New PC --- avoiding the DPC Latency nightmare?

[Thad E Ginathom]

We go out and buy some expensive audio interface, only to discover that that it is unlistenable to because of stuttering noises. We find that this coincides with high levels of DPC Latency on the PC. The internet tells us that we are very far from the only people to be sufferring; people are buying this stuff for their PCs and finding that, basically, it doesn't work. Nightmare.

Having had increasing problems with a quite-expensive PCI sound card (it worked fine on a much-lower-spec AMD machine five years ago), I invested in an Echo Audiofire2 Firewire interface. The bad news is that it is more sensitive to dpc latency than my poor old card, and that my system has absolute oogles and oddles of dpc latency, with the dpclat tool showing solid red screens, and maximum readings of thousands of u-secs.

I've mentioned before, on another thread, my intention to buy a new motherboard. I was hoping to keep my Intel Core 2 processor and 2Gb DDR2 memory --- but now I'm tearing my hair out. Never mind if I have to throw that all away, I just want a PC that I can listen to my music, and one that is going to be free of those red DPC latency spikes. Actually, I don't have spikes, I wish I did! I have constant high DPC latency.

current board is ga-945gcm-s2l. It is sitting in a Compaq cabinet (the Compaq board died) and I'd like to keep that. I don't need anything awesome on the video side. I do need the internet while I'm listening!

Somebody has to know a motherboard/chip combination that just works... Please?

I'm desperate!

 

[marsilians]

I am not sure about your specific MB model. But i have an older one (1.5 yrs old) and had major latency issues. 2 things that I had to do at the time,

1. I had to reflash the bios as I suspect it was not updated properly first time and
2. Updated to the F2 version that solved the issue for me.

Tom's hardware and Anandtech have lots of info on this issue with the Gigabyte boards.

 

[gobble]

We go out and buy some expensive audio interface, only to discover that that it is unlistenable to because of stuttering noises. We find that this coincides with high levels of DPC Latency on the PC. The internet tells us that we are very far from the only people to be sufferring; people are buying this stuff for their PCs and finding that, basically, it doesn't work. Nightmare.

Having had increasing problems with a quite-expensive PCI sound card (it worked fine on a much-lower-spec AMD machine five years ago), I invested in an Echo Audiofire2 Firewire interface. The bad news is that it is more sensitive to dpc latency than my poor old card, and that my system has absolute oogles and oddles of dpc latency, with the dpclat tool showing solid red screens, and maximum readings of thousands of u-secs.

I've mentioned before, on another thread, my intention to buy a new motherboard. I was hoping to keep my Intel Core 2 processor and 2Gb DDR2 memory --- but now I'm tearing my hair out. Never mind if I have to throw that all away, I just want a PC that I can listen to my music, and one that is going to be free of those red DPC latency spikes. Actually, I don't have spikes, I wish I did! I have constant high DPC latency.

current board is ga-945gcm-s2l. It is sitting in a Compaq cabinet (the Compaq board died) and I'd like to keep that. I don't need anything awesome on the video side. I do need the internet while I'm listening!

Somebody has to know a motherboard/chip combination that just works... Please?

I'm desperate!

I recall reading that audiophiles seem to prefer mobos with Texas instrument Firewire chips on them. Just googled again and got this

Is A Texas Instruments FireWire Controller Vital For Your Audio PC?

Hopefully this might help you choose a new mobo.

Edit: (removed useless recommendation) My AMD comes with a TI ... thats all I know.

Regards

 

[suri]

hi Thad,

you ought to find a solution at/during the 2nd Chennai hifivi meet on 27th!

regds

 

[kapvin]

We go out and buy some expensive audio interface, only to discover that that it is unlistenable to because of stuttering noises. We find that this coincides with high levels of DPC Latency on the PC. The internet tells us that we are very far from the only people to be sufferring; people are buying this stuff for their PCs and finding that, basically, it doesn't work. Nightmare.

Having had increasing problems with a quite-expensive PCI sound card (it worked fine on a much-lower-spec AMD machine five years ago), I invested in an Echo Audiofire2 Firewire interface. The bad news is that it is more sensitive to dpc latency than my poor old card, and that my system has absolute oogles and oddles of dpc latency, with the dpclat tool showing solid red screens, and maximum readings of thousands of u-secs.

