Optimal BIOS settins

[benny van de locht]

Hi all,

What are currently the most optimal BIOS settings for Mixbus 32C on Windows 10?

Thank you!

[PBuryk]

Wouldn't they be dependent on the MotherBoard that one is using in their computer?

[madmaxmiller]

Wouldn't they be dependent on the MotherBoard that one is using in their computer?

Yep.

[MakerDP]

Not necessarily... there are some BIOS settings (most even?) that are pretty universal. Might be called something slightly different of course.

[madmaxmiller]

Not necessarily... there are some BIOS settings (most even?) that are pretty universal. Might be called something slightly different of course.

...and pretty minor influential...

[PBuryk]

Well.... I guess we could work collectively to draw up a list of BIOS-centric parameters and propose their settings for DAW use.
For example, with off-shelf Dell Latitude or Precision laptops:
- "C-states" - - - disable
- "Multi-threading" - - - enable
- "Secure boot" - - - disable
etc.

Would that be helpful?

Patrick

[madmaxmiller]

Well.... I guess we could work collectively to draw up a list of BIOS-centric parameters and propose their settings for DAW use.
For example, with off-shelf Dell Latitude or Precision laptops:
- "C-states" - - - disable
- "Multi-threading" - - - enable
- "Secure boot" - - - disable
etc.

Would that be helpful?

Patrick

Hyperthreading, onboard sound, onboard xyz enable/disable (hardware) would be the only thing and there aren't many...
Hyperthreading maybe has the biggest impact...
But all enabled hardware will be abstracted and taken over by a modern OS these days, BIOS is really not that influential these days.

MMM

[sunrat]

The Win10 optimisation guide linked in my thread here has a list of recommended BIOS setting - http://mixbus.harrisonconsoles.com/forum...-9469.html
Essential reading if you use Win10 and helpful for other operating systems.

If you are having a lazy day, here is the excerpt for the BIOS section:

1.BIOS
If you can access your computer BIOS, it is recommended to disable all power management features of your CPU, as this implies changes in the CPU speed and that is far from optimal for any audio application.
Same applies to overclocking.
Please have a look at your motherboard manual to locate those settings, may vary depending of the manufacturer.
Intel Turbo Boost Technology: Disabled
CPU Enhanced Halt (C1E): Disabled
C-State Support (C3, C6, C7, C8 State): all Disabled
CPU EIST Function: Disabled (also called Intel Enhanced SpeedStep, that should always be disabled)
CPU power saving mode: Disabled

[madmaxmiller]

The Win10 optimisation guide linked in my thread here has a list of recommended BIOS setting - http://mixbus.harrisonconsoles.com/forum...-9469.html
Essential reading if you use Win10 and helpful for other operating systems.

If you are having a lazy day, here is the excerpt for the BIOS section:

1.BIOS
If you can access your computer BIOS, it is recommended to disable all power management features of your CPU, as this implies changes in the CPU speed and that is far from optimal for any audio application.
Same applies to overclocking.
Please have a look at your motherboard manual to locate those settings, may vary depending of the manufacturer.
Intel Turbo Boost Technology: Disabled
CPU Enhanced Halt (C1E): Disabled
C-State Support (C3, C6, C7, C8 State): all Disabled
CPU EIST Function: Disabled (also called Intel Enhanced SpeedStep, that should always be disabled)
CPU power saving mode: Disabled

I dare say: that are all (mostly Intel) CPU options - the least influential factor for Audio these days. Especially the Turbo Boost is rather helpful and I wouldn't disable it.
Overclocking is a big NO-NO if you want a stable workstation. Gamers might be able to live with an occasionally stuck game, but you want to produce audio. In fact I suspect that some Windows users here who complain about stability have in fact "tweaked" their BIOS into some mess.
All sleep/power save options need to be called by the OS - if it doesn't call them it doesn't matter if they are enabled or not.
Windows power settings should always be hand tuned - I haven't read the guide so I don't know what they say - but I say you should start with the "performance" profile and hand-tweak it to "never sleep", minimum and maximum CPU both 98% (doesn't cost much power compared to 100% but avoids a whole lot of fan noise), HDD never spin down (ok we have SSDs now ) Also set the "usage" setting to "background priority". etc etc

MMM

[benny van de locht]

Thqnk you for the advice!