Macbook Pro performance test result

AdamJay · Post by **AdamJay** » Thu Mar 16, 2006 4:11 am

StompyJ wrote:AdamJay, this is a known issue. The last rev of the PPC powerbook have the same problem!

Do you have reaktor?

yea, but havent used it in a while. waiting on UB version for Intel Mac.

LOFA · Post by **LOFA** » Thu Mar 16, 2006 5:23 am

I just got access to a new computer at work. I'll be using windows again for the first time in years. If Apple dosen't get this BS sorted out by the 64 bit dual cores, I will leave Logic on my G5 and comfortably start my transition back to a PC. Just my 2 cents.

warpus · Post by **warpus** » Thu Mar 16, 2006 5:56 am

LOFA wrote:I just got access to a new computer at work. I'll be using windows again for the first time in years. If Apple dosen't get this BS sorted out by the 64 bit dual cores, I will leave Logic on my G5 and comfortably start my transition back to a PC. Just my 2 cents.

BTW, I was just burning a CD while doing the Live Performance test and I was still getting pretty much the same performance while the audio played back completely glitch free. Give that a try that on your new PC (hehe).

LOFA · Post by **LOFA** » Thu Mar 16, 2006 6:17 am

Nah, I'd rather try it on my dual 2g g5 that sporadically ejects cd's that dont even exist. Yeah the nice thud of an imaginary disk forcefully working its way out of my computer does wonders to bring out the natural accustics of my recording space

Dude. Reliable computers are almost a miracle no matter what you are running. And, why the hell would I want to burn a CD while I was recording or performing live? The idea stinks of professionalism!

It's amazing how people can get so caught up in benchmarks that they forget to...

Long day. That's enough out of me.

Digi V · Post by **Digi V** » Thu Mar 16, 2006 6:20 am

well here is something of interest.

been speaking to the mac techs over on the forums and well

apparently the stepping technology is from intel and not apple.

the ableton program is what needs to be written to function well with it

UNLESS its a bug within OSX.

so we might not know for a while.

at this point i'd say its ableton since logic runs fine or so i've heard

AdamJay · Post by **AdamJay** » Thu Mar 16, 2006 6:24 am

well yea, logic uses both cores on the audio engine, so of course it does the job.

but how good is a stepping system that allows one cpu to get loaded to 100%, but won't step up until the 2nd cpu gets to 60% in addition...
thats just crappy technology.

so we have a new victim of the blame: Intel!
hehehe.

all kidding aside,
this option in Energy Saver was removed on the last G4 Powerbooks as well... all Apple has to do is give it back.

Digi V · Post by **Digi V** » Thu Mar 16, 2006 6:31 am

ok, well since logic uses both we cant use it as an example

if someone has a new windows computer with this intel chip they can test it.

if their results are the same then we know its ableton.

yeh the option would still be nice.

warpus · Post by **warpus** » Thu Mar 16, 2006 6:57 am

LOFA wrote:Nah, I'd rather try it on my dual 2g g5 that sporadically ejects cd's that dont even exist. Yeah the nice thud of an imaginary disk forcefully working its way out of my computer does wonders to bring out the natural accustics of my recording space

Dude. Reliable computers are almost a miracle no matter what you are running. And, why the hell would I want to burn a CD while I was recording or performing live? The idea stinks of professionalism!

It's amazing how people can get so caught up in benchmarks that they forget to...

Long day. That's enough out of me.

Dude, not caught up in benchmarks. Some folks like to keep working (ya know, making tracks) while your burning a CD of your music. PCs just can't do that.

Digi V · Post by **Digi V** » Thu Mar 16, 2006 4:23 pm

from a recent source

i'm being told that INTEL actually tells its manufacturers that its switching is faster and more reliable than human control.

so i guess apple just uses what intel gives them. unless apple figures out that this function is flawed, or against the interests' of its users then they will do something about it.

its safe to say a fix wont come for a long time and not unless there are signficant data showing that the speedstepping isn't doing its job.

at this point pressure ableton to release 6.0 as soon as poosible

Angstrom · Post by **Angstrom** » Thu Mar 16, 2006 4:31 pm

no, not really.

