Future tool for ROG Laptop ?

[nab]

Hi guys,

Due to a extreme high demand from the Asus Community, I want to ask you few things.

I've been working on different projects since while, one for sure, I can't provide my work to all the platform (I can only try to adapt them to different platform) and recently I was thinking to work exclusively on Laptop platform (mostly ROG Laptop), because it was a good adventure with the Asus Community and most of the return came from you. I'm not saying that other community are not great but the fact that I have a good talk with someone at Asus make me think it would be a good idea.

Let's clear few stuff, I would never ask you money/donation, I surely need materials to work on this but I will try to have this materials on my own to provide help, not from you, if someone ask you to pay for future tool, don't accept.

Mode Transparency (My point, personal experience): I've been working on a Alienware, Alienware wasn't friendly enough, I offer them a solution to resolve most of the issue that their users face with the hybrid bios on old 13/15/17 revision, I also provide a tool to fix completely few problem related to wrong TDP usage/Memory Leak and frame skipping, etc..
No return from them and ignore users issues in general, one internal answer was weird, if users face issues, they should buy new revisions or learn how to use a computer, basically reject the fault to the users ( Dell/Alienware use a third party company for the biosthey use, they had no control over the bios they release and they do not know what is the real problem in general).

I don't defend Asus but careful saying that other brand are better than Asus, they could be worst. Anyway is not the problem here, this was just a personal experience that make me decide to continue somewhere else, just share with you my work and experience.

So what is the idea, the idea will be to provide a tool to Rog Laptop users that could improve your general use, Asus is vendor/manufacturer, they don't have any control on drivers or application/engine in general, all what they can do is providing the best possible hardware at the moment, unfortunately, hardware without good software become problematic, the tool just come between the hardware and the software (to facilitate the communication between them) there is always a middle between 1 and 3 ;).

Why only ROG laptop users ?


Because it would be more interesting/more efficient and more stable, dedicated my free time for a specific platform, give me the ability to provide better support and follow any issue in a better way, because I could reproduce them and check who cause the problem.


Why use your tool ?

Free to use, lite, easy install and made for you ;), you don't like, easy way to uninstall and remove all the tool information.
No scam, no spam, no virus, no trojan, nothing, some of you probably already know and use past work without any problem.

Why you do this ? something behind this ? famous ?
Because I feel good when I can offer my help, I believe that sharing work and help others is good for your mind, health and co...like a smile that make you feel good, this is similar, I don't see you but when people recognize your work, you know you did something good for them.
Something behind this ? Yes, mostly try my best to help, I know my limit, I know it won't be as good as official tool, etc... but after all this experience I have, it was time to make own stuff, instead lock them or see them taking the wrong path.
Famous ? not really, I mostly the guy behind the camera not in front of the camera and believe me when I said that most of the people who know me, know me from somewhere else (cinema/sport industry) that as nothing to do with all of this, we all famous in a certain way anyway.

When are you going to release your tool for Rog Laptop ?
Already done but at the moment I'm waiting to sell my Alienware to buy a Rog laptop, when I have this one I can
check deeply to see how I can make the tool more stable and more interesting for you (Asus Laptop users).
By keeping beta I know that it won't properly work on different platform, most of users faced some big improvement and
better stability, other faced nothing at all, it was kinda random, due to take in consideration different platform, video game
console is the reason why is better to have a unique platform, you have more time to bring a better engine on it.
on PC is different but could change with Vulkan/DX12 (I say could) because the devs need also to do some hard work.


How your tool work ?
Debugging/Reverse engine different drivers and doing some research about how the call function are executed and what you can actually change to improve user experience, unfortunately the userspace with NVIDIA/INTEL/AMD drivers is limited in general and to go over this, you need to dig deep into their drivers to discover that some function could be use differently or even enable them, think that even NVIDIA/INTEL/AMD can't adapt their own driver to your platform, I mean, they just add a default logic to the drivers to know how to deal with different GPU/CPU revision/generation without providing a entire/full support of them, users have access to partial functions, the rest of the functions are detailled inside the kernel driver that will communicate them to the API and extended layer.

Basically User Mode= Drivers - API - Software and Kernel Mode = Kernel Drivers - Driver routine (mostly entire NVIDIA/AMD/INTEL Library) - Win Kernel. (Second part is mostly why your system crash)

The problem from this is that you create extra work and doing own routine that are executed in kernel mode on Windows without know the effect that it could have on different GPU revision can cause the system to become unstable/crash/unusable, this is the reason why you need to be careful with the kernel from Windows, you only write in a single virtual address and if you write is another one, it cause problem, this is the reason why Linux/FreeBSD are more stable because it benefit from rewrited code/lot of volunteer, etc..

Let's take example of AMD or NVIDIA saying to their Drivers programmer team to add routine for specific GPU with a limited timeline, problem is that if the team is small, they will give up on previous GPU generation and dedicated the time to actual or future GPU improvement drivers, the fact that most of the drivers in general doesn't provide enough power to the GPU and this is a real problem, because lot of function stay on side without being used.

