As I understand it, in Mac OS X, the kernel handles what gets sent to the processors, not the application per se. Now, if an application has only one thread of data it's working with, that data can't be split up among processors, so the application only uses one processor at a time. If an application is multi-threaded, the kernel can choose one processor or the other or both to do the work for each of those threads, split up the work as it sees fit.
I'm not sure which applications are left in OS X that aren't multi-threaded. I think QT still runs in one thread, the Finder is always a suspect, though I thought they changed that in Jaguar, and I don't know about the iApps.
As I understand it, in Mac OS X, the kernel handles what gets sent to the processors, not the application per se. Now, if an application has only one thread of data it's working with, that data can't be split up among processors, so the application only uses one processor at a time. If an application is multi-threaded, the kernel can choose one processor or the other or both to do the work for each of those threads, split up the work as it sees fit.
I'm not sure which applications are left in OS X that aren't multi-threaded. I think QT still runs in one thread, the Finder is always a suspect, though I thought they changed that in Jaguar, and I don't know about the iApps.
Non MP aware apps under OS X will have the process splitted into two processor but each process will never go higher than 50/50 (sometimes 60/40, 30/70)
All in all, Non MP aware apps under X is still "slow"
Adobe's app is very bad on MP. Photoshop never goes higher than 60/70. After Effects never goes higher than 55/60 (except when you are using 3rd plug-ins like Final Effects Completes which goes up to 80/80)
This is such a shame for Adobe since others (Discreet, Maxon, Newtek, Apple) can manage to get the cpu usage by up to 90/90. Maxon and Newtek even can manage to get their apps up to 100/100!
')
Comments
After Effects (same as PS)
Premiere (same as above)
Cinema 4D (very good)
Electric Image Universe (very good)
Media Cleaner (depending on which codec you are using, Sorenson 3 [must have Sorenson 3 PRO plug in installed] is very good on MP support)
Final Cut Pro (It's Apple's app it has to be good
iTunes (same as above)
iDVD (same as above)
DVD Studio Pro (same as above)
Discreet Combustion (very good)
Toast's MPEG compressor - for VCD stuff (okay)
Lightwave (very good)
Logic (very good)
Cubase (don't know how good it is)
Pro Tools 5 (don't know how good it is)
These are the apps I can think off at the moment....
What about iMovie? And with the Adobe apps (print collection mostly), you say they don't really take advantage of MP?
I'm trying to decide if I'll need a dual processor for a future purchase...
Oh, and how much will Panther utilize the 2nd processor?
I'm not sure which applications are left in OS X that aren't multi-threaded. I think QT still runs in one thread, the Finder is always a suspect, though I thought they changed that in Jaguar, and I don't know about the iApps.
Originally posted by BuonRotto
As I understand it, in Mac OS X, the kernel handles what gets sent to the processors, not the application per se. Now, if an application has only one thread of data it's working with, that data can't be split up among processors, so the application only uses one processor at a time. If an application is multi-threaded, the kernel can choose one processor or the other or both to do the work for each of those threads, split up the work as it sees fit.
I'm not sure which applications are left in OS X that aren't multi-threaded. I think QT still runs in one thread, the Finder is always a suspect, though I thought they changed that in Jaguar, and I don't know about the iApps.
Non MP aware apps under OS X will have the process splitted into two processor but each process will never go higher than 50/50 (sometimes 60/40, 30/70)
All in all, Non MP aware apps under X is still "slow"
Adobe's app is very bad on MP. Photoshop never goes higher than 60/70. After Effects never goes higher than 55/60 (except when you are using 3rd plug-ins like Final Effects Completes which goes up to 80/80)
This is such a shame for Adobe since others (Discreet, Maxon, Newtek, Apple) can manage to get the cpu usage by up to 90/90. Maxon and Newtek even can manage to get their apps up to 100/100!