PeteLabs: Batch processing on an 8-way

OK propellerhead alert!

Well, on my do do list over the next week or so is to thrash out a new HP Proliant DL585 with four dualcore Opterons (8 physical cores), 32GB of RAM and a STK FL380 SAN (12TB).

This got me thinking, as well as using the standard boring CPU and disk thrashing apps, why not do something interesting

So today I have NeatImage with me, and a pile of images, so first up is NeatImage on an 8 way!

Any ideas on what else I can throw at this box? Multi-thread application need only apply

I'd love to see what happens batch converting RAW files to JPG. I'd like to see it limited to one core (done in task manager), and also on 8 cores, to see if you get much of a speed-up.

While you're at it, help the genetic research:
http://genomeathome.st​anford.edu/

Thank yous!

Pete, this is all above me... but 32gig of RAM says heaps... wow! All I know about my computer is pulling it apart, then putting it back together again... which reminds me... I need to buy more RAM... It's the only way, at this point, and short of spending more $$$, in speeding up my current one.

You must tell us more about this new toy when we meet up with Tim in a couple of days...

Cheers!

Try redering with Adobe Premiere. Best way to run the CPU up with premiere is to make sure you have plenty of third party 3D stuff on your timeline. You could also try After Effects if you know how to use it. That can also use multiple CPUs etc.

What OS are you using? If you are using Windows 2003 Ent then you are maxing out your RAM... Cool

Hmmm some of those ideas I will try, but they will ahve to wait until next week now

Anyway today's test, 200 ISO1600 images from my 20D processed with NeatImage, first with only one CPU, then with multiple CPU's.
The single CPU job took 42 minutes 6 seconds to complete, here is a screen shot of the Task Manager:

Byte size: ZERO | Content warning: NOT AN IMAGE

Byte size: ZERO | Content warning: NOT AN IMAGE

Two aspects of this are fascinating. Everyone likes a lot of RAM, but I have never before seen so little RAM being used in a machine with so much available. From the figures showing RAM (Page File) and from the Available vs Total figures it looks like about 98% of the memory is available (unused).

The CPU performance is even more interesting. Way back in 1980 when Intel first introduced their iapx386 and iapx486 processors for people you wanted to experiment with them (at some unbelievably slow clock speeds) the software literature that accompanied the chip introduction was making a pitch about the kinds of performance boosts that would be realizable in the multi-processor environments. At that time, as I remember it, the figures were very consistent with what you are seeing here - roughly a 4X boost in performance at a cost of 8 processors.

I'd really like to see a RAW conversion test, just because I want to know if going to a dual core Athlon is worth what it'd cost! I know photoshop is multithreaded, i'm really wondering if bridge and it's batch processor are too. I suspect they are...

Good tests so far Pete, bring the machine along on Saturday!

FlyingPete wrote:
As you can see the eight cores help, but it is not eight times faster, in fact not even four times faster

Several years ago, the company I work for upgraded the main database server from 8 to 16 cpu's. We knew going into it that performance wouldn't double, but it did get much better. Pity that the multi-processor stuff doesn't really double performance, but it's a whole lot better with it than without

-- John

A lot of the multi core stuff also depends on what apps you are running on them.

Same holds true with MSSql at our shop; with SQL Enterprise totally re-worked to take full advantage of over 2 gigs of ram and more than 2 processors in a more efficient way; resulting in better performance.

Not sure what other apps are out there specifically designed for more than 2 or 4 processors...

One of the cores seems to be acting as the master thus becoming a bottleneck for others. It looks like other are on average 50-60% utalized while this one proc is pegged.

Pete,

Do Sigma make an 8 way opteron box. If they do I will buy one for sure!