RAM performance with 6-core Xeon on Win7 64-bit

[parasbuy]

RAM performance with 6-core Xeon on Win7 64-bit

Hello All,

I have a 3.33GHz 6-core Xeon Mac Pro with 16GB of RAM, but looking at the CPU Meters, etc., it seems like I'm not getting full use out of the system. My CPU usage gets up to 4% sometimes and the RAM doesn't get much higher than 14%. I am running some pretty intense software... Solidworks CAD Simulation, Photoshop, Lightroom, Video, etc., and the system seems to be a bit slow and taking some time to load/process; but the CPU and RAM meters barely change any higher.

Can I adjust my system configurations to better take advantage of these? What else should I be doing to improve the performance? Is there a way to get a much faster boot-up speed, or just much faster processing of Photoshop and Solidworks rendering, for example... me thinks it shouldn't be choppy with all this firepower.

I'm running Mac Pro 10.6.6 and Windows 7 64-bit via Boot Camp. 1TB hard drive 7.2k RPM.

Thanks!

parasbuy

[MANEMAN]

Hi there.

Evidently there have been issues with 10.6.6 continuously indexing the Windows 7 partition on every reboot, and slowing everything up to a crawl. :(

The fix seems to be to do a Spotlight reindex of your entire hard drive. (i.e - not just individual bits and pieces)

You can find out how to do that * HERE *

With Photoshop (and some of the other stuff you are using) there is usually provision to move the scratch disks to another HDD or partition to speed things up.

There is an easy to follow article * HERE * which although Photoshop specific will apply to much of your "Heavy Duty" software.

(Read through your individual software help files)

Speed increase can be very good when doing Video/Audio intensive stuff just by shifting the scratchdisk location.

.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.

Here is a video of how to go about fixing, and maintaining a generally slow running MAC. (Just in case you need to know. ;) )

John. :)

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMsIljOHnig&feature=player_embedded

[parasbuy]

Thanks John..

I'm not so sure the issue is with 10.6.6 ...I have it setup as a dual-boot, so when I startup, I'm going into Windows 7 directly from the initial BIOS startup, not via OS X. Windows 7 is on a completely separate hard drive and partition.

Do you have other info you can point me to, to better utilize the 16GB of RAM and 6-cores within just the Windows 7 environment?

thank you.

Paras.

[MANEMAN]

I'm not so sure the issue is with 10.6.6

Do a "Search" on the internet for the issues, and then come back and let us know how you got on.

Do you have other info you can point me to

Not without telling me a detailed list of how you have carried out the operations already stated.

John. :) :) :)

Never try to outsmart a smartass. ;)

[MANEMAN]

I have followed through from the late 1950's until now well into 2011 with "wiseguys" trying to tell me about things that I already know.

They ask me a question. - I answer them. - They disagree, or try to draw me into a discussion, - I dont give a s**t.................

.......... O.K. Do it your own way pal. :lol: :lol:

I've seen many electronic industries become "Minituarised".

Spent hours in the classroom learning about "Burstgate" and many other things concerned with NTSC and PAL Colour/color T.V. systems, only to see it minituarised to an integrated circuit which it is not worth the effort of me getting out a 'scope to check it out.

I've seen Radio go to "Throwaway", - I've seen T.V go to "Throwaway". - Within the next 5-8 years I will see Computers go to "Throwaway".

Desktop computers are out, - Welcome the Laptop. - Laptops are out. - Welome the Touchpad. The Touchpad is broken ? - Throw it in landfill.............

.................And no need for forums anymore.

You have got to start asking yourself though, what sort of Schlemiel who owns a MAC, comes onto a forum clearly headed "Windows Forum"and thinks he would get better answers than on a specific MAC forum ?????

Oi Vay. Vhat a Klutz. :lol:

If you want to play mindgames, post it as - "I wanna play mind games"

If you want to be genuine, - be genuine. - Simple.

I'm not so sure the issue is with 10.6.6

Come back when you are more sure then already. :)

John. :)

(Down and Dirty computer answers.com B) )

[ɹəuəllıʍ ʇɐb]

My CPU usage gets up to 4% sometimes and the RAM doesn't get much higher than 14%.

That is good; your applications use the CPU and memory it needs, not more. The questions is: does it use any virtual memory at all? That would mean that something is wrong with your configuration.

If you have performance problems, then that may lay in the way you run your operating system: under some kind of virtual PC (boot camp). I have no idea how that works - do disk I/O and memory operations run natively, or virtually via boot camp? If the latter, that may cause serious performance deterioration.

