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AFTEREFFECTS 6.5 PERFORMANCE ISSUES
Help we’ve got a big problem. We updated last year’s computer to a dual Xeon 3.2 ghz with 2 gigs of RAM. The old computer was P4 3.0 ghz with one gig of RAM. We ran a benchmark test against the old computer using a 30-second AfterEfects animation. In the old machine, using AfterEffects 5.0, the test ran at 12:43 seconds. On the new computer, using Aftereffects 6.5 it ran a measly 3-seconds faster. What gives? We went to the Adobe Knowledgebase and completed all the recommended procedures. It had no effect on performance. We have created a considerably faster machine with double the RAM and we are seeing almost no difference in performance. Can anybody help?
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2 Replies
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RAM doesn’t speed up a render, it just makes a render possible. Without the RAM, large images can crash a machine during the render. This is what the secret prefs are all about — purging the RAM during a render, by the way.
AE’s render times are affected by processor speed and sometimes disc speed, if you have a lot of footage and images to access during the render.
AE doesn’t really use both processors during a render unless you create two instances and render a still sequence with both instances.
Your performance gains due to RAM and the second processor relate more to multitasking while working, an ability to preview more frames through RAM and an ability to render larger images and projects without crashing … and of course, less likelihood of running out of RAM and swapping on disk while working.
So, in other words, you’re just comparing 3.2 GHz to 3.0 GHz. Sorry.
Steve
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I would just add to the facts Steve already pointed out that a benchmark test is only true if ALL other things are equal. If, for example, the two systems have different software installed and, therefore, different background processes and/or services running, that’ll skew your results. Sorry if you think I’m overstating the obvious, but I often hear people make unfair comparisons such as I’ve described.
For what it’s worth, you should at least be able to work in AE much faster even if you can’t render signifcantly faster. You might also consider using that old system for network rendering using GridIron.
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