some (windows) 3dmark tweaks

[lawrywild]

These are my collection, I will add more when I find more. 2 or 3 tweaks were taken from the original sticky at the top. A couple things I took from various topics I managed to dig up.

I didn't "make" these tweaks, so credit goes to everyone who found these tweaks and not me.

Windows Tweaks by lawrywild (using Dothan and 7800GT on XP Professional)

1. Disable all services that you can possibly disable (start, run, msconfig), you do not need any internet services etc, scores can be uploaded from the .3dr file on any PC/partition.

2. Disable any unnecessary startup items.

3. Disable the nVidia Display Driver service.

4. Disable any unnecessary items in device manager such as USB peripherals, COM ports etc.

5. Go to add/remove programs -> removes windows components and remove most accessories and games except paint and maybe calculator. Remove msn explorer, windows messenger, windows media player and other unnecessary items.

6. Runregedit and go to: HKLM/system/currentcontrolset/control/session manager/memory management and set the disableexecutivepaging(This has caused bootproblems for some members, be aware) to =1,

7. Largesystemcache=1(this has also caused problems for some members, be aware),

8. IOpagelocklimit=16384 in decimal,

9. Secondleveldatacache=2048 or the same as your L2 cache size in decimal. (this has lowered HouseERaT's x1900xt score, so check it is an improvement after setting it)

10. Reboot and run regedit again and go to HKLM and turn off the fileprotection: Software/Microsoft/windowsNT/currentversion/winlogon and change the value of SFCDisable to REG_DWORD “ffffff9d”.

11. Use win2k (with dx8.1 for 3dmark2001) with AMD processors, XP pro or win2k for Pentium M (doesn't really make much difference), winXP pro for p4

12. In system.ini , add the following line under 386enh: ConservativeSwapfileUsage=1. (N.B. may cause decrease in scores!)

13. Always run Realtime when benchmarking, this can be set easily from processes in task manager.

14. End all unnecessary processes before running any benchmarks.

15. End explorer.exe before running any benchmarks, this can easily be started up again by going to task manager -> file -> New Task -> explorer.

16. NEVER change cpu clockspeeds whilst 3dmark is running, it will void your score and you won’t be able to publish.

17. Spend some time working out an optimal order to run 3dmark2001se, it will really push up your marks. I use DL, LL, CH, DH, LH, NATURE, CL, repeat CL up to about 15 times, the FPS varies considerably with this game test, if you’re lucky you can gain about 500 marks just from getting a good CL run, though it could happen you won’t gain any marks because the first run was the fastest already. Best to make sure it is though, eh?

18. Spend time working out optimal LOD settings for each test, this again is worth the effort if you’re really serious about getting all those extra marks.

19. Place swap/paging file on a separate hdd. The beginning of the hdd is where it’s accessed fastest, so you want to place it in the first partition on the hdd.

20. Set paging file to 100-200% of your system’s ram (system properties -> advanced -> performance settings -> advanced -> virtual memory -> change).

21. Set resolution to 1024x768 and colour depth to 16bit. Set windows classic mode, using no screensavers and no backgrounds.

22. Go to system properties -> Advanced -> performance settings -> adjust for best performance.

23. Because, for XP SP2, A64 will start to run "noexecute" once boot in windows, it will mark up some memory address that cann't be executed, e.g. preventing buffer overflowing by default, it will give some loads to the CPU, so by disabling it, the CPU can be o/c a bit higher for extreme overclocking. Edit the boot.ini, noexecute=AlwaysOff, reboot after edit.

24. "Ricky Tweak" - Control panel -> system -> hardware -> device manager -> expand computer -> right click "ACPI uniprocessor PC" -> update driver -> don't go to MS update, chose to install from list, select "ACPI multiprocessor PC" -> install -> reboot. (this is only really useful in 3dmark2001 and can increase temps by up to 10'C, can be good for preventing against coldbugs etc though)

Hope they are useful :thumbsup:

[HousERaT]

good job bro..... I always appreciate these types of threads.

BTW.... the secondlevelchache tweak actually killed my nature score in 01 with my 1900XT. Always seemed to help on my other cards.

and for those that don't know...... the multiprocessor tweak will raise your cpu temps about 10°+ in Windows 2000..... especially for those folks on air (like me)

[lawrywild]

thanks, I'll add a little note of that :thumbsup:

edit: done

[speed bump]

Some other things to do set background to none kill the taskbar clock.

Do a fresh defrag before you bench this is easily worth a couple of hundred points.

some other things depending on the test and what CPU you are running killing explorer.exe can hurt. For my P4 it helped sometimes for drago but hurt car high. I haven't tried it on my A64 yet though.

Also car high always seems to run the best for me second so some one elses order might not be right for you. Play around with it.

[lawrywild]

I always find closing explorer helps scores but if it hurts them, then definately dont use it.

yep forgot to add about defragging HDD, as often as possible.

Yeh CH and LL both run faster when earlier, and the gain of points is about the same, so the order of those two doesn't really matter too much.

