Ive only heard of problems with certain ATI cards or drivers. Any Nvidea should be safe or at least it works fine with my 7900GTX. ATI users might wan't to research this further before trying it on their particular card/driver.Carlos

I don't understand why you guys make these system changes and don't run any performance manager logs to see what it is really doing?scott s..

Nvidia isn't so safe...I have big problems with very memory-hungry programs,such FSX...frequent crash...but no PC destroyed ;-) Nvidia 7800 GTAMD x2 4800Bye,Francesco.

"I don't understand why you guys make these system changes and don't run any performance manager logs to see what it is really doing?"Because they may not know how to. It seems a valid deduction that the people advocating this really do not understand it, because they would not be so freely telling everyone and their mother about it if they knew how harmful it can me.Mitch.... I posted on your other thread, one of now four threads that you have going on this subject. (sigh) I will re-iterate my point from that thread.If indeed, your claim that you have ALWAYS used that setting since the good old '95 days, then why are you just finding it now? How come a couple of nights ago you were frustrated with FSX but now are finding that this tweak has helped you out? Would it not make sense that if you always used this setting in the past, that you would never have had any issues in the first place and would be wondering why so many people were reporting poor performance while you were 'soaring'... literally. You went from Zero to Hero on this subject matter, knowing nothing to being the undisputed champion of knowledge about it.These facts alone basically discredit what your saying about the safety of this 'tweak'. Add to that, you admit that you went searching to see if it was safe or not, and posted the first website you found that seems to say that it is. Let me assure you, that site knows about as much as you do about this setting."Care to disagree? Contact Microsoft, the creators of that XP feature. It's there for the power system."I have..... I'm an IT pro. I work with large clients, and spend my days working on HP Proliant server racks scratching my head over many issues from day to day. I've seen this setting in action, I've seen the results.... and I can safely say that even the Microsoft tech's advise that this setting only be used for the right server application.File servers, static data centers, these are the things that enjoy the benefits of this setting. If a large amount of data needs to be readily available and served up then this setting really boosts performance. However if the data is dynamic, in other words if you want those files to be shared and writable, or update data in a database, this setting should NOT be used.Microsoft has advised me in several instances that the root cause of a concern was due to this setting being used where it shouldn't have. This is Microsoft's corporate support system too, not the general public support lines... this is the $300/hr support that large corporations expect from Microsoft. These guys know their system. I've discussed this setting in many instances and I know what types of systems can benefit, and what types are at risk. I can safely say that any machine being used as a home computer is at risk from this.... most home users save files, they require writing to disk constantly. This is NOT a good way to run a home computer unless it's a dedicated test system that you don't need to store any personal data on.My point is.... running with scissors is a dangerous thing to do. I don't care if you've been able to run all night and day with those scissors... at some point you will lose your balance and you will see a crash that is unlike any other crash you've ever seen.... one that can't be solved with a simple reboot, one with corrupt files and missing data. ****************************************************BE WARNED. This tweak is NOT healthy for most PC's. If your system is dedicated to XP and FSX only, then go right ahead.... if you use that machine for general computing... save yourselves the headache. Just because the setting is there doesn't mean it's safe, there are many ways you can destroy a machine using settings or programs that are included in the operating system. They are included for people who know what they are doing and when they should and shouldn't use such features....p.s. I wanted to confirm whether this setting really does help or not. It did absolutely nothing for performance in FSX for me. I should also note that previous to the setting change, I was seeing 1.3gb usage by FSX. After the change, it DECREASED to a max of 8-900megs. Reverting back to my original 'program' mode, I never regained 1.3gb usage, it's still sitting at around 900megs and I can't get it back to where it was at..... this already is an issue..... time for a reinstall... thanks.p.p.s.No, I'm not kidding, nor making it up to back up my claim.... I am seriously reporting that it decreased my RAM usage and that even changing back didn't give me back what it took. You need to find a better solution.

