Problem with CPU speed

[mlm]

What an infuriating weekend! :angry: And it all started because I thought I'd treat myself to a computer game (the first in 2 years). I am trying to install The Sims, but it's not working.

Here's what I did, right from the very beginning:
1) Installed the full game with expansion sets. No problems with installation, although it took 1 1/2 hours.

2) Game wouldn't run. It goes through part of the opening sequence, then stops and goes back to the desktop (no error message). My first thought was not enough RAM. So, went out and got 256 MB and put that in. Game still wouldn't run.

4) Uninstalled everything (using the program's uninstall), then reinstalled just the basic game. Still nothing.

5) Checked out the tech support that came with the program, and found that there's a problem with the CPU speed. The program thinks I'm running at a negative speed.

6) I thought maybe it's just a glitch, so I uninstalled using Add/Remove Programs. I disabled my internet connection and shut down my anti-virus. I ran cleanmgr, check disk and defrag, then reinstalled the basic game. Still not running.

This is the full system info report that EA tech support comes up with:

Windows:
Minimum Win 95/98/XP My system Win XP

CPU:
Minimum Pentium II My system Pentium IV (actually I have a Celeron)

CPU speed:
Minimum 233 MHz My system -1908 MHz (supposed to be 2.4 GHz)

Drive space:
Minimum 1400 MB My system 22820 MB

Memory:
Minimum 64 MB My system 375 MB

DirectX version:
Minimum DirectX 7 My system DirectX 8.1

The more I think about it, the more it seems to be a software problem. I'm pretty sure that my computer is not running at a negative speed. Is there a utility to check CPU speed? Does anyone have any idea what might be going on?

[optispares]

What an infuriating weekend! :angry: And it all started because I thought I'd treat myself to a computer game (the first in 2 years). I am trying to install The Sims, but it's not working.

Here's what I did, right from the very beginning:
1) Installed the full game with expansion sets. No problems with installation, although it took 1 1/2 hours.

2) Game wouldn't run. It goes through part of the opening sequence, then stops and goes back to the desktop (no error message). My first thought was not enough RAM. So, went out and got 256 MB and put that in. Game still wouldn't run.

4) Uninstalled everything (using the program's uninstall), then reinstalled just the basic game. Still nothing.

5) Checked out the tech support that came with the program, and found that there's a problem with the CPU speed. The program thinks I'm running at a negative speed.

6) I thought maybe it's just a glitch, so I uninstalled using Add/Remove Programs. I disabled my internet connection and shut down my anti-virus. I ran cleanmgr, check disk and defrag, then reinstalled the basic game. Still not running.

This is the full system info report that EA tech support comes up with:

Windows:
Minimum Win 95/98/XP My system Win XP

CPU:
Minimum Pentium II My system Pentium IV (actually I have a Celeron)

CPU speed:
Minimum 233 MHz My system -1908 MHz (supposed to be 2.4 GHz)

Drive space:
Minimum 1400 MB My system 22820 MB

Memory:
Minimum 64 MB My system 375 MB

DirectX version:
Minimum DirectX 7 My system DirectX 8.1

The more I think about it, the more it seems to be a software problem. I'm pretty sure that my computer is not running at a negative speed. Is there a utility to check CPU speed? Does anyone have any idea what might be going on? i don't think speed is a problem buthttp://www.freedownloadscenter.com/Utilities/System_Analysis_Utilities/James__CPU_Checker.html
might be a problem with directx or even a compatibity problem with xp especially if you have downloaded sp2

[NXTwoThou]

If your using an AMD processor, like the Athlon XP, then your MHZ won't match the PR number that the processor is named. For instance, the 3GHz Athlon XP really only runs at 2.167GHz.

If you actually have the celeron, it may have more to do with the new memory you put in. Celerons could have two different types of memory put in it, rambus(RDRAM) or DDR(most common). DDR also comes in at different speeds, like PC1600(DDR200), PC2100(DDR266), PC2700(DDR333), etc. The speed of the memory directly relates to the front side bus of the processor. If you put, for instance, PC1600 memory in a machine that should have had PC2100, then the processor might have clocked down accordingly(a 2.4GHz P4 also comes in either a 2.4 or a 2.4B, the 2.4 has a 400MHZ fsb while the B has a 533). The 400 would take DDR200, The 533 would take DDR333. If you put DDR200 in with a 533 processor, it'd run at 400 speed.

The lack of running(it requires a 233MHz and you have at least a 1.9GHz) may be more related to your video driver than anything else. Make sure your using the latest video driver. You might also, if this is XP, right click on the shortcut, then go to properties, then set the compatibility to emulate win2000 or 98(more likely way of fixing it).

