Running like a slug with Windows 7

[amat]

I remember when I was able to run multiple programs quite easily back when I was running windows XP with 512mb of RAM.... Now, my graphics card alone is 1 GB and my total RAM is 6 GB. I have an enormous hard disk drive with about 800 GB of unused space, and I'm running 64-bit Windows 7. I tend to basically just surf the web, view media (music/movies/photos) and I've recently gotten into some very amateur digital editing. For digital editing I use Microsoft Paint (a very low-memory utility) and I recently bought a cheap video editing software. I use iTunes for my music, I watch movies with Windows Media Player, and I use Google Chrome for surfing the web. The only windows gadget I have open all the time is the CPU meter.

My computer is 1 year old

Comp specs:


AMD Phenom II X4 processor @ 2.90 GHz
64-bit Windows 7
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 1GB video card
6GB total RAM
1TB HDD

As I'm typing this right now my computer is using 3.8 GB of RAM and the only application I have open is my google chrome web browser. And no, I'm not running a bunch of programs in the background.

So my question is: what can I do to have my programs run smoother? Should I reinstall windows? Should I get an entire different operating system? Because I am completely baffled that I can barely surf the web, listen to music and run 1 other program without having something crash. Are computers really getting better or are they getting worse? Like I said, 10 years ago I had 512mb of RAM and I think 160GB of HDD and I think it ran with much less problems than I have now. Can anyone help me out?

EDIT: Other than a nice graphics card and a lot of RAM, are there any other important features I should look for if I were to upgrade, or perhaps buy all new computer that is geared towards video editing? I'm becoming more involved with editing and I fear I won't be able to do much at all if I can barely use my computer for simple programming.

 

[spirit]

Your PC should be fine for video editing.

Run CCleaner and remove any unused registry keys with that, then download Malwarebytes Anti Malware and run a scan with that in Safe Mode to see if you have any infections. If it finds anything remove it. Then I would download Memtest86, burn it to a CD, boot off the CD, and then test your RAM. Spend a whole day testing your RAM - you may have a faulty DIMM that is causing problems. If everything comes out fine then I'd say reinstall Windows if you can.

CCleaner http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware http://download.cnet.com/Malwarebyt...4572.html?part=dl-10804572&subj=dl&tag=button
Memtest86 http://www.memtest86.com/

 

[amat]

Thanks for the reply.

I'm also considering buying an entire new computer in the 3.2 GHz, do you know which kind of processor would be best suited for video editing? For example i3, i5, i7, etc. etc.

I'm sure the obvious answer would be to go with the i7 but I wasn't sure of there's a processor made by a company other than Intel that works better for video editing.

 

[spirit]

o you know which kind of processor would be best suited for video editing? For example i3, i5, i7, etc. etc.

I'm sure the obvious answer would be to go with the i7 but I wasn't sure of there's a processor made by a company other than Intel that works better for video editing.

I use an i5 2500K for video editing on Premiere Pro CS5.5 and it's a fabulous CPU, you can overclock the heck out the 2500K as well, so definitely go for one of those. An i7 2600K is also a good choice and also overclocks well, but it costs more than a 2500K. The 2600K has the advantage of 4 extra threads, so if your video editing applications use more than 4 threads, get the 2600K, if not, get the 2500K. What software do you use to edit video?

 

[Okedokey]

Duplicate post.

Please only post once for each issue mate.

As said previously, for 3D video rendering you need a professional class GPU (Quadro) or if you are simply rendering 2D your CPU and RAM need to be up to shot. In this case I would suggest the LGA 2011 mid-range 6 core CPU, with 32GB of RAM (24GB used for RAM disk).

 

[amat]

I use an i5 2500K for video editing on Premiere Pro CS5.5 and it's a fabulous CPU, you can overclock the heck out the 2500K as well, so definitely go for one of those. An i7 2600K is also a good choice and also overclocks well, but it costs more than a 2500K. The 2600K has the advantage of 4 extra threads, so if your video editing applications use more than 4 threads, get the 2600K, if not, get the 2500K. What software do you use to edit video?