[parasbuy]

Per your suggestions, here's a list of things I've implemented....

- deleted the Library Cache

- deleted the Preferences Cache

- Deselected the all the Spotlight indexing except for Documents

- OSX is on a completely separate hard drive, partition, and install. Win7 is running separately and, as far as I can tell, there is no cross-communication of OS-X re-indexing the Windows partition and files.

- Photoshop is on the OSX partition, so irrelevant here in the Windows discussion, but I will definitely look into the scratch disk methods.

Anything else you think I can do within Windows7 to have it better utilize the 16GB of RAM and 6-cores? I just don't think I should be seeing these types of slowness and performance issues with the hardware resources I have here.

Thanks,

Paras.

[parasbuy]

My CPU usage gets up to 4% sometimes and the RAM doesn't get much higher than 14%.

That is good; your applications use the CPU and memory it needs, not more. The questions is: does it use any virtual memory at all? That would mean that something is wrong with your configuration.

If you have performance problems, then that may lay in the way you run your operating system: under some kind of virtual PC (boot camp). I have no idea how that works - do disk I/O and memory operations run natively, or virtually via boot camp? If the latter, that may cause serious performance deterioration.

Some good points, ɹəuəllıʍ ʇɐb ..thanks!

How do I find out if Win7 is using any Virtual Memory? I know how to change it (and not sure if I should increase it or decrease it in this situation to improve the performance); but is there a way to find out how much Virtual Memory is being used?

To answer your question on the configuration.. I figured the performance would suffer if I used a Virtual PC, VM Ware, or Parallels type of software, so I setup Win-7 64-bit on a separate installation so that there would not be any cross communication between the two Operating Systems. All Boot Camp is, is a selection via the BIOS where you choose, do you want to go to the Mac OS hard-drive and partition of the computer, or the Win-7 hard-drive and partition of the computer. In this case, I'm loading up into Win-7 directly so that the disk I/O and memory operations would run natively within just the Windows system.

You also make a good point that, the applications use the CPU and Memory it needs and not more and this is low, which is good. But I shouldn't see slowness in pretty much anything then, correct? Even in graphics and rendering, there is enough CPU and RAM power here where most of it is not being used, so is there any windows configurations or anything else I should be doing to get rid of the slowness?

Thanks a lot for your input.

Paras.

[ɹəuəllıʍ ʇɐb]

Task Manager should tell you how much virtual memory is used - the less, the better. In fact with 16GB RAM, none should be used at all.

[parasbuy]

OK, confirmed... Virtual Memory is only 50MB, and not being utilized much.

Any other suggestions?

With 16GB of RAM and 6-core, there shouldn't be any issues with rendering graphics, correct? I'm not doing any high-intensity gaming, yet but I'd like to.

Thanks for the posts,

Paras.

[MANEMAN]

I could be wrong but I think he's reeling you in like a fish Pat. B)

parasbuy Said: Any other suggestions?

I dont think mine on spoon feeding people would go down too well.

John. ;).

[parasbuy]

Maneman, I really don't know what you're talking about. Given the resources I have installed, I'm having an issue with Windows-7 performance; the system has enough headroom and there really shouldn't be any slowness, so I'm turning to the experts to see if I can tap into their experience and get rid of the delays in rendering. To this end, if you something to add and want to contribute, please do so; otherwise, if you don't have anything constructive to add, please just back-off.

Thanks everyone else for your contributions, my apologies for this public post to Maneman.

Best regards,

parasbuy.

[MANEMAN]

No I will not "Backoff" as you put it, not at least until as I said in answer to your first post:

"Without telling me a detailed list of how you have carried out the operations already stated." - You will have to go back to here to sort that one out:

Maneman Said: - Hi there.

Evidently there have been issues with 10.6.6 continuously indexing the Windows 7 partition on every reboot, and slowing everything up to a crawl.

The fix seems to be to do a Spotlight reindex of your entire hard drive. (i.e - not just individual bits and pieces)

You can find out how to do that * HERE *

With Photoshop (and some of the other stuff you are using) there is usually provision to move the scratch disks to another HDD or partition to speed things up.

There is an easy to follow article * HERE * which although Photoshop specific will apply to much of your "Heavy Duty" software.

(Read through your individual software help files)

Speed increase can be very good when doing Video/Audio intensive stuff just by shifting the scratchdisk location.

.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.

