CS 4 Slow performance

[Adolfo Rozenfeld]

It is a Mac Pro, right? There’s no 8-core G5 🙂

Assuming you have “Render Multiple Frames Simultaneously” turned on in Preferences > Memory and Multiprocessing, I’d start by setting “CPUs to leave for other applications” in the same tab to 4. You need at least 2 GB per core for this feature to do any good. Since you don’t have enough RAM to feed all 8 cores, I would start by trying with 4, to be on the safe side (HD Comps, large image sizes and high-bit depth projects may require even more memory than stated above).

Adolfo Rozenfeld · Adobe

[Andreas Lupp]

Oh and when I try to make a movie the entire program freezes up everytime.

[Andreas Lupp]

Thanks for that. The program is still performing very inconsistently but faster. It keeps crashing now, especially when I try and make a movie. Could this have something to do with my RAM setup? Would you recommend I upgrade all my RAM to 2GB cards?

By the way, big compliment to you guys at Adobe, CS4 kicks ass!!!

[Adolfo Rozenfeld]

Sorry to hear about these problems.
I don’t think having all 2 GB DIMMs should make a difference.
But you could have a faulty DIMM. Those things happen.

You can try this – Remove half of the RAM (keeping the symmetric scheme you’re using). Does it hang or crash? If no, remove this half and put on the other half. Does it hang? If yes, you know the problem is in this second batch. So you can isolate it by narrowing it that way.

It can of course be something else. It’s so hard to diagnose these things remotely 🙂

Adolfo Rozenfeld · Adobe

[Kevin Camp]

i do think that you have a ram configuration problem. ram on each riser should be installed in matched pairs — not just ram of the same size, but it will be from the same vendor and have the same type of chips on them, they should be sold as ‘matched pairs’ from the vendor.

additionally, you’ll get a bit of extra performance if you install the same size ram modules in the respective slots on the other riser. so if you have 2x2gb matched pairs in slots 1 & 2 on riser A, then you can get better performance if you installed 2x2gb matched pairs in slots 1 & 2 on riser B.

with the ram config you showed, you might be better of with a configuration like this:

riser a:
-slot1: 1gb
-slot2: 1gb (must match module in slot1)
-slot3: 2gb
-slot4: 2gb (must match module in slot3)

riser b:
-slot1: 1gb
-slot2: 1gb (must match module in slot1)
-slot3: 2gb
-slot4: empty

if you have 1 extra 1gb module and it matches the one that i am omitting, you could install that matched pair of 1gb modules in riser b/slots 3 & 4, but i don’t think you should mix a 2gb & 1gb module in any matched slots (slots 1 & 2 or 3 & 4 on either riser).

if you had a matched pair of 2gb modules rather than the solo 3rd 2gb module, then i would put all the 2gb sticks in slots 1 & 2 on each riser and 4 of the 1gb sticks in slots 3 & 4 on each riser.

Kevin Camp
Senior Designer
KCPQ, KMYQ & KRCW

[Brian Tario]

You may or may not have faulty RAM, but I’m unable to use CS4 due to it’s inability to RAM preview in realtime. I have eight 2 GB DIMMs in an 8 core box and I can only get 8 fps. Swapping RAM DIMMs is an effective way to test long-term, but it’s also extremely time-consuming considering RAM problems can be intermittent depending on how the program is accessing it.

Is there a faster way to test DIMMs?

[Kevin Camp]

try the apple hardware test. it’s on the osx install disc. instructions to run the test are printed on the disc. once loaded run the extensive test to fully test the ram.

if you have the latest 8-core macpro with the i7 cpus, in theory, you should get better performance with only the first 6 slots due to triple channel interleaving. however, i’ve only seen this in testing and not in real-world applications.

here’s a link that talks about the 2009 macpro ram:

https://www.barefeats.com/nehal02.html

Kevin Camp
Senior Designer
KCPQ, KMYQ & KRCW

[Kevin Camp]

to andreas,

when i gave you ram configs in my eariler post, i was assuming you did not have a 2009 macpro.

if you do, then the ram config may be different and i think there is a link to an apple tech note in the barefeats link that i posted regarding installing ram in a 2009 macrpo.

since you have 8 slots you would look on page 56 for the basic config. there is also a config tool that you can run for these macs in /System/Library/CoreServices/Memory Slot Utility to see if you have the ram configured correctly.

Kevin Camp
Senior Designer
KCPQ, KMYQ & KRCW

[Brian Tario]

I’ve been told by some tech folks the Apple Hardware Test is not entirely reliable for full RAM testing. But hey, it’s a computer, who knows. Here’s another idea – Andreas, do you have the AJA plug-ins for CS4 installed? Here’s what I just posted as the resolution of my nightmare:

Wow! I’m still stunned, but apparently my problem is fixed. I just uninstalled the AJA Plug-ins for CS4 and poof, I’m able to RAM preview at 29.97 fps in realtime on a 1080 comp (low complexity). I’m getting video preview through my Kona LHe to my broadcast monitor, mirrored on the desktop. The whole enchilada, as it normally should be.

Thanks to AJA for another excellent tech support experience! Apparently the plug-ins for everything in the CS4 suite EXCEPT After Effects work fine. The AE plug-in is a bit “touchy”. I can’t tell you how happy I am that this is apparently over. I’m also cross-posting this in my original thread on CS3 performing better than CS4. Thanks!