100% CPU bug - Page 2

jameyhammock · 03-06-2002, 08:52 AM

[quote]Originally posted by Yossarian:
I think this thread name is a misnomer because it's probably not a bug. Fact is on my system, running Win2k sp2, fully updated, OotP4.0a uses 95-100% cpu cycles at all times. <hr></blockquote>

It _is_ a bug precisely for that reason. An application that is not actually _doing_ much of anything shouldn't be wasting your processor's time.

I can open a whole lot of other processor-intensive applications on my machine at the same time and the CPU usage is very low when I'm not doing anything in them.

If I open OOTP4 and do nothing my processor (1.6 GHz) is pegged. That, my friend, is not right.

slackerjoe · 03-06-2002, 04:50 PM

I'm having this problem too. Except it runs at 98% pretty consistently.

During the game play it will often pause for several seconds up to a minute (and sometimes it never comes back and I need to reboot). I suspect this has to do with the CPU usage being so high.

If anyone can help address this problem, it would be greatly appreciated.

Specs: Win98SE, Athlon 650MhZ, 256MB PC100 RAM, 2GB free.

Great game, by the way!

JimboJones · 03-07-2002, 01:42 AM

Markus, could you please respond to this??? You're the only one who knows for sure what's going on here. I know you're swamped with requests right now, but people's PCs overheating is a pretty serious issue.

Thank you.

Mark · 03-07-2002, 03:14 AM

I'll join the queue on this one. I'm running XP with a truckload of memory and as soon as OOTP boots, CPU usage soars to 100%. Even when using graphic intensive software like 3dMax, during rendering, which is quite CPU intensive, the CPU usage hovers at around 40% to 60%.

There is no way that a program like OOTP should use anything near 50% of the CPU at any time.

Mark · 03-07-2002, 03:36 AM

Did a test with Championship Manager. It too soaks up 100% CPU usage even after data has been loaded and it is awaiting input. I don't recall this problem under Win98 but it certainly is happening under XP.

marioh · 03-07-2002, 05:36 AM

If your PC is overheating due to 100% CPU utilization, I hate to break it to you, but your PC is seriously flawed. PC's should not overheat due to 100% CPU utilization and if they do, it's because of very poor heat dispersion off of the CPU probably caused by a crappy heat/sink fan or garbage thermal paste and or poor ventilation and air flow.

I think people make too much of this 100% CPU utilization issue (except for the laptop users who have a valid issue due to battery consumption). If you minimize OOTP4 and try to do other things, is performance seriously degraded in other applications ?
I'm running an Athlon 1Ghz with 256MB RAM Win98 and I haven't seen any major performance degradation in other applications while OOTP4 is running.

mwolin · 03-07-2002, 06:06 AM

My laptop shuts off because of overheating as a precautionary move. I called compaq about this and they confirmed that if there if there is insufficient cooling the processor will power off and this is part of the BIOS. They suggested that I make sure the cooling vents are open etc but also were interested about what programs I am running. They did feel that 100% processor use shouldnt lead to overheating unless it went on for hours (which it does) but also said they havent had many calls on laptops shutting off because of this and thought there might be a software bug. I might send it in to be checked though.

marioh · 03-07-2002, 08:09 AM

I deal with Compaq laptops alot and haven't seen many cases of them shutting down from over-heating. Laptops are alot different from desktops though in terms of space and the ability to have proper ventilation in them. With so many components packed into a limited space, it's hard to get proper air flow in a laptop. Your overheating problems may be caused by the CPU being hot from the 100% CPU utilization and the laptop's inability to properly cycle out the hot air out of the laptop and get cool air into it. I suspect this may be the cause of your problems, especially if it doesn't happen during regular use (non-OOTP usage).

mwolin · 03-07-2002, 08:13 AM

Yeah...thats pretty much what compaq said; they didnt feel that there was anything wrong with the computer per se..

bkurtz · 03-07-2002, 08:38 AM

running win 98, pIII, 511 MB RAM. explorer, outlook, aim, excel and ootp4: Cpu usage 50%.

davep1967 · 03-07-2002, 08:56 AM

[quote]I think this thread name is a misnomer because it's probably not a bug. Fact is on my system, running Win2k sp2, fully updated, OotP4.0a uses 95-100% cpu cycles at all times. <hr></blockquote>

If you are using threads in a program, you must set the "Thread Priority" properly. Your choices are something like "Idle, Low, Normal, High, Very High" (that last will suck the life out of your PC even when doing nothing).

