SPWAW Processor Problem . . .

[TheShadow]

Please help!

I downloaded SPWAW several months ago but I have a problem running it on my Dell laptop. My system has a Dell INSPIRON Pentium 4 1.7ghz processor and 256 mb of RAM. I run Windows XP Home Edition. When I start the program, the CPU processer jumps to 100% [as displayed by the Windows Task Manager - Performance]. This makes the fan run higher and higher, and then the computer runs hot. The processes run at about 98%. The problem is unique to this game; when I start any other program, the processor performance jumps to 100% and then drops back to an idle percentage, even if I continue to work within the program. With SPWAW, even if I let the game run idle -- even if I just open the mech file and do nothing -- it jumps to 100%.

Anyone else have this problem and is there a fix?

Thanks.
[&:]

[chief]

Shadow:
Till someone more knowledgeable appears on the scene my observations show that SPWAW is a memory hog, although a nice one, it's because of its DOS roots. The best thing to do is shut down all uneccessary windows/etc. running in the background, ie: virus checkers, download programs and such.

Good luck and welcome to forums

[Voriax]

Well, it's kinda CPU hog hot necessarily a memory hog. I'm normally running seti@home all the time even when playing spwaw. And guess what, it's the seti@home that gobbles up 90+% of cpu time, mech.exe will do with only couple%.
I doubt there is any fix for it, unless you can limit the max rpm of your fans. This of course raises the heat but if you can keep cpu temp below 60 deg Celsius you have no problem. Btw, I'm not really sure which bothers you more: High cpu temp or high fan rpm (noise) ?


Voriax

[TheShadow]

Guys:

Thanks for your help. You're right, it doesn't use a lot of RAM, just the CPU. My two concerns are: burning up my fan or my computer and, yes, the noise of the fan. When I start to play, it's quiet enough. But after a half hour or so it starts to sound like a jet taking off.

Again, thanks for your help.

The Shadow

[joki]

TheShadow -

Hold on to it so it don´t flies away [:D][:D]

I have been at work too long now....[:)]

/Jonas

[Sgt Popov]

I have the same problem on my computers at work [:-] and at home.
Both go to 100% and get hotter than if I run Prime 95 or Sandra burn in.

[Frank W.]

perhaps win XP related.

i run SPWAW on 98 and mostly have no proplems.

i have a 1,4 celeron + 512 MB SDRAM

[Fallschirmjager]

ORIGINAL: TheShadow

Guys:

Thanks for your help. You're right, it doesn't use a lot of RAM, just the CPU. My two concerns are: burning up my fan or my computer and, yes, the noise of the fan. When I start to play, it's quiet enough. But after a half hour or so it starts to sound like a jet taking off.

Again, thanks for your help.

The Shadow

If its a double ball bearing fan...you could max it out for 5 years of straight use and you wont burn it out. Its almost impossible to wear those things out.
And from the noise of it, sounds like you have a double ball bearing.

I have seven such fans on my desktop case and you can only imagine the noise it makes when I play a 3D FPS for an hour.
But that just gives me an excuse to jack up the volume.