Stuttering: conflict between RMClock management and Windows 7 power management?

Hello,

I have undervolted my CPU on all VIDs. I have checked for stability. I'm running Windows 7 RTM, latest version and updated.

Here are the symptoms I'm having:

1) Right clicking RMClock in the taskbar or hovering over some parts of RMclock stutters any audio playing (Winamp). I'm guessing it is stuttering more than audio, but this is easy to detect. This does NOT happen with management turned off in RMClock.

2) Forcing the CPU into the lowest multiplier (Power saving profile), the music will stutter every few seconds by itself (without clicking through RMClock). Again, it does NOT do this if management is turned off. Even with the CPU STILL forced into the lowest multiplier by the windows power management policy.

3) Even on max multiplier, it will stutter maybe once every minute if RMClock is controlling the CPU.

I've already unchecked "Enable OS power management integration".

What's going on here? I believe it's some sort of conflict between windows trying to change multipliers and RMClock. The reason I think this is b/c if in windows minimum processor state is set to 0% and the maximum to 100%, RMClock will sometimes still let the processor slip into a higher voltage than it's supposed to be in (watch the management page). For now, I've fixed this by setting windows to minimum 100% and maximum 100%. Is there any way to turn off the windows management off completely??

At first I thought it was just dropping into too low of a multiplier and there wasn't enough processing power, but when I saw that if windows keeps it in the lowest multiplier, it never stutters, I became suspicious.

Thanks for any help,

Flaviu

P.S. Also posted at the Rightmark forums (People that make RMClock)

 

That suppose to be CxE and EIST problem. They're actually not the "problems".
More likely, they control the FID and VID of your laptop. They will manage the FID and VID needs for a certain time and certain application launch.

For my laptop,
I found out the instability(spiky graph) of FID and VID is due to the EIST.
If the programs/start-up/services/processes lessen, the EIST will start to act or force to act.
Without undervolt(C2D T8100 2.1Ghz stock VID 1.1375V):
EIST will decrease the VID and FID while computer is idling or very little processes. Basically, from VID 1.1375V and FID 10.5x to VID 1.000V and FID 6.0x because BIOS has set EIST to act like that.
With undervolt(C2D T8100 2.1Ghz undervolted VID 0.925V and 10.5x FID):
EIST will increase the VID and decrease the FID.
This is due to the BIOS has set the EIST to run 1V VID and 6x FID while idling/less processes. So, the VID 0.925V and FID 10.5x become VID 1.000V and FID 6.0x which is not convenient to see.
Raising and decreasing of VID and FID frequently caused spiky graph on RMCLOCK.
However, this is harmless. ^^! Since FID is 6x, it won't increase the temperature even the VID is 1.000V. Moreover, the FID will raise back to 10.5x and stay stable(max for T8100 with IDA disabled) as well as the VID will back to the VID you have set(mine is 0.925V) if you're running some pograms/software/games. Lastly, performance will not be affected while gaming and not gaming too.

 

What are you talking about? What is EIST?

UPDATE: I restarted the computer, and it was doing much better, but started stuttering again worse and worse as time passes. Easy way to check is to set "power saving" (lowest multiplier) in RMclock and then try to right click rmclock in the taskbar. It stutters any audio playing (use headphones). If you put "no management" on and instead force the lowest multiplier with windows, right clicking on RMClock will not produce any stuttering!

 

BUMP...stuttering gets horrible after a few days of no restart, even on max multiplier when RMClock is managing. HELP! I believe it's stuttering more than just audio too...it's just audio is an easy way to observe it happening.

 

I think it is System Corrupted(might be).
Because my old laptop Windows XP experienced this before.
It even worst because even the Windows XP login sound is spiking and everything is lagging. So, I do a System Restore and luckily, it helps.
If you don't have a System Restore or something similar, re-installation OS will be a good choice.

 

How would a system corruption explain a problem ONLY when RMClock is in charge of the processor speed and voltages?

 

Try CPUGenie instead of RMclock

 

I don't think it's a problem with RMClock, but with the fact that it's a Dell laptop. There's a thread somewhere in the Dell subforum on this issue, although results seem to vary. Try checking your DPC latency with this tool: http://www.thesycon.de/deu/latency_check.shtml (you'll probably observe quite frequent red bars which happen at stutter time). Disabling your wireless or updating the BIOS might fix it, but personally the only thing that worked for me was just disabling the lowest multiplier, which doesn't fix the problem, but at least makes it less annoying.

Good luck.

 

Phew, ok I'm glad others have seen this... would you mind linking that thread or telling me what I should search?

I wonder why it gets worse with time after reboot?

EDIT: Just tried DPC latency checker...all green bars even with major stuttering with RMClock management enabled. Also, I should mention my sister's Dell 6400 does not have this issue. It's running the trial version of Windows 7 though.

EDIT2: CPUGenie requires Core 2 duo processor or newer, I just tried it. And NHC can't hold the voltages I set...

 

Bump. I just fixed the problem by changing RMClock in task manager from realtime priority to normal. However, I'm not sure if this is ok for the proper running of the program, and it also resets itself to realtime with any setting change or restart of the program. Thoughts?

 

Unchecking Popup and Popdown in Adv.CPU got rid of chatter and high idle load for me in W7.

 

Huh? What? Where's that?

I fixed the problem of it resetting itself to realtime. There's actually a reg edit provided with the program to set it from realtime->normal.

 

Adv.CPU -> Chipset. It got rid of the 30+ load at idle down to 1% or so. Also, using the Balanced power plan in W7 seems to have a calming effect even when I modified it back to a Max Perf.