I suspect this is the problem in the code....but it might even be in the DirectX drivers.

theDutchman · 03-07-2002, 09:20 AM

I run an Athlon 1.3ghz Thunderbird with 384MB of RAM.

I ran a quick test to show the temperature changes. My machine was idle for 4 or 5 hours with the exception of internet usage. I ran OOTP4 for 5 minutes and then shut it off.

Initial Temperature 143F
After Starting OOTP4
1 Min - 150F
2 Min - 152F
3 Min - 154F
4 Min - 156F
5 Min - 158F
Shutdown OOTP4
1 Min - 150F
2 Min - 147F
3 Min - 145F

I think we can agree that my CPU is heating up quickly, but we can also agree that a text based game should not do that.

cb · 03-07-2002, 09:51 AM

[quote]Originally posted by marioh:

I think people make too much of this 100% CPU utilization issue (except for the laptop users who have a valid issue due to battery consumption). If you minimize OOTP4 and try to do other things, is performance seriously degraded in other applications ?
I'm running an Athlon 1Ghz with 256MB RAM Win98 and I haven't seen any major performance degradation in other applications while OOTP4 is running.<hr></blockquote>

I am also getting 100% cpu util while idling under win2k.
Also, if i minimize OOTP4 and use a cpu intensive app or game (q3, rtcw), when i return to OOTP4, it is unresponsive and i have to 'end task'.
I'm running an Athlon XP1600 with water cooling and my CPU temps never go above 36 c.

mwolin · 03-07-2002, 10:05 AM

Markus....could u address this issue and give us your thoughts.

Yossarian · 03-07-2002, 01:10 PM

Dutchman your cpu is running pretty hot. You should make sure your heatsink is on properly and that the fan is working. If that checks out, add a couple case fans. 60C+ under no load is quite high.

hellfrozeover · 03-07-2002, 02:01 PM

[quote]Originally posted by cb:


I am also getting 100% cpu util while idling under win2k.
Also, if i minimize OOTP4 and use a cpu intensive app or game (q3, rtcw), when i return to OOTP4, it is unresponsive and i have to 'end task'.
I'm running an Athlon XP1600 with water cooling and my CPU temps never go above 36 c.<hr></blockquote>

I seem to be in the minority when I say it, but I am not getting 100% usage. And I have a weaker computer than a lot of the ones listed here.

I have an HP Pavilion laptop with 128 RAM, 800 MHz processor. I run OOTP4 with about 5 internet explorer windows, AIM, MusicMatch Jukebox or Winamp, outlook express, and sometimes notepad, and I never have unresponsiveness and never overheat. Plus, my battery usually lasts around an hour and a half. Maybe I'm just lucky, I'm assuming that's it since everyone else is having this trouble even with about twice the RAM that I have.

Yossarian · 03-07-2002, 03:52 PM

How are you measuring it, hellfrozeover? You can be at 100% and not have responsiveness or heat problems.

DWoofer · 03-11-2002, 05:04 PM

I'm having the 100% CPU problem with OOTP4 too. Both on a desktop with Win98 and on a laptop with XP.

JML · 03-11-2002, 05:16 PM

[quote]Originally posted by OOTP1:
Not sure what is going on with your system, I just checked mine while having 5 windows open and having OOTP4 simming a season and I am only running at 68%. Windows 98SE, 512 meg of RAM.<hr></blockquote>

Steve, i just right-clicked on my computer and under performance properties it said resources were 68% free. But when I ran my system monitor it indeed showed processor usage at 100% with OOTP4 open and idle. I closed OOTP (have just one IE window, Zonealarm firewall and the system monitor running) and it dropped down to about 8%. That's weird. I've read this post a few times but never thought it was happening on my system. i'm running a PII 400, 256MB RAM, Win98SE. Thing is, even with OOTP3 AND 4 open, I can surf the net and do other stuff without much lag. But I too see my processor usage at 100% with OOTP open. never had an overheating problem (that I know of!)

