diff --git a/tinygrad/helpers.py b/tinygrad/helpers.py
index d38a4bf36e..6c0fb1cb13 100644
--- a/tinygrad/helpers.py
+++ b/tinygrad/helpers.py
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ def word_wrap(x, wrap=80):
   while len(ansistrip(x[:i])) < wrap and i < len(x): i += 1
   return x[:i] + "\n" + word_wrap(x[i:], wrap)
 def pad_bytes(b:bytes, align:int) -> bytes: return b + b'\x00' * ((align - (len(b) % align)) % align)
-def panic(e:Exception=RuntimeError): raise e
+def panic(e:Exception): raise e
 
 @functools.cache
 def canonicalize_strides(shape:tuple[T, ...], strides:tuple[T, ...]) -> tuple[T, ...]:
diff --git a/tinygrad/renderer/ptx.py b/tinygrad/renderer/ptx.py
index 565faf52b4..19a45225b5 100644
--- a/tinygrad/renderer/ptx.py
+++ b/tinygrad/renderer/ptx.py
@@ -49,15 +49,12 @@ ptx_matcher = PatternMatcher([
    lambda x: UOp(x.op, dtypes.uint8, x.src[0:1] + ((x.src[1].cast(dtypes.uint8),) if len(x.src) >= 2 else ()) + x.src[2:]).cast(dtypes.bool)),
   (UPat(Ops.STORE, src=(UPat(dtype=dtypes.int64), UPat(dtype=dtypes.bool)), name="x", allow_any_len=True),
    lambda x: UOp(x.op, dtypes.void, x.src[0:1] + (x.src[1].cast(dtypes.uint8),) + x.src[2:])),
+  # indexing on PTX is in uint64, we do the math while it's still in the graph
+  (UPat(Ops.INDEX, src=(UPat.var("buf"), UPat.var("idx")), name="op", allow_any_len=True), lambda buf,idx,op:
+    UOp(Ops.INDEX, dtype=dtypes.int64, src=(buf, buf.cast(dtypes.int64)+idx.cast(dtypes.int64)*buf.dtype.itemsize)+op.src[2:]) \
+      if op.dtype != dtypes.int64 and buf.dtype.addrspace != AddrSpace.REG else None),
   # load/store use pointer arithmetic, and the cast does nothing
-  (UPat(Ops.INDEX, src=(UPat.var("buf"), UPat.var("idx"))),
-   lambda buf,idx: (buf.cast(dtypes.int64) + idx.cast(dtypes.int64)*buf.dtype.itemsize) if buf.dtype.addrspace != AddrSpace.REG else None),
   (UPat(Ops.CAST, name="x"), lambda x: x.src[0] if isinstance(x.dtype, PtrDType) or x.src[0].dtype == dtypes.void else None),
-  # move mask from INDEX to the load/store to enable pointer arithmetic
-  (UPat(Ops.LOAD, src=(UPat(Ops.INDEX, src=(UPat.var("buf"), UPat.var("idx"), UPat.var("gate"))), UPat.var("alt")), allow_any_len=True, name="l"),
-   lambda buf,idx,gate,alt,l: UOp(Ops.LOAD, alt.dtype, (buf.index(idx), alt, gate, *l.src[2:]))),
-  (UPat(Ops.STORE, src=(UPat(Ops.INDEX, src=(UPat.var("buf"), UPat.var("idx"), UPat())), UPat.var("val"), UPat.var("gate")), allow_any_len=True),
-   lambda buf,idx,val,gate: UOp.store(buf.index(idx), val, gate)),
   # ptx shr and shl instructions require y to be uint
   (UPat.var("x") << UPat.var("y"), lambda x,y: UOp(Ops.SHL, x.dtype, (x,y.cast(dtypes.uint))) if y.dtype != dtypes.uint else None),
   (UPat.var("x") >> UPat.var("y"), lambda x,y: UOp(Ops.SHR, x.dtype, (x,y.cast(dtypes.uint))) if y.dtype != dtypes.uint else None),
@@ -88,9 +85,6 @@ def modifier(a: DType, b: DType): return '.rzi' if dtypes.is_int(a) and dtypes.i
 string_rewrite = PatternMatcher([
   (UPat.cvar("x", dtypes.bool), lambda ctx, x: f"setp.ne.s16 {ctx.r[x]}, {render_val(x.arg, x.dtype)}, 0;"),
   (UPat.cvar("x"), lambda ctx, x: f"mov.b{ctx.types[x.dtype][1:]} {ctx.r[x]}, {render_val(x.arg, x.dtype)};"),
-  (UPat(Ops.STORE, name="x", src=(UPat.var('bidx'), UPat.var("var")), allow_any_len=True), lambda ctx, x, bidx, var: f"st.{mem_type(bidx)}" + \
