What i did when i wanted to get the best times - remove EVERYTHING. Install, then install only ESSENTIAL drivers. Disable anything in device manager you don't need. Apply performance patches (ie install SP3), turn off all non-essential services. Remove startup crap. Set EVERYTHING for good performance (ie turn it to Classic, disable all windows sounds etc).
Then bootup and kill all the services you don't need (including some you do, i killed a few SVChost's). Set SuperPi to realtime, maximise SuperPi, then kill explorer itself and close task manager. Then run it. If your PC is stable then run it a few times to get your best score, if it isn't then write a nice batch file to kill all the tasks you don't need and add it to the startup along with a batch file that starts SuperPi in Real Time.
Yes i'm hardcore lol.
I remember reading that atm the best OS for SuperPi was Server 2003, but i could be wrong. If you want to get into SuperPi more than this, and getting a life doesn't seem like a good option () then your best bet is try looking around here, however that might be an alien language to most of you
Of course, on a dual core it makes a LOT less difference, but on my single core i wanted every single MHz i could get.
*sniff* i miss my old CPU. 3.07 GHz, still beats most of the dual cores in SuperPi and single threaded applications and yet it sold for £18...! if only i had the balls to do a few 3.1+ GHz runs!
Of course isn't stable I don't have RL (nowadays) in order to pass orthos at 1.584v. I'm an overclocker and I want the limit in order to pass a Superpi. Mi MB only acept up to 497 FSB... It's a Gigabyte P35-DQ6
My config 24/7 is that (I have to pass orthos during more time, but I don't have it ), 1.568v vcore by air, Thermalright Ultra 120 & some Xigmateck HDT's I'm testing. 66 degrees each core passing orthos I think is a nice temp. I have to test less vcore or more fsb, of course (and adjust timmings)
I need a CPU with more multi (+9x), I'm waiting for de 45nm... And RL with peltier of course
Got free 6420 from my friend as he upgraded to Q6600 and finished installing and overclocking to 2.78 GHZ anything more and I have to put the Fan speed higher and make it more LOUDER here is the result 20.719s
17.4 on a 3ghz Q6600. If i did all the stuff jakg mentioned it would blitz it probably, didnt bother clearing it out or anything, and vista's aero apparently takes away a bit of performance. Still massively chuffed though.
Last run i did was a 19.2 with the procy at 2.7 and slack memory timings(5-5-5-15). that extra 300mhz, faster FSB and tightened memory make it 2 seconds faster