Another problem is that Microsoft include standard to the API, hand-ties users in general, give the information their next API release to GPU producer, GPU producer include directive to their future GPU to respect API standard but they don't forced to do it, they can release their GPU with functions they want but Microsoft simply recommend what to include to support future API.
This is also why most dev prefer to work on video game console because hardware is well-defined.

The fact that is more complex to make a game on PC because the data proceed in a lot of extra routine while on console it goes directly to the hardware.

This is why I did make the tool for example for Optimus exclude certain no needed routine that slow down different Optimus platform, for example forcing stand-by on the iGPU while the dGPU is doing the work, iGPU simply send frame directly to the monitor without the need of extra work, usually optimus force extra work iGPU proceeding extra calculation that you don't need because the dGPU already did them, there also the possibility of sending part of the data to the iGPU and other to dGPU like what you can do with multi-adapter, something that was possible before DX12.

Why you think that Valve try to make SteamOS mainstream, so you won't need all this routine and can avoid problem/issues.
SteamOS is still too young and based on Linux, while it could be actually based on Freebsd but well see where it goes with Vulkan that provide low-level and direct access to GPU, it also depend of GPU manufacturer, on console they document the entire GPU they developped with the console producer, on PC they don't really document anything, also os being heavy for nothing with extra services/software in background that is also a problem for gaming/video editing experience.

In the end, you understand why I'm going to make this tool for ROG laptop users, to provide the best possible execution on the platform, while giving more efficient and stable performance.

So guys, are you in ? or out ? 😉 that's the question.

[iCeD00D]

Count me in ....

[slav82]

In!

[sati747]

I am all in!!

[JasenDoe]

Go for it !

[Bahz]

Very excited for this, thanks for all your contributions!

[NitroX]

Sure I'm in. I've seen what you did with the G-Sync modding and since it clearly worked I'm sure that you'll do a good job this time also.

Actually, if you come up with serious improvements and stable software, I think that ASUS should pay you for the contributions on the RoG series.

I'm glad to see you as part of our RoG community !


Thanks for your help! All the best!

[nab]

First, thanks all for your support, Second sorry for late response, I was busy lately, so I only checked fast each questions.

hexaae
Mainly make the system more stable and more flexible (smooth, faster) etc...
You will not gain any FPS but it will improve deeply the way how your hardware act by improving the routine in general, like I explained
on video console, the game execution is faster because it use a tiny layer on a well-defined hardware.
While on PC there is a lot of background task (that you mostly don't need) that include the data transition between the Engine/API/Hardware.
Tool I will offer is made to improve execution in general use and gaming, also resolve certain issues and common crash
due to wrong command write into the Kernel system. The main problem of Windows is that, there a lot of different routine for small stuff that can make your system slow and unstable, if the software don't know how to deal with your hardware, your hardware will fail most of the time or will not give you the best of it. The tool is to offer the capability of giving more control to your hardware/software in general and having less unnecessary datatransition, so your system focus on specific execution without being disturbed by another task, due to virtual address conflict.



Androgynous
Same answer as before ;), hope is enough.

Bahz
Like I said to you, it feel really good.

NitroX
G-sync modding is nothing in comparison of this, also I did more than that before but it was mainly to provide a unofficial solution.
But now let's focus on future tool ;).
Let's say I'm a voluntary third party one, Asus is not forced to pay me for this and I will never ask to do it, this is mainly my own work that share with you during my free time, own decision, not a decision from Asus ;).
I'll be part of the RoG community if they need my help.

Now let's give you a update to all of you.
Good news, I will a little more of my free time on this (well try) because their is stuff that come first, starting with my family, also
I would like to ask to bahz or RoG moderator, if I can make a thread and sticky this one, so I can offer support directly on this forum and future update if necessary.
Tool should work on different Rog Laptop revision (can work better on actual hardware due to a larger table call function) but I will
try my best to adapt on different revision, it can also work on other brand laptop but I won't spend more time on checking what is the problem on other platform, I choose this decision because I can be more efficient and provide more solid tool (keep focus on one brand system and not put my mind on lot of different one) so like that, I know where I start and where I end, my focus will be more on the Rog Laptop system (well see for other one).
Unfortunately at the moment I don't have an Asus laptop, still waiting to sell my Alienware first, doesn't mean I won't release anything before, I will release a tool to start with and improve this one and focus on debugging certain stuff. If Asus team is ok, I will release a first version of the tool in alpha with the Rog community and make a thread about that, I have a blog but at the moment, I don't have too much time to update it, I will try to just share the same information from this forum to the blog.

Ask any questions ? If you don't have any answer, please wait a little, I'm working on different projects at the same time too.

[lighter]

I'm in!

[nab]

Here's more info about Rog Spark Tool.
https://rog.asus.com/forum/showthread.php?83574-Rog-Spark-Tool-for-Asus-Rog-Notebooks-Laptops