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Windows 10 Update: Game Mode for Audio Playback?

amirm

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Optimizing windows for less background traffic seems to be the "thing" to do by many digital audio tweakers. I have never been a fan of such optimizations because they disable so much stuff that make Windows hard to use. And at any rate, you are then beholding by someone's tweaks to Windows.

There may be a lot better solution now in the form of "Game Mode" in Windows 10 update (Creator's Update). You start your game, then hit Windows key + G to bring up the settings and select Use Game Mode for this game. This causes Windows to reduce priority for background tasks and allocate more resources to the current app which in this case is a game. The same should work just fine for your favorite media player. I will test this in the future but for now, it may be a good thing to do to keep streaming of audio (e.g. Tidal) and video (Netflix and such) run more consistently.

See this article on it: http://pcworld.com/article/3187171/...akes-unplayable-games-playable-sometimes.html

Here is the effect it has on games when there is background activity:

game-mode-bg-tasks-min-fps-100716321-large.jpg


It is nice to see this kind of intelligence in Windows now. It doesn't take much and allows one to better optimize a single app performance of a system.
 

Sal1950

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You start your game, then hit Windows key + G to bring up the settings and select Use Game Mode for this game. This causes Windows to reduce priority for background tasks and allocate more resources to the current app which in this case is a game. The same should work just fine for your favorite media player. I will test this in the future but for now, it may be a good thing to do to keep streaming of audio (e.g. Tidal) and video (Netflix and such) run more consistently.
I'm not sure it will be available for non-game apps but that would be nice? I see it as specially useful for those using a computer that's doing it's own DRC. I'll give it a try also after the update comes down the pike.
windows-10-game-mode-100716324-orig.jpg
 

Sal1950

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Pretty sure it would work for any app. Windows has no way of knowing what an app really does.
Just didn't see the "mode" pointing to any one running app so I guess it locks resources down on whatever's running at the time of the Gamer Mode launch? Just running possibilities around in my damaged brain
Well we'll find out for sure shortly. ;)
 

Sal1950

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Could be a nice deal for guys running real time drc convolution on less than super powerful (read silent) rigs.
 
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amirm

amirm

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That's a good point. Audio is a real-time process and should take priority over background tasks especially if you are close to the edge CPU wise. That said, the Dirac DRC on my system hardly uses any CPU cycles.
 

Sal1950

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That said, the Dirac DRC on my system hardly uses any CPU cycles.
Really, that's good to hear. With zero hands-on I would have imagined it was much more demanding.
If I ever get around to doing my next build which will be a silent rig, we'll have to discuss the requirements.
I liked your silent pc build and the one or two others that have been mentioned here, but they look to cost in the $2k range to build IIRC, and this cheapskate would like to geterdone in the $500 range. ;)
 

Thomas savage

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Really, that's good to hear. With zero hands-on I would have imagined it was much more demanding.
If I ever get around to doing my next build which will be a silent rig, we'll have to discuss the requirements.
I liked your silent pc build and the one or two others that have been mentioned here, but they look to cost in the $2k range to build IIRC, and this cheapskate would like to geterdone in the $500 range. ;)
Why don't you start charging those lay abouts round the pool to watch stuff on your fancy tv?

Could be some $$$ in that :D
 

Sal1950

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Why don't you start charging those lay abouts round the pool to watch stuff on your fancy tv?

Could be some $$$ in that :D
Good idea, They've been parking their golf carts in my drive-way and watching it thru the big sliding glass door like a drive-in already. :mad::D
 

Thomas savage

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Good idea, They've been parking their golf carts in my drive-way and watching it thru the big sliding glass door like a drive-in already. :mad::D
Ah, just walk about wearing only your underwear ( better still stark bollock naked) this will stop the 'drive in' issue. :D

( depending on what your hiding down there, things could get worse:eek: but then you just have to charge them for the film and half time sal entertainment, twice the $$$)
 

Sal1950

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Looks like Micro$oft didn't wait till Tues, checked for updates tonight and said one was available. After about an hour and a half of drive grinding, plus 3 reboots later, the screen says Welcome to Windows 10 Creator Addition. About: reports Windows 10 Pro, Version 1703 Build 15063.13.
Play with Game Mode when time allows.
 

