Dell Precision Performance Optimizer Owner's Manual

Notes

NOTE: A NOTE indicates important information that helps you make better use of your computer.

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Contents

Notes................................................................................................................................................2

Dell Precision Performance Optimizer (DPPO).........................................................................4

Profiles......................................................................................................................................................................5

Active Profiles....................................................................................................................................................5

Inactive Profiles.................................................................................................................................................5

System Updates........................................................................................................................................................6

Resource Utilization..................................................................................................................................................7

Profiles and Policies......................................................................................................................8

System Maintenance.....................................................................................................................9

System Information...................................................................................................................................................9

Update Filters............................................................................................................................................................9

Notifications............................................................................................................................................................12

System Maintenance Settings................................................................................................................................12

Schedule Updates............................................................................................................................................12

Notification.......................................................................................................................................................13

Update Filters...................................................................................................................................................13

Update History........................................................................................................................................................14

Track and Analyze........................................................................................................................15

Enable/Disable Smart Tracking..............................................................................................................................15

Smart Tracking.......................................................................................................................................................16

Enable Smart Tracking.....................................................................................................................................16

Smart Tracking Reports..........................................................................................................................................17

Troubleshooting............................................................................................................................19

Installation Issues...................................................................................................................................................19

Home Page..............................................................................................................................................................19

Profiles & Policies...................................................................................................................................................19

System Maintenance..............................................................................................................................................19

Track and Analyze..................................................................................................................................................20

2 Getting Help................................................................................................................................21

Contacting Dell.......................................................................................................................................................21

Dell Precision Performance Optimizer (DPPO)

Dell Precision Performance Optimizer contains a powerful engine that allows you to dynamically configure your system settings to optimize the performance of your system. It also keeps you informed of any available software updates and applies them when configured to do so. Further, it contains a tracking subsystem that can gather extensive data about your system and help identify potential problems.

DPPO consists of the following components:

• Profiles & Policies

• System Maintenance

• Track and Analyze

Each of the components is available as a separate tab on the application’s home page. This page is displayed when you launch the application by double-clicking the following icon on the Desktop.

On Windows 7, the application may also be launched from Start > Program Files > Dell Inc > Dell Precision Performance Optimizer. This page depicts the current and past recorded resource utilization values of your system. This page also displays the active and inactive profiles and the available system updates.

The following options appear on the top right corner of all windows:

Option Function

Minimizes the application.

Closes the application.

The following options appear on the menu bar of all windows:

Option Function

Brings up a menu that allows you to launch either the About Page or this Help

Takes you to the Home page

Profiles

The left pane of the home page displayed lists the active and inactive profiles. A profile is a collection of policies that are grouped together to achieve a common performance objective. Profiles are referred by a friendly name that identifies this objective. Multiple profiles may be active at the same time. A policy defines the system parameters that must be monitored. When these parameters satisfy a certain condition the policy is said to have triggered. The policy also defines the action(s) that is taken when an input trigger is detected. The actions consist of applying some recommended settings to the system designed to optimize the performance of the running application.

DPPO has several application specific profiles to improve the user experience. These profiles are disabled by default. You must enable the profile for your given application (if available in DPPO).

New application profiles will be made available via the DPPO system updates.

Active Profiles

This section lists the profiles that are currently active on the system. A profile is considered active if it is enabled and the policies start every time the system is activated. You can click on any profile to navigate to the Profiles and Policies page to view the details of the selected profile. If you have Local Administrator rights, you will be able to disable an active profile or enable an inactive profile.

Inactive Profiles

A profile that is not active is called an inactive profile. These profiles are disabled by the Local Administrator.

NOTE: The software may come with special profiles that can be activated when no other profile is active. These profiles are automatically deactivated by the software once they have executed. For example:

Defaults

profile is a profile that can be used to restore certain system parameters back to the factory defaults.

Load Dell Factory

System Updates

The bottom left side of the home page displays the number of software updates available. Dell System Updates are specific to DPPO and your system's hardware and software configuration. Windows Updates are available within your operating system. The updates are grouped into three categories:

• Critical

• Recommended

• Optional

The following option is displayed in this section of the home page:

Option Function

Takes you to the System Maintenance page.

Resource Utilization

The home page displays the utilizations of the following resources:

• Memory

• CPU

• Storage

• Graphics

The needle of the speedometers shows the current utilization of Memory, CPU and Storage. This data is refreshed every 2 seconds. If Dell Smart Tracking is enabled on the system, you will see a green bar in the speedometer dials. The green bar represents the previous utilization average read from the last Dell Smart Tracking report. For example, if the Average Memory Utilization (previously recorded) was 38%, then the green bar will go from 0-38% in the first speedometer dial.

Current Graphics utilization is displayed by the needle on the horizontal bar.

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