I think the only thing that will help is for Apple to give back the option to manually control speedstep.

my PC laptop came 'configured for music' which essentially means with speedstep switched to 'manual'. It just burns all the power until it is gone.

it is a centrino single core, as I understand the macbooks are essentialy centrino 2.0 dual core (different name - just the next version).
my single scores 27% on the L5 test with speedstep off, because I can turn it off. I imagine that anyone with a PC dualcore will turn off speedstep and get very similar results (because live doesnt use the second core much)

When L6 comes out and both macbook and dualcore PC laptops use both cores the PC users will again turn off speedstep and probably see results of around %18 CPU .

If Apple dont re-incorporate a manual control over speedstep the Apple result will be higher, because despite L6's use of both cores - the speedstep switching issue will remain the difference between the platforms.

AdamJay · Post by **AdamJay** » Thu Mar 16, 2006 6:01 pm

Digi V wrote: at this point pressure ableton to release 6.0 as soon as poosible

no way!
gotta get through the 5.2 beta process first.
and i don't want to see Live 6 rushed out, thats asking for far more problems than the speedstep issue.

i'm sure we'll be able to get a script or hack working in the next week or two...

Digi V · Post by **Digi V** » Thu Mar 16, 2006 6:58 pm

Angstrom wrote:no, not really.

I think the only thing that will help is for Apple to give back the option to manually control speedstep.

my PC laptop came 'configured for music' which essentially means with speedstep switched to 'manual'. It just burns all the power until it is gone.

it is a centrino single core, as I understand the macbooks are essentialy centrino 2.0 dual core (different name - just the next version).
my single scores 27% on the L5 test with speedstep off, because I can turn it off. I imagine that anyone with a PC dualcore will turn off speedstep and get very similar results (because live doesnt use the second core much)

When L6 comes out and both macbook and dualcore PC laptops use both cores the PC users will again turn off speedstep and probably see results of around %18 CPU .

If Apple dont re-incorporate a manual control over speedstep the Apple result will be higher, because despite L6's use of both cores - the speedstep switching issue will remain the difference between the platforms.

well i dont know if the intel duel core for windows will have the manual switch or not, you gotta ask someone.

regardless the bottom line is the step function is supposed to kick in when needed, so if ableton needs it and the step function is working like it should it wont matter what percentage you are getting.

adamjay- i know i know, i was just kidding.

Angstrom · Post by **Angstrom** » Thu Mar 16, 2006 7:51 pm

Digi V , I think you are misunderstanding.

Speedstep is an integral part of Intel and Xp supports it natively.
The Speedstep used by OSX that switches automatically and aggressively is called "Enhanced Speedstep"

* All P4 - M's [1.4Ghz- 2.4Ghz] have Enhanced speedstep; (IE old !)
* Enhanced speedstep is available on PIII -M's 700+ Mhz. [based on .13 µ process technology] (IE very old!!)

So my current laptop has 'enhanced speedstep', the same as on the new dualcore. There isn't a difference in the implementation for us PC types you see. For us it's the same connection between Xp and Intel chip as ever. no change. nothing different. not new.

so we dont really need to wait to find out as my single core already has "enhanced speedstep" and an intel cpu running under XP. Its not a new version of speedstep or a new implementation by intel for dualcore, it is the same version they have been using for years.

Digi V · Post by **Digi V** » Thu Mar 16, 2006 11:29 pm

ok so whats your point?

it was apples choice not to give us the option?

i dont think i misunderstood anything, i was just under the impression it was new algorythms developed by intel to increase battery life etc.

glitchrock-buddha · Post by **glitchrock-buddha** » Fri Mar 17, 2006 12:19 am

Digi V wrote:ok so whats your point?

it was apples choice not to give us the option?

i dont think i misunderstood anything, i was just under the impression it was new algorythms developed by intel to increase battery life etc.

But as AdamJay said, the last rev of the 1.67ghz Powerbooks also had the power settings removed, so it wasn't a new intel thing. It was an apple decision.

So for now, the best solution looks like just opening something in the background. Once reason is ported, or better yet, reaktor, it may be a good combo to have something like that going aswell, independently, hopefully using the other cpu, but still being useful for music being made.

Anybody with friends in high places at apple? Give'em an earfull wouldga...

grb