[mlm]

If you actually have the celeron, it may have more to do with the new memory you put in. Celerons could have two different types of memory put in it, rambus(RDRAM) or DDR(most common). DDR also comes in at different speeds, like PC1600(DDR200), PC2100(DDR266), PC2700(DDR333), etc. The speed of the memory directly relates to the front side bus of the processor. If you put, for instance, PC1600 memory in a machine that should have had PC2100, then the processor might have clocked down accordingly(a 2.4GHz P4 also comes in either a 2.4 or a 2.4B, the 2.4 has a 400MHZ fsb while the B has a 533). The 400 would take DDR200, The 533 would take DDR333. If you put DDR200 in with a 533 processor, it'd run at 400 speed.

The lack of running(it requires a 233MHz and you have at least a 1.9GHz) may be more related to your video driver than anything else. Make sure your using the latest video driver. You might also, if this is XP, right click on the shortcut, then go to properties, then set the compatibility to emulate win2000 or 98(more likely way of fixing it).
Ummm...I'm trying to understand this, but I think you've lost me.

I should have said earlier that my computer is a Compaq S4000NX. The original RAM is 128 MB DDR (don't know the speed). The RAM I added is 256 MB PC333 DDR. I'm not entirely sure the RAM would be the culprit because the problem was already there before I installed it. But, just in case, is there a way to check what speed I should have chosen?

Optispares, I tried to download the program but for some reason it won't download completely. I found a program called Fresh Diagnose, and it reads the CPU speed at 2392 MHz. I did run dxdiag, and everything seems to be fine. I'm not sure if I have sp2 because this computer is a hand-me-down from my brother. I'll have to check with him.

[Sean]

I'm not sure if I have sp2 because this computer is a hand-me-down from my brother. I'll have to check with him.Right click on the My Computer on your desktop....... select properties. It will be listed on the (General) first tab . It will list SP1 or SP2.

[mlm]

Right click on the My Computer on your desktop....... select properties. It will be listed on the (General) first tab . It will list SP1 or SP2.
It's sp1.

[Blake]

You've got way more RAM and a much faster CPU than the game requires, so my guess is a software glitch. The fact that the game's tech support shows a negative processor speed is evidence of this. Do other programs work okay with this system?
Do you have another computer you could try installing the game on? That would help determine if maybe you got a bad disk or something. It could also be that the program doesn't work with XP - maybe try running it on a system with an older version of Windows.

By the way, 2.392 GHz is "close enough" to 2.4 GHz not to be concerned.

[optispares]

You've got way more RAM and a much faster CPU than the game requires, so my guess is a software glitch. The fact that the game's tech support shows a negative processor speed is evidence of this. Do other programs work okay with this system?
Do you have another computer you could try installing the game on? That would help determine if maybe you got a bad disk or something. It could also be that the program doesn't work with XP - maybe try running it on a system with an older version of Windows.

By the way, 2.392 GHz is "close enough" to 2.4 GHz not to be concerned. or try running the programme in compatability mode.

[shobi]

I'm experiencing the same problem! My CPU speed is negative and i get thrown back to my desktop just when the game is done loading. What's weird is that The Sims (Deluxe edition, along with two other expansion packs) used to work on my computer but after a month or so, I uninstalled it.

I'm not a genius when it comes to computers but could this problem be caused by a virus?

My school holidays are ruined!!

(By the way, i've changed its compatibility AND i have found out that its Service Pack 2)

[JRS]

Mim - you say your running 375meg of ram (memory)? Tha is such an odd number. Could your problem be related to 128 in one slot and a 256 in the other. I was always led to believe they should be equal pairs.

[Jubilee]

Well it shouldn't be a compability issue with the Windows XP, since I can run the game just fine on mine ;)


There were several patches that they released to address some of the hardware compability issues. Have you checked out their website and looked at their extensive Support FAQ? They have several walk throughs on how to check the various settings.

http://http://thesims.ea.com/us/index.html?content=./support/index.html


Cassandra

[spartus]

Some systems steal a little (between 8 and 64 MB, depending on demand) of the system RAM to use as video memory. This is usually on Compaqs and the like that have a motherboard-integrated video card instead of a standalone card. That would certainly explain being 9 MB short of system memory. This, not the underclocked processor, would probably be the reason the game is borked. The integrated graphics chip might be able to run DirectX 8.1 and its diagnostics, but not actually run the game.

Mlm, what kind of video card is it? I'm just throwing out ideas, but it could be the cause, and easy enough to fix.

As to the underclocked processor, this (http://hp.vector.co.jp/authors/VA002374/src/download.html) is a great tool for diagnosing many different things. As you can see from my attached screenshot of my system, my CPU is 3.0 GHz, but actually runs at 3014 MHz. A little over/under is okay, but 500 MHz is sort of a lot.

[QDO1]

Mim - you say your running 375meg of ram (memory)? Tha is such an odd number. Could your problem be related to 128 in one slot and a 256 in the other. I was always led to believe they should be equal pairs.it can be like that on some laptops

[QDO1]

CPU speed:
Minimum 233 MHz My system -1908 MHz (supposed to be 2.4 GHz)

when things get warm, some systems slow the cpu a little, keep checking it, it might revert back, or get slower. Some bios settings will effect CPU speed(regardless of the supposeed chip speed)

[Jubilee]

I'm experiencing the same problem! My CPU speed is negative and i get thrown back to my desktop just when the game is done loading. What's weird is that The Sims (Deluxe edition, along with two other expansion packs) used to work on my computer but after a month or so, I uninstalled it.

