Performance Setup Guide Thingy

[ThunderBoyDavid]

Okay... i have been building PCs for like the past 20 years. But all i have ever done is just plug in all the parts, install Windows or Linux, and hand the PC to the person.
A Question popped in my head last night.. it's probably a stupid question...
And... it's probably something that can't be done... but... here goes........

Is there a utility that can scan my system and then tell me what changes i could make
so that i would be running my system at the best performance???
i don't mean running a Benchmark... i want something that will tell me if i have my video card setup right and that it's running like it should.... Let me tell You why i said video card.... i have a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950... with Cuba support (Turned on)... GPU-Z says so.. and the NVIDIA control panel says so..... BUT... when i am using Freemake Video Converter... it tells me that my system does not have Cuba... and that if i did have Cube... my conversions would be quicker.

So i must have something not setup right. Didn't i see a button in the BIOS that says.... Optimal Performance?? What would happen if i hit that button??

AND... if You would really like to help me... i have a booting problem.
My C Drive is a SSD.... and i was messing around in the BIOS one day......
and saw in the Boot Order that the First Boot was "Boot Manager"....
i thought.. well.. that's wrong... it should be my SSD... so i removed it.....
Well... after that.. my PC would No Longer boot.
The Work around that i finally came up with is.... i put the Windows Install Disc in my DVD Drive.
And in the BIOS and set my DVD Drive at the First Boot Option...... BUT WAIT...
The PC will Post... and then come up with an error saying that the wrong version of
Windows 7 has been installed... So i hit Enter... Then an Exception Error comes up....
i hit Enter again.... This happens two more times... and THEN... Windows will boot up just fine.

Thanks for hearing me out. Thanks for Any and All Help, David, ThunderBoyDavid

Every Fear Hides A Wish

 

[Sedivy]

For boot sequence, just set it back to whatever it was before you started changing it. Generally don't mess with it, unless it's not doing something you want.
As for CUDA, as it says in the faq on the bottom:
https://developer.nvidia.com/cuda-gpus
any gtx card will have cuda support so I don't know what your Freemake Video Converter is doing. Usually when graphically something is not working the way it should, your first reaction should be update your drivers. Go to nvidia's page, find you card, select your system, and then download latest drivers, and keep them updated fairly regularly (like once every few months at least).
You can post your system specs here and people can chime in on what's likely to be your bottleneck performance wise (thing to upgrade first if it's not working up to par).
Whatever you're seeing for optimal performance in bios, don't just change. Go to the manufacturer's page for your specific motherboard model, download the manual and figure out exactly what it says that does, before you start changing it.

 

[Ralston18]

Very much agree with Sedivy's post.

You can set Windows to adjust itself for "best performance".

However, there are always trade-offs involved.

And I am often skeptical about most "performance" tools and the measurements they make and report.

Especially if the source of tool is trying to sell you some software or hardwre product.

My approach is more along the lines of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it".

Unless there is some real, noticeable performance problem or a valid quantifiable issue - leave things alone.