What can I do if I experience poor performance on a dual core computer?

[Lexie Linden]

I need help to make my dual core computer perform better with SL.

[Ayana Auer]

Dual core processor machines (Pentium D, Core 2 Duo, Athlon 64X2, and  so on) are increasingly popular, and as a result, more Residents are  using this type of PC. Unfortunately, Second Life isn't currently  optimized for dual core processor setups.

If you're reporting poor performance and you're running a dual core machine, please do the following:

• While running SL (or at least have the Viewer login screen  showing), bring up the Windows task manager by pressing CTRL+ALT+Delete
• Select the Processes tab, and locate SecondLife.exe listed underImage Name
• Right-click on SecondLife.exe, and from the dropdown, select "SetAffinity..."
• When the Processor Affinity window pops up, you'll most likely  notice that two CPUs are selected, CPU 0 & CPU 1. Select only one  of the CPUs, then click on OK.

Note: Affinity will reset back to using both processors after you  log off SL. You will need to repeat the process above after you log  back onto SL.

To see if you're running a dual core processor machine, do the following:

• Bring up the Windows task manager by pressing CTRL-ALT-Del
• Select the Performance tab
• If you see TWO graphs in the CPU usage history section, you're running a dual core processor setup.

Additional info:

You can use one of the following applications to permanently change the affinity of a process/application:

• ImageCfg
• WinLauncherXP
• XCPU

If you're running an AMD Dual Core system, install AMD's hotfix.  If the hotfix isn't enough, use Imagecfg to permanently change the affinity of the process/application.

Also, you can create a batch script so the affinity settings persist between logins:

1. Make a text file with the following contents: c: cd \\Program Files\\SecondLife imagecfg -a 0x1 SecondLife.exe and then rename the suffix ".txt" to ".bat" and run it while Second Life is closed.
2. Start Second Life and confirm affinity is set to only one  core. You'll need to do this each time you've updated to a new version  of Second Life.