• Still running Windows 7 or earlier? Support for Windows 7 ended on January 14th 2020. Please review the thread here for more details.

x58 Chipset High DPC Latency & Hard Page Faults

S

spaceV2

Member
Joined
Dec 16, 2016
Posts
21
Hi everyone,

I been dealing with high latency and hard page faults for several years and I still can not figure out how to fix it. This is effecting the performance of my favourite DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) program being Steinberg Cubase.

Computer Specifications:
OS: Windows 7 64bit
CPU: i7 960 Bloomfield (Turbo, Speedstep, C-States, C1E = Disabled)
Motherboard: ASUS P6X58D-E x58 Chipset (newest BIOS v803)
Graphic Card: Nvidia GeForce GTX1050ti - Driver v376.33
RAM: 12GB Corsair Dominator (CMP12GX3M3A1600C9), 12GB G.Skill Ripjaws (F3-12800CL9T-12GBRL), 12GB Corsair Vengeance (CMZ12GX3M3A)
HDD: Samsung EVO SSD 1TB
Audio Interface: RME Fireface UCX - Driver v1.097 Rev 46
PSU: Corsair AX860
Network Adapter: Intel Gigabit CT PCIe (EXPI9301CT)

ok so these are the steps I have currently done:

(0) Replaced CMOS Battery
(1) Updated to the newest BIOS version v803
(2) I setup the BIOS exactly as show in this youtube video - ASUS P6X58D-E - BIOS Setup - YouTube
(3) I just replaced my old NVIDIA GeForce GTX970 with a NVIDIA GeForce GTX1050ti for testing purposes (because the 1050ti does not require any additional 6+2 pin PCIE Power Connections)
NOTE: Before the NVIDIA GeForce GTX970, I had a AMD Radeon HD7970 Graphic Card that also experienced the same issues.

(4) I performed a fresh Windows 7 Reformat (Deleted old C:\ partition and formatted a new partition etc)
(5) Installed ASUS P6X58D-E Chipset Driver - Intel(R) Chipset Software Installation Utility V9.1.1.1020
(6) Installed ASUS P6X58D-E USB 3.0 Driver - USB 3.0 Host Controller Driver V2.0.4.0
You can find all of these drivers at - P6X58D-E | Motherboards | ASUS Global under Windows 7 64bit OS.

(8) Installing Windows 7 Updates. I ran into the Windows 7 SP1 Checking for Updates hanging bug and fixed it by doing the following steps:
- Stop the Windows Update Service, set to Manual and then install (1) KB3020369 succesfully.
- Restart PC, make sure Windows Update Service is stopped and still set to manual and then install (2) KB3172605
- Restart PC and Check for Updates and install as usual
More information on this issue can be found here - Windows 7 SP1 Windows Update stuck checking for updates - Super User

(9) Installed all of Windows updates except for the "Optional" updates.
(10) Installed NVIDIA GeForce GTX1050ti GPU Driver v376.33 - Which you can find here Drivers - Download NVIDIA Drivers
(11) Installed RME FireFace UCX Audio Interface Driver v1.097 - Which you can find here RME: Downloads
(12) Disabled Windows Automatic Scheduled Disk Defragmentation and
(13) Disabled Windows Automatic Scheduled Defender Scans.
(14) Correctly setup the Windows Playback & Recording Devices.
(15) Adjust Windows Power Management scheme for maximum performance.
(All of these things are shown in the youtube results video below)

(13) Run LatencyMon for several hours
(14) I show the results for LatencyMon, msinfo32, Device Manager, CPU-Z, GPUZ, Windows Power Management and other various information in this youtube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=177D-m430rY&index=13&list=PLG-TggrrFygGyeN6W91SZUD5Clzdmd2OR

Here is a video of Device Manager Resources by Type Overview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2FQ9xx22Wo&index=15&list=PLG-TggrrFygGyeN6W91SZUD5Clzdmd2OR

Here is a video of Device Manager Resources by Connection Overview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3yQeixGUEY&index=14&list=PLG-TggrrFygGyeN6W91SZUD5Clzdmd2OR

Here are some pictures of my ASUS P6X58D-E Official Motherboard Documentation:

