CPU usage jumps on WinXP with Pentium4 2.6Ghz

[JhayAnn]

Maybe it's just me & I need to be edumacated on CPU usage but...

I have a game server (Neverwinter nights) that I try to run on my computer, and actually - it runs great! With 5 people on it, it takes up about 0-5% CPU (according to the WinXP processes window). My man supervises/plays on the server from his own computer & experiences no lag or performance probs.

Usually, I can have other things running while the server is in the background - & the gamers won't even feel it. But when I run this one particular game (The Sims) which uses no more than 2% CPU, the server suddenly decides it needs to hog up ALL (89-99%) of the CPU and even though the server doesn't lockup, the players see major lag/performance probs & get booted fast.

Why doesn't the server maintain its 0-5% CPU usage? What's odd is that it doesn't do this with other games/programs I have running on the computer, just The Sims.

Can anyone explain why this is (CPU usage), and if there's a way to fix it?

I have tried setting the server priority to "above normal" or higher, with The Sims at "below normal", but it didn't change anything. I have set up my computer to dedicate more CPU & memory to the system cache to act as a server but that didn't help either.

Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

 

[arjanvl]

I suggest it has to do with DirectX... try installing 9.0b.
Else it could be a resource conflict (?)

Regards

 

[JhayAnn]

We've got the latest DirectX and it must work fine - or else the other games I have wouldn't run right either, and as for a resource conflict -- it DOES seem like the 2 games don't want to cooperate/coexist with each other.
It really sucks because my computer is more than triple the recommended requirements for both the server and The Sims game, yet I can't run them both at the same time.
I have no intention of giving up my computer so my man can use it as a dedicated server, and he doesn't want to give up having a gaming server for a game he's worked hard to build...
Right now, he's ready to go out & buy another computer for that specific purpose, but to me - it's ridiculous to spend even more $$ for something that SHOULD be fixable somehow....