-    f"{f'.v{cnt}' if ((cnt:=var.dtype.count)>1) else ''}.{ctx.mem_types[var.dtype.scalar()]} " + \
-    f"[{ctx.r[bidx]}+0], {('{' + ', '.join(ctx.r[var]) + '}') if var.dtype.count > 1 else ctx.r[var]};"),
   (UPat(Ops.SPECIAL, name="x"), lambda ctx,x: f"mov.u32 %{x.arg}, %{'ctaid' if x.arg[0] == 'g' else 'tid'}.{chr(120+int(x.arg[-1]))};"),
   (UPat(Ops.DEFINE_GLOBAL, name="x"), lambda ctx, x: f"ld.param.{ctx.types[dtypes.ulong]} {ctx.r[x]}, [data{x.arg}+0];"),
   (UPat((Ops.CMPLT, Ops.CMPNE, Ops.CMPEQ), name="x", allow_any_len=True, src=(UPat.var("src0"),)),
@@ -103,16 +97,22 @@ string_rewrite = PatternMatcher([
    lambda ctx, x, a: f"setp.ne.b{ctx.types[a.dtype][1:]} {ctx.r[x]}, {ctx.r[a]}, {render_val(0, a.dtype)};"),
   (UPat(Ops.CAST, name="x", src=(UPat.var("a"),)),
    lambda ctx, x, a: f"cvt{modifier(x.dtype, a.dtype)}.{ctx.cast_types[x.dtype]}.{ctx.cast_types[a.dtype]} {ctx.r[x]}, {ctx.r[a]};"),
-  (UPat(Ops.LOAD, name="x", src=(UPat.var('loc'), UPat(name='alt'), UPat(name="gate", op=GroupOp.ALU)), allow_any_len=True),
+  # store / gated load / load
+  (UPat(Ops.STORE, name="x", src=(UPat(Ops.INDEX, src=(UPat(), UPat.var("loc")), allow_any_len=True), UPat.var("var"))),
+   lambda ctx, x, loc, var: f"st.{mem_type(loc)}" + \
+    f"{f'.v{cnt}' if ((cnt:=var.dtype.count)>1) else ''}.{ctx.mem_types[var.dtype.scalar()]} " + \
+    f"[{ctx.r[loc]}+0], {('{' + ', '.join(ctx.r[var]) + '}') if var.dtype.count > 1 else ctx.r[var]};"),
+  (UPat(Ops.LOAD, name="x", src=(UPat(Ops.INDEX, src=(UPat(), UPat.var("loc"), UPat.var("gate"))), UPat.var("alt")), allow_any_len=True),
     lambda ctx, x, loc, alt, gate: flatten([
     [f"mov.{ctx.mem_types[x.dtype.scalar()]} {v}, {render_val(0, x.dtype.scalar())};" for v in ctx.r[x]],
     [f"@{ctx.r[gate]} ld.{mem_type(x)}.v{x.dtype.count}.{ctx.mem_types[x.dtype.scalar()]} {{{', '.join(ctx.r[x])}}}, [{ctx.r[loc]}+0];"]
   ]) if alt.dtype.count > 1 else [
     f"@{ctx.r[gate]} ld.{mem_type(x)}.{ctx.mem_types[x.dtype.scalar()]} {ctx.r[x]}, [{ctx.r[loc]}+0];",
     f"@!{ctx.r[gate]} mov.b{ctx.types[x.dtype.scalar()][1:]} {ctx.r[x]}, {ctx.r[alt]};"]),
-  (UPat(Ops.LOAD, name="x", src=(UPat.var('loc'),), allow_any_len=True),
-   lambda ctx, x, loc: f"ld.{mem_type(x)}.v{x.dtype.count}.{ctx.mem_types[x.dtype.scalar()]} {{{', '.join(ctx.r[x])}}}, [{ctx.r[loc]}+0];" \
+  (UPat(Ops.LOAD, name="x", src=(UPat(Ops.INDEX, src=(UPat(), UPat.var("loc"))),), allow_any_len=True),
+    lambda ctx, x, loc: f"ld.{mem_type(x)}.v{x.dtype.count}.{ctx.mem_types[x.dtype.scalar()]} {{{', '.join(ctx.r[x])}}}, [{ctx.r[loc]}+0];" \
      if x.dtype.count > 1 else f"ld.{mem_type(x)}.{ctx.mem_types[x.dtype]} {ctx.r[x]}, [{ctx.r[loc]}+0];"),
+  # simple
   (UPat(Ops.DEFINE_REG, src=()), lambda ctx: []),
   (UPat(Ops.RANGE, name="x"), lambda ctx, x: [f"mov.u32 {ctx.r[x]}, 0;", "LOOP_" + f"{ctx.r[x][1:]}:"]),
   (UPat(Ops.END, name="x", src=(UPat.var("src0"),), allow_any_len=True), lambda ctx, x, src0: [
@@ -207,6 +207,7 @@ class PTXRenderer(Renderer):
             typ = "pred" if u.src[1].dtype == dtypes.bool else ("b"+self.types[u.src[1].dtype][1:])
             kernel.append(f"mov.{typ} {self.r[u.src[0]]}, {self.r[u.src[1]]};")
         continue
+      if u.op is Ops.INDEX: continue  # other index we can skip
       if u.op is Ops.SPECIAL: r[u] = "%" + u.arg
       elif u.op is Ops.DEFINE_VAR: bufs.append((u.arg[0], u.dtype))
       elif u.op is Ops.LOAD: