Optimizing Use of Quad Core CPU's (Speed up loading screens)

[WaCk0]

Right here's a way how you can improve your gaming performance if you have a Quad-Core Processor.

Reason why this is for Quad-Cores and not for Dual-Cores is because WoW has support for Dual cores.

1.You have to close your game (important because if you do this first, then close game it'll just revert back to old settings)
2.Go to your WTF Folder, open config.wtf with notepad.
3.Look for the text saying { SET processAffinityMask "3" }
4.Change the 3 into 15.

Basically what this does is nothing more then giving wow the choice between 4 cores instead of 2, it wont use all 4 at once but it can use the ones least occupied.

What this basically does is change the computer language.

3 = 1100 (Standard setting:4 cores, 1 being open 0 being closed)
15 = 1111 (All 4 cores available for WoW)

Other options:
14 = 0111 (First core will not be used, usually the most commonly used by other programs)
12 = 0011 (First 2 cores wont be used, WoW will always use core 3 and 4)
255 = 1111 1111 (For the high end i7 cores)

Just gives wow more options ^^

Now don't expect massive FPS upgrades etc. but it does help a bit.
What I notice the most about this is extreme fast city load screens.

Hope I explained it well enough, did my best to make it understandable for everyone :wave:

[Dragonshadow]

Set it to 255 if you have a quad core with hyperthreading

[WaCk0]

Aren't those only on i7 cores ?
(Havent been tracking the CPU scene for a while)

[seki]

can anyone explain why 255 is only for Quad cores with hyperthreading?

[WaCk0]

can anyone explain why 255 is only for Quad cores with hyperthreading?

Quadcores with hyperthreading basically have 8 cores, 255 = 1111 1111,

so it can use all 8 cores instead of 4 out of 8

Hope this answers your question

[Cara122]

nice :wave:

[DarkStorm1982]

have just tried this, seemed to work a tad faster, HS to Dalaran

[Guitars595]

Or just go into task manager, right click on WoW and chose set affinity. That will keep it temporarily at that affinity if you're not sure how it will react.

[Vinzend]

Or just go into task manager, right click on WoW and chose set affinity. That will keep it temporarily at that affinity if you're not sure how it will react.

That works very well with dual core's. It lasts while wow runs and need to be re-applied when you start wow again.

[WaCk0]

Or just go into task manager, right click on WoW and chose set affinity. That will keep it temporarily at that affinity if you're not sure how it will react.

I've had my affinity on all 4 for ages, and still i noticed a difference using this.

[Marroc]

Technically your i7 should be set to mask 85 (01010101). Running it on 255 (11111111) can cause wow to execute both of it's main processes (game world and ui) on the same physical core, which will actually lower your performance. mask 85 will tell wow to only run on physical cores, thus preventing it from executing on both a physical core as well as the hyperthreaded core of the same core. Mask 15 also isn't a good choice for the i7 because the cores are listed in the order of physical, hyperthreaded, physical, hyperthreaded, etc. Mask 15 will tell it to only run on cores 0 and 1 (along with hyperthreaded 0 and 1).

In short, your i7 should be set to 85.

[Quagmire]

I guess i'll have to upgrade my pc, peoples can clear naxx 25 before my loading screen from the summon is done. lol

Anyways, nice guide