Introduction To DMA

Details about DMA and its importance to staying secure.

Direct Memory Access (DMA) is a cheating method used in video games where a special hardware device, often installed in a PCIe slot or connected via Thunderbolt 4, directly accesses a gaming PC’s memory. This allows cheaters to read and write memory from the gaming computer onto a secondary system, bypassing typical anti-cheat measures. DMA operates at the hardware level, making it difficult to detect and offering a nearly undetectable way to cheat.

What Is DMA?

Direct Memory Access (DMA) is a feature that allows hardware to access system memory directly, bypassing the CPU. Since DMA operates at the hardware level outside normal OS operations, it can manipulate game data without detection by traditional anti-cheat systems that monitor software behaviour.

System Requirements

Checking DMA Compatibility

  1. Press WIN+R and type msinfo32.exe

  2. Look for “Kernel DMA Protection” in the system information.

  3. If it shows as OFF, your motherboard supports DMA.


Main PC Requirements (1st PC)

DMA requires two computers to function. For the Main PC:

Desktop Requirements

  • Available PCIe slot (x16, x4, or x1)

  • PCIe extender if slots are blocked by GPU

  • Sufficient performance to run games with headroom

Laptop Requirements

Must have one of:

  • Available M.2 slot (for M.2 to PCIe converter)

  • Extra M.2 slot (for M.2 version DMA)

  • Thunderbolt 3 port (for Thunderbolt to PCIe converter)

External PSU may be required to power DMA when using M.2 conversion.

Radar PC Requirements (2nd PC)

The second computer can be either desktop or laptop with:

Minimum Specs:

  • CPU: Intel i5 4th gen or better

  • GPU: Integrated or Dedicated Graphic Card

Recommended Specs:

  • CPU: Intel i5 9th gen / Ryzen 5600G or better

  • GPU: Integrated or Dedicated Graphic Card (Minimum support must be the same resolution as a Gaming PC)

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