Very basic but worthwhile: Aperture Size

[gary_hendricks]

Many doesn't realize that setting AGP Aperture Size affect quite a much actually.

~50% of your total RAM is good atleast for me, and biggest changes can be noticeable at smaller stages.

just a thought to share :P

[jlreich]

AGP aperture can certainly effect performance in games and other graphic intensive programs. There isn't a lot of hard info on what to set it on though. It basically comes down to experimenting to find out what is best for your particular system. Some say no more than 25%, others say 50%, still others say go for the gusto.

I think no more than 50% max. 25% should do for most people. Especially since 1GB ram, and 256MB video cards are more and more common these days. With the exception of Doom3 set on Ultra settings, an AGP aperture of 256MB should be more than enough. And you had better have at least 1GB ram for Doom3 on Ultra setting.

I have 1GB ram, 256MB v-card, and my aperture is set to 256MB. That runs HL2 without any problems at all. Actually it ran fine on 128MB, but I set it to 256MB just for the hay of it. The computer I have Doom3 on doesn't have aperture settings in the bios :( , so I can't really say how it is effected.

But like I said, it is a matter of experimenting to find out the best setting for your system. If your system starts complaining about low memory, back it off some. ;)

And BTW gary_hendricks, just in case no one else did, welcome to the http://www.pcguide.com/ubb/pcgubb.gif

[saphalline]

Yes, experimenting is the best way to find out. Obviously, having more RAM helps in your leeway with this setting, but for most systems, 256MB is overkill. 128MB should be plenty for most users, especially those with less than 1GB of RAM. For users with less than 512MB of RAM, bringing it down to 64MB might be required, but at that point ya gotta ask "why are you gaming with so little RAM!?" :p

PCIe doesn't have this issue, of course, but PCIe is very different. AGP will still be around for awhile, though, so I'm gonna keep my mobo for now. And have you guys seen the latest? 6800 Ultra's with 512MB of onboard RAM are now being made! :eek: Doom3's ultra-insane graphical settings can now be used. :cool:

[jlreich]

For users with less than 512MB of RAM, bringing it down to 64MB might be required, but at that point ya gotta ask "why are you gaming with so little RAM!?" :p

Exactly what I was thinking.

6800 Ultra's with 512MB of onboard RAM are now being made! Doom3's ultra-insane graphical settings can now be used.

Sweet! It's about time. :cool: