Highly erractic import speed (minutes to hours for same size)

Have you checked the Activity Monitor for memory allocation and usage? Specifically, have you watched the allocation of RAM to Inactive?

Ernie

This looks exactly like something I have witnessed, but not everytime. It appears to me that the OS will not surrender memory that has been used by Aperture on successive images, but rather keeps it as Inactive. So despite there being only 61 MB of Free, it protects the 3.9 GB in Inactive in case Aperture might want to reopen some of the files already processed. I have seen this rarely during Import, but I have seen it. It is more often seen during sessions of adjusting numerous images, and has been particularly pronounced with the very large image files from my Nikon D800.

I am told that OSX is the keeper of this memory allocation, and that it probably is not really Aperture, but I am not yet convinced.

You might try opening another intensive app, such as Photoshop or a video editor, and then quickly shut it back down. That might trigger a reallocation of the Inactive, but can't fully predict.

You could stop the Import, Quit Aperture, Restart the Mac, and relaunch Aperture -- it should remember which images have not yet been downloaded, and pick back up where it left off.

Ernie

I have had a similar issue twice. Once I found when I upgraded my camera my card reader became almost unusable because it was so slow. New card reader fixed back. The other time was the card reader was plugged into a USB hub and that made for painfully slow uploads from the card.

Just some possibilities to check good luck.

Maybe I missed something in your earlier posts but I don't see where you have done any Aperture maintenance or system maintenance. That would actually be where I would start. Repair permissions on the operating system and also on aperture. For aperture remember hold down command and option when launching the program and it will give you the repair options for aperture. I would start with repair permissions then repaired database and if that doesn't help prepare library. I've got to say that when I did repair disk on my system even though there was no reported problems things seem to run better.

Just some thoughts,

Craig

• How are you connected? USB 2 will do what you describe because it is a very poor way to move batch data. Other devices on the bus can often slow transfer rates dramatically.

• I can overload 8 GB RAM with my Aperture/Photoshop workflow (2011 SSD MBP). Regarding RAM usage ignore all the cutesy graphics telling what "free RAM," etc. allegedly are.

Instead manually check page outs:

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You can evaluate whether or not you have adequate RAM by looking at the Page Outs number under System Memory on the Activity Monitor app before starting a typical work session; recheck after working and if the page outs change (manual calculation of ending page outs number minus starting page outs number) is not zero your workflow is RAM-starved. Ignore page ins, the pie charts and other info in Activity Monitor.

If your test shows that page outs increase at all during operation it is affecting performance. You can

• add RAM as feasible

• restart with some frequency if you suspect memory leaks (common especially with less-than-top-quality applications)

• and/or simply try to run only one app at a time, for sure diligently closing unneeded apps like browsers

• and/or switch 64-bit operation to 32-bit operation (which will make some additional RAM space available). Note that your Mac may already default to 32-bit. See Switching Kernels:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4287

Note that RAM is cheap and heavy apps' usage of more RAM is a good thing. Photoshop for instance has been able to under OS X take advantage of up to at least 32 GB RAM for years.

HTH

-Allen Wicks

Allen,

When this has happened to me during Import (rare as I said) it has been with a Firewire 800 card reader.

I don't think the graphics showing build up of Inactive memory can be ignored, as it has been a far superior indicator of where the trouble lies with other major sluggishness while using Aperture, even without pageins, pageouts.

Ernie

I used to use a FireWire 800 card reader but had almost your exact problem. I totally forgot about it Intel you mentioned it. I went over to a USB 2 UDMA card reader and everything flies.

Normally the FW reader flies, especially with the Sandisk Extreme card I bought for my D800, as do the Lexar UDMA cards. However, the Sandisk Extreme, 32 GB SCHD card really flies in a simple Promaster USB drive I use with it whenever importing stills. But I mainly use the SC card for the video I shoot on the D800, and the CF card for the stills. Video is never quick, but so far has not impacted memory usage. For that, it appears the succession of many separate files is key.

The Firewire bus can easily become corrupt, and thus I never leave FW drives attached unless they are really in use.

Ernie

Ernie Stamper wrote:

I don't think the graphics showing build up of Inactive memory can be ignored, as it has been a far superior indicator of where the trouble lies with other major sluggishness while using Aperture, even without pageins, pageouts.

Ernie-

My understanding is that page outs are where slowdown occurs. If "build up of Inactive memory" is occuring it is still not a problem until page outs occur (but I expect that in practice build up of Inactive memory immediately leads to page outs anyway, so we are not really in disagreement). Measure page outs and ignore what the rest (including page ins) may or may not seem to be saying.

If manually measured page outs exceed zero during work then one needs more RAM or a different workflow.

-Allen