--Benchmark Guide--

[zerofailure]

well i get around the range of 1400 and my computer specs are:

1.8GHZ p4
win XP (on FAT32)
256 DDR
Geforce 2 MX

[Trapezius]

how do you get so low? lol
try getting more RAM and at least a GeForce 3

[Lavian]

Yeah, I got a GeForce 2 as well ;.; They sux0rz >.< It looks like I am playing FFXI on a PS2 being played over a monitor ;.; It's SOOOO pixilated and jaggy ;.;

[X-Magick]

I Benched 5461 What can I do to get a better bench?


My specs:
P4 2.5
512 ddr
Radeon 9700 Pro
51 GB HD free

[Trapezius]

lol

My god, you don't need a better bench! What's wrong with you?! lol j/k

You won't notice a difference at all even if you go higher.

If you want it higher, get a faster processer, and more RAM.

On the no expense side, just close all otehr programs before playing or running the benchmark

[Velusip]

If you are looking for higher performance I might be able to help. I have
managed to squeeze every last drop of performance out of three old computers
that I have by using a lot of the following techniques. At the bottom is some
recommendations for new ( bleeding edge ) technological devices that will make
your performace much like Jesus would have it.
################################################################################

OS: You can try installing Win2k ( a fairly quick MS OS ). Now Win98 is indeed
the fastest, but it does not support /so/ much, and crashes so much that the
frustration is not worth it. When installing Win2k, be sure to use the FAT32
file system. Naturally, it wants to use the NTFS, but do not, it is crap.
Microsoft just thinks it is good. WinXP is a great OS, but not for performance.
################################################################################
Registry: The registry is constantly being accessed by Windows. If it is clean,
your computer responds during load tymes faster. If it is small, Windows will
process it faster. If it is gone, Windows skips that part... do not delete your
registry. ;þ

Hidden stuFFs: Check registry:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER
>> Software
>> Microsoft
>> Windows
>> CurrentVersion
>> Run and RunOnce
As well as the same list in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.
Anything is here is not required for your computer to run. Do not take my word
for it, but I believe it is always safe to delete all members you find in these.
################################################################################
BG Proc: Background apps use a lot of ticks in Microsoft OS's. Despite small
size or low usage, anything that runs "background" will take up more resources
than MS's resource utilities want to show. Virus utilities are especially bad
for this. { Performance TIP: Do not use Anti-Virus type software. Simply do not
trust downloaded files for enhanced ( perfect ) virus protection. }
################################################################################
Software Firewalls: Aweful, aweul, aweful- terrible! Get a hardware based one.
The devices required for this will ultimately add up to about 15ms of network
lag, but that is easily compensated by the newfound quickness of your computer
by simply getting rid of; connection software, software based firewalls,
personal proxy, et cetera... You will need a PPPoE or Ethernet enabled gateway
/ Router ( Preferably- get one with only one port ) and a simple, cheap-o hub
or switch to plug into it. If you are not interested in having a cascadable
network design, just get a Gateway / Router with more than one port for your
computers.
################################################################################
Sound Devices: Use hardware based effects and not software emulated. If you do
not have a card that supports hardware effects, go buy an old SB Live Value.
It might sound cheap, but trust me, companies make way too much money off of new
soundcards that are not worth anything.
################################################################################
Desktop picture- Seriously, this slows you down a bit.
Skins- On any software, taskbar, anything will also slow you down.
################################################################################

If you do not believe me on any of these points, consider that I use a 50MHz
webserver, 200MHz machine for music composition using many of the latest
technologies, and a 600MHz machine for all gaming. I work on a budget and I
learn through trial and error.



