On the Purpose of OS level Tweaking

When presented with the challenges of seamlessly realistic 3D environments and blazing fast game engines, it’s no wonder gamers find themselves between a rock and a hard place.  On one hand each player seeks to indulge in the cutting edge graphics that new games offer, and in the other hand technology is becoming exponentially more expensive to upgrade in order to accommodate the growing market.  The eventuality of this problem leads most gamers to one question: How can I use the components I have to achieve the performance I want? 

We’ll start by saying that each piece of hardware has its limits, and that not all of us can afford FX-60s and 7800GTX 512s.  However, one thing remains pretty unanimous in this community of gamers, most of them are using Windows XP to run their favorite games. Although there are differing opinions on how good of an OS Windows XP is for gaming, the reality is that most gamers prefer Windows due to its familiarity.  Yet, there are so many things slowing these systems down, causing them to crash, running in the background that really impact performance negatively.  In tweaking Windows XP, we aim to simplify your OS so that games will run smoother, at higher resolutions, and higher fps.

Warning

Always back up your registry before changing any settings.

First Edition: Large System Cache

Microsoft says: “System cache mode is designed to improve the performance of Windows servers by increasing the system’s file cache size”

Registry tweaks can be accessed through the “Run” option in the start menu by typing in “regedit” and then hitting “Enter”.

Here you’ll find the Windows XP Registry Directory

A great way to give your system some extra boost is setting your OS to handle something called Large System Cache.  This is mostly recommended for systems that have 256MB of system RAM.  Note: if you are running many applications in the background, 512MB of RAM is preferred.

In the registry window, navigate to the following key by clicking on the “+” signs near each directory:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management

Right click on the Value “LargeSystemCache” and select “Modify”.  You should see a zero as the hexadecimal or decimal value.  Change this zero to a 1 and hit OK, then reboot for changes to take effect.

You can also achieve the same effect by right clicking My Computer and choosing “Properties”.  Click on the “Advanced” tab at the top and then on “Settings” under the Performance field.  Then click on the “Advanced” tab again and checking the “System Cache” box instead of the default “Programs”.

With this Tweak in action, Windows will allocate more memory to be used for caching, which will definitely improve performance on most fairly recent PCs.  The reason for this is because Windows XP by default prioritizes memory usage on applications over memory usage on system cache.  However with today’s computers all equipped with at least 512 MB of RAM, this tweak will work to benefit the efficiency of the system.  This is due to the fact that Windows server file systems read information faster from system cache than from the hard drive directly. 

By allowing a large system cache, windows should run a tad bit smoother on day to day operations.  Users may also see an improvement in games on older systems.  Of course, the better the system you have, the less you’ll be likely to see a difference in a gaming perspective.  However, to help maintain a high level of performance, tweaks like these are the building blocks to a better overall system no matter what the hardware. Happy tweaking!

Warning to all tweakers:

In reading some of the feedback and response from our readers on the Windows Tweaks, I'd like to first say thank you all very much for the ideas, input, and the support of our launch.  Your thoughts are greatly appreciated and taken well into consideration.

With that said, I would also like to attach a warning onto all the tweaks that are posted on EXE from this point on, including the first edition on the System Cache Tweak.  Remember that each computer is different in both software and hardware configurations.  Registry tweaks, especially ones that effect hardware components will change the way your computer acts (usually in a positive way).  However, in the rare case that an error occurs, it's best to have a default backup of the registry on hand accessible through safe mode.  Please refer to the Registry Backup article. 

In addition to that warning, I'd like to also attach a disclaimer to the articles that will follow on EXE on tweaks.  These tweaks have been tested on a variety of configurations and work well on them.  Otherwise, the tweak would not be submitted for publication.  Tweaks are risky by nature, and should be taken with precaution.  They will seriously help performance, but please tweak at your own risk!  Gotfrag does not resume responsibility for the reader's decision to apply the tweaks. 

Thank you for your continued support and feedback.  Please keep reading to catch more on Windows Tweaks.