BleacherBum · 03-11-2002, 06:29 PM

I just purchased the game 30 minutes ago, and have yet to actually start a league. I fired up the game, and hit "Let's Play Ball". Then I swtiched over to open up the Manual, and noticed the PC was responding poorly. Checked the Task Manager (Win2000), and I'm at 100% CPU usage. Close OOTP, back to nothing.

OK, so first thing to try is reboot, and run OOTP with a fresh start. Bam, right away I'm flat lined at 100% (before even hitting Let's Play Ball). This continues as I open different screens. In fact, its been steady for a good 10 minutes, and I haven't done a thing.

Unfortunately, this is a big problem. My computer is not just a gaming console, so I like to be able to perform other tasks in the midst of game play. This becomes painful when resources are hogged by an idle program - your other software suffers.

It is a little frustrating that with the number of users reporting this problem, the only development response is "well, it doesn't happen on my computer". Perhaps because performance issues are difficult to chase down? In any event, here's the particulars of my configuration:

Win2000 Professional, Service Pack 2
Dell Dimension
Pentium III, 533 MHz, 256 MB Memory
DirectX 8.1

Hopefully this will get some attention soon, in the meantime, I'm going to do some more investigating....

[ March 12, 2002: Message edited by: BleacherBum ]

[ March 12, 2002: Message edited by: BleacherBum ]

03-06-2002, 08:52 AM	#21
jameyhammock Minors (Triple A) Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 223	[quote]Originally posted by Yossarian: <strong>I think this thread name is a misnomer because it's probably not a bug. Fact is on my system, running Win2k sp2, fully updated, OotP4.0a uses 95-100% cpu cycles at all times. </strong><hr></blockquote> It _is_ a bug precisely for that reason. An application that is not actually _doing_ much of anything shouldn't be wasting your processor's time. I can open a whole lot of other processor-intensive applications on my machine at the same time and the CPU usage is very low when I'm not doing anything in them. If I open OOTP4 and do nothing my processor (1.6 GHz) is pegged. That, my friend, is not right.

03-07-2002, 05:36 AM	#26
marioh All Star Starter Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: NYC Posts: 1,162	If your PC is overheating due to 100% CPU utilization, I hate to break it to you, but your PC is seriously flawed. PC's should not overheat due to 100% CPU utilization and if they do, it's because of very poor heat dispersion off of the CPU probably caused by a crappy heat/sink fan or garbage thermal paste and or poor ventilation and air flow. I think people make too much of this 100% CPU utilization issue (except for the laptop users who have a valid issue due to battery consumption). If you minimize OOTP4 and try to do other things, is performance seriously degraded in other applications ? I'm running an Athlon 1Ghz with 256MB RAM Win98 and I haven't seen any major performance degradation in other applications while OOTP4 is running. __________________ RZA - "I'm me and the me that's me is me and is going to continue to be me"

03-07-2002, 08:09 AM	#28
marioh All Star Starter Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: NYC Posts: 1,162	I deal with Compaq laptops alot and haven't seen many cases of them shutting down from over-heating. Laptops are alot different from desktops though in terms of space and the ability to have proper ventilation in them. With so many components packed into a limited space, it's hard to get proper air flow in a laptop. Your overheating problems may be caused by the CPU being hot from the 100% CPU utilization and the laptop's inability to properly cycle out the hot air out of the laptop and get cool air into it. I suspect this may be the cause of your problems, especially if it doesn't happen during regular use (non-OOTP usage). __________________ RZA - "I'm me and the me that's me is me and is going to continue to be me"

03-07-2002, 08:56 AM	#31
davep1967 Minors (Double A) Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Cleveland, OH Posts: 176	[quote]I think this thread name is a misnomer because it's probably not a bug. Fact is on my system, running Win2k sp2, fully updated, OotP4.0a uses 95-100% cpu cycles at all times. <hr></blockquote> If you are using threads in a program, you must set the "Thread Priority" properly. Your choices are something like "Idle, Low, Normal, High, Very High" (that last will suck the life out of your PC even when doing nothing). I suspect this is the problem in the code....but it might even be in the DirectX drivers. __________________ Try the StickWare Schedule Generator!

