FFDShow PIII Builds (SSE)

[EpheMeroN]

I have two machines that both use a PIII processor; PC1 is a 600mhz PIII with 256mb ram, and PC2 is a 700mhz PIII with 256mb ram.

Why is it that "ffdshow-rev2529-SSE.exe" taken from http://ffdshow.faireal.net/mirror/ffdshow/ works far better on the slower end machine?

All playback even without postprocessing is insanely choppy on the 700mhz machine, while completely perfect on the 600mhz comp.

And it's not JUST this particular build. This exact issue has been a problem ever since I started testing FFDShow over a year ago.

[videomixer9]

One is overheated maybe, check for too much dust on the coolers, the usual reason for this. The CPU will automatically react and run slower. If graphic cards aren't identical it may be that one got one that slows down playback e.g. too.

[EpheMeroN]

I will check for dust inside the case.

As for the video cards, the lower-end machine has onboard Intel chipset for the video, and the higher-end machine has an ATI All-In-Wonder 128 Pro.

[foxyshadis]

Troubleshooting a problem like this can be quite painful, because there are so many levels where things can go wrong. What OS on each? What DirectX? Is the 700MHz a mobile that's been clock-locked to the lowest mult? Is it just plain underclocked accidentally? Are both disks using DMA mode transfers? Are both using hardware overlay or is the ATI falling back on GDI? Can you run a cheap quick system benchmark like crystalmark or burn-in test to pinpoint any specific area where the 700 is noticeably weaker than the 600?

[EpheMeroN]

I found that 'CrystalMark' application online.

Is there any specific way I should run it? Does it create log files I need to copy/paste here for eval?

[foxyshadis]

Just run it on both and check the numbers, see if any one bar looks noticeably worse on the 700. They should be nearly equal, with the 700 higher in every test.

If it's ALU/FPU, it's a CPU problem. If it's GDI/D2D/D3D it's a graphics problem. Or it could even point to a memory/hard drive problem. Either way you know where to start looking for a fix.