- Motherboard Layout Overview: http://imgur.com/T6VesbP
- IRQ Table: http://imgur.com/KCBDqfQ

According to this information, this is my current connection configuration:
- RAM currently in A1 and B1 slots
- Intel Gigabit CT Network Adapter in PCI x1 Port 1/1
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX1050ti in PCIe x16 Port 1/3
- 2x ORICO10 Port USB3.0 HUBs in USB 3.0 Ports 1 and 2 (Only have mouse currently connected through hub)
- USB 2.0 Ports 1 and 2 currently un-occupied
- RME FireFace UCX Audio Interface in USB 2.0 Port 3/4
- Keyboard in USB 2.0 Motherboard Header Port 5/6


Let me know if I can provide any further information, tests, connections, etc. etc.

Thanks
 
Additional Information:

I have tried a dozen fresh Windows 7 Reformats with different Hardware and connection combinations over the years.

The following is a list of Hardware replacements over the years:
(1) i7 950 - i7960
(2) 3x sets of RAM - 12GB Corsair Dominator (CMP12GX3M3A1600C9), 12GB G.Skill Ripjaws (F3-12800CL9T-12GBRL), 12GB Corsair Vengeance (CMZ12GX3M3A)
(3) 3x Graphic Cards - AMD Radeon HD7970, NVIDIA GeForce GTX970, NVIDIA GeForce GTX1050ti
(4) 3x Audio Interfaces - MOTU Microbook (Crackled & Popped), Presonus AudioBox (Worked until I performed a fresh reformat and then Crackled & Popped from then on), RME FireFace UCX (Which has seemingly stopped any Crackles & Popping issues)
(5) Thermaltake Tough Power 1200w PSU, Corsair AX860
(6) Mechanical HDD to a SSD
(7) Re-seated all hardware and power connections multiple times
(8) Tried various cables and purchase alot of higher quality brand cables

I have also recently ordered a replacement BIOS Chip to try if I can not find any other solutions.
 
If there is any additional information or test results I can provide please let me know.

I will donate a minimum of $50 if anyone can fix this issue, it has been affecting my Audio Engineering / Producing career for several years and I am not particularly interested in buying and building a new computer as I would rather spend my money on more hardware synthesizers.

The most interesting thing about this situation is that even though LatencyMon says my system is not capable of handling real-time audio tasks and I experience severe performance issues in Cubase etc., other company DAWs such as Ableton Live and FL Studio have seemingly worked fine in the past on my system without experiencing any un-expected performance behaviours, but Steinberg Cubase suffers from serious GUI Lag and VST Performance Meter Spikes that typically cause un-responsiveness and a Audio Artifact glitch sound for a brief moment. I am predicting that this will be the exact same outcomes results when I get to the point of re-installing and testing DAW performance.
However Cubase is my favourite arrangement DAW and it would be nice to resolve these issues, but if worse comes to worse I am willing to try very hard to obtain a refund from Steinberg for all of my purchases on my account and transition over to a DAW that seemingly works fine on my system such as Ableton Live or FL Studio that has been proven over and over again in the past. I have a very modular approach to my workflow and I naturally use many different DAWs for different purposes and have been trained with Reason, Ableton Live and Pro Tools in College, so its no big deal for me to fully switch to a new program.

Thanks for your time and patience
 
ok so I noticed that I am able to create trace files at the point of xperf -d %userprofile%\Desktop\trace.etl and am able to open and view all the information, im not exactly sure if the next step in the tutorial of entering xperf %userprofile%\Desktop\trace.etl is necessary in my case.

Please let me know what kind of trace test conditions you would like for a trace ? Time duration etc ?

LatencyMon is showing concerning issues and is saying that my system is not capable of handling real-time audio tasks, while TheSycon DPC Latencer Checker v1.4.0 seemingly is not showing as serious issues and is saying my system should be capable ? Just a small observation worth mentioning at this point in time.
 
Update:

I have ran Thesycon DPC Latency Checker v1.4.0 for several hours now.
For roughly 3 hours I let it run by itself without doing any additional computer tasks. For the next 3 hours I was using the computer at the same time doing very basic tasks such as browsing the internet, watching a youtube video, having several internet tabs opened at once etc.

