Top 10: HEM performance increase tips

[Patvs]

How old is the laptop?
It's likely 'just a SSD' will not magically make the system 'fast'.

Is HM1 running OK?
You should try the HM2 'hybrid build' before you buy a new laptop, because that build is designed for slower computers.
Email support@holdemmanager.com requesting the hybrid build. (to test it)

[kerity]

My laptop is 4 years old.

HM1 is running well ( i play 6 to 9 6max tables).

What is HM2 hybrid ? does it have all feature of HM 2 ?

[Patvs]

The hybrid build has all the features of HM2, but has the added ability to specify what the maximum number of hands is that is cached per GB of RAM. This affects how much RAM is used, the startup time, and will affect the overall performance.

It basically has a 'tweaked' HM2-engine, allowing you to control how much system resources HM2 uses.

[karstenkloss]

@Patvs

shared_buffers = MB (set it to 20% of your system's memory, but not higher than 512 MB)
effective_cache_size = MB (set this to 4x the size of the shared_buffers)

Is there a reason to not set it higher than 512 MB? I have 8 GB RAM.

[Patvs]

You can set it higher, but testing on both HoldemManager and PokerTracker has shown, a higher value won't improve import speeds.

[karstenkloss]

@ Patvs-Master

Padawan Noob has 2 questions:

my setup: AMD Phenom II Quad Core, 8 GB RAM, Samsung 830 series SSD, crappy HDD

I use HM2, Notecaddy and TableNinja. At the moment i only have Postgresql 9.0 and the database on the SSD. Do i want to have HM2 on the SSD also for better performance?

Noob-question of the day: can i move HM2 entirely (as it's clustered over different directories x86, appdata...) or should i make a clean new install?

Thx

[Patvs]

You'd want: Windows + the PostgreSQL database on the SSD.

It doesn't really matter where HoldemManager and PostgreSQL are installed, but assuming you have Windows and your MAIN programs already on the SSD, you can also install them on the fast SSD.


You can't move HM2, since some files will include its current location, so HM2 will still 'think' it's location in the old location.. and will 'think' the appdata folders are still in the old location.

You can change the location of the database (where you'll have to edit in pgadminIII if you also want to change the location ot the appdata/database folder). Ideally, just reinstall HM2 to a different location. It's also easier to reinstall PostgreSQL to a new location, and then create a new database (where you get to choose the location of the /database folder).

[mga120]

Okay, so I am buying a new CPU. Basically all the important specs are the same except for the hard drive. It is very important to me to be able to run HEM2, 5-6 poker sites, music, skype without any lag.

My options for hard drive are:

A 80 GB mSATA SSD with a 1 TB SATA (5400 RPM) Secondary Hard Drive or a 180 GB SSD Flash Module Hard Drive with no Secondary Hard Drive.

Which one is better? Will either perform fine for my uses?

[Patvs]

Is this a laptop?
Will the 80 GB mSATA be a bootable drive?


Both setups are fine.
Advantage of the 1 TB is to store media files.... though Windows + PostgreSQL on the 80 GB might not be enough space for a large (2+ million hands database).

180 GB SSD is big enough for Windows for + a large database, but it's small if you're ALSO planning to download 20 GB of movies/music a month.

[mga120]

Is this a laptop?
Will the 80 GB mSATA be a bootable drive?


Both setups are fine.
Advantage of the 1 TB is to store media files.... though Windows + PostgreSQL on the 80 GB might not be enough space for a large (2+ million hands database).

180 GB SSD is big enough for Windows for + a large database, but it's small if you're ALSO planning to download 20 GB of movies/music a month.

Ya it is a laptop and the 80 GB mSATA will be a bootable drive.