computer upgrade

W7NIK

Well the CPU is maxing out, what is the best upgrade , I have a AMD A-6300
 I am thinking to change the operating system  to 32 bit , would that help > SDR software is all 32 bit .
Maybe upgrade the video card ?
I just need another year
If i run N1mm, HRD deluxe  not good

David-N5PSM

How about a mini PC In parallel ?

David Decoons, wo2x

How much memory does the PC have? I’d recommend minimum 8 GB. If you are using video built into the motherboard then a dedicated video card may help. An Nvidia Gefore 964 is relatively inexpensive.

Maybe look for a refurbished PC with an Intel I5 CPU to keep cost down.

another thing, there may be unnecessary software being loaded and running in the background causing the machine load to be high.

Dave wo2x

Dwayne_AB6A

Your CPU is not that fast... CPU mark of only 1504 vs the 10255 of my own. Ram may help, but I recommend a faster CPU.
https://www.cpubenchmark.net/compare/AMD-A4-6300-APU-vs-Intel-i7-8559U/2083vs3302
I know I can max my own system out with SDR + a combination of 4 x WSJTX/FLDIGI.

David Decoons, wo2x

I agree with Dwayne, you would be better putting money into a new (or refurbished) PC. That is an old CPU.

Not sure what your budget is but an i7 CPU based PC is nice. An i5 based PC will still handle SmartSDR, logging, and WSJT-X.

if it in your budget a PC with minimum 8 GB ram and a solid state drive would be what I would look for. The SSD really speeds things up.

Dave wo2x

Erika - KØDD

Do NOT go back to a 32 bit O/S...  A 64 bit processor and O/S can address more than 4gb of memory.  32 bits only do 4 GB max.  Talk about choking...

Go ahead and build your own PC...  Decide how many monitors you want to run, and pick up a nice gaming motherboard, case and Processor.  That's what I was talking about yesterday.  I tossed two laptops that folded up just like your machine in the garbage can.. Clunk Clunk...

THROW as much GPU processing into your computer as you can afford...  8 GB of quick RAM minimum.  Mine has 16 in it, and about 11 of it is just sitting there.  BUT if it decides it needs memory it is available. 

They make some great i7's that run circles around my 2012 era E3 XEON 4 core processor. Don't be afraid to scale up the processor / mother board.  Most Best Buy or Costco computers are real stinkers when put to the test.  They cut all sorts of corners and SSDR is a graphics hog.. If it can handle gaming, it can handle SSDR and all the other stuff.

GOOD ROG, "Republic of Gaming" certified MB's can handle whatever you may need...  If I was going to buy an i7 right now.  I'd pick up an i7-9700K processor They're down in the $300's right now.  I myself might even jump on an i9-9900K as I build machines for the next 5 years...  That processor is right now about $550 what the i7-9700k was just a couple months ago...

Just for reference.  I use SSDR 3.1.8, DDutil v4, Ham Radio deluxe in just the LOGGING MODE no rig control.  and WSJT-X...  I had to scrap JTAlert  as it has some buffer overflow problems and the programmer hadn't gotten it fixed... and then ignored everybody crying because our computers were claiming the release had a virus and wouldn't down load...   That previous version was choking my computer and after several decodes, WSJT-X stopped being able to decode in time to respond to someone calling me. 

We ask more and more of our computers everyday.  I just ordered a new used 4 port video card that should be here on thursday... 4 gigs of video ram to my 4 port with 512 and two video processors right now... The video processor that has SSDR only on it sits right at 50% utilization most of the time...  THATS just SSDR on its own processor.  Hopefully the upgrade board will run in the old Dell Precision....  If not I already have a case for the upgraded machine I was describing.

But even so.  My 4 cores individually are averaging around 25-30% utilization.  On our servers in the day we said 11% was the highest we wanted to see the servers running while doing their jobs.  

I'm very happy for the Flex Users that can get by with their i3 AND I5 computers. BUT the software I chose to run here Demands more performance than what a regular old desktop can provide.  Some of us EXPECT A LOT OUT OF A COMPUTER...  Back when I was consulting, my personal office machine was a fairly brisk computer.  I used to say I want my machine to bring up the next application I'm going to use instantly and do so with me just thinking about it (Anticipate what I might want to use next).  

Right now I notice even after clicking we're waiting for a program to come up.  IT IS time for an upgrade here.  and on a fixed retirement now I have to control spending...  Have a great day everybody.

Erika DD 

Mika Rintala

I have both i5 and i7 computers. i5 can handle fine one slice of FT8/cw skimmer and log program. With i7 I can run 4 slice of FT8. I would say i5 (8Gb) is minimum. I have tried i3 too and that is not very good
Mika

Dwayne_AB6A

Agreed - That’s how i ended up with an i7. I have a 6600 with four slices so I have the capability of running 4 digital decodes - i3 i had just did not cut it and went with an i7 nuc.

