Help with new PC build

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G3ZQH
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Help with new PC build

Postby G3ZQH » Wed Jan 16, 2019 10:53 pm

My PC has died- now I need to put a new one together. My IT-savvy son built my PC for me about 4 years ago and it has worked fine until recently, when either motherboard or processor has broken, The old PC worked well- it had an i7 4790K CPU which had been overclocked and I never had any problems apart from some slightly high temperatures from the CPU.

I'm not PC expert, but I can understand that a fast PC, such as used in gaming, would be an advantage for use with my radios. I would like to be able to run Thetis, SDR Console, JTDX and other software at the same time- and these are all processor hungry software. So, I am looking for some recommendations for a new CPU (possibly for overclocking) and a suitable motherboard. I have all the other parts (drives, video card etc) in the old PC. When I look at the PC hardware web pages the choice is overwhelming, so I'd appreciate any practical advice from those who have put together a PC for use with their radio gear. Budget around $500-800 (UK £ 400-600).

73 Dave G3ZQH
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w-u-2-o
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Re: Help with new PC build

Postby w-u-2-o » Thu Jan 17, 2019 2:21 am

I'd go with either an EVGA motherboard, or an MSI. The MSI's I think are slightly better, but I have an EVGA.

I'd also go with an i7-7700K. High end, over-clock-able, but not stupid expensive.

If you over-clock I highly recommend de-lidding the processor and using the products from RockItCool, especially the copper lids.

Did you read about my build here?
dj1yr
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Re: Help with new PC build

Postby dj1yr » Thu Jan 17, 2019 5:41 am

Hi Dave,

if everything is bought new, then Ryzen 2.Gen or wait for the 3.gen.
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Tony EI7BMB
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Re: Help with new PC build

Postby Tony EI7BMB » Thu Jan 17, 2019 9:25 am

using Ryzen 1700 first gen here without any problem
G3ZQH
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Re: Help with new PC build

Postby G3ZQH » Thu Jan 17, 2019 11:14 pm

Thanks guys for some good tips. Scott, I did look at your PC build. Looks great but probably a bit too much for me. The 7700K looks about right but I hadn't thought about the Ryzens so will look at them more closely.

I'm currently using one of my son's old computers which has an i5 CPU overclocked at 3300MHz. It should be quite fast but it really struggles when I have both Thetis and JTDX running- notably using the 'SWL' mode in JTDX (if you're familiar with FT8) which pushes the CPU% up towards 100%. So definitely need a new computer!

73 Dave G3ZQH
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w-u-2-o
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Re: Help with new PC build

Postby w-u-2-o » Fri Jan 18, 2019 2:02 am

An i5 should not even be breathing hard under those conditions. Something must be wrong, somewhere...
G3ZQH
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Re: Help with new PC build

Postby G3ZQH » Fri Jan 18, 2019 10:49 am

Hi Scott
Interesting that you say that there might be something wrong- my computer knowledge is limited but I have used Resource Monitor and CPUID to see what's happening. CPU % when simultaneously running typical software is as follows:
Thetis: 7-15%
JTDX: 2-55%
SDR Console: 1-2%
Logger32: 2-13%
svchost: 3-6% (I don't know what this does)
CPU temp is around 45-55C

Overall CPU is 25-80%, with the peak coinciding with FT8 15 sec decode period- there is clearly much more processor power needed for the decoding of FT8 than I realised! If I close JTDX, then CPU% settles in the range 25-30%.

To me it looks like the processor is struggling- it is an older i5 2500K. Any advice welcome.

73 Dave G3ZQH
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w-u-2-o
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Re: Help with new PC build

Postby w-u-2-o » Fri Jan 18, 2019 2:06 pm

Dave,

JTDX is the problem. 55% is crazy. WSJT-X takes less than 1% of my processor no matter how many signals are on the band. I can't speak to what might be any substantive differences between the two programs, but you might try WSJT-X instead.

Logger32 is also taking an excessive amount of CPU. A logger should sit well under 1%. All it does is poll the radio for information occasionally.

73,

Scott
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Tony EI7BMB
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Re: Help with new PC build

Postby Tony EI7BMB » Fri Jan 18, 2019 4:11 pm

I use JTDX here as well as WSJTX and i see no difference in CPU load between them. JTDX does have some options such as FT8 threads etc, maybe thats the issue ?
G3ZQH
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Re: Help with new PC build

Postby G3ZQH » Fri Jan 18, 2019 5:42 pm

Now that you've highlighted that JTDX is the problem I've had a more detailed look. WSJT-X is at around 20% CPU, so still high but not as bad as JTDX. I see a process jt9.exe (in WJST-X) and jtdxjt9.exe (in JTDX) which is causing nearly all the heavy CPU load. If I kill this then both WSJT-X and JTDX stop running with an error. I can't see what JT9.exe does, but the title suggest it is not specifically associated with FT8 mode but may be required for decoding? I have re-installed both JTDX and WSJT-X, but still see this process running.

So I have identified the problem, but not the solution. Maybe it is simply that my CPU in this old computer is not up to the job? Do either of you also have the process running in WSJT-X or JTDX?

73 Dave G3ZQH
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w-u-2-o
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Re: Help with new PC build

Postby w-u-2-o » Fri Jan 18, 2019 9:35 pm

jt9.exe is required for decoding. On my machine wsjtx.exe uses less than 1% at all times. jt9.exe uses less than 0.5% most of the time but spikes to 12% during the two second decode cycle.

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