The best Vista tweak is to upgrade to Windows 7. I had trouble keeping 125fps on Vista in Q3 with a Geforce 9600 512mb... Currently hitting around 400-500fps in Windows 7.

edit: the only issue with Windows 7 I've had so far is that Pinkiller is unplayable. Runs like 2x faster than it should. D=

Try turning off multi core cpu or something, I think that might help.

Someone else mentioned the same thing, but I didn't have the issue on Vista on the same box.

Vista was prob using all but 1 of your cores for itself :p

From comments:

Just coming from a software engineer who programs with Berkley sockets all the time: Remember by disabling Nagle's Algorithm, you are sacrificing your data throughput. It's an algorithm that juggles latency vs data throughput.

So if gaming is your priority, it's a good tweak, but if you do a lot of file transfers, I suggest you leave it on.

Any decent programmer who wrote the network code for these online games would disable Nagle's Algorithm through the API--meaning that you wouldn't have to yourself. If you have to disable Nagle's Algorithm globally to get a better ping in a game, then it's a failure of the programmer who wrote the network code for the given game (e.g. WoW).

And.....

I've been seeing this nagle tweak thing all over the internet. I just had to finally say something in regards to Vista and this tweak. For windows Vista the correct registry key for TCPNoDelay can be one of two places:

1st place is: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\MSDTC\

2nd place is: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\ {in the game sub key}

Do not add the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\MSMQ\Parameters registry entry to Vista, its not there by default for a good reason, because Vista doesn't use the Message Queue Server (MSMQ). The TCPNoDelay key is application and function specific, meaning, what ever software key it appears in is where it works, but heres the deal, it can only appear once in the registry. If its more then one place in the registry then it does not function. Sooo...dont go adding it to every application and game registry key, only add it in one place if you want it to be applied globally on Vista, and thats in the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\MSDTC\ registry key.

Now, the next thing I wanted to say, regardless of the pictures you have seen, or what some of the so called 'experts' on the 'net say, disabling nagles is a bad thing. When you do you basically break TCP/IP. In XP and Vista, the game doesn't work better because there is a flaw in the windows TCP/IP, it seems to work better because the code in the game is crappy to begin with and doesn't work properly with TCP/IP because the net code in the game that shapes the packets it sends doesn't correctly form the packets and as a result produces a smaller packet and lots of them, disabling nagles only seems to help because it makes TCP/IP more accpeting of the broken non-standard packet from the game. Next, disabling nagles, while you may get a lower ping reading in certain games, your really degrading your connection and bandwidth. The last thing I wanted to say about adding this to Vista, it doesn't work in Vista contrary to popular belief even if you turn off autotuning. Think about it, what happens when you turn off autotuning? So you turn it off, lock the TCP window size, and then further degrade that by turning off nagles? Come on now, get realistic folks.

ok thanks

Every FPS out there uses UDP for networking. TCP tweaks don't even apply.

That's what I was thinking too.

Number 1 tweak for Vista is Windows XP

You mean Windows 7.

Both tweaks work. I would be using Windows 7 x64 if it had hardware accelerated sound. Only an old C2D running @2.8ghz so I notice the lack of hardware accelerated sound in CPU intensive games. The other deal breaker is how hard it is to overclock USB 1.1 mice in the Windows 7 x64.

Eh, whatever works for ya I guess. Personally I have the hardware to run Windows 7 and not really see any performance hits from that. You saying that running a C2D is old, you should see the computer I was running before I just built my new one (hint: it was an original 3200+ 754-socket). I also don't need to OC my mouse (using a G3). Honestly though I'd really like to see mouse manufacturers step it up and just make all their mice poll at 500hz natively, even all their old ones.

Well, I have an X-Fi soundcard which offloads the CPU a lot, so the difference is noticable. Those who just run onboard or similar won't notice a big difference. My C2D is one of the original ones so it is old. First availability was prob almost 3 years ago. Use an MX518 since it is lighter than the G5 and has more reliable tracking. Just sucks that this is the 3rd version of MX518 (the one with larger mousefeet than G5) and still doesn't have 500hz out of the box. I have Windows 7 on one HDD and XP on another with separate boot records. Windows 7 is definitely nice, just need a quad core and 500hz version of MX518.

Btw. on another note, all Logitech laser mice are prediction free, too bad with the lack of top speed.

I'm currently running onboard audio, but I'll be getting a Xonar D1 soon. I'll be damned if I'm gonna run a Creative card in Vista/7, their drivers were bad before, but from what I've heard they're absolutely atrocious and honestly I don't want the headache. That and I'd rather have a better sounding card anywho.

I was considering getting one of those new MX518s, but honestly I like my native 500hz and refuse to bother with a mouse that doesn't have a centered sensor. Are you sure all Logitech laser mice have no prediction? I could swear that my G3 has prediction.

I just built the following. Should give me plenty of horsepower to play around in 7 ;).

Phenom 2 X4 955 @ 3.69Ghz
8GB DDR3 1600
2x Radeon HD 4770 (crossfire obviously)
2x WD Caviar Black 500GB (RAID 0)

G5, G9 and G9x atleast all run without prediction (can be turned on on G9x). Should be the same for G3. You can draw straight lines just fine, even if the mouse has no prediction. The place you notice prediction is when moving the mouse fast and the sensor forces a straight line. Try it in paint with both one of the old MS mice and your G3. MX518 has a centered sensor compared to your grip, G5 doesn't. Remember that there is a shelf under your thumb but not under your pinky which gives the illusion that the sensor is not centered.

For windows 7 I would rather just run a DAC that takes USB like Cambridge Audio Magic DAC. Doubt you will ever find a reasonably priced sound card that comes even close in sound quality to a quality DAC which builds on principles from CD-Players that cost upwards of 500 euros. Microphone could just be connected through onboard.

I'll have to run some tests on it for kicks. Not that it'll sway my decision to stick with it or anything, but just curious. I used to own the G5 and due to it's placement and how I grip the mouse, I can't really comfortably create straight lines on a consistent basis without having to completely relearn how to hold a mouse of that shape. Besides, I like the shape of the G3 much better.

The DAC would be a nice way to do the sound, but I don't have the assets to reasonably acquire such quality.

I feel the same way about the I.E. 3.0. My mouse is a good portion of the reason I don't play Quake in my Vista install. (it's for mostly Single Player games and valve stuff).
If my ie3.0 did 500hz native, I'd be a happy camper.

yeah i tried oc'ing the port in vista but since they patched that bcdedit fix i was forced to hamemr F8 and elect to disable driver signing on every startup :|

put up with it for about a week but now i just use 125 hz, not ideal but i'm not forking out for a deathadder and i'm waiting to see if the next few mice released will be any better than the recent crop.

I own a death adder too, actually. and a G5, g9, mx518 and diamond-back. Out of all of 'em, I very much prefer the feel of the 3.0 in my hand.

I just dual boot now. One OS for Quake et al, and Vista for the newer games and eye candy stuff.
I haven't had any problems with it, and my main storage drive has had no problems being accessed constantly by both OSes for about a year now.