Report: Skype Hogged PC Resources, Manual Update Will Fix

[MarlaDesat]

Report: Skype Hogged PC Resources, Manual Update Will Fix

Dualshockers reports that version 6.09 of Skype has been hogging processing power, but the new build version 6.13 resolves the issue.

Giuseppe Nelva at manually upgrading [http://www.dualshockers.com/2014/02/08/microsofts-skype-stealthily-bogged-down-gaming-pcs-for-months-manual-update-required-to-solve-issue/?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed] to version 6.13 of Skype, but that's cold comfort for gamers who may have spent the last three months facing poor performance. Skype version 6.13 was released January 22.

Nelva demonstrated the difference in CPU load for versions 6.09 and 6.13 of Skype using benchmarking tests for Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, Batman: Arkham Origins, and Unigine's Heaven benchmark. Version 6.13 scored almost four hundred and fifty points higher on the Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn benchmark. Unigine's Heaven benchmark showed a drop of 16.7 in maximum frames per second when Skype version 6.09 is running over version 6.13. The Batman: Arkham Origins benchmark showed an average drop of 3 frames per second.

Have you experienced a similar slowdown because of this version of Skype? I haven't been able to test Nelva's report on my PC, but the screenshots he provides [http://www.dualshockers.com/2014/02/08/microsofts-skype-stealthily-bogged-down-gaming-pcs-for-months-manual-update-required-to-solve-issue/?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed] are pretty convincing. If you have been experiencing stutters or instability in the last few months, and you run Skype and Google Chrome, it sounds like updating Skype might be a good call.

Source: Dualshockers [http://www.dualshockers.com/2014/02/08/microsofts-skype-stealthily-bogged-down-gaming-pcs-for-months-manual-update-required-to-solve-issue/?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed]


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[Living_Brain]

Well that's wonderful to hear now, after trying to record gameplay while in a Skype call, easily getting 40+ frames with no other programs running, but only 24 while recording and Skype.

Oh well, it won't be an issue anymore at least.

 

[Grabehn]

This is why you use older versions of Skype cuz MS only fucked it up more and more after they bought it.

 

[gigastar]

This is why you use older versions of Skype cuz MS only fucked it up more and more after they bought it.

No, thats one of the reasons why you use Teamspeak 3 instead.

 

[mindfaQ]

Skype is ressource heavy since they changed to a heavier client (don't know when it was, when the lightweight clients became incompatible; at least I couldn't manage to run them on a current system), so I generally don't like it and only use it if I have to.

 

[Hairless Mammoth]

This is why you stop all unnecessary processes running on your machine at start up regardless of what they are. Skype and other programs have bloated background processes even when you aren't running them that you need to route out and stop running on start up if you don't want your system to be a slow, bloated mess.

Personally I've stripped down my start-up operations to the bare minimum. Antivirus, some select anti-spyware, Graphics forceware and sound settings. Those are the only things i allow to run any processes on my system without being manually opened apart from actual operating system components.

This is good practice on almost any personal machine.

Indeed, mscofig.exe is your friend. I run it every few months or after installing some programs. It's bad enough that every install wizard nowadays has those "do you want to install McAffetoolbarsystemhog.exe? or some other useless shill we added to get more money" dialogs, which you'll skip without reading and unchecking the box if you just want to get it over with. Now many programs want to launch at start up "for your convenience" by default, some older ones switch it on patches.

Hell, I even missed one of those McAffe things recently when I had to update Flash and found the bastard running scheduled scans when that's the first time I've ever seen the program on my system. "For your convenience" my ass. I'll run what I want when I want, not your bloatware.

Now I know which version to update Skype to when I dust that off, at least.

 

[Storm Dragon]

Thank the gods, now I can play League with my friends without framerate issues.

 

[VincentX3]

This sounds like an excuse. I don't even use Google Chrome and I still had skype using 50% of my CPU on v6.09.
Downgraded and everything is good.