03-07-2002, 09:51 AM	#33
cb Bat Boy Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 1	[quote]Originally posted by marioh: <strong> I think people make too much of this 100% CPU utilization issue (except for the laptop users who have a valid issue due to battery consumption). If you minimize OOTP4 and try to do other things, is performance seriously degraded in other applications ? I'm running an Athlon 1Ghz with 256MB RAM Win98 and I haven't seen any major performance degradation in other applications while OOTP4 is running.</strong><hr></blockquote> I am also getting 100% cpu util while idling under win2k. Also, if i minimize OOTP4 and use a cpu intensive app or game (q3, rtcw), when i return to OOTP4, it is unresponsive and i have to 'end task'. I'm running an Athlon XP1600 with water cooling and my CPU temps never go above 36 c.

03-06-2002, 04:50 PM	#22
slackerjoe Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 21	I'm having this problem too. Except it runs at 98% pretty consistently. During the game play it will often pause for several seconds up to a minute (and sometimes it never comes back and I need to reboot). I suspect this has to do with the CPU usage being so high. If anyone can help address this problem, it would be greatly appreciated. Specs: Win98SE, Athlon 650MhZ, 256MB PC100 RAM, 2GB free. Great game, by the way!

03-07-2002, 01:42 AM	#23
JimboJones Minors (Triple A) Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 210	Markus, could you please respond to this??? You're the only one who knows for sure what's going on here. I know you're swamped with requests right now, but people's PCs overheating is a pretty serious issue. Thank you.

03-07-2002, 03:14 AM	#24
Mark Minors (Single A) Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Melbourne Australia Posts: 64	I'll join the queue on this one. I'm running XP with a truckload of memory and as soon as OOTP boots, CPU usage soars to 100%. Even when using graphic intensive software like 3dMax, during rendering, which is quite CPU intensive, the CPU usage hovers at around 40% to 60%. There is no way that a program like OOTP should use anything near 50% of the CPU at any time.

03-07-2002, 03:36 AM	#25
Mark Minors (Single A) Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Melbourne Australia Posts: 64	Did a test with Championship Manager. It too soaks up 100% CPU usage even after data has been loaded and it is awaiting input. I don't recall this problem under Win98 but it certainly is happening under XP.

03-07-2002, 06:06 AM	#27
mwolin Bat Boy Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 15	My laptop shuts off because of overheating as a precautionary move. I called compaq about this and they confirmed that if there if there is insufficient cooling the processor will power off and this is part of the BIOS. They suggested that I make sure the cooling vents are open etc but also were interested about what programs I am running. They did feel that 100% processor use shouldnt lead to overheating unless it went on for hours (which it does) but also said they havent had many calls on laptops shutting off because of this and thought there might be a software bug. I might send it in to be checked though.

03-07-2002, 08:13 AM	#29
mwolin Bat Boy Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 15	Yeah...thats pretty much what compaq said; they didnt feel that there was anything wrong with the computer per se..

03-07-2002, 08:38 AM	#30
bkurtz Minors (Double A) Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 161	running win 98, pIII, 511 MB RAM. explorer, outlook, aim, excel and ootp4: Cpu usage 50%.

03-07-2002, 09:20 AM	#32
theDutchman Bat Boy Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 17	I run an Athlon 1.3ghz Thunderbird with 384MB of RAM. I ran a quick test to show the temperature changes. My machine was idle for 4 or 5 hours with the exception of internet usage. I ran OOTP4 for 5 minutes and then shut it off. Initial Temperature 143F After Starting OOTP4 1 Min - 150F 2 Min - 152F 3 Min - 154F 4 Min - 156F 5 Min - 158F Shutdown OOTP4 1 Min - 150F 2 Min - 147F 3 Min - 145F I think we can agree that my CPU is heating up quickly, but we can also agree that a text based game should not do that.

03-07-2002, 10:05 AM	#34
mwolin Bat Boy Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 15	Markus....could u address this issue and give us your thoughts.

03-07-2002, 01:10 PM	#35
Yossarian Minors (Single A) Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Redondo Beach, CA Posts: 87	Dutchman your cpu is running pretty hot. You should make sure your heatsink is on properly and that the fan is working. If that checks out, add a couple case fans. 60C+ under no load is quite high.

