Hello everyone, I've always been interested in my computers performance and how to optimize programs for the better. I've read about DF's inablilty to handle multiple cores so it makes sense to get DF to run smoother it just needs more POWER! Seriously thou, every hz of free possessor space is helpful to DF. I am constantly going into task manager and ending unnecessary processes to try and sway the colossus that is Dwarf Fortress to take all of my CPU. However, I am not that proficient at it. I am not 100% sure on processes that need to stay open. That's where Razer's Game Booster comes in. The name is atrocious, but it is an incredible program! It's obviously more geared towards heavy 3D graphically advanced games, but its main focus is to remove those unnecessary processes that DF doesn't need to have open in order to run. I'm running Win7 which has it's own cascade of svchost processes and explorer.exe taking up a chunk of processor power. I'm not ignorant to the fact that, normally, those svchost processes are to catch runtime errors and minimize crashing and the explorere.exe is REALLY important to continue running your desktop. But, with these and many more programs halted, DF runs much better. Feel free to explore the Game Booster further yourself. It has some fancy features to defrag game folders and free up memory. This program is a bit advanced for most people but I feel everyone who plays DF are borderline programmers anyway. So just be aware of the setting you're changing and it will involve a smidgen of troubleshooting. Alt+tab will become your new best friend. Also, I have tested this on MasterWork. To add DF into the Booster, click the "Add" button under the "launch" tab and find DF.exe (or Settings.exe for MW.) This Booster really surprised me when you close out of your "Boosted Program" it re-initiates all of your processes as if it never changed. Very well designed program that is still in beta. Might not be free when updated...