I'm not a genius when it comes to computers but could this problem be caused by a virus?

My school holidays are ruined!!

(By the way, i've changed its compatibility AND i have found out that its Service Pack 2)


What type of system are you running? What CPU and how much of what type of memory. Also Video card info will be helpful.

Does the decrease in CPU speed only appear after attempting to start this game, or is this a constant that it isn't showing compacity.

This will help us determine if it is a software/hardware compability or a possible hardware failure.

Cassandra

[mlm]

You know, this was so long ago that I forgot I posted the problem here. I've long since managed to get the game working, but I don't remember what I did to fix it shobi. Sorry.

For those people trying to help you though, the problem is that the game thinks that the CPU is running at a negative speed. Yes, that should be impossible. If shobi has the same issue I did, everything else runs fine and all diagnostic programs will say CPU speed is normal.

JRS, today my computer says it has 376 MB of RAM. I remember asking the salesperson at Future Shop about installing equal pairs of RAM and she looked at me like I was talking in Swahili... I'm guessing that installing equal pairs is an older rule that isn't necessary anymore.

[spartus]

Yes and no. I seem to remember in the early to mid-90s that there was "parity" and "non-parity" RAM, which had some sort of benefit which was dependent, most likely, on equal pairs. But that's just a stab in the dark.

Where matched pairs of RAM matter is chiefly in newer Pentium 4 processors, which have a feature called "hyperthreading", which tricks the OS into thinking there are two CPUs, enabling you to run two high-demand programs/operations at once. I have a bad habit of playing Civilization III while encoding video, which works okay, but you just end up doing two tasks slower. Useful when there's nothing on TV, though. If you look at my screenshot up there, in the upper-right corner it has a dropdown labeled "Processor #1". "Processor #2" shows the same information, not surprisingly. It is cool to look in task manager and see two processors there.

Anyway. I'm taking the long way around to explain this. If you have a matched pair of RAM with your hyperthreading-enabled CPU and a hyperthreading-friendly OS, then you can take advantage of it. What it comes down to is no lag. Ever. A gig of RAM helps too, I suppose. I work on a 3.0 GHz Dell machine at work with 256 MB of RAM with no hyperthreading and it's a dog compared to this, which was built budget-fast.

In addition to hyperthreading, there are also now dual-core CPUs, which I know little about save the name, so I won't pretend that I do. They're faster, if that helps at all.

I am still curious about your video card--is it integrated or stand-alone? It would certainly account for the RAM discrepancy.

Oh, and the attachment is my task manager with the two CPU status monitors, for those of you who are curious/still paying attention (resized and rotated to squeak in under the file size limit).

[Jubilee]

With those same type of systems, typically they utilize DDR ram. This ram is SOLD as pairs. They must have the same specifications to fully utilize the hyperthreading and direct data thoroughput. DDR is available in 256(2-128mb sticks), 512 (2-256mb sticks), 1 gig, and 2 gig modules. This is partly why many newer mainboards that support the p4's and hyperthreading only have 2 memory slots..

Cassandra

[QDO1]

it seems that laptops are different - having X ammount of RAM embedded, and slots for more ram. on my toshibas I can put nearly any value RAM in the slots available


On Desktop PC's my experience is that they are more picky with thier RAM, and they do have to be pairs, and they sometimes even have to be the same make blah blah blah

on some motherboards with integrated graphics (typically intel) the vidio RAM is "borrowed" from the system RAM, this means the main RAM is reported as the inserted value minus the vidio apportionment

[spartus]

With those same type of systems, typically they utilize DDR ram. This ram is SOLD as pairs. They must have the same specifications to fully utilize the hyperthreading and direct data thoroughput. DDR is available in 256(2-128mb sticks), 512 (2-256mb sticks), 1 gig, and 2 gig modules. This is partly why many newer mainboards that support the p4's and hyperthreading only have 2 memory slots..

Cassandra

My motherboard has four--two DDR and two DDR2. Gigabyte makes one that has six DDR slots, though it's 4 DDR and 2 DDR2, for a usable max of 4 GB, which I think is a 32-bit OS's limit.

[jpebenito]

not sure if anyone came up with the solution to this yet but it would be helpful. i too am having the same difficulties. ive tried just about everything.

[Robert Martellaro]

Most (including "SIMS") if not all games released in the last three years need a graphics system that supports T&L (Transform & Lighting). The integrated graphics on older motherboards are unlikely to support this. If you have a newer system and/or a separate video card you should be fine, as long as the video drivers are up to date. If your graphics system shares the system memory make sure you have at least 512MB, although 1GB would be best.

Hope this helps