NT Kernel & System CPU usage...

CheshireCat

CheshireCat

New Member
My system:
Dell XPS 1640, Intel Core 2 Duo T9800 (2.93GHz/1066Mhz FSB/6m L2 Cache)
4GB DDR3 RAM, 1067MHz
ATI Mobility Radeon HD4670 1GB video (aka m96xt?)
Windows Vista Home Premium SP1, 64-bit

I'm having an issue with my CPU usage that I just can't figure out. If I try to play a game (most recently Farcry 2), it starts out fine, but then quickly slows down and becomes choppy.

After closing the game I check task manager and resource monitor to find "NT Kernel & System" using up 50-60% of my CPU and it will stay that way until I restart the computer.

If I don't start a game, the "NT Kernel & System" will sit at 8-10% CPU usage all day long. My total CPU usage will only have spikes as high as 25%, but usually sits around 10-14%

Also, if I grab task manager (or any window) and shake it around the screen really fast, the CPU usage will jump up to about 60%. Seems like an awful lot of resources just to move a window around the screen.

Now to me (which isn't saying much) this sounds like a video driver conflict, but I've been round and round with Dell and they insist that the driver on their website is for my card. When I first got my laptop their website only showed drivers for the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3670 card. After I complained a bunch it now says it's also for the 4670 card, even though nothing has changed.

I would definitely appreciate any input any of you might have.
 
Sounds like time for a reinstall. I would recommend reinstalling your O/S, loading all the programs you frequently use, installing all your drivers. And then do a complete backup. Once you do that, you can format your hard drive, reinstall windows and then restore all the stuff you backed up to make life easier. I would recommend you to do this once every 6 months.
Of course, back up all your important files and data seperately.

Before you do any of that, update you Vista to SP2 with all recommended updates. See if that fixes anything.
 
linkin93 said:
Sounds like time for a reinstall. I would recommend reinstalling your O/S, loading all the programs you frequently use, installing all your drivers. And then do a complete backup. Once you do that, you can format your hard drive, reinstall windows and then restore all the stuff you backed up to make life easier. I would recommend you to do this once every 6 months.
Of course, back up all your important files and data seperately.

Before you do any of that, update you Vista to SP2 with all recommended updates. See if that fixes anything.
Click to expand...

I've already reinstalled twice and I haven't even owned this computer 2 months yet.
 
Run those built in Vista diagnostic tools like stability monitor and stuff, what do they tell you?
 
CheshireCat said:
Sorry, I'm new to Vista. Where are they?
Click to expand...

That is OK, Vista didn't make it very intuitive you have to dig through tons of sub menus to get there. Go to start, control panels, performance information and tools, advanced tools (which is a link on the left) and you can hit up all the diagnostic software from there.

Reliability and performance monitor should graph your system by when it started going unstable.
 
tlarkin said:
That is OK, Vista didn't make it very intuitive you have to dig through tons of sub menus to get there. Go to start, control panels, performance information and tools, advanced tools (which is a link on the left) and you can hit up all the diagnostic software from there.

Reliability and performance monitor should graph your system by when it started going unstable.
Click to expand...

It starts going unstable at some point while I'm playing the game. The graph shows 100% usage being continuously sustained. The two things using it up are "NT Kernel & System" and the game itself.

It didn't always do this. I used to be able to play Farcry 2 without it ever going getting choppy (unlike GTA4). Now I can only play it for about 30 minutes max.

It's possible that it's a heat issue I guess. My temp monitor shows both cores around 70-80 degrees immediately after I close the game. I'm using an iXoft cooling pad now, but I've got a Rosewill cooler with fans on the way. I'll see if that changes anything.
 
tlarkin said:
Vista didn't make it very intuitive you have to dig through tons of sub menus to get there.
Click to expand...

This is what bothers me about the "Vista Haters" club. People spreading false information about Vista.

Vista made it BETTER than intuitive. All you need to know is how to type a word.

Click Start, and start typing "performance".

Vista found the Performance Information and Tools link before I had 3 letters typed.

Btw,
The Performance Information and Tools is the same as Right Click on My Computer, Left Click Properties, Left Click Windows Experience Index.
 
Bodaggit23 said:
This is what bothers me about the "Vista Haters" club. People spreading false information about Vista.

Vista made it BETTER than intuitive. All you need to know is how to type a word.

Click Start, and start typing "performance".

Vista found the Performance Information and Tools link before I had 3 letters typed.

Btw,
The Performance Information and Tools is the same as Right Click on My Computer, Left Click Properties, Left Click Windows Experience Index.
Click to expand...

I have had vista seraches fail many times. Vista fails to find putty.exe on my computer almost every time I search for it.
 
Bodaggit23 said:
This is what bothers me about the "Vista Haters" club. People spreading false information about Vista.

Vista made it BETTER than intuitive. All you need to know is how to type a word.

Click Start, and start typing "performance".

Vista found the Performance Information and Tools link before I had 3 letters typed.

Btw,
The Performance Information and Tools is the same as Right Click on My Computer, Left Click Properties, Left Click Windows Experience Index.
Click to expand...

Thanks, but can we keep this thread about the trouble I'm having before we turn it into an opinions discussion about Vista? Thanks for the info on how to get to the performance monitor, though.

So far I'm not convinced that the trouble I'm having is related specifically to the operating system, OTHER than the fact that "NT Kernel & System" is the process taking up most of the CPU resources after I start running a game. I still think the problem is related to the video driver, but until I can convince Dell of that and get them to create a new driver for my video card, I have to search every other possible solution.
 
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