Gametime+ - laggy. Is this common? Looking for solution.

[MarkD]

Description of problem:
I currently run pokertracker and gametime+ with four tables and I import hands into pokertracker every 3 minutes. I am playing at Eurobet. I have noticed that my system becomes very sluggish with gametime running, moreso with every table that I add. My database is ~100k hands.

An example of what I mean by sluggish is that my mouse does not respond. It jumps around and is not a fluid motion like it should be. This makes playing poker very frustrating.

System:
AMD Athalon 800 (yup, ancient, I know)
640MB PC133 Ram
Windows XP SP2
Two different physical hardrives using the same IDE cable. One drive is my operating system + Eurobet + pokertracker. The second hard drive contains the actual database that pokertracker and gametime access (I read that this may increase performance but if it did then the increase was very minor).

I am runnning the latest versions of both Pokertracker and Gametime+ (but not the Postgre versions).

Questions:
- Is this common?
- Is this lag a function of my slow / old PC?
- Gametime+ has a rather large memory footprint (~21MB's) but I feel as my 640MB should be sufficient. Is memory the problem?
- Is there anything else that I am overlooking to increase my performance somehow?
Edit:
- Is it a problem with Gametime+ or Pokertracker?

All advice is appreciated. I am planning on purchasing a new computer within the next few months (I have to meet a certain financial goal with regards to poker before I purchase the new computer), but want to make sure that is the problem before buying it earlier than I want to.

edit: Now that I look I see a similar problem posted half way down without any response. I'll leave this up anyways because it took me too long to write but I guess I shouldn't expect any answer.

[sthief09]

I think GT+ is controlled mostly by processor speed. The database speed is controlled by the HDD speed and processor speed, and running 4-8 tables + Poker tracker + GT+ is probably controlled by all 3.

I bought a computer just to play poker on. I used to have your problem and it would tilt me because I'd get so frustrated from not being able to move my mouse where I wanted. it was a great investment. you can get one that does all that for 800-1200. I spent 1000 and this was in December.

[MiguelSanchez]

[ QUOTE ]
Description of problem:
System:
AMD Athalon 800 (yup, ancient, I know)
640MB PC133 Ram
Windows XP SP2
Two different physical hardrives using the same IDE cable. One drive is my operating system + Eurobet + pokertracker. The second hard drive contains the actual database that pokertracker and gametime access (I read that this may increase performance but if it did then the increase was very minor).

I am runnning the latest versions of both Pokertracker and Gametime+ (but not the Postgre versions).

Questions:
- Is this common?


[/ QUOTE ]

I don't have any problem with slow-down, but I have a relatively new computer. However, 4-tabling was fine for me with my older computer, and Athlon XP 1600+ with 512MB of ram. It's not inherent in GT+ or PT if that's what you're asking.

[ QUOTE ]
- Is this lag a function of my slow / old PC?

[/ QUOTE ]

I would guess yes. It's unlikely to be the hard drive, though you could test it with a small database and see if it's still slow.

[ QUOTE ]
- Gametime+ has a rather large memory footprint (~21MB's) but I feel as my 640MB should be sufficient. Is memory the problem?

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree that it probably isn't the RAM. I max out at around 400MB used. You can check Task Manager to make sure this is also true for you.

[ QUOTE ]
- Is there anything else that I am overlooking to increase my performance somehow?

[/ QUOTE ]

The only thing I can think of, for the time being, is to lower the process priority of GT+. It's possible to have it run at low priority when you click the Start Menu icon (use google, I don't remember the exact command). I would check to make sure it's your processor that is the problem, again using Task Manager and seeing if your CPU usage is at or near 100% while you play.

[ QUOTE ]

Edit:
- Is it a problem with Gametime+ or Pokertracker?


[/ QUOTE ]

The easiest way to check this is to use Poker Tracker without GT+ open. I'd guess it's both, and that the unresponsiveness is especially bad when PT is trying to import hands. If it's constant then it is likely GT+. Querying a 100K hand database must be very taxing on an 800 Mhz processor.