03-07-2002, 02:01 PM	#36
hellfrozeover All Star Starter Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Chicago Posts: 1,130	[quote]Originally posted by cb: <strong> I am also getting 100% cpu util while idling under win2k. Also, if i minimize OOTP4 and use a cpu intensive app or game (q3, rtcw), when i return to OOTP4, it is unresponsive and i have to 'end task'. I'm running an Athlon XP1600 with water cooling and my CPU temps never go above 36 c.</strong><hr></blockquote> I seem to be in the minority when I say it, but I am not getting 100% usage. And I have a weaker computer than a lot of the ones listed here. I have an HP Pavilion laptop with 128 RAM, 800 MHz processor. I run OOTP4 with about 5 internet explorer windows, AIM, MusicMatch Jukebox or Winamp, outlook express, and sometimes notepad, and I never have unresponsiveness and never overheat. Plus, my battery usually lasts around an hour and a half. Maybe I'm just lucky, I'm assuming that's it since everyone else is having this trouble even with about twice the RAM that I have. __________________ FBA Chicago Syndicate Former Owner: WBL Minnesota Twins 2004 - 2007 AL Central Division Champs OOL Chicago Whales 2006, 2009 UL East Champs; 2006, 2009 United League Champs IBA Lehigh Valley Diamonds 2006 Governor's Cup Champions VSLB New York Yankees 2001, 2002 AL East Division Champs ILBL Commissioner/Chicago Cubs 2002 NL Central Division Champs; 2002 National League Champs ASBL New York Yankees 2006 AL East Division Champs

03-07-2002, 03:52 PM	#37
Yossarian Minors (Single A) Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Redondo Beach, CA Posts: 87	How are you measuring it, hellfrozeover? You can be at 100% and not have responsiveness or heat problems.

03-11-2002, 05:04 PM	#38
DWoofer Bat Boy Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Wisconsin, USA Posts: 18	I'm having the 100% CPU problem with OOTP4 too. Both on a desktop with Win98 and on a laptop with XP.

03-11-2002, 05:16 PM	#39
JML Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: The act or process of locating. Posts: 2,154	[quote]Originally posted by OOTP1: <strong>Not sure what is going on with your system, I just checked mine while having 5 windows open and having OOTP4 simming a season and I am only running at 68%. Windows 98SE, 512 meg of RAM.</strong><hr></blockquote> Steve, i just right-clicked on my computer and under performance properties it said resources were 68% free. But when I ran my system monitor it indeed showed processor usage at 100% with OOTP4 open and idle. I closed OOTP (have just one IE window, Zonealarm firewall and the system monitor running) and it dropped down to about 8%. That's weird. I've read this post a few times but never thought it was happening on my system. i'm running a PII 400, 256MB RAM, Win98SE. Thing is, even with OOTP3 AND 4 open, I can surf the net and do other stuff without much lag. But I too see my processor usage at 100% with OOTP open. never had an overheating problem (that I know of!)

03-11-2002, 06:29 PM	#40
BleacherBum All Star Reserve Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 672	I just purchased the game 30 minutes ago, and have yet to actually start a league. I fired up the game, and hit "Let's Play Ball". Then I swtiched over to open up the Manual, and noticed the PC was responding poorly. Checked the Task Manager (Win2000), and I'm at 100% CPU usage. Close OOTP, back to nothing. OK, so first thing to try is reboot, and run OOTP with a fresh start. Bam, right away I'm flat lined at 100% (before even hitting Let's Play Ball). This continues as I open different screens. In fact, its been steady for a good 10 minutes, and I haven't done a thing. Unfortunately, this is a big problem. My computer is not just a gaming console, so I like to be able to perform other tasks in the midst of game play. This becomes painful when resources are hogged by an idle program - your other software suffers. It is a little frustrating that with the number of users reporting this problem, the only development response is "well, it doesn't happen on my computer". Perhaps because performance issues are difficult to chase down? In any event, here's the particulars of my configuration: Win2000 Professional, Service Pack 2 Dell Dimension Pentium III, 533 MHz, 256 MB Memory DirectX 8.1 Hopefully this will get some attention soon, in the meantime, I'm going to do some more investigating.... [ March 12, 2002: Message edited by: BleacherBum ] [ March 12, 2002: Message edited by: BleacherBum ]</p> __________________ Right Field Sucks!