>The performance I have seen is breathtaking. It totally>redefines my system and FSX in use. It makes FSX EXACTLY what>everybody wishes it would perform as...by merely adding a 1>with ample RAM.>Won't Vista(64) do the same thing as this tweak, since Vista will be able to use 4+ gb of system memory? In other words, Vista will be default use 3+ gb of mem. (??)RhettAMD 3700+ (@2.5 ghz), eVGA 7800GT 256 (94.47), ASUS A8N-E, PC Power 510 SLI, 2 GB Corsair XMS 3-3-3-8, WD 250 gig 7200 rpm SATA2, CoolerMaster Praetorian

Hi All -Just for the record....I have been using the system cache option with FS9 for over two years now yielding modest performance improvement without any kind of system problems whatsoever(i.e., crashes etc.). I run a Wideview setup with 3 views. Each computer is set to the system cache option. Am currently using 2GB Kingston PC3200 HyperX on 2 computers ([email protected]) and 1GB Samsung PC1066 RDRAM on the older computer (P4 2.53)(4 years old). Video cards are Nvidia AGP versions(6800Ultra and5900Ultra). All are dedicated FS computers.Again, I do see what I characterize as modest improvement. Adding more RAM as suggested could conceivably yield more significant improvement, particularly for FSX one would think.I do not yet have FSX - I am planning to upgrade my entire hardware setup to current leading edge once Vista and DX10 are available next year. I plan not even to look at FSX until then (but have been following the threads here on the forum with much interest).Home flying base is metro New York (Newark). Am using MegaScenery wherever available and prefer to fly in those areas. Sliders at or approach max in most cases. No autogen (don't like the phony looks). No AI (unfortunately Wideview does not support). FPS never less than 20 except in severe weather/clouds conditions.Bottomline - Don't be afraid to try the system cache option! Documentation I have indicates it can be used with as little as 256MB ram (reference textbook by Cowart and Knittel).Has anyone actually personally experienced a detrimental result using system cache? Such would be interesting to know of course.Fred

"Has anyone actually personally experienced a detrimental result using system cache? Such would be interesting to know of course."Yes, many times. I work in the IT business and I see it all the time. This setting doesn't always have immediate or catastrophic results, but the more you work around the field, the more instances you see. I've fixed friends computers only to realize that this setting was the culprit.Most crashes are easily recovered from, a simple reboot and your back in business. This setting heightens the chances of data loss during such a crash. It doesn't dictate that a crash will happen, and it doesn't mean that any old crash will be catastrophic, it only means that the chances for it are increased 10-fold.That being said, anything you do to your machine that makes it 10% less reliable or more prone to the possibility that a crash could mean a full reinstall, is something that should not be entered into lightly.Some people have used this setting for years, some report good stability, that doesn't mean that it is safe for everyone else to do. A few users trying this tweak will definitely need a reinstall at some point in the next few weeks. I myself am one of them because I was simply curious whether this actually worked.... I knew the risks, and this machine is dedicated to FSX and CoD2, so I lose nothing. My game used to use 1.3gb of ram and ran relatively well and very smooth, not it uses 800megs of ram and runs like crap.... even turning the setting off doesn't take me back to 1.3gb usage.... so I have no choice but to flatten this box and start over.

My machine is pretty much strictly FSX, so I can live with the risk. Just did it, picked up 7FPS on average. Simple as that.

Hi Mitch,I applaud your enthusiasm however, this appears to be a ticking time bomb "tweak". Here's an excerpt from Microsoft KB article 895932 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/895932)System cache mode is designed for use with Windows server products that act as servers. System cache mode is also designed for limited use with Windows XP, when you use Windows XP as a file server. This mode is not designed for everyday desktop use. If you use a server product as a desktop, you should consider changing the resource allocation to Programs mode or adding more physical RAM.When you enable System cache mode on a computer that uses Unified Memory Architecture (UMA)-based video hardware or an Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP), you may experience a severe and random decrease in performance. For example, this decrease in performance can include very slow system performance, stop errors, an inability to start the computer, devices or applications that do not load, and system instability.If someone came to me asking about this tweak, I would discourage them as it's not a clear cut if you do this it will break scenario. It breaks down over time which develops other issues and eventually causes many people to have to reinstall their OS.Just my 2 cents worth.M

This KB post certainly sheds some light on the subject, but at the same time raises a different question. It clearly calls out the AGP port. I'm now wondering if the same potential catastrophe would apply to PCI-E port? BTW, I have not applied this tweak myself.Jim

Well I did it.Took off from Atlanta,another fps eater and my frames were better than normal. Usually in the upper teens now in the mid 20,s.Then I remembered I had my 7900gtx settings at MAX since Ive been playing some other fp shooters,fear ect.Usually with these settings,FSX goes into slow mode and Im lucky to break 15 around the big airports.Ok now Im impressed but really have not had time to experiment with other areas and settings but will.This is by no means a NEW secret tweek but the general impression Ive gotten over the years is DONT DO IT so I never did.Oh well. Call me a thrill seeker.:-badteeth FX-62,Asus M2N32 Deluxe,2 Raptor 150s,7900GTX,2 gigs Hyperx 800.

