Sigh...weird computer issues...also, i need a suggestion for a good free graphics editor...

[Bastrophian]

Ok, so i finally got my new laptop, had a few issues with it at first but im warming up to it (I CAN PLAY MINECRAFT AGAIN, WITH DECENT FPS XD !!!)....however i have alot of getting used to, yet still.... . Im really confused....technically this laptop is supposed to be MUCH better than my old one....and in many ways it is, but there are little things here and there where it performs poory compared to my old inferior one, things that you wouldent think...or at least i wouldent. For instance, gimp LAGS....!! . Zooming in, moving the box selection, certain other tools, is choppy.... . Its not so bad that i cant work with it at all, but its bad enough that im afraid it could crash at any second, plus its still REALLY annoying, especially after working with it on my old laptop without problems  ....so i was wondering if any of you could suggest any other free graphic editors with layers? I know a few already like Paint.Net...but i wanna know what yalls experiences with them are too. Anyway, thanks yall .     

 

[tearsofthenight]

Well Laptops are always weaker then desktops with the same specs. Some issues could be throttling hardware.

I reccomend getting a temp monitor program and seeing whats heating up and whats not. That way you can be sure what Component is causing the trouble.

It could be the CPU is producing to much heat and the fan is not getting it out quick enough, or could be a low end GPU that is throttling cause the cpu is to powerfull.

 

[Bastrophian]

...Some issues could be throttling hardware.

...Whats that?

 

[tearsofthenight]

...Whats that?

Throttling hardware is caused by system unbalance, Generally cause by having a powerfull cpu but weak GPU or vice versa. do you mind if i asked what specs that pc is using so i can do some research?

 

[Bastrophian]

Ok....

OS- Windows 8.1

Manufacturer- TOSHIBA

Model- Satellite C.....

Processor-AMD A8 with AM Radeon R5 Graphics 2.00GHz

Installed Memory- 8 GB (6.96 GB usable)

System Type- 64 bit

...is that what you were talking about? 

 

[tearsofthenight]

Ok....

OS- Windows 8.1

Manufacturer- TOSHIBA

Model- Satellite C.....

Processor-AMD A8 with AM Radeon R5 Graphics 2.00GHz

Installed Memory- 8 GB (6.96 GB usable)

System Type- 64 bit

...is that what you were talking about? 

Thanks! It seems your GPU is using alot of your system memory is it a onboard or Dedicated GPU?

Do me a favor and press CTRL ALT and DELETE and check your system performance and tell me what your results are.

 

[Bastrophian]

Thanks! It seems your GPU is using alot of your system memory is it a onboard or Dedicated GPU?

Do me a favor and press CTRL ALT and DELETE and check your system performance and tell me what your results are.

Hey, im gonna PM you.

 

[tearsofthenight]

Hey, im gonna PM you.

ok sounds good!

 

[ElementalLight]

if your still looking for free image editors try Paint . net (http://www.getpaint.net/)

or another one ive had but never really used is krita (https://krita.org/)

 

[Andar]

There are two things that usually can create such problems:


1) Preinstalled computers usually come with a lot of junk preinstalled that you don't need. Depending on the manufacturer that can cause problems.


Good manufacturers usually make sure that those programs don't affect performance too much, but sometimes that is not the case and you need to deinstall the problematic programs.


2) Computers can either be optimized for high processing power, or they can be optimized for low power consumption/long battery life. Both at the same time is not possible.


Most of the optimization is fixed in the hardware - if you purchased a modern device optimized for long battery life, then it could easily be that it has lower processing power than your older computer when that was optimized for high processing power.


However, some of the optimization is in software settings - you can choose that in the computers energy options. If you (or the manufacturer by default) decded to set the power option for low consumption, then Windows will switch the processor into a slower, low consumption mode.


You need to switch that back, especially if you aren't working on battery but on the power net.

 

[starcrescendo]

iEntryI'm surprised nobody has said it yet, but as for the image editor question, you might like The Gimp http://www.gimp.org/ . It's actually severely not-gimped to the point where it is pretty much on par with Photoshop, features-wise. Since it is so popular it has tons of tutorials and such too, you can just search for "gimp [blah blah blah] tutorial" to generally find anything. Until I got Photoshop I used Gimp for years. The interface took some getting used to because of all the floating windows, but I haven't used it recently so it may have a more standard interface now.

Sorry, I need to read the first post better...  And they don't let you delete posts on this forums... quick... try to look cool

Dangit!

 

[Ralpf]

I have a very similar laptop, Toshiba Satellite C75D-B with an AMD A8-6410 at 2GHz and 6GB of RAM. It runs Gimp without any problems. And that is less RAM, but maybe the speeds aren't the same, mine shows up as 1600 MHz in the task manager. I did get rid of whatever antivirus was packaged with it, can't remember if it was Norton or McAfee, but they are both just headaches for me. Along with a horrible program Best Buy gave me free with purchase, Webroot, which is worse than the aforementioned combined (I actually couldn't install the VXAce RTP until I got rid of that, nor Battle.net I think).