Robby Robertson

I don't do FT8 or skimmer. I contest with one slice but can do DX split with 2 slices. Thats max out for my 6400. I have an older laptop with an I5 processor. I have souped it up a bit with and 8 GB RAM and an SSD. It sits around 30-33% CPU usage. The display is small but I have HDMI to an inexpensive 32 inch TV which has plenty of room. I paid $80 on Amazon for the PC. Fast enough for this old man.

-Robby
HP3SS

Erika - KØDD

That's cool Robby...  FT8 decoding uses a LOT of processor.  I'm on 20 meters right now and most calls are DX...  a full screen is 26 lines of CQ's, DX to DX communications, and stateside to DX qsos.  The software has to decode each one of those qsos! in about a second.  PLus sort out which ones are CQ's, which ones are calling or communicating with this station  (red bars)  Worked before on different bands, or never worked before...  When I ran JTALERT it was really a processing hog. So much so we ran into problems.

NOW try to have 4 FT8 streams running all doing the same thing but on different bands... Every time the GPU needs to refresh and put the NEW decoded data up it has to rewrite the screen with all of the new information.

SSDR with its heavy and continuous graphics redraw needs, of a Panadaptor and waterfall running.  I have my Panadaptor slowed down to average at around 67% but it refreshes at 30FPS... Looks pretty and I can understand the info it is giving me.  The waterfall is running at 92...  Fast...  If I slowed it down I couldn't visually read the incoming signals... I can tell when somebody is calling me or calling CQ..  I can tell when my outgoing signal is raspy.  No I cant mentally decode messages yet.  HAHAHAHA

Lets put it this way.  You can never have enough MONEY, Enough TIME, Enough Sleep, enough Windows Desktop space, enough free computer memory, disk space or processor power. 

and gee.... I thought the world was fabulous the day I got my first Weitek Math Coprocessor for the old 386..  The next big thrill was a PENTIUM PRO 200 workstation...  It's all some kind of alien conspiracy...

Remember SKYNET doesn't want to control old slow computers...  It wants our best technology before it destroys us. sigh

Erika DD   

Robby Robertson

My thrill was when I got a 10 MB hard disk for my 8086 IBM clone. I couldn't believe how much room I had to waste.

-Robby

W7NIK

I am really interested, please email  you ideas , nickw7nik@gmail.com

W7NIK

First I want to say to everyone THANK YOU SO MUCH , i know this is a  Flex group, but the flex radio is a new world and we learn every day. 
I might consider upgrading the Video card . 
 the mem i have is 16 GB . the video card i have is g force  model 630 T  i have 
DDR3 memory , all the new stuff is ddr4  

Dwayne_AB6A

The video card is not going to help. All these digital workloads take CPU and not GPU processing. The DDR4 memory referenced on video cards is hardwired on the card itself and is unrelated to the DDR3 ram installed on your machine. Its technical marketing describing how fast the GPU card is.
The various programs we use including SDR could possibly use GPU processing to improve performance, but they are written to support the "lowest common denominator"... a machine like yours. Usually, if there was GPU offload capabilities, it would be an option to choose in the program configuration. I'm not aware any of our ham programs having GPU offload.

Brian Denley KB1VBF

Mine was when I upgraded my Ohio Scientific C1-P from 4K to 8 K!  Cost me over a hundred bucks back in 1978 to upgrade but I thought I now had a bottomless pit of memory.

Erika - KØDD

Oh my goodness, Brian.  I started computer stuff in 1968 at an IBM explorer post trying to learn Main Frames....  Then professionally AT what was originally an OSI Dealer in MSP specializing in their business systems while machines like your C1 were heading out to hobbiests, the C3 was their staple of multi-user business computing.  Spent time in OHIO at the OSI offices in various technical and marketing classes etc. There... I Worked with the first OSI LAN-NET Systems all pre ethernet... Lan-Net was a parallel buss extension interface between separate processing units.  The machines had to sit next to each other.

The company I worked for was owned by a rather creative engineer and we came out with our own line of higher performance machines and outlived OSI by many years.

Erika DD 

Brian Denley KB1VBF

I loved that C1P but got an Osborne 1 next.  Those were the days!

Ed Stallman

I'm using the AMD 6300 with windows 7 and my CPU is under 30% . With both of the WSJT decode CPU jumps to 45% . I loaded windows 10 and when I did the CPU jumped to 75+% so I'm back on W7 and love it . I only use the computer for the Flex 6600 . Click on the link to see a Jpeg of everything I'm running at one time. You can also see for self the CPU usage . 
https://prnt.sc/rmwtrn

W7NIK

please email me, your picture , remove it off the forum,  the windows key  people would  steal  it. This  group probably  not , just a  thought

W7NIK

yours is a six core cpu , would  you like to trade

Ed Stallman

I missed the A in front or the 6300 , didn't know about that CPU 

W7NIK

This post is completed , fixed,  Traded another ham, LDG tuner for  AMD RYZEN 1700
 16 gb ddr4
 never goes over 20 percent  CPU , and i am trying   NIGHT AND DAY )  

Dwayne_AB6A

Awesome!!