XXHighEnd

Hi Peter,

I acquired a desktop recently. it was a matter of circumstances, because what I got is not what I expected to get. It does not carry the latest CPUs (it's a G620) and has a somewhat "weak" SMPS (180 watts). On the other hand, it is very quiet and for a dual core, its 2.6GHZ and DDR3 memory makes it quick enough.

This replaces a laptop with an Intel dual core (1.6GHZ) with 4GB of ram. I could already say that despite the lack of power that my new desktop could have compared to more powerful PCs (an I7 for example), the sound was already more "present", less congested.

I added an SSD (yes, I know what you think about this), plus a sata power filter (SOTM), a fan filter (SOTM also).

All in all, a very basic motherboard with not much.

As for the USB that comes from the PC and powers the Audiophilleo 2 (USB -> SPDIF), I added an Aqvox inline USB power supply to "feed" the A2 instead.

For each of those little tweaks, the differences were very subtle.

Then I replaced the original 1 x 2GB memory module with 2 x 4GB and then increased the SFS in XXHIGHEND from 50 to 440...

I use a few songs to check for differences - mostly the same. I don't really have a methodology and guess that I don't do "critical listening".

It took a while before I started wondering what was happening. Something was different, but my vocabulary is quite limited when I try to express those (differences). It seemed that the instruments were more separated, the background was blacker, the fast impulses where more accurate and present. Over all, the sound is much more detailed and clearer.

If I was to put all this in other words, this reveals the quality of the other components. They can't be better than what you feed them with.

From the beginning, I have always wondered if the source (thus, the PC) was fit for the rest of the components. But I certainly admit that XXHIGHEND has a lot to do in reducing the PCs idiosyncratic behaviour...

... Now I really am impatient to hear the next version  :)

Regards,

Alain
P.S.: I am not even using the unattended mode, because I need the network to control the desktop with TightVNC... No keyboard, no mouse are attached to the desktop (for obvious reasons)...

Thank you for sharing this Alain.
And well, when you are up to Unattended, don't forget Minimized OS - if you don't have that set(tled) already.

Regards,
Peter

HiPeter,

Yes I have Minimized OS (apart the fact that I have reactivated the ThightVNC service) to allow for control of the PC :)

I was not expecting such an important change with the modification of the SFS  :o It really changed the "landscape" in such a way that my ears are still shaking themselves in disbelief (is the head supposed to follow ?)  ;)

Alain

[quote author=AlainGr link=topic=1985.msg20373#msg20373 date=1331942918
Then I replaced the original 1 x 2GB memory module with 2 x 4GB and then increased the SFS in XXHIGHEND from 50 to 440...
[/quote]

I am flabbergasted, to 400  :o?????!!!!

With 2x4mb i have not been able to play sfs beyond 177.

Even running xx (play) five seconds after the windows screen appeared never got me more than a 'lower sfs' error. With 4x4mb obviously no problem to get to 430 and beyond.

What's the secret here???

Regards, Coen

Hi Coen,

Is 440 really related to the amount of memory ? I can't say, but when I check with the Task Manager, I see about 3.8 GB of used ram.

I must admit that, in addition to the minimise OS, I also have the priority to the background processes (almost the same path as when you want to change the size of the paging file with W7), eliminate the paging file (no paging file), run a script that puts all the running processes to LOW priority, then I start XXHIGHEND.

I you are interested, I have attached this small script in a zip file.

I am sorry if I did not really answer your question... Maybe there is something about the representation that differs depending on something else ? I pushed it to the limit and could go up to 500, but quickly got some messages about lowering SFS...

Regards,

Alain

[Edit from PeterST : This is NOT to be applied, because XXHighEnd does these things herself upon your own settings, and things will mangle / be mangled with.]

Coen,

I see that you have a Phasure NOS1... I guess that you upsample your music up to X16 ?

Since I only have an 24/192 OS DAC, I cannot go further that X4, so I guess that it could explain the difference ?

Regards,

Alain

An SFS of 500 (not more) can normally be reached with any W7 64 bit system and 8GB of memory *and* in Minimized OS mode.
It is unrelated to the amount of upsampling.

Hi Peter and Alain,

Thanks for the replies.

Peter, "normally" seem not to apply on my side. Is this about the paging file? I've read about to immediately start with playing after a reboot, but this makes no difference here....

?

