The trouble with PC's and laptops are that we all have different setups and different software running that can cause problems with certain things.
Two of us may have the same processor and the same ammount of RAM, but we maybe running different operating systems such as Windows XP, Windows 7, Windows Vista etc. Then we all have different software installed and running in the background such as anti virus software, Firewalls and tonnes of other things.
Then you've got differences in one person maybe using a better graphics card than somebody else, different drivers that may perform better than others etc. One persons Ram may perform better than somebody elses even if they have the same ammount.
Hard drives vary in speed too, plus if it's a little messy and crammed full of data this can harm performance.
I'd guess Sky's software may use more resources than some others but without checking i'm only guessing here as I'm lucky that I don't have any problems on any site I play.
For anybody having problems on here just try doing some defragging (use some free software to do this as it's much quicker than using windows defrag utility). If your hard drive is over 70% full try backing up some data onto discs and clear some space.
Do some adaware and virus checks. Have a look at what's running in the background and see what else is using alot of your systems resources.
Be careful though, don't stop anything that you shouldn't.
Some firewalls and anti virus software are known to hog resources so if you check and yours is using alot of memory, cpu power then try a different one.
Then we can talk for ever about internet problems, wireless network problems (which should be avoided if possible) but i'm not going to bother because i've got some work to finish before tomorrow.
there must be something up with alot of pcs and lappies.. i did a test on my hp i3 pro. and i can run 24 tables. cant see them all but it will run that many and comes up with a warning for cpu usage.. i never play that many tables but i wanted to test it.. sky software atm does use a little more thn other sites, but if they have changed it (coming soonish((maybe this year)) then we can all enjoy ourselves or in my case (have more to moan about)....
enjoy ur poker, relax. when ur bad beat comes at 2 am. run in the garden and scream..
I was gonna comment to people on the lack of being able to play tables.
These days it's pretty hard to even find a low enough speed internet that couldn't cope with quite a few tables of poker. So most people aren't gonna be getting held back massively by their speed.
I'd say a big factor that no-one mentions when stating whether they can handle lots of tables or not, is what operating system they have on their laptop. For instance, Vista is majorly memory-hungry and have been told by Llama (the techy in my life lol) that you need to have about 2gb memory absolute minimum just to run Vista comfortably. I've heard windows 7 is supposed to be less of a strain on your cpu and memory.
Another major consideration is the amount of junk you will almost certainly have built up in the dark recesses of your laptop. Download something like SpyBot (it's what I use, and it's free), it will protect your computer against any malware/ads (bad stuff) and remove the ones you already have. Also do regular virus checks (I use AVG cos it's free)
Thirdly, don't have a million and one things running even if you aint using them. Just a few of the things that might be running in the background without you even knowing it... M S N, iTunes, Skype, windows media player (and the like), all just wasted usage if you aint using them.
I actually can't be bothered to (yet again) go into all my details of how much my laptop cost (a lot), how much RAM is has (a lot), processor it has etc etc etc. except to say I have tried everything stated on this thread plus more and nothing makes any difference on this or my other computer.
I'm sorry Mr TK if you think my posts are sarcastic. Maybe it's unwarranted and I apologise if so. However, the fact remains that a lot of people who play on here can easily play 10+ tables on every other site but can manage about 2/3/4 on here! Then you wonder why people make sarcastic comments when the software imo is to blame for most (obviously not all) people.
You seem to be hinting that there are changes that will sort this out? (high CPU usage therefore causing lag/timouts etc). If that's not what you're hinting at then I apologise in advance If it is though, then you are obviously saying that you know this is a problem, hence people are right to be annoyed about it when they are continually being told it's their laptop/pc/internet/processor etc at fault.
The exact same thing happened when Betfair left Cryptologic and took over the Pokerchumps software when they went alone (pre Ongame days). Lots of people (not everyone as is here) experienced extremely high CPU usage and the site denied it was the software. In the end they admitted it was the software and it eventually got sorted in an update.
Personally I can play over 20 tables on other sites but can't play more than 7 on here. (This is the same scenario I have seen numerous people stating in numerous threads.) How can that ever be anything but Sky Poker's software to blame? Even then it's a struggle playing more than 4 with lag/being seated timing out and having to go to the back of the queue again etc etc.
