1 
FIRST AND FOREMOST
2 
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3 
- be sure to set all your IDE disks to use DMA transfers:
4 
hdparm -d1 /dev/hda
5 
 or even
6 
hdparm -A1 -X66 -c1 -d1 /dev/hda
7 





8

Please see the man-page for hdparm for explanation of the other options.





9

Can also be applied to CDROMs.





10






11

- run your own optimized kernel





12

(kernel building IS fun)





13






14






15

MPLAYER





16

-------





17

- use -vo xvidix or -vo xv to offload work to your gfx-card





18

- use a natively (especially for your CPU) compiled mplayer





19

(again, this is fun and you will learn)





20

- use hdparm -u1 -A1 -a 160 <device-your-movies-comes-from>





21

- nicing to -5 or -10 already helps, but requires root-privileges





22






23






24

XMMS





25

----





26

- really should never skip, even at considerable background-compiling load





27

go and compile it with CPU-optimizations for your CPU





28

- set the output-buffer to a higher value





29

( Preferences -> Output Plugin -> configure -> Buffering -> Buffer size(ms)





30

Enter something like 2500 oder 3000 )





31

- use a decent soundcards that actually does things in hardware





32

Switching from ISA- to PCI-cards helps a lot