Blumlein 88

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Looks like Micro$oft didn't wait till Tues, checked for updates tonight and said one was available. After about an hour and a half of drive grinding, plus 3 reboots later, the screen says Welcome to Windows 10 Creator Addition. About: reports Windows 10 Pro, Version 1703 Build 15063.13.
Play with Game Mode when time allows.
Yes, how can Windows updates always be so horrid to perform. Too late to get it tonight. Thanks for the info, and I'll give it a go later. And the reboots, oh gawd not another reboot.

Oh well the other reason to wait until later is I am just about to blast Windows from my sister's laptop and install a good linux distro. Guess which will be more fun and productive?
 
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D

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Looks like Micro$oft didn't wait till Tues, checked for updates tonight and said one was available. After about an hour and a half of drive grinding, plus 3 reboots later, the screen says Welcome to Windows 10 Creator Addition. About: reports Windows 10 Pro, Version 1703 Build 15063.13.
Play with Game Mode when time allows.

Sal, my guess is that you received a prep update awaiting the 1703 Creators Update.

MS only distributes major updates second Tuesday in a month. I've heard that there's some corporations running Windows and the IT dpt in these are usually on Amber alert this day of month ... ;-)

PS: I'm safe as well as my spouse who usually walks this street at this time of day, by chance she decided to take an early day off. DS
 
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amirm

amirm

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I liked your silent pc build and the one or two others that have been mentioned here, but they look to cost in the $2k range to build IIRC, and this cheapskate would like to geterdone in the $500 range. ;)
I am on the lookout for already built silent PC for much lower price as I need one in my shop to drive my CNC machine (don't want fans to pull in dust). A lot of the cost in what we built went toward the pretty looking German case and accessories. If you don't need that, there are cheaper options. I will post more on this later.
 
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amirm

amirm

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Really, that's good to hear. With zero hands-on I would have imagined it was much more demanding.
I was bracing for lots of CPU cycles too and built the system that way but as I mentioned, it was for not. The extra CPU cycles however have come in handy for real-time on the fly conversion of my DSD downloads to PCM. I can get occasional glitches due to it falling behind although it is very rare.
 
D

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I am on the lookout for already built silent PC for much lower price as I need one in my shop to drive my CNC machine (don't want fans to pull in dust). A lot of the cost in what we built went toward the pretty looking German case and accessories. If you don't need that, there are cheaper options. I will post more on this later.

Let's see what my rebuild of the "Roon Bridge on a budget" will bring. Expensive parts are in descending order: CPU, Case, Motherboard, SSD & Memory.

Aim to have a Roon and Netflix capable Windows 10 CU PC.
 

Sal1950

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Sal, my guess is that you received a prep update awaiting the 1703 Creators Update.
MS only distributes major updates second Tuesday in a month. I've heard that there's some corporations running Windows and the IT dpt in these are usually on Amber alert this day of month ... ;-)

I don't know man, all I did was Windows Update-Check For Updates, it said one was available so I let er rip. When all was done and I finished the config questions, it opened the Edge web browser to the MS site and the top of the page said
Welcome to Windows Creator, which had links to all the tips for the new Creator.
The About reports as I posted, so-----------?
Creator_censored.jpg
 
D

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I don't know man, all I did was Windows Update-Check For Updates, it said one was available so I let er rip. When all was done and I finished the config questions, it opened the Edge web browser to the MS site and the top of the page said
Welcome to Windows Creator, which had links to all the tips for the new Creator.
The About reports as I posted, so-----------?
View attachment 5977

Sal, Me and You ...

Wow, who'd thought we're both Windows Insiders ...
 
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