Definitely I would opt for the i7, but I'm not too familiar with AMD's FX series so I wasn't sure if that would be a good choice also.

Right now I'm using a low grade software with not really any upgrades to it but I'm interested in Sony Vegas 11 and I'm also fooling around with Adobe but the Adobe stuff is rather expensive for my budget. I might end up getting SV 11 Platinum and if I excel in it quickly then I'll have the option to go Pro sometime down the road.... but going Pro with Adobe is quite a lot more money than going Pro with Vegas. :/

I'm only doing 2D so I guess I should build a PC that can handle 3D like butter and then the 2D should handle like LIGHTNING.

 

[strollin]

If you're "running like a slug" with the hardware and memory you currently have, there is some kind of a problem. I have run Win 7 on even a 1Ghz P3 with 512M of RAM and it didn't run like a slug.

If you want to build a new machine, that's your prerogative, but your current machine is plenty capable.

 

[amat]

If you're "running like a slug" with the hardware and memory you currently have, there is some kind of a problem. I have run Win 7 on even a 1Ghz P3 with 512M of RAM and it didn't run like a slug.

If you want to build a new machine, that's your prerogative, but your current machine is plenty capable.

Maybe "slug" isn't the right term. I guess it runs more like an escalator that acts like it's carrying a 5 ton elephant but in reality it's only carrying a 75 pound old lady. Sometimes I'm only using iTunes and a web browser (2 old ladies) and it runs fine about 99% of the time, but if I try to use something like a video editing program (a fat old lady) while I have itunes and my web browser minimized (2 skinny old ladies) then that's when I usually run into problems. That's when the escalator is carrying one fat old lady and 2 skinny old ladies but it's acting like it's carrying a dumptruck, and at times the escalator completely breaks down and I have to give up and just restart the machine.

It usually multi-tasks pretty well. I can flip through my files and simple utilities like the calculator and wordpad very smoothly with usually no problems at all, but sometimes I get a crash when I'm using only Microsoft Paint and nothing else..... I don't know why I'm having MS Paint crashing on me when I have 6 GB of RAM (almost always 2-3GB available) with an upgraded graphics card with a computer that runs at 2.90 GHz....... I've been thinking of trying out some Adobe products like Photoshop and Premiere Pro CS5 but there's not even a point if I'm crashing out in MS Paint all the time.... I load HD movies fine and I can even manage computer games like Call of Duty on medium settings with barely any lag.... My escalator carries Call of Duty like it's carrying an old lady's diaper. I'm just confused....

I'm thinking of upgrading to Win7 Professional so that I can run Windows XP Mode and run MS Paint while in XP Mode. I just hope that when I'm using Paint in XP Mode that my computer doesn't run like it's carrying a bulldozer with an SUV stacked on top...

 

[2048Megabytes]

Have you tried doing what was previously suggested?

Ran "CCleaner" and "Malwarebytes" Anti-Malicious Software?

If you have run both of those programs I would run Memtest86+ for at least six hours on your machine to see if you get any errors.

Your present hardware has enough processing power and should be running well.

 

[spirit]

Definitely I would opt for the i7, but I'm not too familiar with AMD's FX series so I wasn't sure if that would be a good choice also.

Right now I'm using a low grade software with not really any upgrades to it but I'm interested in Sony Vegas 11 and I'm also fooling around with Adobe but the Adobe stuff is rather expensive for my budget. I might end up getting SV 11 Platinum and if I excel in it quickly then I'll have the option to go Pro sometime down the road.... but going Pro with Adobe is quite a lot more money than going Pro with Vegas. :/

Nah for Vegas Movie Studio 11 just go for the 2500K. I use Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 10 on the 2500K and it's plenty fast enough, also use Premiere Pro CS5.5 as well. Even Vegas Pro 11 would run well on the 2500K (but probably better on a 2600K), but I wouldn't recommend anything more powerful than a 2500K for Vegas Movie Studio personally. For Pro, probably yes, but for Movie Studio, nope. The 2500K is a fantastic CPU, especially for the price, and it would be more than enough for Vegas Movie Studio. I ran HD Platinum 10 on the previous generation i5 760 before I upgraded to a 2500K and that ran it fine as well.