The patterns and results seem to be exactly the same when doing additional computer tasks or not. Around every 60 seconds there is one medium yellow spike in the 1000 - 2000 range and the rest of the time it is in the green.
For this test I only noticed it spike into the red 2 or 3 times over several hours, the rest of the time is yellow.

Here is a picture: http://i.imgur.com/X4q1QvS.png

Absolute Maximum = 2031
Current Latency = Averages between 100 - 150
Test Interval = 1000
 
Update:

I have ran Thesycon DPC Latency Checker v1.4.0 for a additional 14 hours, the point of this was to see if the "Absolute Maximum" would spike any higher. I have tried timing the spike intervals and it seems closer to 70 - 80 seconds between each spike.

The patterns and results seem to be exactly the same and it did not peak any higher as of yet:

Absolute Maximum = 2031
Current Latency = Averages between 100 - 150
Test Interval = 1000

Im going to make a trace file and attach it in my next post, im guessing lots of people are busy with Christmas and the holiday season.
 
Here is a 3 hour long Trace.etl file I made using the following:

Download and install Windows ADK: Download Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (Windows ADK) for Windows 8.1 Update from Official Microsoft Download Center

CMD

1.
Code: 
xperf -on DiagEasy

2.
Code: 
xperf -d %userprofile%\Desktop\trace.etl

Trace.etl download, size 2.06GB: trace.etl - Google Drive

Please forgive me as I forgot to .zip compress the file halfway through the upload and I am still on ADSL1 upload speeds so yea lol. I will remember to compress from now on.


Here is my msinfo32 system information file: MsInfo.zip - Google Drive

Here is my Piriform Speccy Info: Piriform Speccy - Computer Specs - Album on Imgur

Here is my CPU-Z Info: CPU-Z - Album on Imgur

Here is my GPU-Z Info: http://imgur.com/a/RP96O

Next I will make a new Trace.etl using the following:

1.
Code: 
xperf -on PROC_THREAD+LOADER+PROFILE+INTERRUPT+DPC+DRIVERS+POWER+IDLE_STATES -stackwalk Profile -BufferSize 1024 -MinBuffers 256 -MaxBuffers 256 -MaxFile 256 -FileMode Circular

2.
Code: 
xperf -stop -d C:\CPU.etl

If there is any additional information or tests I can provide please let me know. Thankyou.
 
Here is the 3 hour trace.etl file .zip compressed, Download size reduced to 448mb - trace.zip - Google Drive

LatencyMon image album should be here by tomorrow, I will report back.

If there is any additional information or tests I can provide please let me know, thanks.
 
UPDATE:

New Simplified Test Configuration:

- Removed Intel Gigabit CT PCIe Network Adapter: Intel(R) Gigabit CT Desktop Adapter Product Brief
- Removed 2 x ORICO Aluminum 10 Port USB3.0 HUB with 3.3Ft / 1M USB3.0 Cable (A3H10-V1-SV): ORICO Aluminum 10 Port USB3.0 HUB with 3.3Ft / 1M USB3.0 Cable (A3H10-V1-SV)_Aluminum USB Hub_USB Hub_ORICO - USB Storage Adapters, Chargers, Hubs, and More

USB 3.0 Port 1 and 2 = Empty

USB 2.0 Port 1 and 2 = Mouse
USB 2.0 Port 3 and 4 = RME FireFace UCX Audio Interface
USB 2.0 Port 5 and 6 = Keyboard....(Motherboard USB Header)
USB 2.0 Port 7 and 8 = Empty....(Motherboard USB Header)

PCIe x1 Port 1 = Empty
PCIe x16 Port 1 = NVIDIA GeForce GTX1050ti
PCIe x16 Port 2 and 3 = Empy
PCI Port 1 = Empty

SATA 6GB Port 1 and 2 = Empty
SATA 3GB Port 1,2,3,4,5 = Occupied with HDD / SSD
Sata 3GB Port 6 = Empty