[Highland3r]

Also car high always seems to run the best for me second so some one elses order might not be right for you. Play around with it.

Yup, find the same, but can hurt the Lobby Low run, so its trial and error on that one!

[perkam]

24. .....and live in a wooden hut.

lol...you're making a console out of the computer if we're to get rid of all that...but i guess it results in maximum 3dmarks.

Good Stuff

Perkam

[lawrywild]

24. .....and live in a wooden hut.

lol...you're making a console out of the computer if we're to get rid of all that...but i guess it results in maximum 3dmarks.

Good Stuff

Perkam

yeh man, a wooden hut in russia with -40 deg temps, that'd be some sweet cold air benching

[Shadowmage]

I tested NVIDIA display driver service and it increases 3dmark score, not decrease. Strange eh?

[lawrywild]

I tested NVIDIA display driver service and it increases 3dmark score, not decrease. Strange eh?

yup, that's why i have it in there

[kiwi]

It would be interesting to see how much gain does each of these tweaks give and sort them in that order

[M.Beier]

15. End explorer.exe before running any benchmarks, this can easily be started up again by going to start -> run -> explorer.

Thats a mate

16. NEVER change cpu clockspeeds whilst 3dmark is running, it will void your score and you won’t be able to publish.
Its possible to do, just dont change it 2 much...

Nice guide btw

[Jochenp]

Conservative swapfile usage is obsolete since windows 98SE, after that, it just doesn't do anything anymore.

[Marvin_The_Martian]

no 23, multi proc tweak supposedly only works for 01...

Might want to add that with amd for 01 you should have win2k with dx8.1, with intel m the same, p4 winxp with dx 9c.

10 and 11 suposedly don't work anymore to...

Will edit in a link to a fix for it in a minute

Edit: linkie

http://www.winguides.com/registry/display.php/790

[lawrywild]

15. End explorer.exe before running any benchmarks, this can easily be started up again by going to start -> run -> explorer.

Thats a mate

16. NEVER change cpu clockspeeds whilst 3dmark is running, it will void your score and you won’t be able to publish.
Its possible to do, just dont change it 2 much...

Nice guide btw

ending explorer is good, for me it is anyway, typed that a little wrong though, i'll edit my post

should be task manager -> file -> New Task -> explorer

[lawrywild]

Conservative swapfile usage is obsolete since windows 98SE, after that, it just doesn't do anything anymore.

ok well, i've leave it just incase, no harm in it

[lawrywild]

no 23, multi proc tweak supposedly only works for 01...

Might want to add that with amd for 01 you should have win2k with dx8.1, with intel m the same, p4 winxp with dx 9c.

10 and 11 suposedly don't work anymore to...

Will edit in a link to a fix for it in a minute

Edit: linkie

http://www.winguides.com/registry/display.php/790

yup that's true I guess, i'll edit that.

for pentium M, xp pro with dx9c is actually slightly better.

I tried 11 and that didnt work, so I'll delete that, I tried 10, didn't do much but i'll leave it there

[BlueWonder]

I tested 12. and it didn't do much for me. Lost about 450 marks.
What prog have you fellas been using for LOD adjustments? I've tried RivaTuner and it's given me more pain than anything else.

[[XC] Lead Head]

LOD tweaks is cheating IMO

[Marvin_The_Martian]

Lod isn't cheating if all top scores on the orb are with lod...
Most benchers bench with lod imho, specially 2k1 on nature it gives a nice boost. 03 and 05 also benefit allot, I got my scores with lod, and went from almost page 1 to top 10 in most 3dmarks with my gpu.

[lawrywild]

LOD tweaks is cheating IMO

yeh but you're going to be the one who ends up with low (comparatively) scores coz evryone else is running LOD...

it's become less cheating now since ATi cards now have it too...


@ BlueWonder: Yup, rivatuner its easy, you need LOD Bias Range in the bios thing to 15 to be able to set LOD from 0-15...

[Marvin_The_Martian]

I compiled a guide specific to 2k1 benches and posted it at another forum.

http://www.linkforcecorner.com/forum...read.php?t=266

Feel free to use whatever you think is usefull from it

[mnewxcv]

I compiled a guide specific to 2k1 benches and posted it at another forum.

http://www.linkforcecorner.com/forum...read.php?t=266

Feel free to use whatever you think is usefull from it

thanks martian

[M.Beier]

ending explorer is good, for me it is anyway, typed that a little wrong though, i'll edit my post

should be task manager -> file -> New Task -> explorer

AM3 gains a little..
01SE looses
SPI & pifast looses a bit as well..
Sis sandra gains a bit (as far as I remember, not sure though)

[lawrywild]

AM3 gains a little..
01SE looses
SPI & pifast looses a bit as well..
Sis sandra gains a bit (as far as I remember, not sure though)

really??? I thought it was gaining me points in 2001

and superpi too

oh well, anyone else have input on this? I'll edit if someone else has same results