Regards, Coen

Paging file is unrelated Coen. And it is NOT better to shut it off.

Did you mangle with the OS otherwise ?

What you can achieve merely looks like a 32 bit OS ...

Peter,

The BIOS is mostly left untouched (=default values). I switched off the USB3 and Ethernet peripherals and set HPET timer to 64 bits mode. Maybe I disabled S.M.A.R.T..

In the OS I switched to the maximum performance profile (all fancy windows stuff unticked).

Default the memory is at 1333.

I think I am running a 64 bit system with 8Gigs of memory (see attatchment).

regards, Coen

When this is not about the 2500 and maybe the graphics part of it now using normal ram (???), it should be about additional processes loaded at startup (remember, Minimized OS Mode).

But what about those graphics ? ...

Peter

Hi Peter,

Sorry if I was misleading... I guess my past as a programmer taught me to reduce the processes already without help from any program or player... I always tend to reduce everything naturally (processes and services), as I like my PC to be fast as possible. One of the first thing I do for all my PCs is disable Defender, the Security Center, all the themes (visuals). I never had any anti-virus on my PC and never got caught with any either (virus - this since 1998)...

I also know that we can ensure that there are not undesirable programs that are started with Windows (ex.: Adobe Reader and such)... With msconfig it is possible to verify this ? I know that Adobe Reader tends to put itself as a program to start with Windows, this each time it updates something... ?

Is there something in the scheduled tasks that could affect also ?

Being a minimalist, this is how I have always worked with my PCs...

Thanks,

Alain

... which is exactly why XXHighEnd does all these things for you. Okay, for those who can't deal with this, which will be the majority. But, it is also about being able to use your PC for more normal means in the mean time.

Anyway, also you have to be careful with "damage" you may do, hence conflicting "parameters" which what XXHighEnd arranges for. I mean, XXHE can't do much more than anticipating an OS which looks the same as I see it here (untweaked) and start from there. Of course, it tries as much as possible to maintain whatever there was in the first place, but it also anticipates "normal" settings so it can tweak others (and many (Registry etc.) settings won't allow this anymore once set at a higher level (read : elsewhere in the Registry etc.).

Example, which you will understand (but you'll have to take a few things for granted) : the Clock Resolution. Imply with whatever means a lower numbered setting (resolution is higher) and no way XXHighEnd can changed it to the higher numbered setting, no matter there's a parameter for it. So, it won't do anymore what you wanted, you may have dropouts which won't happen here or elsewhere with the same XXHE setting, and nobody can guess that you cause this yourself.

Just one example !!

Regards,
Peter


PS: Now you know about XXHighEnd just doing your prio things for you, you -of course- have examined this by now, and you will have seen that your little tweak regarding this didn't to a thing. Besides that, it applies it to the wrong process or processes (I'll leave it to that). So ...
wrong ! Rather explicitly wrong ... :)

Graphics was downsized to 400Mhz, but restoring that makes no difference. The graphics does use some memory: 64mbit+2Mb, there is only one step down (32 Mbit+2Mb) in the bios...

I will make a screenshot of services and processess tonight. Maybe something is wrong with my "minimised" setup. I noticed the genuine logo of windows now appears in the system config screen, where it used to be unavailable.

Regards, Coen

Yes, I earlier already I wanted to suggest sending me your Processes / Services. But I liked to add to send them to my email address; so I left out the question all together ...

Peter

Peter,

I sent you a PM with some screen dumps. I would expect less services in a minimised OS but I could be wrong.

Lowering the graphics memory to 32Mbit+2 did nothing for the SFS.

Scanning all corners of the OS I stumbled upon a not working intel graphics driver (in error state...). I updated the driver to the newest version and this is part of the solution because now I can play up to an SFS  of 220!

Still 220 to go...

regards, Coen

I'm there!!!

 :yahoo:

It just took a couple of reboots to be fast enough to prevent the gremlins peeping into the virgin memory.

I could detect no big memory users besides XXEngine3 in the task manager process screen (selected the 'allocated memory' column). According to my graphics utility the videodriver allocated a whopping 64Mbit for all graphics purposes. I had to be possible.

Now I still don't think my minimised OS is booting like it should.... :unsure:

regards, Coen

Ok, where ??


Correct. No way it is. Also see your email ...

Peter

There is at sfs 440!

"I love it when a plan comes together!"

Regards, Coen

Cool ! :)