Demonstration of my Steinberg Cubase Performance Issues & Symptoms:
(1) Cubase Pro 8 - 100% VST Performance Spikes Issue - YouTube
(2) Steinberg Cubase Pro 8.5 - LatencyMon with Cubase Open. - YouTube

How I setup my BIOS: ASUS P6X58D-E - BIOS Setup - YouTube

How I install NVIDIA Graphic drivers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2WdgsKnrwc&index=7&list=PLG-TggrrFygGyeN6W91SZUD5Clzdmd2OR

Windows 7 Power Management Settings: http://imgur.com/a/c1mhV

MsInfo system information file: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B15BsFecMAM0MlhCNVRKMUdZdlE

Speccy: http://imgur.com/a/rMDC4

CPU-Z: http://imgur.com/a/EZy8S

GPU-Z: http://imgur.com/a/RP96O

Device Manager Resources by Type IRQ: http://imgur.com/a/iMy9J

Motherboard Layout Overview: http://imgur.com/T6VesbP

Motherboard IRQ Table: http://imgur.com/KCBDqfQ


Trace Files:
3 hour CPU.etl trace: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B15BsFecMAM0SW9IeTRSMk5nQWM (NOTE: Intel Driver Update Utility = un-installed)

NOTE: New 3 hour trace.etl file (with Intel Driver Update Utility un-installed) coming soon.


LatencyMon Comparible Results:
LatencyMon 9hr Test (NOTE: with Intel Driver Update Utility = installed) - http://imgur.com/a/o5H4u
LatencyMon 5hr Test (NOTE: with Intel Driver Update Utility = un-installed) - http://imgur.com/a/o2v8k


NOTES: Removing the Intel Gigabit CT PCIe Network Adapter has seemingly fixed any issues with ataport.SYS and tcpip.sys in LatencyMon.
I noticed a service named esrv_svc.exe Intel System Usage Report, which had a high page fault, this turned out to be a service related to the "Intel Driver Update Utility" that I installed out of curiosity to see what it had to say about my drivers (they are all upto date apparently).
Uninstalling this Intel Driver Update Utility removed the esrv_svc.exe service and has generally reduced the overall Hard Page Fault count. Also there are no more spikes happening in Thesycon DSP Latency Checker after uninstalling Intel Driver Update Utility.


There is no mention of a Intel Chipset Identification Utility in the Motherboard User Manual or on the ASUS Website.

ASUS P6X58D-E English Manual: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B15BsFecMAM0LWE4NEVweUNOUjg
ASUS P6X58D-E Website: https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/P6X58DE/HelpDesk/


NOTE: New 3 hour trace.etl file (with Intel Driver Update Utility un-installed) coming soon.


Please let me know if I can provide any additional information or tests before re-installing and testing DAW performance. Thankyou.
 
Update:

(1) Removed Intel Gigabit CT PCIe Network Adapter
(2) Removed 2x ORICO Aluminum 10 Port USB3.0 HUB (A3H10-V1-SV)
(3) Un-installed Intel Driver Update Utility
(4) Disabled Google Update Services (gupdate) and (gupdatem): msconfig Services - Album on Imgur


Positives:

(1) Thesycon DSP Latency Checker is now averaging between 80 - 100 compared to the old average of 100 - 140: DPC Latency Checker - New Low Average - Album on Imgur

(2) Thesycon DSP Latency Checker has stopped spiking since un-installing the Intel Driver Update Utility.

(3) Removing the Intel Gigabit CT PCIe Network Adapter has seemingly improved issues in regards to ataport.SYS and tcpip.sys

(4) USBPORT.SYS seems to be a little bit more stable but im not exactly sure what contributed to this change.


We seem to be making some progress on improving the DSP Latency.


Negatives:

(1) Still having high Hard Page Fault spikes, What other tests can I do to further analyse this issue ?

(2) LatencyMon - 1min 32sec - svchost.exe Hard Page Fault Spike: LatencyMon - 1min 32sec - svchost.exe Hard Page Fault Spike - Album on Imgur


Here is a new 3 hour trace.etl: trace.zip - Google Drive


Please let me know if there is any additional information or tests I can provide please let me know. Thanks.
 
ok, so I now have some questions in regards to Windows 7 Services.