[MarkD]

[ QUOTE ]
The only thing I can think of, for the time being, is to lower the process priority of GT+. It's possible to have it run at low priority when you click the Start Menu icon (use google, I don't remember the exact command). I would check to make sure it's your processor that is the problem, again using Task Manager and seeing if your CPU usage is at or near 100% while you play.

[/ QUOTE ]

I have been watching this and it is at 100% of the time most of the time... I think that is normal even for fast computers though isn't it?

[ QUOTE ]
I agree that it probably isn't the RAM. I max out at around 400MB used. You can check Task Manager to make sure this is also true for you.


[/ QUOTE ]

I've looked at this but don't know exactly what stat equates to how much ram is being used - there is a bunch of memory stuff on there and it's confusing - especially considering the page file useage.



[/ QUOTE ]

I've done this. PT without GT runs fine. I think there is a tiny hickup when it begins to import but it is almost unnoticable.

The lag is fairly constant while GT is running but does get worse while PT is importing. I think you are both right nad that it is my processor.

[MarkD]

[ QUOTE ]
I bought a computer just to play poker on. I used to have your problem and it would tilt me because I'd get so frustrated from not being able to move my mouse where I wanted. it was a great investment. you can get one that does all that for 800-1200. I spent 1000 and this was in December.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yah this is probably what I am going to do. I want to wait until I'm even this year. I'm still stuck for 2005. I really do suck at poker. (It's not as bad as I make it out to be - the bankroll is doing better than my results indicate).

Anyhow, I may break down and buy one before I get even for the year or I may try and tough it out until I get even and then reward myself with new computer. That was my plan. I really hate being stuck and having to say that I am stuck.

[kross]

I just upgraded my computer to an AMD64 2800+, 1 GB ram for under $300. I bought a new mobo, CPU, and RAM, and just reused my existing case, power supply, hard drive, cd-rom, etc, etc. Next is a new SATA hard drive. But the point is, you can upgrade in pieces, cheaply.

I play 6 tables without even a HINT of slowdown. I have about 120k hands in my database. On my old system (AMD Athlon, somwhere between 1 and 1.5 GHz), I would get a little sluggishness after 4 tables.

Some suggestions:

Make sure you aren't autorating yourself in PokerTracker.

Don't display your own stats.

Don't include your stats in table average.

Also, if you're a dedicated data-miner, or you play with the same players every day, you might have thousands of hands of history on your opponents. The more hands of history you have on your opponents, the slower it will be.

Hope this helps!
-- Kevin

[MarkD]

I've actually done all of those things before posting this. Of course I still have a large amount of lag. I wonder about this because when I used to use Playerview I did not have any of these lag issues at all.

[TheTROLL]

This is mostly a processor speed issue - the PT imports are taking too long to run, getting in the way of GT+ trying to query the same database.

Both apps could be better written (PT should parse all the outstanding text files then perform its database inserts in a single batch, I suspect it's holding tables open while parsing the files; GT+ should create its own summary database and update it only using new data in PT, not keep aggregating all historical data).

But until/unless these changes arrive, just buy a new PC - you'll be pleasantly surprised how cheap they are if you haven't looked for a while. Look for, say, an Athlon 3000 with 1GB RAM and you'll be delighted with the improvement.

[MarkD]

Yes, I've been pricing a new system lately and can get one that I think I will be happy with for about 1000CAN. But, today someone told me about the new dual core processors and Anandtech has some benchmarks showing how much of a vast improvement is obtained when multi-tasking. So now I'm thinking about waiting until these proessors become more readily available.

I would be buying one of these new dual core processor or an AMD 64 bit processor if I build. Now, I just need to decide if it's worth waiting for the dual core processors (and I think it is since they are already available in limited quantities).

[wayotogo]

I have the exact same problem as you (lagging with each table I add after 4 tables) except I use Playerview (no lag when I don't use it), not Gametime+ and I have a fair fast processor, 2.66 Ghz. I still have not found a solution.