Tips for a High End Gaming PC: *weeee*

A faster processor and more RAM is not necessarily going to get you going any
faster. For gaming purposes, your primary concerns are listed in order as this:

1) Video Core - The speed of the processor on your GPU and the speed of the RAM
2) FSB - Front Side Bus on the motherboard. High quality and big numbers here!
3) RAM Badwidth / Speed - Related to FSB, but also low RAM timings is important
4) Total RAM - 512MB+ ( you do not need more than 1GB RAM, not for a long tyme )
4) Video bus speed - Atleast AGP4X, but AGP8X is nice. Quality here matters.
5) Processor Cache* - This is actually one of /the/ most important things for
speed of a computer, it is listed so low here because I would imagine most of
you have a standard processor with not much more than 256KB cache. More likely
less than that.
6) MHz - The speed of the processor is not as important as people like to think
it is. As long as you have the rest of the power, the processor is there to
drive it. 900MHz should do everything just fine, however for modern gaming
twice that is optimal. Anything more is overkill ( money ), but of course a lot
of fun.
7) ...

Foot notes:
*If you want overkill, try out some dual AMD MP processors or dual Intel Xeon.
Dual processors enables more cache on die, but you will have to run WinXP to
get the full effect.



In the end- a very fast graphics card ( not necessarily new ) and a very high
quality motherboard using the best FSB you can afford is what you need. I
cannot recommend processor, but I prefer AMD due to the fact that they can
handle more floating points per second than Intel processors and are cheaper.
{ Note: I did not mention the wonders of overclocking. You can get disgusting
performance improvements with just a little hardware tampering and a lot of
very cold fluids. }

I hope this helps you! - Velusip

[elias]

ok.

i have windows 2000 professional, and nvidia 450mxl, 512 m, and 1.5 ghz.

If i switch to windows xp professional, will it really afect my gameplay that much.

i only benchmarked 3000.

(if i delete some of the stuff on my computer, would it make a diff, cause im taking up 35 g as of now, but i have 45 left.)

[Velusip]

Originally posted by elias

(if i delete some of the stuff on my computer, would it make a diff, cause im taking up 35 g as of now, but i have 45 left.)

Disk space is not very important at all. As long as 10% of your disk is free, you are fine. Defragging might improve loading tymes, but that is about all.

WinXP ( the first ever release, the one with huge security leaks ) is wicked fast... but the newer ones are slooowww.

It /would/ be helpful to uninstall unused software. If there is stuff installed that you do not need- away with them!

[Kusanagi]

Just upgraded my comp

Athlon 2800 xp (Barton)
40gig HDD
1GIG of ddr 2100
radeon 9700 pro
score..................only 5308:confused:

shouldnt it be more

[Velusip]

Re: Just upgraded my comp

Originally posted by Kusanagi
Athlon 2800 xp (Barton)
40gig HDD
1GIG of ddr 2100
radeon 9700 pro
score..................only 5308:confused:

shouldnt it be more

DDR2100 is not really very fast... that is your problem.
And when it comes to motherboards, brand names matter!

[Kusanagi]

Re: Just upgraded my comp

Originally posted by Kusanagi
Athlon 2800 xp (Barton)
40gig HDD
1GIG of ddr 2100
radeon 9700 pro
score..................only 5308:confused:

shouldnt it be more

Ya I just used my old RAM from my old setup, need to buy me some new ram and my mother board is a Soyo(is soyo good?)

[jef]

soyo aren't the best, but they're adequate. like said above it's your fsb that is killing you really.

If i can get over 7000 with a 9700 pro and a 1700+, you know what you should be aiming for

[Trapezius]

i like Asus mobos, but that's my opinion

Mine has Serial ATA ports, AGP 8x, and a prett fast FSB (forgot exact speed)

Might overclock a few things, only got a score of 5621 at best.

[Velusip]

Originally posted by Trapezius
i like Asus mobos, but that's my opinion

Asus is not really a high quality member of the industry. They are more cost oriented, which is good for people who want to buy cheaper AMD's and overclock the crap out of them ;þ .

For excellent quality you could try Tyan, MSI, EPoX, Soltek, or even Gigabyte ( as of late have released some excellent products ). There are several others I cannot remember right now.

My personal favorite is EPoX and is what my next computer is based around ( the one I am building especially for this game ).

[yuna544]

I can't run the benchmark any more. I used to be able to but I had to reformat my HD and now every time I try to run it, it freezes ( at different spots). Can someone help me out?