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How else can I increase my computer's speed?

TIPS: The Need For Speed!!

Overclocked your system, but still hungry for more speed? Sometimes it isn't a hardware limitation that makes your computer slow, but poorly configured software. The following are some simple tips to increase your computer's speed through better configuration and optimization of hardware and software.

Under DOS:

1. If you have a S3 based video card, there are 2 programmes called S3 Speed Up and S3 VBE that might help. S3 based video cards include the popular Trio64 series and the ViRGE series. S3 VBE is a software to install a VESA 2.0 extensions patch over the video card's BIOS. It will improve performance of programmes that rely on VESA 2.0 extensions, but needs to be loaded in your Autoexec.Bat each time you boot up. S3 Speed Up can only be loaded after the S3 VBE and it enables a linear frame buffer that will increases the speed of some applications.

2. If you have a AMD K6 processor, there is a speed enhancement programme called ENWA that will enable the write allocation feature of the AMD K6. This can result in a performance increase of about 3% - 5%. Some motherboards like the AMD 640 already support the write allocation feature in the BIOS, and in such a case, ENWA will not do anything to improve performance. ENWA should be loaded in the Autoexec.Bat.

3. Tweaking of the memory settings in the BIOS can be done on most computers. The settings covered here are those that I found in my Abit SM-5 (Triton VX) motherboard. I won't cover HX and TX because I don't have them, but the settings that should be tweaked should be similar to that of the VX. Here's how to do the tweaking -> Go into the BIOS setup (usually by pressing the DEL key on boot up) and change the following settings under Chipset Features.

DRAM RAS# Precharge Time
This is the length of time during which the Row Address Strobe signal to a DRAM is held low during normal Read/Write Cycles. Typical values are 3 or 4. Choose the lower value.

DRAM Read/Write Leadoff Timing
Typical values are 5, 6 or 7. Choose the lower value for faster performance because it takes the CPU less clock cycles to get the data it wants.

Fast RAS To CAS Delay
This sets the amount of time a Column Address Strobe is performed after a Row Address Strobe. Typical values are 2 or 3. Choose the lower value.

DRAM read/write Burst
This is for those using FP/EDO DRAM. Typical values are x222/x333 or x333/x444. The lower value is for EDO and the higher value is for FPM, As usual, the lower the number the better.

Fast MA To RAS# Delay Clock
Typical values are 1 or 2. Choose the lower value since this reduces the delay.

Fast EDO Path Select
The option is either Enable or Disable. Choose Enable. When there are the words "Fast" and "Enable", enable is a almost always a good thing.

Refresh RAS# Assertion
Typical values are 4Clks or 5Clks. Choose the lower value.

SDRAM (CAS Lat/RAS To CAS)
For those using SDRAM, although similar in principle, different RAS/CAS values from EDO/FP apply. Similarly, the lower the value the better.

System BIOS Cacheable
Choose Enable. When there is the word "Cache" and "Enable". it is almost always a good thing.

NOTE: I am not responsible for any damage that occurs as a result of tweaking the BIOS.

Should the system perform unreliably after changing these settings, go back into the BIOS and change the settings, one at a time followed by a test, back to its original value until a setting that allows the system to perform reliably is found. For more information on these settings, consult the BIOS survival guide.

Under Windows 95:

1. If you have 24 megs of RAM or more, under System settings in the Windows 95 control panel, go to performance and set the File System to Network Server. This will increase the amount of disk caching avaliable and speed up the hardisk.

2. Install VRAMDIR. Windows does a lot of swapping and creates small temporary files that are deleted later on. VRAMDIR will create a 32bit dynamic RAM drive for this purpose. Since reading and writting in memory is much faster than on the hardisk, VRAMDIR can increase swapping performance considerably. Being a dynamic RAM drive, it's size will grow or shrink depending on need, so it won't suck up too much memory. This programme is shareware.

In The Internet:

1. Set the MaxMTU, RWIN and TTL values to reduce fragmentation of data packets during file transfer. This can be done using PPP-Boost.

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Last modified on September 17, 1997