Multicore tweaks
- Thread starter solops
- Start date
I saw somewhere that there is a way to "force" Windows to run an application in "realtime" priority, which apparently is for multiprocessors, or so the tip said. I ran Civ 4, and now Warlords, this way. I get no errors, and it seems a bit faster.
Here's what you do:
Here's what you do:
- Right-click on your desktop and create a new shortcut.
- Right-click on the shortcut and select properties.
- In the link field, enter either C:\WINDOWS\system32\cmd.exe /c start "runrealtime" /realtime "D:\Civilization 4\Warlords\Civ4Warlords.exe" or C:\WINDOWS\system32\cmd.exe /c start "runrealtime" /realtime "D:\Civilization 4\Civilization4.exe" (don't forget to correct the path to the game directory - mine is not the default).
- Double-click this new shortcut to start the game.
Artosoft said:
Where I found that tip, it said "realtime" is for multiprocessors. The next highest priority is "high."
I think scrolling was a bit smoother for me after I did this, even though I have the game running at 1600 x 1200 with 4X anti-aliasing and 16X filtering (the latter set with a program for my video card). Try it out - you make a new shortcut that you can delete if you don't like. It doesn't change any of your game files at all.
Another way to change priority is with Task Manager, but the game has to be running first. Start the game, ALT-TAB out, press CTRL-ALT-DEL to bring up the Task Manager, and then change the priority in the process tab by right-clicking on the process (application). Close the Task Manger and ALT-TAB to return to the game.
Here's Microsoft's page on the topic.
I think this might be where I found the tip.
CORRECTION: This is where I found the tip.
Artosoft said:
I have not tried this, but I can't believe it's a good idea. Maybe high? If you go to realtime, there might be unintended side effects for Windows' background processes. You know the ones we all assume are not needed, but some actually do stuff... Put another way, you know how unresponsive Windows gets when a process "hangs" and eats 100% CPU. If you ever needed to do anything else (while running Civ) it would basically be like that.
Anyway, by setting it on a dual core chip, you are basically assigning one core to Civ. This isn't a bad thing because you still have one left over for other tasks.
If you really want to be hard core, you can open up your Task Manager, right-click one-by-one on *all other processes* and use the "Set Affinity" option to assign all those tasks to the same CPU. This will leave Civ the only proc able to access both - presumably, it would be scheduled on the other/empty CPU. Sadly, TaskManager won't remember these settings, so you would need to do it each time you restart Windows. (Search tomshardware for a utility to help - I think I remember reading something there way-back-when)
BTW: To my knowlege, Civ is not multi threaded enough to use both cores. (Almost all programs have multiple threads, but most don't actually split work between them - which would make them run faster)
solops said:
With very few execeptions, games are singlethreaded applications. I have a dual cpu system, the advantage you do get is that your operating system and any programs you are running at the same time as you play will be smoother.
The only games I know of that can do multithreading is unreal tournament and quake games. Even on those it is just the sound process that is split.
When you set something to realtime priority it means the operating system will process things from that program before anything else, I would suggest trying it on high priority and see if you notice anything first.
1stcontact2035
Great Scientist
If you have Windows 7 64 bit there's really no need. It will just "run" the multiple cores without worry. The other posts were from 2006 and related to 32 bit OS's before 64 bit Windows really caught on (yes, odd how fast that happened). It's also the same discussion with 64 bit Windows 7 and the memory cap on Civ 4... it will be 4 GB rather than 2 GB in Windows 7 64 bit.
If you do have Windows 7 64 bit, start up Civ 4 (whichever version you play), CTRL-ALT-DLT, and pull up the task manager, and then go to the processes tab (not the one that just shows Civ 4 but the one with all the running operations in Windows) and click to show "all operations", and then right click Civ 4, and click affinity in the drop down menu, and where it shows what processors are scheduled to be used with it, if you are running a 32 bit OS, it would only show one processor, and if this idea of mine will work (it might not?) you should be able to assign more than one processor to Civ 4 this way. Of course, you could still assign more than one processor to Civ 4 and all Civ 4 would run on is one processor at a time. And of course this is something I'm going under through 64 bit Windows. But I'd try it if you are running 32 bit Windows.
Of course, if you have Windows 7 and 3 GB ram or more... my question is, if you don't have anything you're really seriously attached to you can't reinstall, etc, just install 64 bit Windows over the 32 bit version, the 64 bit disk is included too and will make nearly everything run better as long as you have 3 GB or more of ram.
