If you run Vista, there is one setting you can change to improve your pc's overall performance - it might improve your gameplay - and also your quality at the end. follow these steps:

1) in control panel, select System and Maintenance
2) select performance and information tools
3) under "Tasks" select "adjust visual effects"
4) UN-tick "Enable desktop composition"
5) apply/ok

thats all. for a vista machine with only 1gig ram, this settings will help perform. 2gig ram is better for Vista. if youu dont like the visual effects without the desktop composition, feel free to change it back.

hope this helps

is this just to reduce RAM consumption?