Hi Jim,AGP and PCI-E cards aside, this "tweak" serves more purpose in a server environment than on a desktop. To pull a section from the KB article I posted:Web servers and other server-based file sharing programs generally perform better when information is read from the system cache instead of read repeatedly from the hard disk. When the system cache is used appropriately, file server performance improves.Basically, our home PC's are application servers. We run applications and as such need to make sure the system writes changed pages to disk efficiently to ensure no data loss/corruption and everything fires on all cylinders. If all our system did was offer up files like in the text above the tweak here could potentially make a difference in how fast that data would be pushed to the user requesting it. Because our typical home system is dealing with multiple applications running concurrently reading and writing changes to the disk concurrently we need to ensure the memory management is optimized for writing changes to the disk as fast and as accurately as possible. This is why the damage to the system happens over time versus immediately after applying the change. As it's been pointed out in this thread, once your system has had a "stroke", it will never be the same and the only way to bring it back to "normal" is to clear the slate and start fresh.I hope this made sense?!M

Thanks M.I've been trying to get the general idea of what you stated across in many posts to this thread and the others about this same subject.The most important thing here is that it's not a machine-killing setting. It won't kill your machine off the bat, maybe not within even a few weeks.... but it will kill your machine and prompt a complete reinstall.Corruption starts small and goes unnoticed, over time it will eventually affect something you do every day, when that happens it'll cause a crash, at which point the true extent of the corruption will become apparent.As I've said. If your running only FSX on that box, by all means, do it if it helps..... if you use your PC for multiple tasks, don't open yourself up to the potential catastrophy.I know Mitch is excited that he thinks he's found the 'magic bullet' here, especially with multiple posts about the subject as he tries to call attention to it. The problem is that he is ignoring the warnings and encouraging others to do the tweak regardless of the better opinions of others, others who work in the industry and understand the 'tweak'. I find it rather disturbing that someone would just keep pushing it in peoples faces, especially after the true nature of the beast has been explained several times throughout each thread :( Anyways, enough ranting, try the tweak at your own risk kids.... don't say you weren't warned. Several IT pro's have brought it up, ignore it if you please.

This is just YACS (yet another configuration setting). Depending on RAM, and needs, it is easily available, just like Mitch state.Try the setting, see if it works better for you. If so, understand the caveats, and press on. If not...click the radio button and press on.Either way, the overall results will be a reflection of the type of system you have. This is not a magic bullet, but it may help for FSX depending on the system configuration you haveCheers,bt

I just applied the sytem catch tweak to my system. I then loaded up a flight with FS9 (as I do not own a copy of FSX as of yet) from Schwerin-Parchim, Germany to Augsburg Germany. With GE-pro running , AS6 ,FE (DXT3 clouds), and the Payware Glassair III. Along with freeware landclass, mesh, and river's of Germany.Once airborn I imediately noticed a major improvement in texture resolutions I.E. only a hint of blurries and you could truly see forever without blurring! I did however experience some major stuttering with frames locked at 40 so I lowered to 30 which fixed that problem. I should also mention that this flight was flown in overcast conditions at the start then I wanted to check out the terrain in clear conditions. Again no blurries and high resolution textures at cruise alt.(6,500ft.) Frames stayed between 27-30 (locked at 30)I should also mention that I did this with only 2gigs of ram!Now the Bad News!I left FS9 running. Accessed internet explorer mainly to download Fraps as I really wanted to post some screenshots! Loaded up Fraps (timer running) yet I could'nt locate any saved screenshots?Well to get right down to it I ended my flight. Rebooted my pc, and sure enough my Winsock file become corrupted! Not sure if any other registries became corrupted. all seems well so far, but who knows?Fortunately for me this is just a gaming rig. So reinstall of windows , and my Games is no big deal to me, however may be very much different for others!Hope this helps,CyberSimmer