[Chimera-users] OS X aqua version

[Thomas Goddard]

Hi Glenn,

   Your benchmark numbers on the MacBook with Intel GMA950 graphics 
suggest molecule display is 2-3x slower with Aqua Chimera vs X11 
Chimera.  But it appears you are using an older X11 Chimera because the 
ribbon benchmark frame rate is 73 which is too high to be right and 
older X11 Chimera versions gave incorrect high ribbon frame rates.  I 
changed the benchmark code recently because the older Chimera versions 
gave inflated frame rates because they did not actually draw to the 
screen.  If you tested the current X11 snapshot you will get smaller 
frame rates reported although actual performance has not changed.

   On your iMac with Radeon HD2600 graphics the Aqua version appears to 
be about 2x faster than the X11 version.  That is unexpected too.  I 
don't know why the Aqua and X11 OpenGL performance is so different on 
the machines you tested.

	Tom

glenn millhauser wrote:
> Hi Tom and Eric,
>   I ran the benchmarks on my macbook and sent the results to Help (and 
> included below).  From my untrained eye, it looks as though there are 
> performance differences.  From the user perspective, as I noted in the 
> previous email, rotating the molecule in the aqua version using the 
> laptop feels jerky.  However, I also did benchmarks on my imac, fairly 
> new one with intel dual 2.8 GHz processors, and they are much closer to 
> each other.  These were also forwarded through Help.
>    I did not have the Model Panel open.
> Hope this helps.
> all the best,
> g
> 
> 
> 
> macbook dual intel gma950 graphics
> 
> aqua
> Molecule 1f4h (33805 atoms):
> Null Wire Stick BStick Ribbon Sphere Ops
> 32.5 14.0 3.0 2.8 9.8 1.5 27.8
> 
> X11
> 1F4H (33805):
> 141.0 56.0 5.0 5.0 73.0 3.0 31.0
> 
> 
> 
> iMac  dual intel ATI,RadeonHD2600 graphics
> 
> aqua
> Molecule 1f4h (33805 atoms):
> Null Wire Stick BStick Ribbon Sphere Ops
> 60.5 60.2 5.5 5.5 15.4 8.6 36.3
> 
> X11
> 1F4H (33805):
> 8.0 102.0 3.0 3.0 8.0 4.0 39.0
> 
> 
> 
> On Jun 2, 2008, at 11:29 AM, Thomas Goddard wrote:
> 
>> Hi Glenn,
>>
>>  I compared the molecule rendering speed with Mac X11 and Mac Aqua 
>> Chimera snapshots (version 1.2524) and found them to be the same on an 
>> Intel Mac PowerBook with Radeon X1600 graphics and on a Power Mac G5 
>> with Radeon ATI 9800 pro graphics.  Here are scores for the G5 system
>>
>> Aqua
>> Molecule 1f4h (33805 atoms):
>> Null Wire Stick BStick Ribbon Sphere Ops
>> 59.8 59.8 3.4 3.7 11.1 6.0 13.4
>>
>> X11
>> Molecule 1f4h (33805 atoms):
>> Null Wire Stick BStick Ribbon Sphere Ops
>> 70.8 86.3 3.4 3.7 9.4 5.9 14.9
>>
>> (The aqua values are clamped to my display refresh of 60 Hz.)  You 
>> could try this on your system using Tools / Utilities / Benchmark. 
>>  You can click the "Show individual test controls" checkbutton and 
>> press the "Molecule" button to just run the molecule tests.
>>
>>  If the numbers do come out much different for X11 versus Aqua could 
>> you use Help / Report A Bug... to send us the numbers?  Using that 
>> dialog will send us the technical specs for your graphics.
>>
>> Tom
>>
>>
> 
> 
> 
> Glenn L. Millhauser
> 
> Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry
> 
> UC Santa Cruz
> 
> Santa Cruz, CA 95064