Hi Folks,
I'm a newbe to the new MacPro. I have a 12 core (24 thread) system but it is only using 4 cores. I receive the message "Waiting for shared memory" How do I employ all cores? I am trying to stress test the system with Seti.
Thanks,
SD
Mac OS X (10.5.6)
Thanks IIIaass,
I've been on Seti since 2000. I have all the Seti setting optimized, that particular setting is set to 24.
Although BOINC manager shows only 8 tasks, the Mac cpu tracks 3 threads per task (3x8 = 24). However, the Mac is switching between threads so that only one thread is active at a time based on a CPU Monitor I have.
So, if this is really what's happening, then 24 threads are not simultaniously being used. On my 4 CPU mac (2007) 8 threads are used, each for one task. I would expect this puppy to be using 24 threads each for one task.
A second issue - the machine shuts down after a few minutes, probably a heat issue. Maybe I should start a separate post on that topic.
Thanks,
Shane
The Activity Monitor shows the 8 tasks each using 3 threads (and 100%). On my Thinkpad I have dual quad and it shows 8 tasks using one thread each, which is correct.
I only have 16 GB of RAM on the mac pro, but I'm not sure if bumping this up would have any effect.
Thanks for all feedback.
Are you really still using 10.5.6? if so, an Upgrade to 10.6 would improve task Utilization:
Grand Central Dispatch (GCD) is a technology developed by Apple Inc. to optimize application support for systems with multi-core processors and other symmetric multiprocessing systems.[2] It is an implementation of task parallelism based on the thread pool pattern. It was first released with Mac OS X 10.6, and is also available with iOS 4 and above.
12 core / 24 thread = 2009 and above, no 12 core before then, no HT w/o Nehalem or later.
GCD sounds nice on paper but I think it does not or didn't when I looked at it, live up to the marketing and against others. Multi-thread multi-tasked of course is as old as running CICS on a 360 with 10 or 1000 dumb terminals.
4-socket 256 core systems and OS to handle that are not Macs and Apple server farms use a lot of HP and others. Why Apple exited the idea of Xserve and other areas. \
To me it seems not normal. In most cases all cores and threads moves. I have 16 GB RAM and I do not think increasing that should male any difference. I am in Video editing and FCPX and that is enough for my projects.
It sounds like I will need to take this into the apple store, unfortunately, I'm out of town for 9 days, and am not carrying my new mac around :-)
Just to clarify, based on some of the responses, this is a brand new Mac Pro (the tube), so it has the latest OS installed.
What it appears to be doing is using three threads for each task and in each case running one thread at max (100%), then switching to another thread. I installed a CPU monitor which displays exactly that. It just keeps cycling thru three thread for each task, in effect each thead is working 33% of the time at 100% on one task. I see indicators in the CPU monitor for all 24 threads, but only 8 are active at one time, and those eight keep changing, changing on a second to second basis.
Thanks again for everyones input!
Taking advantage of all available processors in a multiple-processor system is a classic Unsolved Problem in computer science.
The best way we have of doing this today is by hand-coding software for many processors or many tasks, and hoping that with many actual processors available, we will get good utilization.
A trip to the genius bar will not solve this problem. A PhD in Computer Science will not solve this problem either.
@Grant,
? Doesn't seem to be any problem with the dual-quad on my Thinkpad - in fact it uses all 8 CPU's and 2 GPU at 100% full time, if I let it. Since this works for up to 10 threads on the above machine, are you saying that computer scientists have solved the problem for up to 10 threads but not anything above that?
It sounds like you are saying that the Mac Pro can't use more than 4 cores (8 threads) at once and that limitation is either in the OS, the program being run or in the Intel chip?
Wonder if its possible to run multiple instances of the software and trick the system into preforming as desired?
I think you are right Grant. I almost only use FCPX, Motion and Compressor on my computer. Those applications are specially optimized for the nMP in mind so I always se the use of all my cores and threads.
How much memory do you have?
What app (s) are you running?
I have 16Gb but can upgrade if necessary.
I am burning in the mac using Seti
Go to the Seti at hme site. Log into your account and the go to preferences. Go to processor usage. By "On multiprocessors, use at most" how may processors are specified?
Try utility called "SystemLoad" which load 100% of CPU usage.
If you do some heavy work what does activity monitor show. I have 6 core and when encoding in Compressor. 12 columns goes almost to the top. Light work sometimes all, sometimes a few.
How to fully use all CPUs?
