Get the most FPS from your OS and VideoCard

[Bandy]

Hi,

 

Most of you are likely very savy about streamlining your Windows install or tweaking your video card settings.

 

However, some of you (like me) aren't or have an older machine that may need a little help to run the better/best graphics settings. Then these links to free manuals by Koroush Ghazi are for you. I found them really helpful, if a bit long winded in explaining/optimizing computer hardware, vid cards and settings for my ATI card, as well as for walking through streamlining an XP install to maximize RAM and to regain about 10% of my small gaming partition.

 

If you're like me, and know enough just to be dangerous, then you don't have to edit your registry at all to get the benefits from reading these (though there are sections on reg editing as well). If you are an uber geek, I'm sure you'll still find something here for you.

 

>Windows TweakGuide

>ATI Catalyst TweakGuide

>NVidia Forceware TweakGuide

>Graphics & Display settings guide

 

I even found some good links and tools to automatically set program priority on startup (see below) and cpu affinities (see page 101 of the Windows Guide linked above) so that my TIR4 and joystick will run exclusively off my other core while the game will have a core unto itself. Not multithreading, but at least the next best thing. According to the author of Windows Launcher, "The majority of users have seen performance increases ranging between 5% and 30%. About 5-10% of users didnt get any increase at all..."

>Windows Launcher

 

I did a search on CombatAce for Tweakguide* and only saw it mentioned once in a Doom thread. The manuals linked above aren't game specific (although Ghazi's Homepage does have dozens of game specific tweaks, alas no 3rdWire...) so other gamers will benefit from this knowledge. I just happened to post it here for this community first. Moderators do as you see fit...

Edited February 15, 2008 by B Bandy RFC