Windows Optimization

[Brian Stirling]

I just completed a new build using Win10 Home and am looking for pointers on how to optimize Win10 for better performance. The main are of interest is boot times, but any other tweak that improves performance would be nice.

I don't know that this matters but here's a breakdown of the new PC:

* Asus x99-Pro/USB3.1 motherboard
* Intel i7-5820K CPU
* G.Skill Ripjaws V Series DDR4 RAM 32GB
* Samsung 950 PRO PCIe SSD 512GB (boot drive with OS and programs)
* 2X WD Black 6TB HD's for storage

I have the BIOS setup so the Samsung 950 Pro is first on the list but it seems to take 35 seconds or so before Windows even begins to load and a full boot takes just under a minute. So, most of my problem appears to be motherboard configuration related and maybe not OS related, but any savings in OS boot would be appreciated as well as any other tweaks to improve performance.


Brian

 

[bbhaag]

Wow nice build. Honestly I think your boot time it right on par. I'm not 100% sure but I remember reading that pcie ssd boot drives can be slower than expected when it comes too boot times.

Otherwise just the normal tweaks like disabling start up programs that you don't use and making sure your drivers are up to date should be good.

 

[Magic Carpet]

Maybe give this a try.

 

[Brian Stirling]

Maybe give this a try.

Now there's a guide that really eliminates ambiguity -- I'll give those a look and see what happens.


Thanks, Magic...


Brian

 

[Magic Carpet]

@Brian.

No problem. Just play around, might need to find your own settings. Really depends on your RAM sticks/speed.

 

[Brian Stirling]

@Brian.

No problem. Just play around, might need to find your own settings. Really depends on your RAM sticks/speed.

Funny you mention the RAM speeds ... I adjusted the settings per your recommendation and also adjusted the RAM settings a bit and when I rebooted the PC never fully booted up and the Q_LEDs indicated 55 or memory not installed. So, I had to do a BIOS CMOS reset. I'll go back and adjust only one group of things at a time...


Brian

 

[Ketchup]

I agree with bbhaag on the pcie controller load causing your issue. Not necessarily the drives themselves, but the controller taking extra time to configure the drives. If you are anything like me, going a week between reboots would be considered frequent, so hopefully this won't be too much of a nuisance for you.

 

[Brian Stirling]

I agree with bbhaag on the pcie controller load causing your issue. Not necessarily the drives themselves, but the controller taking extra time to configure the drives. If you are anything like me, going a week between reboots would be considered frequent, so hopefully this won't be too much of a nuisance for you.

No, I don't leave my PC on all the time and tend to boot every day I use it and it's not every day that I do.

BTW, I was able to get the PC back up and running by clearing the BIOS CMOS memory. Fortunately the Asus motherboard has a three pin header (CLRTC) near the bottom right corner that you move the jumper from pins 1-2 to pins 2-3 for 5-10 seconds then put back to pins 1-2 and then reboot.


Brian

 

[XavierMace]

Did you do a pure UEFI install or classic BIOS/compatibility install?

 

[Brian Stirling]

Did you do a pure UEFI install or classic BIOS/compatibility install?

UEFI

 

[Magic Carpet]

Funny you mention the RAM speeds ... I adjusted the settings per your recommendation and also adjusted the RAM settings a bit and when I rebooted the PC never fully booted up and the Q_LEDs indicated 55 or memory not installed. So, I had to do a BIOS CMOS reset. I'll go back and adjust only one group of things at a time...


Brian

Yeah, play around. It has worked for some people. Get your ram to stock settings first, though. The 55 error indicated the problem with ram. Like I said, it will vary from one computer to the next. See what works for you and find out what doesn't.

 

[Brian Stirling]

OK, so I reset the BIOS as I indicated then reapplied the GPU and CPU tweaks but have left memory alone for now. I also made the boot adjustment that were recommended, but that made no difference -- still takes 35-37 seconds for Windows to begin to load and the full boot takes about 50 seconds not counting the pause for password.


Brian

 

[SimMike2]

Are a few seconds shaved off your boot time worth making your computer more unstable? You already have a fast rig, so it sounds like you just want bragging rights and no real advantage that adds to productivity or anything else.