Firstly I will donate $10 to the website if someone could care to take the time to write out a Advanced Tutorial on Disabling Windows 7 Services. I want the most stripped down version of Windows 7 as possible, but without affecting any aspects of using Digital Audio Workstation software.

This was one of the more in depth tutorials I could find: Which Windows Services Are Safe to Disable & When? | Digital Citizen but it still didn't go over all o the services, I do not want any internet services etc. I just don't want to ruin Windows 7 functionality or DAW software performance are my main concerns. A tutorial going over every Service would be nice.

Secondly, does anyone know how to completely un-install the wisptis.exe Microsoft AppV Microsoft Pen and Touch Input ? I have disabled the Tablet PC Components under the Windows 7 Features and I have also Disabled the Tablet PC Components Service, but wisptis.exe continually pops up in LatencyMon and is causing some Hard Page Faults.

Thanks
 
To make things easier, I am particularly interested in knowing if I can safely Disable the following Windows 7 Services ?

(1) Base Filtering Engine - The Base Filtering Engine (BFE) is a service that manages firewall and Internet Protocol security (IPsec) policies and implements user mode filtering. Stopping or disabling the BFE service will significantly reduce the security of the system. It will also result in unpredictable behaviour in IPsec management and firewall applications.

(2) DHCP Client - Registers and updates IP addresses and DNS records for this computer. If this service is stopped, this computer will not receive dynamic IP addresses and DNS updates. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.

(3) Diagnostic Tracking Service - The Diagnostics Tracking Service enables data collection about functional issues in Windows components.

(4) DNS Client - The DNS Client service (dnscache) caches Domain Name System (DNS) names and registers the full computer name for this computer. If the service is stopped, DNS names will continue to be resolved. However, the results of DNS name queries will not be cached and the computer's name will not be registered. If the service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.

(5) Network Connections - Manages objects in the Network and Dial-Up Connections folder, in which you can view both local area network and remote connections.

(6) Network Store Interface Service - This service delivers network notifications (e.g. interface addition/deleting etc) to user mode clients. Stopping this service will cause loss of network connectivity. If this service is disabled, any other services that explicitly depend on this service will fail to start.

(7) Portable Device Enumerator Service - Enforces group policy for removable mass-storage devices. Enables applications such as Windows Media Player and Image Import Wizard to transfer and synchronize content using removable mass-storage devices.

(8) Program Compatibility Assistant Service - This service provides support for the Program Compatbility Assistant (PCA. PCA monitors programs installed and run by the user and detects known compatibility problems. If this service is stopped, PCA will not function properly.

(9) Security Accounts Manager - The startup of this service signals other services that the Security Accounts Manager (SAM) is ready to accept requests. Disabling this service will prevent other services in the system from being notigied when the SAM is ready, which may in turn cause those services to fail to start correctly. This service should not be disabled.

(10) Security Center - The WSCSVC (Windows Security Center) service monitors and reports security health settings on the computer. The health settings include firewall (on/off), antivirus (on/off/out of date), antispyware (on/off/out of date), Windows Update (automatically/manually download and install updates), User Account Control (on/off), and Internet settings (recommended/not recommended). The service provides COM APIs for independent software vendors to register and record the state of their products to the Security Center service. The Action Center (AC) UI uses the service to provide systray alerts and a graphical view of the security health states in the AC control panel. Network Access Protection (NAP) uses the service to report the security health states of clients to the NAP Network Policy Server to make network quarantine decisions. The service also has a public API that allows external consumers to programmatically retrieve the aggregated security health state of the system.

(11) Shell Hardware Detection - Provides notifications for AutoPlay hardware events.

(12) System Event Notification Service - Monitors system events and notifies subscribers to COM+ Event System of these events.

(13) TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper - Provides support for the NetBIOS over TCP/IP (NetBT) service and NetBIOS name resolution for clients on the network, therefore enabling users to share files, print, and log on to the network. If this service is stopped, these functions might be unavailable. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.

(14) User Profile Service - This service is responsible for loading and unloading user profiles. If this service is stopped or disabled, users will no longer be able to successfully logon or logoff, applications may have problems getting to users' data, and components registered to receive profile event notifications will not receive them.