I've never tried one of the FX CPUs myself but hearing what people have to say about them, I'd probably stay away. People seem to be disappointed with the FX CPUs overall. Shame as the Athlon II and Phenom II line from AMD were great chips.

Your present hardware has enough processing power and should be running well.

Yeah my mate is also running Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 10 on a Phenom II X4 840, 4GB DDR3 RAM, 500GB HDD, HD 5670 and Vista Ultimate 64-bit and it runs just fine for him. Your machine is better than his. For Vegas Movie Studio, your current setup should be absolutely fine, so I'd recommend doing what I said to do in my first reply (CCleaner, Malwarebytes and Memtest) and seeing if any of that helps, if not, reinstall Windows. Do that before you spend a bundle on a new PC. I could be saving you money here.

 

[Okedokey]

...
I'm only doing 2D so I guess I should build a PC that can handle 3D like butter and then the 2D should handle like LIGHTNING.

Incorrect. 3D rendering and 2D rendering use different hardware usually.

If you are using Prem Pro, then the 2600K will spank the 2500K.

Other than that the 2500K is the next best. AMD sucks at the moment so forget them unless you're completely on a budget. If you're requiring 2D rendering then I would recommend the 6 core LGA2011 socket.

 

[spirit]

If you are using Prem Pro, then the 2600K will spank the 2500K.

Other than that the 2500K is the next best.

I'd say for Vegas Pro and Premiere Pro, spend the extra on the 2600K. For Vegas Movie Studio or Premiere Elements, the 2500K is going to be just fine.

 

[amat]

Have you tried doing what was previously suggested?

Ran "CCleaner" and "Malwarebytes" Anti-Malicious Software?

If you have run both of those programs I would run Memtest86+ for at least six hours on your machine to see if you get any errors.

Your present hardware has enough processing power and should be running well.

I ran CCleaner and Malwarebytes and I think that helped a bit because I haven't crashed out on anything since. I'm hoping things continue to run OK, but I'm definitely still worried that I may not be able to run higher quality software if I'm crashing out on the programs that came with my operating system. Nothing's more frustrating than crashing out on an unsaved project and losing all my info. I guess I'll need to get in the habit of saving/backing up if I am to continue to have these problems. Like I said, my computer can run brand new games like Call of Duty like I'm flying a kite but sometimes I crash out on simple programs that were included with my operating system.

 

[amat]

Hypothetically speaking, if wanted to increase the speed of my internal hard drive, would I want to upgrade the cache or the RPM? Right now I have plenty of storage space on a 7200RPM/32MB cache at 3.0GB/s but if I wanted a faster HDD, should I look into changing the RPM or the cache? Or would I want to increase to 6.0GB/s?

 

[2048Megabytes]

Hypothetically speaking, if wanted to increase the speed of my internal hard drive, would I want to upgrade the cache or the RPM? Right now I have plenty of storage space on a 7200RPM/32MB cache at 3.0GB/s but if I wanted a faster HDD, should I look into changing the RPM or the cache? Or would I want to increase to 6.0GB/s?

I would try backing up all your valued data to a separate storage device. After the data backup is complete reinstall your operating system. Do that before buying a new hard drive.

 

[MyCattMaxx]

After you boot up, go to the Task Manager and have a look at what processes are running.
You may have stuff that is set to run at start-up that don't need to be.
Also go to programs and features in the control panel and remove stuff you don't use or need.

 

[Mishkin]

I would try backing up all your valued data to a separate storage device. After the data backup is complete reinstall your operating system. Do that before buying a new hard drive.

I second this. As long as you're backed up, I would do a complete reformat and reinstall no matter what. It should help you with your slug problem.

 

[Perkomate]

Reformat + SSD? Best speed increase IMO