AMD Dual-Core Optimizer

Mathew Everett 3 Jul, 2006 at 8:41pm ET Article published in Tech

AMD Dual-Core Optimizer is a piece of software that allegedly improves gaming performance by bypassing Windows’ API in some specific situations.

This utility helps that software access the RDTSC instruction directly, in order to correct the Time Stamp Counter on separate cores. It effectively keeps both cores working in parallel and reduces the differing video performance effects, or any other flaws that relate to timing situations in dual-core or upcoming multicore processors.

Click here to Download AMD’s new utility.

Source: The Inquirer

Comments

3 Jul 2006 ~ 9:35pm RWB cool, tonight I am gonna reformat my desktop and do some before and after benchies to see how it improved.
4 Jul 2006 ~ 6:44am Enverex Sounds more like bugfixes than an optimizer...
4 Jul 2006 ~ 11:02am Missileman

RWB wrote:

cool, tonight I am gonna reformat my desktop and do some before and after benchies to see how it improved.

It doesn't really improve performance at all. It is mainly gonna fix the stutters, long pauses, and some crashes in programs (games) that are not coded for dual processor function. A lot of the time the code will be waiting for something to complete that actually ran on the other core. It is not programed to look so it waits, and waits, and waits, etc.....

This "Optimizer" simply makes the timing stamps in the code line up so you don't end up with out of order processing because of the affinity problem. Mo more power or speed
4 Jul 2006 ~ 4:27pm RWB I thought this allowed the CPUs to run in unisen for programs that are not SMP capable.
4 Jul 2006 ~ 4:37pm Missileman Are you thinking of the suspected "reverse hyper-threading" supposedly in the socket AM2 chips?

This little exe only corrects timing issues.
I've been running it for 3 or 4 days and it helps, but my bench marks are all identical.

Here's the release notes :

AMD Dual-Core Optimizer

Release Notes For
Version 1.0.0

March 22, 2006

---General Description---

AMD Dual-Core Optimizer utility synchronizes Time Stamp Counter (TSC) MSRs on AMD Dual-Core Processors.

---Improvement and Fixes---

Version 1.0.0
* This is the initial release

---Usage Notes---

* Run setup.exe for a full uninstall/install.

---Known Issues---

* None

---System Requirements---

* Microprocessor: AMD Athlon™ 64 X2 Dual-Core Processors

This software installs and operates under the following operating systems
* Microsoft® Windows® 2000
* Microsoft® Windows® XP
* Microsoft Windows XP Professional x64 Edition
* Microsoft Windows Server 2003 32-bit
* Microsoft Windows Server 2003 64-bit

Operating systems NOT supported are:
* Microsoft® Windows® NT 4.0
* Microsoft Windows 98 Gold
* Microsoft Windows 98
* Microsoft Windows 95 OSR2
* Microsoft Windows 3.x
* Microsoft Windows Millennium
* Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition
5 Jul 2006 ~ 2:02am Leonardo Ah, the steely-eyed missile man explains this so that I finally understand. Thank you for putting in less technical terms. All the news sites I read seemed to all more or less regurgitate another site's news. But finally, an explanation for the layman.
5 Jul 2006 ~ 11:07pm airbornflght So it is just a minor fix,
7 Jul 2006 ~ 12:59pm RWB Well I didn't run a whole suite of benches, just ran 3D Mark 05 3 times, once before minor tweaking, once after tweaking, and again after installing this update.

The lowest bench was with these optimizers, but only by like 10 points :P

Question is... should I have installed the AMD CPU Drivers first, or so you not need the CPU drivers unless youw ant to use cool n Quiet?
7 Jul 2006 ~ 1:41pm Missileman Well the optimizer is just a small exe loaded in registry startup.

I installed the drivers after. They are the latest CPU drivers and work fine wether you run CnQ or not.

Can't see why not to load em since they are the latest and greatest.
7 Jul 2006 ~ 2:16pm RWB been trying to find them, AMD's website has them but for linux only... wtf
7 Jul 2006 ~ 2:33pm Missileman They are the ones just next to the very bottom set on the page

AMD Athlon™ 64 X2 Dual Core Processor Driver for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 Version (x86 and x64 exe) 1.3.2 - Allows the system to automatically adjust the CPU speed, voltage and power combination that match the instantaneous user performance need. Download this Setup Installation program (EXE) to automatically update all the files necessary for installation. This package is recommended for users whom desire a graphical user interface for installation. This .EXE driver is a user friendly localized software installation of the driver designed for end-users. This driver supports AMD Athlon™ 64 X2 Dual Core processors on Windows XP SP2, Windows 2003 SP1 x84 and x64 Editions.