So what actually is Fast Startup? Well, when performing a shutdown, what actually happens is that Windows closes your apps but then hibernates the kernel, which is the core of your operating system, as well as your hardware drivers to your SSD. This means if a driver is glitchy or the kernel has a memory leak, that error is saved to your disk and reloaded the next time you turn the PC on. Ironically, the restart is technically more thorough because it bypasses fast startup to fully refresh the kernel from scratch. This happens so that when your PC next switches on, the state of the operating s
Restarting isn’t enough — you should always shut your PC down… Corsair references these DDR5-specific capabilities in its RAM FAQ , stating that you can "use iCUE to regulate the memory module's voltage for more stable overclocking, as well as customize and save your own Intel XMP 3.0 profiles to get the best performance by app or task." Manufacturers treat fi… …
… While it is a misconception that driver updates will magically produce massive performance gains or double your frame rates, they are incredibly vital for fixing underlying bugs, patching memory leaks, and resolving compatibility issues. …
… Fast Startup saves the kernel of the OS to the disk, meaning that any memory leaks or driver conflicts you were struggling with aren't cleared from the OS. …
… Meanwhile, newer APIs like DirectX 12 and Vulkan let developers have manual control over memory heaps, which is why ReBAR shines there. After all, the game engine is already doing the heavy lifting that the driver used to do in DX11. …
… Modern software leaks memory or leaves behind ghost threads. Even if you close an app, buggy drivers or background services can hold on to RAM addresses, which cause memory leaks. …
… According to Phoronix via Ars Technica , in a series of patch notes for an amdgpu driver update that recently dropped, Harry Wentland, SMTS Software Engineer at AMD, says the company has added HDMI FRL Fixed Rate Link to the popular Linux display driver. …
… Windows has a long-running habit of defaulting high-refresh monitors to 60 Hz after driver updates, display swaps, or cable changes, and a lot of people are running 144 Hz or 240 Hz panels at a fraction of their capability without realizing it. …
… With Nvidia dropping support for my Pascal era card back in December, I installed a slightly older version of the official drivers. …
… Two driver updates shipped around this time, and an Nvidia forum admin confirmed the company was investigating, and pointed squarely at the KB5074109 update as the root cause, suggesting the only reliable fix was uninstalling the update itself. …
… Aside from minor issues with Wi-Fi drivers, joining the Arch brigade made me despise the bloated nature of Windows. …