 

[Brian Stirling]

Are a few seconds shaved off your boot time worth making your computer more unstable? You already have a fast rig, so it sounds like you just want bragging rights and no real advantage that adds to productivity or anything else.

No, not quite...

I have a new PC that takes more than 2X as long as my laptop that's also running Win10 so that alone is my problem.

I get that a different hardware setup can result in a difference in boot times, but 2X seems a bit much if you ask me. The boot takes about 35-37 seconds before Windows even begins to load whereas my laptop is fully booted and ready to go in about 22 seconds.

I've OC'd my new PC but I did not push the OCing. Many with a similar setup and using the 5820K are running 4.5GHz or more -- I'm at 4.2GHz and plan to stay right there. So, no, not looking for bragging rights.


Brian

 

[mikeymikec]

Any warnings/errors/etc in event viewer > windows logs > system, especially during the boot process?

 

[Ketchup]

What BIOS are you running? The latest one is barely a month old. Mostly stability updates, but the updates for my board say the same thing, even though I notice little changes in the BIOS that aren't mentioned.

 

[nerp]

You could also just let the machine go to sleep instead of powering down. Then you don't have to deal with long bootup times and keep checking for BIOS updates.

 

[Brian Stirling]

What BIOS are you running? The latest one is barely a month old. Mostly stability updates, but the updates for my board say the same thing, even though I notice little changes in the BIOS that aren't mentioned.

The BIOS is version 2101 which is from about mid December.


Brian

 

[Magic Carpet]

Well the boot of 30-40s is definitely a bit on the long side. Booted one X58 machine yesterday and was a mere of about 10 seconds or so. Maybe ASUS is still fixing/optimizing things for your board, Brian.

 

[Brian Stirling]

Well the boot of 30-40s is definitely a bit on the long side. Booted one X58 machine yesterday and was a mere of about 10 seconds or so. Maybe ASUS is still fixing/optimizing things for your board, Brian.

Actually the total boot time is more like 50 seconds -- it takes about 35 seconds before Windows even begins to load. If the total boot time was 30 seconds I'd not be all the happy but I wouldn't be bitching about it either, but just shy of a minute is not something that makes me happy.

Leaving it on so as to avoid the boot delay is not something I'm inclined to do. I'll have to check the power loading during sleep mode to see, but I tend to not enjoy wasting energy when I don't have to.


Brian

 

[Magic Carpet]

Brian

Just curious, what does the Asus support or their forums say? Ever tried contacting them?

35 seconds just to fully post, is way too long, even for X99 platform. Unless you are having very specific equipment/components the BIOS is taking up all that extra time to initialize it properly.

Just tried one X58 system and it took only 10 seconds to post.

I wouldn't leave it as is. S3 isn't a fix for that.

 

[Brian Stirling]

Brian

Just curious, what does the Asus support or their forums say? Ever tried contacting them?

35 seconds just to fully post, is way too long, even for X99 platform. Unless you are having very specific equipment/components the BIOS is taking up all that extra time to initialize it properly.

Just tried one X58 system and it took only 10 seconds to post.

I wouldn't leave it as is. S3 isn't a fix for that.

No I haven't yet contacted Asus support and wanted to see if there was anything I could learn here first before signing up for yet another board. I generally try to avoid signing up for every board I have a product or service with as that only increases the opportunity for hackers to social engineer you for bad reasons. But, if I can get no help here I'll do what I have to. I could live with it if I had to but I'd rather not have to.

So, I'll wait A bit longer and if no help then I guess a sign up for another board.


Brian

 

[escrow4]

Its all those drives + the USB 3.1. What happens when you disconnect the 2 HDDs, yank the USB 3.1 card and just leave the boot SSD?

 

[Magic Carpet]

Its all those drives + the USB 3.1. What happens when you disconnect the 2 HDDs, yank the USB 3.1 card and just leave the boot SSD?

Yeah, I'd try with just OS drive, RAM and CPU installed and see what happens. If it's still 30 seconds or so, I'd RMA the board.