If it really is fixed I might give v6.13 a shot.

 

[JaceArveduin]

Hmmmm after re-reading I think the reason people are running Skype is to use it as a way of having people in call for multiplayer chat and such. For that kind of application pretty much any other light VIOP program is a better option as I've always found Skype to be a resource hog compared to the alternatives.

You can get some nice, light Voice over IP software pretty much anywhere such as Mumble or the classics like Ventrillo or Team-Speak

I'm not sure about others, but I keep it running in the background as a "hey, guys, I'm online, ping me if you want to play a game" type of thing. Honestly, my Skype list is generally reserved for my closer friends.

 

[Grabehn]

This is why you use older versions of Skype cuz MS only fucked it up more and more after they bought it.

No, thats one of the reasons why you use Teamspeak 3 instead.

Actually that's almost as good an example of an earlier version of the same service being better.

 

[Zagzag]

I had this same problem, it would consume easily 50% of my CPU, and prevented most games from even working at all while it was open. I've been running a much older version of skype ever since.

 

[Risingblade]

No wonder league have been lagging like crazy.

 

[oldtaku]

You should just assume that every version of Skype is a) using way too much CPU for what it's doing, b) 'borrowing' your bandwidth, c) serving up malware, d) spying on what you say. 50% of these are even considered features.

 

[The White Hunter]

This is why you stop all unnecessary processes running on your machine at start up regardless of what they are. Skype and other programs have bloated background processes even when you aren't running them that you need to route out and stop running on start up if you don't want your system to be a slow, bloated mess.

Personally I've stripped down my start-up operations to the bare minimum. Antivirus, some select anti-spyware, Graphics forceware and sound settings. Those are the only things i allow to run any processes on my system without being manually opened apart from actual operating system components.

This is good practice on almost any personal machine.

Indeed, mscofig.exe is your friend. I run it every few months or after installing some programs. It's bad enough that every install wizard nowadays has those "do you want to install McAffetoolbarsystemhog.exe? or some other useless shill we added to get more money" dialogs, which you'll skip without reading and unchecking the box if you just want to get it over with. Now many programs want to launch at start up "for your convenience" by default, some older ones switch it on patches.

Hell, I even missed one of those McAffe things recently when I had to update Flash and found the bastard running scheduled scans when that's the first time I've ever seen the program on my system. "For your convenience" my ass. I'll run what I want when I want, not your bloatware.

Now I know which version to update Skype to when I dust that off, at least.

Hmmmm after re-reading I think the reason people are running Skype is to use it as a way of having people in call for multiplayer chat and such. For that kind of application pretty much any other light VIOP program is a better option as I've always found Skype to be a resource hog compared to the alternatives.

You can get some nice, light Voice over IP software pretty much anywhere such as Mumble or the classics like Ventrillo or Team-Speak

Myself, [user]staika[/user] and [user]TizzyTheTormentor[/user] have been giving Razer Comms a test and it's actually a great alternative for a lightweight VOIP and IM with game overlay that thus far I've not found to clash with anything.

It also doesn't require you to actually own anything made by Razer, which is great, because their mice feel like toys to me.

Edit: What CPU's are you people running? And how much RAM? I have OBS and Shadowplay on all the time, aswell as Skype, Razer Comms, various bits of useful firmware and monitoring tools,. and many firefox tabs and windows, and it's never used more than 5%. Core i5 4670K @4.0GHz

Edit again: Also 16GB's of 1600MHz Corsair Vengeance LP at 10-10-10-27. I do need the 16 for video encoding before anyone tells me otherwise.

 

[Magmarock]

Luckily I use Skype version 5.0.0.152

It's works the best and looks nice too

 

[Roxas1359]

Honestly I stopped using Skype after last year when Microsoft updated it, and it just completely stopped working and I've been using Google Hangouts ever since. Apparently Google can make that work, but likes to keep breaking YouTube.