Whilst I'm moaning, I'm also tempted to start on about the issues I have with (so-called not allowed) HUD's used on this site but I will leave that for another thread until my latest email is replied to by the Head of Poker. (I hope this post doesn't disappear after saying that, though I can't see why it would if there was nothig to hide).
To be honest Die_Hard, I don't Tikay or Sky have ever accused people of it being their internet connection/laptop spec, I'm 99% sure the only people who have ever said that has been members of the forum, and you can't exactly blame Sky for other people posting their thoughts on a public forum.
I'll be the first to admit that the software is slower than other poker clients. This is due to it being developed in as3/flash/air. It is more resource heavy because of this and takes more CPU/RAM to run than the equivalent of a standard windows application. Theirs plenty of clever optimisations etc to improve the performance but the only real way to see a significant performance boost would be to start the client again from scratch which would take 6-24 months dev time.
With the abov said though, you should still be able to run a significant amount of tables with a decent setup. With an i5+ and 4gb plus you should be able to comfortably play 16+ tables with a well maintained machine on windows 7 or xp. If you have these specs and are struggling to play 5-10 it's likely due to other factors that you may not even be aware of.
The quickest solution everytime is to backup files you want to keep, re-install your OS, update drivers and software such as flash player, java etc. After that you'll have the bar minimum running and a nice clean and tidy pc and will see performance boost across your system.
For HUD's etc, these are against the ToS of many many sites and you can be banned for using them. However most sites let it slide even if it's against the ToS. The reason none of the major HUD software's support Sky is due to the lack of hand history. Sky doesn't store any hand history locally for easy access and HUD software uses hand histories to compile stats. It's a big ask for them to support Sky with a lack of direct hand histories for a site with lower traffic.
To be honest, I personally think it makes for a better quality player in terms of forcing people to work things out themselves rather than looking at a programme and going 'ok this guy 3bets 20% of the time'.
People don't have HUDs in the real world and it makes for a much fairer playing field if you aint sat on a table full of people using HUDs when you either don't wanna spend the money on one (or illegally download it) or don't believe in the use of them.
I actually can't be bothered to (yet again) go into all my details of how much my laptop cost (a lot), how much RAM is has (a lot), processor it has etc etc etc. except to say I have tried everything stated on this thread plus more and nothing makes any difference on this or my other computer. I'm sorry Mr TK if you think my posts are sarcastic. Maybe it's unwarranted and I apologise if so. However, the fact remains that a lot of people who play on here can easily play 10+ tables on every other site but can manage about 2/3/4 on here! Then you wonder why people make sarcastic comments when the software imo is to blame for most (obviously not all) people. You seem to be hinting that there are changes that will sort this out? (high CPU usage therefore causing lag/timouts etc). If that's not what you're hinting at then I apologise in advance If it is though, then you are obviously saying that you know this is a problem, hence people are right to be annoyed about it when they are continually being told it's their laptop/pc/internet/processor etc at fault. The exact same thing happened when Betfair left Cryptologic and took over the Pokerchumps software when they went alone (pre Ongame days). Lots of people (not everyone as is here) experienced extremely high CPU usage and the site denied it was the software. In the end they admitted it was the software and it eventually got sorted in an update. Personally I can play over 20 tables on other sites but can't play more than 7 on here. (This is the same scenario I have seen numerous people stating in numerous threads.) How can that ever be anything but Sky Poker's software to blame? Even then it's a struggle playing more than 4 with lag/being seated timing out and having to go to the back of the queue again etc etc. Whilst I'm moaning, I'm also tempted to start on about the issues I have with (so-called not allowed) HUD's used on this site but I will leave that for another thread until my latest email is replied to by the Head of Poker. (I hope this post doesn't disappear after saying that, though I can't see why it would if there was nothig to hide). Posted by Die_hard
The only reason I suggested taking the 15 seconds to post your CPU model is then perhaps people with a similar processor could post their experience. (press Winkey+Pause/Break and write down the Processor listed btw)
Bear with me chaps, & I'll respond to this fully, openly, & honestly, soonest, certainly no later than tomorrow morning. I'll answer as many of the questions as I am able - or that I know the answer to - though I'll swerve the sarcastic & ironic ones if you don't mind, as I'm not sure how they contribute to the adult & informed debate which we expect, & get, from the vast majority of the Clientbase here. Much of what I reply may surprise some of you, as there is a degree of misinformation in the thread. Hopefully, I can appraise of various other new stuff, not mentioned in this thread, too. Please bear with me. Thank you. Posted by Tikay10
Lets gooooo info
I read a post from you TK that said 'antes' are near the bottom of sky pokers list of pirorities with regards changes....
