Graphics

Understanding the Relationship Between DVMT and Performance

Memory Bandwidth
DVMT (Dynamic Video Memory Technology) systems share system memory, which causes
increased bus traffic to/from the GMCH (grahics and memory controller hub) and system memory!
Therefore, faster memory " real#world erformance gains!
PC100 = single data rate memory at 100MHz
Bandwidth = 64bit x 100MHz / (bits/byte! = 800MB/sec
PC1"" = single data rate memory at 1""MHz
Bandwidth = 64bit x 1""MHz / (bits/byte! = 1064MB/sec
##$%00 = do&ble data rate memory at %00MHz (100MHz x %!
Bandwidth = 64bit x %00MHz / (bits/byte! / (10%4MB/'B! = 1.6GB/sec
##$%66 = do&ble data rate memory at %66MHz (1""MHz x %!
Bandwidth = 64bit x %""MHz / (bits/byte! / (10%4MB/'B! = 2.01GB/sec
##$""" = do&ble data rate memory at """MHz (166MHz x %!
Bandwidth = 64bit x """MHz / (bits/byte! / (10%4MB/'B! = 2.60GB/sec
#&al Channel ##$400= do&ble data rate memory at 400MHz (%00MHz x %!
Bandwidth = 64bit x 400MHz x % (hannels / (bits/byte! / (10%4MB/'B! =
6.25GB/sec
Example: ugrading an $ntel% &'&()G/G* grahics controller#based system using DD+',, memory
to DD+'-- memory will result in about -,,M./sec of additional bandwidth/
d!antages of DVMT
Cost
)ess total system memory re*&ired to +er,orm a wide range o, o+erations - why
+ay ,or "%MB o, .ideo memory that sits idle and &n&sed/
Efficiency
0ext&res and other items are already in main system memory and do not ha.e
to be trans,erred o.er the 1'P b&s2 in(reasing e,,i(ien(y o, memory &sage and
less 1'P b&s tra,,i(
DVMT memory allocations with !ario"s graphics controllers:
3ntel4 %516' gra+hi(s (ontroller
3ntel4 %66 gra+hi(s (ontroller
3ntel4 %6%/%66 gra+hi(s (ontroller
3ntel4 %46 gra+hi(s (ontroller
3ntel4 %"0 gra+hi(s (ontroller
Graphics
Page #ile Performance $onsiderations
Page #ile %i&e
0age file si1e should be set to a minimum of 2!)3 and a ma3imum of 43 the amount of system
memory, as recommended by Microsoft5!
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0lease note that 7indows does not automatically ad8ust the si1e of the age file after an increase in
the amount of hysical memory! $n such cases, you should manually change the age file settings!
Page #ile 'ocation
9or ma3imum erformance, set the age file on a searate hysical hard dri:e so that 7indows
does not ha:e to see; the hard dri:e between the age file and the alication you are running! $n
fact, slitting the age file o:er as many different hysical dis;s as ossible is the best erformance
otion!
0hysically searating the age file to its own hysical dri:e and artition will also re:ent it from
becoming fragmented and subse<uently slowing down o:erall system erformance!
9or more information, lease refer to Microsoft=s guide to setting erformance otions in 7indows
>0!
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This lin; will ta;e you off of the $ntel 7eb site! $ntel does not control the content of the destination 7eb ?ite!
Graphics
Registry Modifications ()Modify at yo"r own Ris*)+
$a"tion: Editing yo"r registry may ca"se yo"r system to fail to start, modify at yo"r own ris*-
@nly trained comuter rofessionals should modify the system registry! These modifications are only
recommended with systems ha:ing 2'& M. of +AM or greater!
The following registry modifications refer to 7indows5 ',,, or 7indows >0! $f the ;ey does not e3ist,
it is ossible to simly add the ;ey and set the :alue accordingly!
Edit the following registry *ey:
HBCDE*@CA*EMACH$FCG?D?TCMGCurrentControl?etGControlG?ession
ManagerGMemoryManagementG
Disa.lePagingExec"ti!e
?et to 2 to increase aging of the FT C3ecuti:e to +AM instead of to the age file
/0Page'oc*'imit
Default setting is ,, which is e<ui:alent to )2'B.! C3eriment by increasing this setting in 2,'(B.
increments until you ma3 out your erformance gains! A good benchmar;ing rogram will show
when the limit has been reached! 9or some systems, &2H'B. (&M.) and higher may result in
erformance gains!
