MS Patch just released to increase performance of dual cores

[Hulk]

Patch

I'm not really following this technically and I'm a little concerned about the registry changes. Does this look worth attempting?

 

[Bladen]

I'm a bit confused too. Does the potential problem happen with any dual core setup? or any setup that is using the power savings features?

 

[Gamingphreek]

Well all new processors incorporate some sort of Energy/Power Saving feature, so this for the most part applies to all of them.

Ill try it and let you know if I notice anything different (I doubt I will).

-Kevin

Edit: Its installed and after a reboot, nothing seems different at all (As in no faster or slower), might as well just install it IMO

 

[John]

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=81429&page=22

Install this update to fix a situation where your Windows-based system that supports processor power management features, and is equipped with multiple processors, may experience decreased performance. After you install this item, you may have to restart your computer.

It's both for Intel and AMD, is replacing the old "WinXPdualcorehotfix.exe" and I've heard it helped some Conroe owners already too.

After you install the hotfix that is described in this article, you may use registry settings to disable the new performance state policy behavior. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK.
2. Right-click HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager, point to New, and then click Key.
3. Type Throttle for the new key name.
4. Right-click Throttle, point to New, and then click DWORD Value.
5. Type PerfEnablePackageIdle for the value name.
6. Right-click PerfEnablePackageIdle, and then click Modify.
7. In the Value data box, type 0. Make sure that Hexadecimal is selected in the Edit DWORD Value dialog box, and then click OK.
Note You can type 1 in the Value data box to enable the new performance state policy behavior.
8. Quit Registry Editor.

 

[SuperFreaky]

I'll give it a shot..

 

[John]

FWIW the file versions listed in the Article ID: 896256 are incorrect. They should be 5.1.2600.3023 with a date of 10/30/2006

 

[Markbnj]

This is not a new patch. It's a hotfix registry change that was first released something like a year ago. It looks like they just reviewed the documentation on the 19th, but the only change is information about the synchronization of the Time Stamp Counters across cores. The power state stuff was all in the earlier hotfix recommendation. As far as I know the TSC synchro is also accomplished by the AMD Dual Core Optimizer hotfix (top of page), so I am not sure if there is any conflict in applying both.

You're not affected by the performance state problem if you aren't running processor power management policies that allow throttling. Even if you are you will likely see only subtle differences, although some people have reported in the past that installing this hotfix solved stuttering problems in games.

The TSC synchronization issue was a bigger deal early on, but I still think it's something you want to fix. What happens is that many performance-intensive realtime apps like 3D games rely on these counters to accurately time processing loops. When they run on Core A and read the counter, and then context switch over to Core B and read its counter for the next loop, problems arise if the two are not synched.

 

[Trader05]

does this apply to XP 64bit?

 

[John]

Originally posted by: Bladen
I'm a bit confused too. Does the potential problem happen with any dual core setup? or any setup that is using the power savings features?

SYMPTOMS
Computers that are equipped with multiple processors that support processor power management features, such as Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) processor performance states, require Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2). Additional updates are available to optimize performance and behavior on computers that are running Windows XP SP2. Without these updates, computers that are equipped with these power management-capable, mobile, dual-core processors may experience decreased performance or unexpected behavior.

Note This problem also applies to x64-based versions of Microsoft Windows Server 2003. However, this article and its associated private hotfix are not intended to resolve timing problems in games and other applications that run on AMD dual-core computers. For more information about performance issues on dual-core computers, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

 

[TheRyuu]

How is this different from the old dual core hotfix?