got the most current BIOS.

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idata
Employee
724 Views

I've also tested it with MSN and it causes the same issue. It's when my "Maximum Frequency" in Resource Monitor hits the top and stays constant when the application starts to lag. And just like Skype, MSN was the only program lagging. I don't understand how the program lags when the maximum frequency is reached; it should theoretically be running fastest then? This happens for video and also audio-only conversations. I'm sure it will happen if I run a cpu-intensive program but can't think of any off the bat.

I will also see if turning off Turboboost fixes the issue.

Please give me feedback if you have any!

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Salem_W_Intel1
Employee
724 Views

If it happens with MSN, I wonder, at this point, if you were able to verify if your system's got the latest BIOS, and if so, what version is that, and what's the model of your system.

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idata
Employee
724 Views

hey there. so i did find that there was a newer version of my bios so i updated it. and when i tried it for the first time, it was remarkably better but eventually got bad. several reboots in between times, the problem still exists. i havent been able to replicate the problem when i'm doing video chat via a web app such as tinychat.com

any other suggestions? :/

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Salem_W_Intel1
Employee
724 Views

Hi!

What version is that BIOS you updated to, and what's the model of your system?

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idata
Employee
724 Views

version 4

Studio Laptop 1458

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Salem_W_Intel1
Employee
724 Views

Hi!

At this point, since your laptop is a Dell*, I'd recommend contacting either your place of purchase or Dell for further assistance.

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idata
Employee
724 Views

look... the past week i had a problem with sim city 4, the game was starting to stuck and get slow i did'nt understand why, i have an core i5-750,Nvidia GTS-250,and Asus P7P55D pro , 2 Gigs RAM, and this game y from 2004 :S so.. there are some coments that this games don't run good on powerful computers so i tried to do this, right click on propieties>compatibility> and set to windos xp SP3 and thats it, the game run perfectly maybe thats your problem too ( i have windows 7 ultimate) , but i have another problem... my prossesor is a core i5-750 that suposes to "turboboost" to 3.2 Ghz but it only turboosts to 2.81 Ghz with the most powerful games :S does anybody knows what's goin' on ??

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idata
Employee
724 Views

Hi,

don't forget, that this processor has 4 cores and 8 threads. How many processors do you see in task manager?

If you see 4 than 25% overall can mean that one task is using 100% of one core. If you see 8 cpus, than 12,5% can mean the same.

You write that skype is using 12-15%, I think it really means that skype uses 100% of one thread.

Just an idea.

Good luck!

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