'arge%ystem$ache
?et to 2 to imro:e dis; caching erformance
Graphics
1ard Dri!e Performance $onsiderations
RPM
An often o:erloo;ed but e3tremely imortant hard dri:e feature is rotational seed, or +0M
(re:olutions er minute)! As the hard dri:e sins faster, the data hysically arri:es at the read/write
head more <uic;ly! .ased solely on +0Ms, a I',, +0M hard dri:e has a theoretical 44J
erformance imro:ement o:er a )(,, +0M hard dri:e/
$ache
Another imortant feature is the onboard cache! 7hen a read command arri:es at the hard dri:e, the
dri:e first chec;s to see whether the re<uested data is in the cache! $f the cache does not contain the
re<uested data, the dri:e retrie:es the data from the dis;! ?olid#state cache memory is thousands of
times faster than the sinning latter of a hard dri:e!
A large cache will significantly imact erformance! Most new dri:es ha:e at least 'M. of cache
memory, while some newer dri:es ha:e u to &M. of cache memory which hels to deli:er a
tremendous erformance increase o:er older dri:es with as little as )2'B. of cache memory!
Transfer Rate
ATA/244 is a:ailable from some manufacturers, but is it money well sentK Consider the sustained
:ersus the burst transfer rate!
%"stained !s2 B"rst Transfer Rates
?ustained transfers refer to a continued transfer that does not occur from the dri:e cache!
.urst rates refer to data transferred directly to/from the high seed cache! A true indicator of
erformance is sustained rateL howe:er, most dri:es are ad:ertised with their faster burst
rate!
A tyical ATA/2,, hard dri:e bursts at about 2,,M./sec from the cache, but has a sustained
rate of about '-#('M./sec, deending on the dri:e! $f you consider a best#case scenario
with the 'M. cache full of data, 2,,M./sec will <uic;ly delete the cache and commence
transferring at the lower sustained rate!
ATA/-- hard dri:es are tyically less e3ensi:e and do not saturate the --M./sec bandwidth
a:ailable! $n fact, a hard dri:e with a sustained transfer rate of '-M./sec will not e:en
saturate a:ailable ATA/44 bandwidth!
$n summary, sustained transfer rates should be considered o:er burst transfer rates for
ma3imum hard dri:e erformance!
%erial T
?erial ATA is the latest des;to hard dri:e technology! ?erial ATA transfers data serially as oosed
to the arallel transfers on traditional ATA dri:es (0ATA, or arallel ATA), which addresses ongoing
crosstal; and line noise concerns with 0ATA!
?erial ATA initially launched at 2),M./sec transfer rates, Generation ' dri:es launched at
4,,M./sec transfer rates, and ?ATA $$$ is e3ected to increase to -,,M./sec! These are burst rates,
not sustained transfer rates, but the sustained rate is higher than the tyical 0ATA dri:e and has
much more room to grow!
Graphics
Dis* %pace3 Defragmentation and Dis* $hec*ing
Dis* %pace
Many games ha:e their own temorary files and therefore re<uire a:ailable hard dis; sace to run
roerly! Chec; the game documentation for any free dis; sace re<uirements!
Another dis; sace consideration is the age file! As more system memory gets used, the age file
will increase in si1e! $nsufficient dis; sace for the age file can cause your system to Mthrash,M
where the hard dri:e is continuously accessed to transfer information bac; and forth between the
hard dri:e and main system memory! Thrashing seriously imacts erformance!
Dis* Defragmentation
9re<uent use of the hard dri:e can cause files to become hysically searated or slit into multile
sections on the hard dri:e! Dis; defragmentation not only uts them bac; together, but otimi1es
your hard dis; for rograms that you fre<uently run!
Dis* $hec*ing
To erform basic file system testing, ?candis;5, CHBD?B, or a third#arty alication should be
used! These utilities will chec; for simle errors in the file system, such as cross#lin;ed files and
in:alid entries!