sys optimization ?s and overview (DPC, cpu throttling, IDE-AHCI, buffer size etc)

[mccrabney]

my live sets involve several huge projects packed into one project, with action-markers muting and unmuting different "song folders." these projects can get huge, and ideally i'd be able to load multiple huge projects into project tabs. all said, my system was seriously struggling to handle everything.

i decided to revisit optimization and make sure i'm getting the most out of my machine. here are its stats:

asus q400a: 8gb ddr3 ram (16 max), twin ssds, quad core 2.2ghz 3rd gen i7-3632QM, integrated GPU (which borrows system memory), win8.1 heavily optimized for audio, every USB port has something attached (3x midi controllers, komplete audio 6 soundcard, mouse, plugable usb3>DVI monitor output.

ran a DPC checker program called "latency monitor" (dpcat doesn't work in win8). saw the highest numbers for "usbport.sys" and "ataport.sys"

here's what i've done so far:

*disabled CPU throttling in power options so that minimum is 100% as suggested by latency monitor.

*swapped my drive from IDE to AHCI in bios. i think this eliminated the "ataport.sys" issue.

*updated Synergy (network kb/mouse sharing software), which had a bug and was using 10% cpu!!

*raised buffer size from 128 to 192 (made a big difference)

*disabled all non-essential hardware (bluetooth, etc, wifi, etc).

------

performance is pretty damn good right now, but i still get clicks and crackles when tons and tons of stuff is loaded. latency monitor doesn't give me any warnings or info unless i take REAPER's window and quickly move it to and from any of my 3 monitors, but that's not a "real" problem. occasionally having open internet windows can cause a bit more noise, but i've considered wall mounting an old beater laptop and using that for internet browsing via Synergy.

the only thing that i think i'm left with is moving up to 16 gb ram. do you guys think this would be wise? i occasionally get low system RAM messages from REAPER when i have lots and lots of libraries loaded, which happens due to the complexity/number of projects i want to have opened at the same time. similarly, might be a good idea to double the RAM so that i don't have to worry about the GPU stealing a portion of my 8GB (though i don't know how much it takes and what effect that has on anything).

so, any thoughts on all of this? i'm at a good place but now i'm trying to make this thing as good as it can be.

thanks for your time.

[bluzkat]

Have you checked Resource Monitor in Windows to make sure your cores aren't 'parked'?

Here a utility that will help if they are...

http://coderbag.com/programming-c/cp...arking-manager

[Nystagmus]

If you do get more RAM, in REAPER there's an embedded system preference option to keep all peakfiles in RAM instead of on disk. It might help a little bit but I'm not sure.

[mccrabney]

thanks for that bluzcat. nope, no cores parked. looking good.

hmm thinking about peakfiles. i wonder what the benefit there would be. quicker loads, probably, right? it's more the performance than the loads that i'm concerned about. need no buffer crackles...

do you recommend that RAM upgrade?

[bluzkat]

Originally Posted by mccrabney

do you recommend that RAM upgrade?

Yes, more RAM is better in my world, I put 32GB in this last build and love it!!

I would max your RAM at 16GB (per your specs).

[DottorPepper]

Originally Posted by mccrabney

*swapped my drive from IDE to AHCI in bios. i think this eliminated the "ataport.sys" issue.

Did you have to reinstall everything after that ? I remember trying that once and all I got was a BSOD

And, what are the benefits of AHCI over IDE ?

[bluzkat]

Originally Posted by DottorPepper

Did you have to reinstall everything after that ? I remember trying that once and all I got was a BSOD

And, what are the benefits of AHCI over IDE ?

See here... https://www.google.com/search?q=what...m=122&ie=UTF-8.

Enjoy.

[Achib]

Read this thread. Might be useful...sure helped me anyway, can't hurt checking it out.
http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/th...ttings.221607/

[avocadomix]

If you are interested in performance, the less stuff you have running the better.

That includes software, such as antiviruses, web browsers, various updaters and bloatware (such as Cyberlink products and various bells and whistles that typically come preinstalled on computers). Be careful not to install the so-called "optimizers" since those never do any good but may cause a lot of harm.
If you don't use this computer to browse questionable sites and install warez then you can also disable Windows Defender and Windows Update.
Also stuff like dropbox, skydrive (onedrive) and google drive are better left out of a production system. As well as Synergy.
Also disabling desktop compositing can be a good idea on a laptop with an integrated graphics card.

That also includes hardware. Especially stuff like usb graphics card which you are using. You can also disable touchpad if you don't use it and the built-in soundcard. Best if you can disable devices in BIOS. If you can't, the second best is in the Device Manager.

As to RAM, it only makes sense to upgrade if the additional volume is going to be put to use. Tons of RAM sitting there doing nothing are a waste of money. Also note that you need to be running a 64-bit OS in order to be able to use more than 3GB.

Other than that, it would be a good idea to make sure that you have latest drivers from the manufacturer (but don't install their bloatware!) and that your system is malware-free.

Increasing the buffer size for your audio interface is the easiest and most effective way to get rid of clicks and pops, albeit at the cost of additional latency. Generally 1024 samples is good enough for mixing, 64 samples is good enough for recording.

Last but not least, work at 44.1kHz or at 48kHz, don't go higher. And make sure you never have any resampling going on in a project. And "print" (freeze or render) tracks as much as feasible.

[Softshell]

Is there a reason why you can't simply render the individual projects to a bunch of stereo or even mono files? From there it seems pretty easy to arrange a play/ set list either within Reaper or the media player of your choice. Pretty much solves the problem for a little time investment.