New 'Misconception #1' in the Process Lasso FAQ

[Jeremy Collake]

Misconception #1: Process Lasso is supposed to make my computer faster

No. ProBalance doesn't necessarily make your PC faster, instead it helps to retain your PC's responsiveness during high loads.  Perhaps it might prevent a case where your keyboard and mouse input would freeze for a few seconds. You can see this with the CPU Eater demo app (http://processpriority.com/#skeptics), or create your own high CPU load to test. You definitely won't see anything run faster, just with fewer potential micro-lags.

See FAQ (http://bitsum.com/docs/pl/faq.htm)

[edkiefer]

Yes, you see a lot of "optimize" app claim to speed up system but at best they can just keep it running smoother .

I have tried to BM app with PL enabled/disabled but don't see much of a change "FPS" wise . This is on new system (i5-3570k) where extra app running don't affect it much that I can tell with normal use .

With my older core due system though if I had few app running in back ground I could feel game run rougher as back ground app poll CPU% . Here PL help more as it lowers back ground app and focuses on fore-ground app . Input lag/latency seem to get improved with it running .

App that monitor system states ,whether its CPU, temp , GPU are ones to watch out for and if there is a polling rate don't have it higher than needed , at least if you run it daily .
Ever system is different with different amounts of loaded and back-ground app running , but in general the more loaded the more PL will help out with responsiveness.

[BenYeeHua]

Windows are good on the responsiveness of foreground process, just so bad that it forgot the background process will bite it...

Each thread has a dynamic priority. This is the priority the scheduler uses to determine which thread to execute. Initially, a thread's dynamic priority is the same as its base priority. The system can boost and lower the dynamic priority, to ensure that it is responsive and that no threads are starved for processor time. The system does not boost the priority of threads with a base priority level between 16 and 31. Only threads with a base priority between 0 and 15 receive dynamic priority boosts.

The system boosts the dynamic priority of a thread to enhance its responsiveness as follows.

• When a process that uses NORMAL_PRIORITY_CLASS is brought to the foreground, the scheduler boosts the priority class of the process associated with the foreground window, so that it is greater than or equal to the priority class of any background processes. The priority class returns to its original setting when the process is no longer in the foreground.
• When a window receives input, such as timer messages, mouse messages, or keyboard input, the scheduler boosts the priority of the thread that owns the window.
• When the wait conditions for a blocked thread are satisfied, the scheduler boosts the priority of the thread. For example, when a wait operation associated with disk or keyboard I/O finishes, the thread receives a priority boost.
  You can disable the priority-boosting feature by calling the SetProcessPriorityBoost or SetThreadPriorityBoost function. To determine whether this feature has been disabled, call the GetProcessPriorityBoost or GetThreadPriorityBoost function.

After raising a thread's dynamic priority, the scheduler reduces that priority by one level each time the thread completes a time slice, until the thread drops back to its base priority. A thread's dynamic priority is never less than its base priority.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/ms684828%28v=vs.85%29.aspx

That why we need PL to manage the background process.
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Except GPU, until now Microsoft don't support the priority of GPU, if you running a browser at the background(with Hardware Acceleration enable) while gaming, you might found out the game performance reducing/laggy too....
I very hope that it will support the GPU priority...

[bruce741]

With my older core due system though if I had few app running in back ground I could feel game run rougher as back ground app poll CPU% . Here PL help more as it lowers back ground app and focuses on fore-ground app . Input lag/latency seem to get improved with it running .

[BenYeeHua]

With my older core due system though if I had few app running in back ground I could feel game run rougher as back ground app poll CPU% . Here PL help more as it lowers back ground app and focuses on fore-ground app . Input lag/latency seem to get improved with it running .

Yup, it is more easier to see this effect with old/low end processor, as the performance hit/cache miss for multi-task is much higher than modern Intel one.

And there are less background software like PL that running after boot, will optimize their software to less CPU usage, as they are wasting their time to adding feature to get more user, not optimizing CPU/Mem usage...
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A little small tips here, you can "Disable all enhancements" for the Playback device to reducing the CPU usage of audiodg.exe from 1.xx CPU usage to <0.50 CPU usage, I just get <0.20 CPU usage by disabling it.
http://support.lenovo.com/en_US/downloads/detail.page?DocID=HT069905 (http://support.lenovo.com/en_US/downloads/detail.page?DocID=HT069905)

[edkiefer]

Yup, it is more easier to see this effect with old/low end processor, as the performance hit/cache miss for multi-task is much higher than modern Intel one.