Here is a video of how to go about fixing, and maintaining a generally slow running MAC. (Just in case you need to know. )

You were not sure if 10.6.6 was the problem, and you didn't give anyone here on the forum any clue as to whether you had checked it out to to validate your suriety on the situation, therefore hindering any diagnosis in that direction. Not a particularly good plan of action seeing as how you were so concerned about the performance of your computer.

You've got to admit at that stage I was very pleasant and helpful to you. It was after that, that you started to act a bit dumb.

Maneman, I really don't know what you're talking about.

Sure you do honey. And everyone reading knows that you do. I gave you answers and areas to search out and there was at that time no viable feedback from you referring to the first post. - Believe me, People are not stupid.

Give me personal diagnosis charts, give me screen shots, give me screencasts, - Give me a good reason why you didn't go in-depth to the original answer to your first post.

There is your challenge. Do a screencast or two, You can get free software here: http://camstudio.org/

Post it up to Youtube. That will show the problems that you are having and probably draw a crowd of even more "Experts" to your cause, - and draw the attention that you crave to remedy your problems. You've got to admit, -

-It's going to be a win-win situation for you which ever way you look at it isn't it ?

Link the Youtube videos here to us so that we can see exactly what is going on with your computer. Simples. :)

Accept the challenge, - Prove me wrong ! - I will then "Backoff."

my apologies for this public post to Maneman

Thanks for the apologies. I accept them in the most dignified of manner.

Truth is most people here are gettin' sorta used to my insultin' sarcastic, aggressive, self-opinionated, and Truthful ways. :)

Nothing keeps readership up, and a forum going, like havin' a "crazy" on-board, and a good fight now-and then.

Bring it on bro. Show all of us the screencasts of your problems. Nothing like drawing the experts closer in than a good showing on YouTube.

Another way around many of these computer problems is for people to stop bitchin' so much, format their drives and start all-over with a clean install. - But that is a tale for another day.

See ya down the road later Parachute.

Were those additions Constructive enough for you ?

Kindest regards,

John. :)

[MANEMAN]

Time is slowly passing by. - Patience of the readers for an answer is wearing impossibly thin.

A quickfire one liner would have maybe placated them already. :)

And. - Just because I run naked around the neighbourhood at Full Moon doesn't make me a bad person.

We await your YouTube screencast of how you have installed Windows 7 on a MAC. - How you are trying to blame that on the Windows 7 operating system, and all other of your related problems. - Or some sort of diagnostic evidence that you are not some sort of attention seeking, timewasting poster, just trying to play mind games.

I could have made and posted about 7-10 screencasts in the time from my last post. - I'm only asking for one -

-And I am quite an old man. (Well I'm actually 28, - but had a tough paper round as a kid, which makes me seem older !)

Post a reply Goddamm it, at the very least to keep your street cred above minus for your own state of mind.

Thanks for bumping up the readership of our forum.

Update your profile my man/woman so's we can all enjoy some camaraderie. - Welcome, - Stick around we need Bonafide Geeks like yourself who install Windows on a Mac and have problems.

Looking forward to the screencast done on the freeware I pointed you too.

Lots of love and kisses.

Apologies if you think I have placed you in some sort of "Put Up or Shut Up situation" - That wasn't the intention.

Regards.

John. :)

[parasbuy]

Hi All, thanks for your posts over the last couple of months. I ended up bringing the Mac Pro into Apple. Apparently the problem had to go up a few levels to their Head Genius; took a couple of weeks but she is 'humming' now with all three drives in, regardless if I'm in Windows 7 or Mac OS X.

If interested, here's the story regarding the resolution. The lower level techs tried their best but concluded that the SMART Controllers of all three drives had gone bad and recommended I get new drives replaced under warranty from each of the OEMs. Obviously, I called "bull crappola" and that the likelihood of all three drives going bad at the same time was remote, at best; and if it was true, that the Mac Pro must have done it and Apple should replace all three drives with new ones. After a bit, the Head Genius gave me a call at home and thought the conclusion was bogus, as well. He ended up testing each drive individually on their tester and they each performed stellar. Replaced the drive control board and still know problems. Eventually, he got to the RAM, pulled them all out, and re-sat the four 4GB sticks just for kicks and, voila, the SBBOD went away. He surmised that for whatever reason, a section on one of the sticks probably wasn't getting the right connection and the computer would get hung-up ever time it was engaged. That was it... nothing more complicated, it seems.

Regardless, she's humming and I'm a happy camper.

Thanks... hope this helps.

Paras.

[ɹəuəllıʍ ʇɐb]

Thanks for the feedback; it's always good to know what the solution for a particular problem was.