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Crossfire The Dual GPU System Gamers Want




Crossfire The Dual GPU System Gamers Want
By: Michael Quarles



CrossFire is the new dual graphics card system from ATI. It offers remarkable image quality improvements for game play and 3-D work.

People who demand the absolute highest levels of performance have tried every possible combination of CPU, motherboard, and graphics card in their gaming rigs. While results have often been excellent, there are those who are still unsatisfied.

In an effort to push beyond previous limitations of the PC, ATI has turned to the technology it uses in commercial flight simulators, creating a double card system. The new system can deliver up to a 100 percent increase in frame rates, and an 80 percent improvement in overall performance at high resolution settings.

For the gamer, it means dazzling image quality, while never again having to lower screen resolution in order to play a game.

You may be asking ?What do I need to set up my own CrossFire rig?? The only necessities are a CrossFire ready motherboard, and a pair of ATI Radeon graphics cards, or other compatible GPU?s.

In the best of all possible worlds, you?d build your system from the ground up, starting with the fastest CPU you could get your hands on. Mount it on a super motherboard, such as the Intel 975X Express, the Asus P5B, or the Gigabyte 965P-DQ6, all of which are CrossFire ready. Get top of the line ATI Radeon cards, and you?ll be in business.

An additional thought: get a big power supply, 500 watts or greater. The two cards and CPU could easily use 300 watts by themselves.

Michael Quarles is the author of the book "Building a PC for Beginners". His website is http://www.monkeyseemonkeydobooks.com


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Speed Up/Optimize Torrent Client


Not satisfied with your current speeds? These suggestions might help to optimize your download pleasure :-

1. Hack/Remove TCP connections Limit

If you’re on XP sp2, your TCP connections are limited to a maximum of 10. This might hurt your downloading speed because it wont let you connect to as much peers as you want. It is supposed to slow down viruses because their spreading strategy is to connect to a high amount of ip numbers, but it could cripple your torrent downloads.

A nice way to fix this is to download THIS PATCH.

The patch allows you to set the maximum allowed connections to any number you want. Any number between 50 and 100 is ok (more is NOT always better).

Next you need to configure your torrent client to allow 50-100 max half-open TCP connections

µTorrent: Options > Preferences > Advanced options > net.max_halfopen



2. Change the default port.
By default, bittorrent uses a port 6881-6999. Bittorrent generates a lot traffic (1/3), so isp’s like to limit the connection offered on the these ports. So, you should change these to another range.

{ Let say between 49152 - 49454 }

3. Optimize your internet connection
The TCP optimizer is a freeware utility that optimizes your internet connection. I found it very useful and it helped speeding up my connection for regular internet activity and for downloading torrents. Just download it, and move the slidebar to your maximum download rate (note that it’s in kb/s). Don’t try to set it higher because that will hurt your download speeds!

4. Reduce your upload speed:

Bittorrents are usually programmed to perform efficiently when all users upload to their maximum, but the truth is that this only slows your download. For an efficient download, you should keep your upload speeds about 75-80% of the maximum.

In order to do that you can use one from the many speed test sites available like Speakeasy Speed Test.

5. Unblock Ports in your Router:

Torrents commonly use ports ranging from 6881~6889 for high speed downloading. If you know which port to use for the fastest download then find out the manufacturer of your router and the specific model. Then go to Portforward.com and begin choosing the model of your Router.

6) Choose the best torrent(More seeders):

Choose Torrents that have the best seed to peer ratio. For example, a file having 100 seeds and 100 peers is much better than a file with 100 seeds and 200 peers.

Hope this articles will help you to solve the Slow Torrent problems.



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Graphic Cards Tweaking Tools


For GAMERS, having a quality, great performance Graphic card is a must. Before you even think about tweaking that graphics card, you need prepare your PC for the addition..
No matter what brand you have, first thing you should do is to download the latest drivers for your Graphic Cards.

#If you got an ATI card (something with the "Radeon" name on it), head to their driver page and grab the latest driver package.

#If you received an nVidia card (something with the "GeForce" name on it), the latest drivers at this time are 53.03. Head to the nVidia driver page to download them.

Here, I have listed good Tweaking Tools for your Card:-
1- Ati TRay Tools 1.2.6.964
ATI Tray Tools is a small utility that can be found in the windows tray and allows instant access to settings and options.
Some key features of "ATI Tray Tools":

· Overclocking with templates
· Automatic overclocking when application required 3D mode
· Artifact Tester with ability to find maximum stable clocks for GPU and Memory.
· Game profiles with desktop shortcut creation.
· Direct3D settings with templates, GUI form and tray popup menu
· OpenGL settings with templates, GUI form and tray popup menu
· Hardware low level color correction
· Hardware tweaks. Setting PCI latency timer
· System wide Hot Keys. (Load profiles any profiles/work with colors/run any application)
· Refresh Lock system with ability to set separate refresh rates for each resolution.
· Tweak for overriding Pixel and Vertex Shaders
· Speed improvement tweaks for Anisotropic/Trilinear Filtering
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2- Rage3D Tweak CCC
Rage3D Tweak CCC is a brand new tweak application that integrates directly into ATI's Catalyst Control Center (CCC) driver application and adds key tweak functions to the existing interface. This tweaker has been developed in the spirit of the former Rage3D Tweak application we developed and supported over the last many years. This application is a plug-in which consists of two new tree elements which will appear under a Rage3D heading in the advanced display view of the CCC. The two new sections are: Overclocking, and OC Testing.
OC Testing enables automatic testing of maximum core and memory clock speeds. The display consists of a realtime 3D rendering window which is used to heat up the graphics card and check for artifacts during the rendering test period. When one of the clock test buttons is clicked, the 3D display turns red to indicate a test is in progress and increments the tested clock speed at an interval specified by the displayed slider. The clock speeds are increased incrementally at user selected interval. Longer testing intervals will result in more accurate clock speed testing.
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3- PowerStrip 3.63
PowerStrip provide advanced, multi-color, programmable hardware support to a wide range of graphic cards - from Matrox Millenium I to the latest ATi X850 and NVidia SLI solutions.
Interesting Features:
-The ONLY program that support multiple graphic cards from multiple chipset vendors.
-When launched, it respond by activating specific display settings, gamma correction and clock speed
[Returning everything to normal when the program close.]
-AGP device configuration
-Extensive diagnostic adn system idle thread.
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4- NVTweak( Formerly Coolbits) 1.7.1
NVTweak will unlock many extra options in the NVIDIA control panel/driver, including but not limited to - Overclocking, AGP & Hardware settings, Fan control, Temperature settings, Debugging, Twin View, Video Mixing Renderer, OpenGL 2.0 support, 3D viewer types (for 3D Stereo drivers), and more!
Features of "Coolbits 3D":
AGP & Hardware Settings
-AGP Rate
-Fast Writes
-Sideband addressing

Coolbits (Overclocking)
-Auto Overclocking
-Manual Overclocking
-Separate 2D/3D settings
-Fan Control

Note
This tweak is intended for use with GeForce/Quadro cards and ForceWare 55.xx - 7x.xx 3D Stereo drivers. NVTweak is not fully compatible with Windows 98/Me or driver versions older than 55.xx.

I think that's all. Do tell me if you find another good Graphic Card Tweaking tools other than listed above.



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CPU Overclocking Guide



Over-Clocking the CPU

Before start, I should tell you the options we will be changing are under the Advanced Chipset Features and Power Settings sections of your BIOS. While this guide is aimed at over-clocking AMD Athlon processors in particular, it should still be very informative for Intel Pentium-Based system owners.

We will start with adjusting the multiplier (clock ratio) and FSB (front side bus) to determine your clock speed. The formula for calculating a processor's clock speed is:
----------------------------------------
| Clock Speed = FSB * Multiplier |
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For example, if you are using an Athlon XP 2000+, which has a 133.4MHz FSB and a multiplier of 12.5, we can calculate that 133.4MHz * 12.5 = 1667.5MHz, the actually speed of your processor.

PAY attention to your Vcore voltage. An overclocked-system need more power...While increasing your voltage, also check your temperature.

If you're fortunate enough to be running a motherboard that doesn't have a lock on the multiplier, decreasing the multiplier will allow you to raise the FSB dramatically for a better over-clock. The only boards I know of that allow you to do this without first unlocking the chip are some of the boards using the Nforce2 chipset. For example, setting a AthlonXP 2000+'s multiplier to 11 allows for a 200MHz FSB, pumping out a 2.2GHz CPU speed in the end. This makes the speed equal to a 2600+, for a near fraction of the price, though one would need to raise the Vcore to about 1.85v, which will require decent cooling. Also, you want to lower your RAM frequency to as low as possible, and RAM timing/latency to Optimal, which will automatically set itself based on your FSB/Multiplier settings. All this is also a reason why you should change and little options as possible at a time, so when the system doesn't POST, you know what is causing it.

