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In Reply to: RE: cMP - the open source high-end Memory Player posted by cics on December 30, 2007 at 05:42:01
Decided to do a WINDOWS re-install since I could not get my "radio" mouse to work but it got me thinking about what the optimizations are about.
I was looking at the monitor optimizations - specifically the idea of running the monitor at its native resolution to minimize work.
This got me to wonder if my large monitor (21 inches) and its rather high native resolution requires more work than the tiny monitor in the ZALMAN case as some are using.
So, I started looking around and found these USB monitors. One would think it best to power the monitor with a GRANITE or the "dirty" supply.
Would this make a difference? Lowering the native resolution from
1680 x 1050 to 800 x 480? These have their own video card which would require less work from the on-board stuff. Could the on-board stuff be turned off as a result of this?
With the new board there is no choice between USB 2.0 and USB, so that is not a consideration.
I have included a random link to one of many of these available.
Any thoughts?
Follow Ups:
any idea of what to do, other than starting over with a fresh WINDOWS install?
It keeps telling me to install OEM Graphics Drivers.
It keeps telling me to install OEM Graphics Drivers.
Have you re-enabled the Windows Installer service? If not, do so before running the installer for the drivers for your USB monitor. When done, disable the service again. Not all program installers use it (cPlay being a case in point) so there's no guarantee that starting it will fix your problem - but, who knows, it just might . . .
to start to install programs, I did this from the beginning and ...
nothing happens.
I get the feeling this experiment will require a fresh WINDOWS installation.
I do like the idea of the small monitor enough to go through with it.
My remaining question becomes: if one unplugs the monitor does the driver still keep on "driving" and doing the same amount of mischief?
I am thinking to balance it out I can disable the drivers involved in the regular monitors operation? We'll see.
Thanks for the suggestion nonetheless,
Rick McInnis
It occurred to me that one should be able to unplug and re-plug the USB monitor so it would be completely out of the system while playing music.
Of course, this would be bothersome but it might be worth it.
Of course, this would be bothersome but it might be worth it.A couple of suggestions.
1. A headless setup would probably have at least the same result and possibly a better one. :> ) It also has the merit of not costing anything to try and, if successful, of leaving you a KVM to the good.
2. I doubt if a USB monitor will help very much. IME, you can't disable the main display in BIOS though you can select its interface (e.g. embedded or PCIe). XP typically assigns it an interrupt whether or not it's actually driving anything. Meanwhile, XP will either assign an interrupt to your USB monitor or poll it so you end up with two devices, not one. (I'm not sure how interrupts versus polling pans out in XP.)
This got me to wonder if my large monitor (21 inches) and its rather high native resolution requires more work than the tiny monitor in the ZALMAN case .
Why not set the graphics chip to a low resolution (letting your monitor do the conversion for the purposes of the test) and see if the CPU load changes while you run e.g. one of those dreadful XP tutorials?
I'm no display expert (to put it mildly) but if graphics cards use vector graphic techniques to generate the raster image for a basic display of type (as e.g. laser printers do) then the difference in our scenario will probably be negligible. I'm ashamed to say that I don't know and can't find the answer but there must be some here who do.
BTW, if you Google "USB polling rate", you'll find discussions between nerdy gamers about altering the polling rate for a USB mouse. See link. (Seems they even do it on the Mac - now there's a thought . . . )
Edits: 08/30/10
have you tried it?
I can't wait to give it a try.
NEAT!
I wonder if one sets the "value" higher than one would it be worthwhile within the cics canon?
You know far more about all of this than I by seven orders of magnitude.
I have grown tired of my 22 inches monitor lighting up the room so I decided to give this a try anyway. I ordered the smallest one.
If it is a wash at least I will no longer have this giant display.
I have no idea how USB and the regular monitor port affect the assignments of tasks within the computer. I do not know what polling is but I will find out (somewhat) after I go to the link you supplied.
I guess I can disable the monitor based devices in DEVICE MANAGER since this monitor has its own "video card". Will be interesting if that makes any difference.
I hesitate to depend on the monitor to change resolution since cics said in the OPTIMIZATIONS that this requires additional power so he recommends using the native resolution of your monitor. I do not know what to make of any of this. Wish I had a better idea of what goes on within the motherboard. But only if the information could be injected into my brain!
In a week or so, I will know.
Are you using the "new" board?
Thanks, again,
Rick McInnis
an LED display like the Zalman. I've been running with 4 bit color,the lowest screen resolution and the AGP Video in the tower disabled. This seems like it would spare the CPU from doing whatever video processing is required for the basic display I'm using now. Sounds reasonable to surmise usb "noise" would have to be less than using the CPU for display though of course still not "headless".I already put a hole through a wall and stuck the PC in an adjoining room and just ran a VGA cable to a KVM swicth to share the CRT NEC monitor I use for my desktop PC. I just shut that off if I want to listen quietly in the main room so I'm not sure I'd benefit with this unless yanking the AGP card and disconnecting the VGA cable would gain in terms of further quieting of the MB. Thanks for the idea though I may grab one anyway. Do post up any impressions if you try it.
Edits: 08/23/10
since I have no real knowledge of how all of these things interact.
I read further that the LED monitor can be CPU intensive. But I figure with what it would have to do with cMP should not require much of any work from the CPU. I think many of these folks were using this device as a second monitor.
So I would love cics, lga775, or Mr. Wong, to give their opinion on what is worse, USB or the standard monitor jack and whatever supports it.
Do lower native resolutions make life easier for the CPU? Or does the native resolution aspect only come into play when one is asking for a conversion from the native resolution of your monitor?
I would gladly give it a try with some hope of success and if given such hope you can be assured I would report.
Rick,
Since the experts haven't weighed in, I thought I'd offer my opinion...
I looked at one of these USB monitors about this time last summer when I was starting to gather the parts for the super-case that I have yet to build.
I decided against them after thinking about how they must get their signal. They require a separate driver which has to intercept the video signal, likely after it has been processed by the mobo hardware (in the case of a cMP, the processor) AND then do a conversion into USB format AND route it through the USB connection. I just couldn't see any way this wouldn't add to the mobo processing burden.
So my advice is no to this. OTOH, I did pickup this small touchscreen monitor with regular VGA input:
http://www.short-circuit.com/product/VM70.html
I want to disable the AV chips before I use it, but it looks to be a pretty good alternative.
Later!
Greg in Mississippi
Everything matters!
that is the kind of thing I worried about
UNTIL
My second thought is that all of this is moot (I assume) when the device is unplugged.(?) Do you think there is a problem with all of this plugging and unplugging?
I had got used to turning off the monitor so dealing with the plug is not that big a deal.
Thanks for your input!
Rick McInnis
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