And there are less background software like PL that running after boot, will optimize their software to less CPU usage, as they are wasting their time to adding feature to get more user, not optimizing CPU/Mem usage...
----
A little small tips here, you can "Disable all enhancements" for the Playback device to reducing the CPU usage of audiodg.exe from 1.xx CPU usage to <0.50 CPU usage, I just get <0.20 CPU usage by disabling it.
http://support.lenovo.com/en_US/downloads/detail.page?DocID=HT069905 (http://support.lenovo.com/en_US/downloads/detail.page?DocID=HT069905)

I don't have audiodg.exe running from what i can see when sound playback , I have onboard sound Realtek , but I do have most of those enhancements off except equalizer which does make music sound a lot better .

Edit: missed audiodg.exe running as not default in list of PL , it is there in task-manager .
No high or even any CPU% shown .

PS: I do set all sound formats to DVD quality 16bit, 48000hz as defaults are 24bit , Studio Quality (either 96000-192000 hz)

[BenYeeHua]

I don't have audiodg.exe running from what i can see when sound playback , I have onboard sound Realtek , but I do have most of those enhancements off except equalizer which does make music sound a lot better .

Edit: missed audiodg.exe running as not default in list of PL , it is there in task-manager .
No high or even any CPU% shown .

PS: I do set all sound formats to DVD quality 16bit, 48000hz as defaults are 24bit , Studio Quality (either 96000-192000 hz)

You will need using Process Explorer to see the CPU usage, as it is 0.xx.
Don't forgot I am using a laptop CPU that weaker like 50% than a modern desktop CPU.

[edkiefer]

ok, for kicks I tried w/o equalizer (no enhancements )
CPU% goes to 0.24 -0.29
with equalizer on enhancement  CPU% goes to 0.34-0.40 , so does go up a bit 0.11% .

readings taken with PE performance window on audiodg.exe.
Thats just one enhancement on, I am sure with more enabled it go up more .

Edit: Just tested DTS II on and CPU% jumps to 1.5-1.6% (that is equalizer + DTS II on ) .
Loudness equalization bumps up CPU% by 0.10-0.20%

That results are on Win7 64bit Pro , 3570k@4.2ghz , 8gigs of memory .

[BenYeeHua]

Thank for that info, and I wonder how much latency that it will cost.

I know about that low latency should be using Wasapi, but I guess most game don't do it, I wonder that did playing FPS game is more sensitive to the latency of sound.
So it is interesting to find out the latency for directsound, with and without enhancements.

And ya, I went from 1.3x% to 0.15-0.20%, so this is a huge performance hit for laptop CPU, except you are i7 4 core.
I guess it is because that, even you don't enable any remix or equalizer or enhancements, the process of sound still need to passing through them, and biting the CPU.
---
I wonder that did any sound card can still hardware acceleration it, as most of them are dead because of the strong CPU.

Anyways, Happy New Year guy!

[edkiefer]

We are talking onboard so CPU does a lot of processing , in old days with slower CPU you would never run with onboard sound as the hit would be like 10fps and you feel each sound too .
But now its different thing , were not on single core cpu at only few hundred mhz .
But still for me I weigh the benefits of the enhancements against added cpu% , more than half of the stuff is not important to me and as I said above I drop down the quality setting to (I should of tested with enhancements on and highest quality ) , my guess it go to like 2.0% .

I don't know on latency , I have tested latency and its very low here so sound is not affected (meaning listening to music alone ), not sure in games how would one test other than disable and enable and try to note any difference (I think it would be very hard to test with modern CPU's ) .

PS: I just updated latest realtek drivers , R2.73 (6.0.1.7083) so that can have a affect , bad driver could cause issues .

Yes, Have happy new years too !

[BenYeeHua]

Yup, maybe I can find some information about it, on some forum.
They also tweaking core-parking to reducing the processing time too.

[lourencohen]

Thanks for making it clear and understanding how Process Lasso helps your computer maintained. Most users are in a thought that it will speed up the computer. So making things clear and more specific can help the users to understand how to use these features to keep your PC well maintained.

Edit:Last warning, if I see you posting the ads again, I will say good bye to you.

[alexchromo]

mysle ze moge sie zgodzic