Why is this? I can't think of many more things that are more important, if any at all.
Sync breaks, stretchy tables, and time banks....
Then prob antes for tournys comes 4th on the list?
Can you give an idea of what changes we are most likely to see first?
Even if you cannot give timescales, you should 'safely' be able to tell us what to expect?
The trouble with PC's and laptops are that we all have different setups and different software running that can cause problems with certain things. Two of us may have the same processor and the same ammount of RAM, but we maybe running different operating systems such as Windows XP, Windows 7, Windows Vista etc. Then we all have different software installed and running in the background such as anti virus software, Firewalls and tonnes of other things. Then you've got differences in one person maybe using a better graphics card than somebody else, different drivers that may perform better than others etc. One persons Ram may perform better than somebody elses even if they have the same ammount. Hard drives vary in speed too, plus if it's a little messy and crammed full of data this can harm performance. I'd guess Sky's software may use more resources than some others but without checking i'm only guessing here as I'm lucky that I don't have any problems on any site I play. For anybody having problems on here just try doing some defragging (use some free software to do this as it's much quicker than using windows defrag utility). If your hard drive is over 70% full try backing up some data onto discs and clear some space. Do some adaware and virus checks. Have a look at what's running in the background and see what else is using alot of your systems resources. Be careful though, don't stop anything that you shouldn't. Some firewalls and anti virus software are known to hog resources so if you check and yours is using alot of memory, cpu power then try a different one. Then we can talk for ever about internet problems, wireless network problems (which should be avoided if possible) but i'm not going to bother because i've got some work to finish before tomorrow. Posted by AcidMan27
This is all good advice.
Your BB speed will effect your experience. Google BB speed test and find one that tests your speed and shows what your neighbours are achieving. If you are considerably lower than your neighbours then your provider is the likely cause of some of the problems.
I have a speed of 9.91 and .89 at the moment. It does vary sometimes but not by much. Some of my neighbours are in the 3.0-5.0 range.
I did once try to give an idea how difficult it is to troubleshoot any sort of 'performance' issues HERE ... not sure how useful that is but people may get the point ;-)
I may well run the oldest PC on this site haha. It's about 10 years old - a Pentium IV 2.4Ghz with 2Gb RAM (Win XP). Just can't be bothered to change it - but it will run 4 tables easily in either browser or DC. I couldn't begin to list all the tens/possibly hundreds of optimisations I've had to make though!
PS wireless should never be used. Do it and you deserve everything you get :-p ;-)
One moan I have that hasn't been addressed . The number of times I've entered a tourney and gone to do something else and missed the start. It doesn't pop to the front as on other sites which would help or perhaps a klaxon sounding to signal the start. Something is needed - even an electric shock thro the keyboard. How about it ?
One moan I have that hasn't been addressed . The number of times I've entered a tourney and gone to do something else and missed the start. It doesn't pop to the front as on other sites which would help or perhaps a klaxon sounding to signal the start. Something is needed - even an electric shock thro the keyboard. How about it ? Posted by tiercel
If your off to do something else try the sound settings, there is one setting to have a jingle for everytime it's your turn to act. If you don't notice the tourny started it will jingle when it's your turn to act so you won't even miss the first hand .
One moan I have that hasn't been addressed . The number of times I've entered a tourney and gone to do something else and missed the start. It doesn't pop to the front as on other sites which would help or perhaps a klaxon sounding to signal the start. Something is needed - even an electric shock thro the keyboard. How about it ? Posted by tiercel
Comments
Two of us may have the same processor and the same ammount of RAM, but we maybe running different operating systems such as Windows XP, Windows 7, Windows Vista etc. Then we all have different software installed and running in the background such as anti virus software, Firewalls and tonnes of other things.
Then you've got differences in one person maybe using a better graphics card than somebody else, different drivers that may perform better than others etc. One persons Ram may perform better than somebody elses even if they have the same ammount.