For you guys:-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ (Socket 939, Manchester Core)
CPU Stepping: CDBHE 0607TPMW
Mainboard: DFI LP NF4 Ultra-D
Memory: 4x512MB OCZ Platinum EL PC3200 (TCCD)
Memory Timings: 2-2-2-5-2T
Memory Clockspeed: 200MHz
CPU Clockspeed: 3003MHz
Vcore: 1.45V
Cooling: Asetek Vapochill LS (Phase-Change)
PSU: PCP&C 510 Express
Other Notes: This is my 24/7 config. Chip will do 3.1GHz, but requires a fair bit more voltage. This stepping is cold bug free.

tHE rESULt:
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Tweak Your Xp - Fast Shutdown


I'm a bit busy lately.Don't have much time to post.Finally I have free time.And I want to share a bit on how you can Shutdown your computer faster than before.

By altering a few registry settings, you can decrease the amount of time taken for Windows to shut down. To do this, first open up the registry editor and navigate to

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\

Once there, find the value HungAppTimeout and make sure it is set to 5000 (that's the default). Now, in the same folder, look for the value WaitToKillAppTimeout. Set this to 4000 (the default is 20000).

Lastly, navigate to the folder

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\

and change the value WaitToKillServiceTimeout to 4000 as well. Another thing that helps speeding up shutting down is going to Control Panel -> Administrative Tools -> Services and then setting the NVidia Driver Help service to Manual.

I think, that's all for today.

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Easy Steps to Speed Up Your Computer - Without Upgrading


A lot of people will complaint when their computer getting slower. They thought that the performance has decreased because their computer getting older. So, they feel they need a newer, faster model. That is actually not necessary. Follow this simple guide and your computer should run just as fast as the day you brought it home –

1)Clean Out Your Temporary Internet Files and Cookies

To clean out your temporary internet files and cookies go to:

- Start / Control Panel
- Click on the 'Internet Options' icon
- click the 'Delete Cookies' button and then click 'ok'
- Now click on the 'Delete Files' button. Put a check mark in the 'delete all offline content' box and click 'ok'
- You can also clear your history if you want.

2)Defrag Your Hard Drive

When you defrag your hard drive all your file segments are put back together otherwise known as 'made contiguous'. This makes accessing the file alot faster, thus improving performance.

To Defrag your Hard Drive go to:

Start / All Programs / Accessories / System Tools / Disk Defragmenter

Now click on the 'Defragment' button and let the program do it's work. Often times the defrag process can take several hours so it is a good idea to do this at a time when you don't need your computer.

Or you can also use software like Diskeeper to defrag your hard disk.

So far, Diskeeper doing a great job for me. You guys should try.Recommended.

3)Run Anti-Spyware Programs

Your computer might be slow because of spyware or adware, especially for those who surf the internet everyday. So, by running a good Anti-spyware program to remove these is a always a good idea to increase your system performance. My personal anti-spyware favorites are AVG anti-spyware, Spysweeper & Zone Alarm Pro.

OR, you can scan your computer online >> HERE.

4)Optimize/Fix Windows Registry

Likewise, the Windows registry can become cluttered with a mess of broken or fragmented entries that can also slow Windows down. Bogus entries that point to non-existent or invalid files and resources represent a common example of useless, broken registry entries.

Good software for fixing/optimizing registry is like RegistryFix, WinASO registry optimizer and many more. Use Google search engine to find what is the most suitable software for you. Google is always the smarter choice.

Conclusions

With the information I have provided here, you should now have pretty good ideas on how to improve your pc performance.Additionally, routine maintenance and drive defragmentation and assurance of registry consistency and defragmentation will help ensure optimal performance. Good luck !


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Xp tweak - Startup Faster



Alright, this time we going to take a look on how to make your Startup system faster than before. I decided to write this article to show to you some very basic tweaks in order to optimize your startup system. I heard many complains from my friends that their computer have a very long startup process.
In order to speed up your startup, there are 2 ways :-


1) Through MsConfig configuration
-
Open Start > Run, type in 'msconfig'.
- Look for 'Startup tab' and click it. You will see a screen similar to the one below:

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-This tab will show all programs that will be started when Windows boot up. Now, uncheck some of the program that you think not important to be load during startup.(Like YM, MSN, winamp..)
-Your Windows Xp should now startup faster because it will take less resources by not running these programs in the background.



2) Through 'Services.msc'
- Open Start > Run, type in 'services.msc'.
-Now you should see a similar screen like this :

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-This window show you more detailed processes that are startign up with windows.
-"
Automatic' means this program start automatically on booting.
-So, its up to you to choose which programs/services are 'Automatic' or you can change its properties to '
Manual' or 'Disabled'.

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