I've mentioned before, on another thread, my intention to buy a new motherboard. I was hoping to keep my Intel Core 2 processor and 2Gb DDR2 memory --- but now I'm tearing my hair out. Never mind if I have to throw that all away, I just want a PC that I can listen to my music, and one that is going to be free of those red DPC latency spikes. Actually, I don't have spikes, I wish I did! I have constant high DPC latency.

current board is ga-945gcm-s2l. It is sitting in a Compaq cabinet (the Compaq board died) and I'd like to keep that. I don't need anything awesome on the video side. I do need the internet while I'm listening!

Somebody has to know a motherboard/chip combination that just works... Please?

I'm desperate!

Asus p5b, C2q 9550s 2 x 2GB 800DDR running at 667mhz - average latency 160-180; absolute max in a 4 minute period - 894 microsec

if you think it's useful for you I can run it on my HTPCs which are more budget machines G31/G43 / E5200 over the weekend and post.

Edit:: I'm using Windows 7. can also do a xp boot & check!

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

How shall I do that? As an export file from MS System Information?

Thanks to others for responses so far. Last time I looked there was not much in BIOS updates for this board, and I think I have already updated to the latest.

Gobble; thanks especially for that link: it looks like an interesting site.

 

[kapvin]

could be a rogue driver, if you have a spare hdd lying around, you could try a clean install, check latency before installing any "branded drivers" and keep on installing new drivers and checking till you hit your speedbump.

have you done any bios tweaks by any chance? what about PCI latency settings in your bios?

 

[marsilians]

How shall I do that? As an export file from MS System Information?

1. Start -> Run
2. type "msinfo32"
3. In the resulting info file, do File -> Export

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

Thanks... I sort-of knew about system info, but had never really looked at it before <Blush>.

<later>

... Even Zipped, it comes to 286K, so exceeds the 100K forum limit. If there is any free file splitter you guys favour I'd be happy to use it.

 

[spirovious]

Just checked- 418kb ,zipped 32.4 (best), 36.3(normal)

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

Goodness... mine is 6Mb uncompressed. How come my PC has so much info?

I'll take another look ...

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

Thanks, guys... got to go out: back later

<later>

OK... the Export txt file is huge, but the Save sysinfo file is manageable. For now, here it is, and I'll check out uploading the txt file to another site later tonight.

 

[thevortex]

Thad - why not try an AMD Athlon processor with a 780G or 785G motherboard? It will work out nice and it will work out cheap as well

 

[spirovious]

Yes,Size is only 52kb & reported was 286kb?

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

... for some reason, the text file is the big one!

Here it is, zipped -->http://www.sendspace.com/file/6tuopx

Thad - why not try an AMD Athlon processor with a 780G or 785G motherboard? It will work out nice and it will work out cheap as well

Just the sort of recommendation I need Thanks

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

Many thanks for your time taking a look at all that; it is appreciated

Most, if not all, of that stuff, I have done, all to no avail. The echo and firewire card (no onboard firewire) is new, and has not changed anything for better or for worse. I have tried disabling the on-board sound in Bios, as well as turning off all kinds of other stuff. I have tried unplugging every USB device except the mouse. I have even tried, just recently, disconnecting every SATA device except the system drive. I have not been able to run the DPCLat tool in either safe mode or when booted from a Bart-PE disc. This is a pity, as that would really tell me the true situation of my board with minimum load.

I am now, from recent observation, fairly sure that the highest latency occurs with disk access. From previous discussion, I believed the culprit to be the pci interupts caused by this. I have not been able to find/load appropriate drivers for this board to run the disks in native SATA mode.

Thanks for the board recommendation. I had been thinking AMD for this time. Gigabyte boards seem to figure the most in DPC latency discussions, so I am put off!

 

[spirovious]

A detailed info here-
DPC Latency Checker

 

[spirovious]

Just checked mine & found it was around 512ms.
I disabled avermedia TV tuner,it dropped to 150ms.
Diabling onbrd SC is not making any further difference.

 

[bottle]

Just tried on my pc with nothing happenning its around 4?s and with audio playback it goes up to 45?s max.

 

[spirovious]

How is that low?
I DL in background while playing music.