Hard drives vary in speed too, plus if it's a little messy and crammed full of data this can harm performance.
I'd guess Sky's software may use more resources than some others but without checking i'm only guessing here as I'm lucky that I don't have any problems on any site I play.
For anybody having problems on here just try doing some defragging (use some free software to do this as it's much quicker than using windows defrag utility). If your hard drive is over 70% full try backing up some data onto discs and clear some space.
Do some adaware and virus checks. Have a look at what's running in the background and see what else is using alot of your systems resources.
Be careful though, don't stop anything that you shouldn't.
Some firewalls and anti virus software are known to hog resources so if you check and yours is using alot of memory, cpu power then try a different one.
Then we can talk for ever about internet problems, wireless network problems (which should be avoided if possible) but i'm not going to bother because i've got some work to finish before tomorrow.
enjoy ur poker, relax. when ur bad beat comes at 2 am. run in the garden and scream..
These days it's pretty hard to even find a low enough speed internet that couldn't cope with quite a few tables of poker. So most people aren't gonna be getting held back massively by their speed.
I'd say a big factor that no-one mentions when stating whether they can handle lots of tables or not, is what operating system they have on their laptop. For instance, Vista is majorly memory-hungry and have been told by Llama (the techy in my life lol) that you need to have about 2gb memory absolute minimum just to run Vista comfortably. I've heard windows 7 is supposed to be less of a strain on your cpu and memory.
Another major consideration is the amount of junk you will almost certainly have built up in the dark recesses of your laptop. Download something like SpyBot (it's what I use, and it's free), it will protect your computer against any malware/ads (bad stuff) and remove the ones you already have. Also do regular virus checks (I use AVG cos it's free)
Thirdly, don't have a million and one things running even if you aint using them. Just a few of the things that might be running in the background without you even knowing it... M S N, iTunes, Skype, windows media player (and the like), all just wasted usage if you aint using them.
I'm sorry Mr TK if you think my posts are sarcastic. Maybe it's unwarranted and I apologise if so. However, the fact remains that a lot of people who play on here can easily play 10+ tables on every other site but can manage about 2/3/4 on here! Then you wonder why people make sarcastic comments when the software imo is to blame for most (obviously not all) people.
You seem to be hinting that there are changes that will sort this out? (high CPU usage therefore causing lag/timouts etc). If that's not what you're hinting at then I apologise in advance If it is though, then you are obviously saying that you know this is a problem, hence people are right to be annoyed about it when they are continually being told it's their laptop/pc/internet/processor etc at fault.
The exact same thing happened when Betfair left Cryptologic and took over the Pokerchumps software when they went alone (pre Ongame days). Lots of people (not everyone as is here) experienced extremely high CPU usage and the site denied it was the software. In the end they admitted it was the software and it eventually got sorted in an update.
Personally I can play over 20 tables on other sites but can't play more than 7 on here. (This is the same scenario I have seen numerous people stating in numerous threads.) How can that ever be anything but Sky Poker's software to blame? Even then it's a struggle playing more than 4 with lag/being seated timing out and having to go to the back of the queue again etc etc.
Whilst I'm moaning, I'm also tempted to start on about the issues I have with (so-called not allowed) HUD's used on this site but I will leave that for another thread until my latest email is replied to by the Head of Poker. (I hope this post doesn't disappear after saying that, though I can't see why it would if there was nothig to hide).
So blame the people on here.
People don't have HUDs in the real world and it makes for a much fairer playing field if you aint sat on a table full of people using HUDs when you either don't wanna spend the money on one (or illegally download it) or don't believe in the use of them.
Apologies for the delay, today has been a "bit busy".
Some of it is quite complex, & so I have drafted it out & just sent it up to Adam for approval, which seemed prudent.
If he gives the nod tonight, I'll Post it straight away, failing that it will be tomorrow.
Thanks.
I may well run the oldest PC on this site haha. It's about 10 years old - a Pentium IV 2.4Ghz with 2Gb RAM (Win XP). Just can't be bothered to change it - but it will run 4 tables easily in either browser or DC. I couldn't begin to list all the tens/possibly hundreds of optimisations I've had to make though!
PS wireless should never be used. Do it and you deserve everything you get :-p ;-)
How about it ?