I would check the power settings as Andar advised, right click battery icon/power options/change plan settings/change advanced power settings. Go through that list and make sure everything is on maximum performance, at least plugged in, though I have the same settings on battery.

Edit: Just to be clear, I'm not advocating not using an anti-virus, I just have a bad history with the ones I mentioned.

 

[EternalShadow]

What is the RAM of this computer compared to the old one?

 

[_Shadow_]

Be sure you got a 64bit of GIMP if there is one.

Instead of Gimp you can use:

http://www.getpaint.net/

Are you running 2.8.14??

http://www.gimp.org/downloads/

In case nothing works out...

Try this:

1] Update your antivirus. (What is your anti virus and your firewall?)

2] Disable wifi, disconnect from the internet if you are connected with ethernet.

3] Do a whole PC scan just in case.

4] Disable antivirus and firewall.

5] Now try working with GIMP

Sometimes much resources are used to monitor behavior of programs, by an antivirus or a firewall.

This might cause lag.

 

[ookami_lord]

You can get Paint.NEt, MS paint, SAI...etc.

EDITOps, they already mentioned these ones XD

 

[Bastrophian]

Thank you all!! Sorry I haven't posted back since last night. I'm going to try all your suggestions and post back latter. .

@ Hotfire- its 8GB, my old one was 4GB

 

[Gradian]

no one seemed to mentioned FireAlpaca? Probably not that widely known like GIMP. Aside being free, it's pretty small in size (about 10mb more or less) and of course has limited tools (they'll gradually get updated with new functions but you have to reinstall the latest releases. your custom settings from previous versions will be saved though), the best use for it is for digital art and pixel stuff (though the brushes are limited too). Also no CMYK option if you're looking to make some prints from it, and there's no warp/distort function.

But it's pretty good for simple functions. Hell, it even has the perspective function which is a real must have in any art/graphic editing program, and you can save transparency. I made my profile pic using that program lol

Though you might encounter a bad, somewhat long loading lag when you first open it up after installing. It did that to my other computer(though that computer's slightly older and a little cluttered inside), but after a couple of launches, the loading time lag goes away. it launched smoothly on its first launch on this computer(that im typing on) though.

 

[Bastrophian]

Sigh ....well, thank yall for your help. I guess im just gonna have to get used to gimp going slow...im too used to it now to use anything else. Tried Paint.Net, and i'll probably use that for a lean to graphics editor, but it was mostly frustrating, especially understanding how transparency works on it. Tried copying and pasting, but the selection will still overlap onto other pixels even if the selection contains transparency....

@Blademan725- Tried Krita.... O____O ....wow, it lagged WAY more than gimp did. Thanks anyway...

Also, i got rid of Norton, and a few other things....im wondering if there are some other background programs i could get rid of, but im afraid to muck around with all that....dont wanna mess up my computer. 

But anyway, oddly enough, if i let gimp sit still a sec, it seems to lag a little less, and ive noticed that every now and then...it wont lag at all.... . Computers are crazy... 

 

[Caustic]

But anyway, oddly enough, if i let gimp sit still a sec, it seems to lag a little less, and ive noticed that every now and then...it wont lag at all.... . Computers are crazy... 

*nods wisely while balancing a banana on his head*

Computers are indeed crazy. So is Windows 8. Sorry, but ya might have just drawn the short straw --  at least until Microsoft releases W10 @_@

A few tips that might help: if you've been using the laptop for a while, maybe consider cleaning out some of the crud on the hard drive? ^^ Temporary files and the browser cache (what holds images, mostly) are the biggest culprits. You can literally clean out hundreds of megabytes that way - just last week I knocked out a good 2GB from my hard drives like that @__@ CCleaner is helpful for that, and can also clean out the computer's registry (basically your computers glossary of where stuff is on it and what it does).

As well, like Ander said, do definitely look into what's actually on your computer. Bloatware - the miscellaneous stuff that comes with most laptops and commercially-built PCs that you never use, but keeps demanding you use it anyway - can slow down the computer and hog space. Opening up the Apps place (right-click off of any app on the Start page), just right-click on anything you really don't want and click Uninstall. Mostly you'll be looking for stuff immediately under the big Apps sign that wants you to install "trials" and whatnot -- that stuff can go right out the window, unless you really want to use it. Also, suspicious programs that you didn't install, and weren't present when you got the computer, should be deleted immediately.

Double-check your running processes as well -- browsers can eat up a lot of space on the RAM, and some programs might not close properly. In fact, I've had trouble on our W7 desktop with Media Player not closing entirely, so I have to jump into task manager and shut it down manually. Even GIMP occasionally buggers up and needs to be shut down manually :\

Finally, there is a "portable" version of GIMP that's lighter than the normal version, made for thumb drives namely, but I think it can run right off of the computer. Here's a link.