<HTML><BODY style="word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; -khtml-line-break: after-white-space; ">Hi Grant,<DIV> It's not exactly what you want, but there is a page that benchmarks Chimera on various graphics cards: <A href="http://www.cgl.ucsf.edu/chimera/benchmarks.html">http://www.cgl.ucsf.edu/chimera/benchmarks.html</A> . The 'Surface' column of the table in particular is directly related to how fast Chimera will draw surfaces and ball-and-stick. Later this summer we will have a more detailed benchmark page with precisely what you want: performance based on system size -- but we don't have that yet. If you have access to any of the graphics cards you are considering, you can run the benchmark yourself -- it's in the Utilities category.</DIV><DIV> I have a few tips for squeezing performance out for larger systems:</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>1) Use flat ribbons to depict the bulk of the system. Show atoms only for the parts you are examining in detail.</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>2) Show the surface only on the parts you are examining in detail. If you are using surfaces to get an idea of the overall shape of the molecule, try to use the low-resolution surfaces that Multiscale generates rather than the default high-detail molecular surfaces.</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>3) If you are using ball-and-stick because of visibility problems with wireframe rendering, try increasing the thickness of lines (which is under Actions->Atoms/Bonds).</DIV><DIV><BR><DIV> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="5" style="font: 16.0px Helvetica"><SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>Eric Pettersen</FONT></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="5" style="font: 16.0px Helvetica"><SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>UCSF Computer Graphics Lab</FONT></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="5" style="font: 16.0px Helvetica"><SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN><A href="mailto:pett@cgl.ucsf.edu">pett@cgl.ucsf.edu</A></FONT></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="5" style="font: 16.0px Helvetica"><SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN><A href="http://www.cgl.ucsf.edu">http://www.cgl.ucsf.edu</A></FONT></P> <BR class="Apple-interchange-newline"> </DIV><BR><DIV><DIV>On Jul 13, 2005, at 4:52 AM, Grant Jacobs wrote:</DIV><BR class="Apple-interchange-newline"><BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Forgive me for asking a silly question, but can people here recommend what current GPUs are able to present large molecular systems in Chimera with smooth rendering of a surface or ball&stick rendering, without "jumping" on rotations, etc.<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>By large complexes, I mean the likes of the various multi-protein complexes; photosytem complexes, the ribosome and the like.</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">I'm currently reviewing GPUs for a system upgrade, but its fiendishly hard to translate the marketing information into something practical! (I'm sure everyone is familiar with that particular problem...) In particular, I would like to aim at a system where I avoid having to "trim" large complexes to a workable size (I'm aware there are RAM issues with this).</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Currently I'm looking at a Linux-based solution, but would consider a G5 (Apple), if its capable.</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Anyone's comments on their own experience would be appreciated.</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">It'd be lovely if there were a rotation speed vs. number of atoms vs. graphics card plot!<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>Somehow I doubt there is... :-)</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Grant</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">--<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">-------------------------------------------------------------------</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Grant Jacobs Ph.D. <SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>BioinfoTools</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">ph. +64 3 478 0095<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>(office, after 10am) <SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>PO Box 6129,</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">or<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>+64 27 601 5917 (mobile) <SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>Dunedin,</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><A href="mailto:gjacobs@bioinfotools.com">gjacobs@bioinfotools.com</A> <SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>NEW ZEALAND.</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>Bioinformatics tools: deriving knowledge from biological data</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Bioinformatics tools - software development - consulting - training</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Check out the website for more details: <A href="http://www.bioinfotools.com">http://www.bioinfotools.com</A></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">The information contained in this mail message is<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>confidential and</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">may be legally privileged.<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>Readers of this message who are not the</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">intended recipient are hereby notified that any use, dissemination,</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">distribution or reproduction of this message is prohibited.<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>If you</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">have received this message in error please notify the sender immed-</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">iately and destroy the original message.<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>This applies also to<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>any</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">attached documents.</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">_______________________________________________</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Chimera-users mailing list</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><A href="mailto:Chimera-users@cgl.ucsf.edu">Chimera-users@cgl.ucsf.edu</A></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><A href="http://www.cgl.ucsf.edu/mailman/listinfo/chimera-users">http://www.cgl.ucsf.edu/mailman/listinfo/chimera-users</A></DIV> <BR class="Apple-interchange-newline"></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV><BR></DIV></BODY></HTML>