Top 10: HEM performance increase tips

[Patvs]

How much memory would be ideal for a database of more like 10 to 20million hands.

8 to 16 GB is enough for any <10 million hand database.
With larger (>10 million hands) databases come new problems: a 20 million hand database will take up 90 GB of diskspace (even more if you also use NoteCaddy).

It doesn't matter how much more RAM you have: it will now either take a very long time to load those hands to RAM. Or (if you opt to not pre-cache all the hands to RAM) it will take a very long time to run any report/query on the database. It's undo-able using a regular harddisk.
In addition there is a higher risk of database corruption.

So ideally just never use a 20 million hand database. Keep the database under 10 million. (preferably under 5 million).

[Patvs]

I have 9.1, what is wrong with it?
Also if I back-up the database in pgadmin, can I restore it in 9.2 and keep everything from NC?

There have been some issues with 9.1, where a backup/restore did not work. There also have been connection issues (where the server would just suddenly stop running). For this reason PokerTracker has banned PostgreSQL 9.1 completely.
I've never had any problems with 9.1 with HM1, but have seem problems with HM2.

Backup: HM2 has a different database structure.
60% of the database is stored in the PostgreSQL database (and you can also back this up using pgadminIII)
However 40% of the data is stored in the

Windows 7: C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Roaming\HoldemManager\ Database folder

(you can select the location of this folder when you create a new database) so you also have to manually backup this folder.
(or use the home tab--> database--> backup/restore tool in HM2)

[SacredD]

You are allowed to increase the shared buffer size, but in a lot of tests both HoldemManager and PokerTracker users have shown there is no performance increase with higher values. (in fact the opposite can occur where the PostgreSQL service stops running, or a performance decrease)

Were this tests done with 64-bit windows+64-bit postgre?

[udbrky]

I'm sorry to hear you're having issues with this and I apologize for the delay. I have escalated this to our 2nd level support techs and have explained the issues you are having and they will be in touch shortly to help resolve the problem.

[Patvs]

Were this tests done with 64-bit windows+64-bit postgre?

With 8.4, and 9.0 (64 bit).

[Sarek]

Even more: under WinXP 8.4 postgres is faster than 9.x (any) - at least for mass-import. Tested personally. Tuning settings - same for all versions.

[andy2001]

There have been some issues with 9.1, where a backup/restore did not work. There also have been connection issues (where the server would just suddenly stop running). For this reason PokerTracker has banned PostgreSQL 9.1 completely.
I've never had any problems with 9.1 with HM1, but have seem problems with HM2.

Backup: HM2 has a different database structure.
60% of the database is stored in the PostgreSQL database (and you can also back this up using pgadminIII)
However 40% of the data is stored in the

Windows 7: C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Roaming\HoldemManager\ Database folder

(you can select the location of this folder when you create a new database) so you also have to manually backup this folder.
(or use the home tab--> database--> backup/restore tool in HM2)

So it's important do have the non psql part of the database on an SSD. This is diffrent to what I was told a few months ago by a HEM2 admin.

If I have 2 or 3 SSDs to use for HEM2 would it be better to have them all in raid 0 or to have on the the non psql part of the database?


I guess it depends if both can be acessed at the exact same time when on diffrent logical drives.

[Patvs]

If you have a SSD, it's essential also have the C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Roaming\HoldemManager\ Database folder on the SSD.

If you have 2 or 3 SSDs, read: http://forums.holdemmanager.com/gene...g-hem2-nc.html

[allwind]

I understand the importance of SSD hard disk and 8-16GB RAM. It all seems like a jungle to me. Can you please help me with a couple of questions?

1) How important is the main board? There are both cheap and expensive main boards here. How to know what is important when picking main board?

2) Graphic card. I went to the shop and told them I wanted a good computer to play games from. My computer needed to do calculations fast. They proposed a graphic card for me costing over 1,000$. I can save over 1,000$ by picking a graphic card costing 400$.

3) I understand i3 CPU is bad. Would i5 or i7 be ok? Or should I pick an other brand like the cheaper AMD?

4) SSD seems hard to get locally. With the PRM it is easy to understand, that 7200 is better than 5400. The measurement with SSD seems different. How to know whether the SSD is good or bad? How to measure?

5) What is PSU?

[Patvs]

1 Mainboard: performance-wise a cheap vs expensive board can only attribute to 1-2% performance win.
However... if you're planning to do extreme overclocking, the more expensive mainboards are better for that.

2 Graphic card: any cheap 2012/2013 model is already fast enough. Read: Best Graphics Cards For The Money: February 2013 : Best Graphics Cards For The Money, February Updates

If you're not going to play Crysis 3... but just poker, a *new* $50-$100 videocard already is fast enough. These cards are even fast enough for a double- or triple monitor setup. Save money on the graphics cards!

3. Any i5 or i7 is good. Avoid the i3 or AMD.
(had you asked the same question three years ago, the answer would be the opposite 'go with AMD, avoid Intel'. But at the moment the Intel i5 and i7 are king).

4. Actually RPM is more confusing since there are ''slow'' 7200 RPM drives... and ''fast'' 5400 RPM drives. And "fast" 7200 RPM drives.
General rule is, even the FASTEST 7200 RPM drive is 3x slower as a good SSD. Read: Best SSDs For The Money: March 2013 : Best SSDs For The Money, March Updates to see the performance differences in SSDs.

Harddisks are mostly measured in two types of speed:
-Sequential read speeds (regular harddisk will have 100 MB/s, SSD will have 300 up to 500 MB/s) This speed is used when you copy a LARGE file from one folder to another folder. (or for example when you unzip a blu-ray rip... or render a video in Avid/Final Cut Pro)
-4K read speeds (regular harddisk will have 0.8 MB/s, SSD will have 5 up to 50 MB/s) This speed is used for reading very SMALL files, for example when you boot the computer, import handhistories, run a query on your HoldemManager database (look at a graph, run a report, etc.). It also affects overall system performance. (how fast you can start Adobe Photoshop, or any program)
The difference in a 7200 RPM drive with 0.8 MB/s vs a GOOD SSD with 30 MB/s 4K read speeds will be life-changing.

-5 PSU is "power supply unit".