(15) Windows Audio - Manages audio for Windows-based programs. If this service is stopped, audio devices and effects will not function properly. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start

(16) Windows Audio Endpoint Builder - Manages audio devices for the Windows Audio service. If this service is stopped, audio devices and effects will not function properly. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start

(17) Windows Event Log - This service manages events and event logs. It supports logging events, querying events, subscribing to events, archiving event logs, and managing event metadata. It can display events in both XML and plain text format. Stopping this service may compromise security and reliability of the system.

(18) Windows Firewall - Windows Firewall helps protect your computer by preventing unauthorized users from gaining access to your computer through the Internet or a network.

(19) Windows Image Acquisition (WIA) - Provides image acquisition services for scanners and cameras

(20) WinHTTP Web Proxy Auto-Discovery Service - WinHTTP implements the client HTTP stack and provides developers with a Win32 API and COM Automation component for sending HTTP requests and receiving responses. In addition, WinHTTP provides support for auto-discovering a proxy configuration via its implementation of the Web Proxy Auto-Discovery (WPAD) protocol.
 
Hi xilolee,

Merry Xmas.

I have tried switching video card to the second slot with my previous 2 graphic cards - AMD Radeon HD7970 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX970, but I have not tested the new NVIDIA GeForce GTX1050ti in the second slot with this new fresh reformat yet.

Heres a Trace screenshot of Ableton Live 9.7 vs Steinberg Cubase 8.5: Ableton 9.7 vs Cubase 8.5 - Album on Imgur

I have managed to to get my computer to pass LatencyMon and Thesycon DSP Latency Checker tests by removing my USB3.0 Hubs and PCIe Network Adapter, however the Cubase DAW performance issues still persist.

When I run LatencyMon while Cubase is opened, the dxgkrnl.sys starts spiking in LatencyMon and the VST Performance meter starts spiking too as shown in this old test video: Steinberg Cubase Pro 8.5 - LatencyMon with Cubase Open. - YouTube

The Trace files seemingly show issues in regards to USBPORT.SYS, and LatencyMon is showing issues with dxgkrnl.sys while running when Cubase is opened.

I have tried just about every single thing possible. My conclusion is coming to that I think the x58 chipset is un-optimized for handling this stuff.

My computer runs fine and passes Latency tests outside of Cubase, but as soon as I open Cubase my computer can't seem to handle it and it seems that USBPORT.SYS and dxgkrnl.sys are the main suspects.

I have not received a reply from Steinberg official support for 16 days and counting, their online support forms have a word count capped limit which is fairly short and it is hard to make a detailed submission without making a mess.

The Steinberg affiliated public forum members were of no help whatsoever, and just today, on christmas, I come to find that moderators have locked my thread on the public forum. I am so disapointed with this situation as all I want is a refund for their defective program that does not run on my system, but I can see clearly now that Steinberg is just another Ego company that does not care about its customers, and is the kind of company that expects you to waste more money on upgrading to new computer platforms (that will probably have issues too) to try and fix the problem.

I am starting to see why Apple Mac is a popular choice for electronic music producers.
 
I should also add that the dxgkrnl.sys spiking in LatencyMon while having a Digital Audio Workstation program running is not exclusive to Cubase.
The dxgkrnl.sys also spikes with Ableton Live 9.7 when running LatencyMon while Ableton is opened.

The thing is I do not seem to experience any un-expected performance issues while using Ableton Live 9.7 or atleast i do not "feel" any performance issues and I can still work with Ableton, whereas I am incapable of working in Cubase because the performance issues are too much and I can feel it too much.
Also Cubase start to spike on VST Performance meter randomly inside of every single project causing un-responsiveness and audio artifact glitch sounds, whereas Ableton has never spiked on the performance meter ever, so I think they are both being effected by my system but atleast I can still work with Ableton.

I will test switching my graphic card to the second PCIe x16 slot and report back with results. I will make some new Cubase and Ableton CPU.etl trace files and upload aswell. Thanks.
 

Has Sysnative Forums helped you? Please consider donating to help us support the site!

Back
Top