Yup, this is a MacBook Pro, compared to a desktop card this mobile GPU seems pretty pokey. Each WU takes between 16 - 24 minutes, so I'll probably leave GPU crunching off when this goes to production but I want to produce good beta test data. Is that minitest looking at CPU or GPU load? It might have been affected by having VMWare Fusion open, etc.



You're right, Mac Pros are the only Macs that can take PCI video cards. I flashed an EFI firmware onto a stock ATI 6870 - see netkas.org for details - and it's running great under Mac OS. (And taking about 6 minutes a WU.)

Since the rest of the Mac line lacks PCI slots, I think external enclosed video cards connected via Thunderbolt are going to be more common in the future. For laptops they could even be integrated into the dock or monitor so that you get both portability when on the road and power at home.

-Steve

Yes there are 2 separate builds, but it does not matter which bits size client is installed, long as the OS is 64 bits. The client is just a process manager, the processing is done by the science and when that is available in 64 bits, that's what the client gets most of the times. There's a few exceptions in the distribution, e.g. there's a test if the host is faster with the 32 bit app [yes it can be]. Then the host gets 32 bits' send.

Are you guys using BOINC throttle, for that is the change in the very latest 7.0.4x... now GPGPU jobs are also throttled, but don't remember if that is through actually throttling the CPU supporting thread... it very likely is. The combo of options that would do this are:

1) Run GPU based on preferences (Activity menu)
2) Use at most x% of CPU time, (Local Preferences, Processor tab.)

A request is in to segregate these setting to make them explicit for CPU and GPU.

It would be nice if you guys could test 7.0.46 with a next Beta wave on GPU, just out, with some improvements and time accounting corrections and explicitly test with the throttle off and on, in case it's somehow related to the midrun failing/hanging.

http://boinc.berkeley.edu/dl/boinc_7.0.45_macOSX_i686.zip
http://boinc.berkeley.edu/dl/boinc_7.0.45_macOSX_SymbolTables.zip

(Always thought that OS-X was 64 bit, but the i686 extension suggests different, and as commented here, new to me, the OS has both kernels: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3200553?start=0&tstart=0 )

A short note from the dev said that .47 was in the works already, to include some cosmetics... will post when it's out.

N.B. Windows user should be watchful when jumping to these test releases, as some, including me, have seen the default setting getting ticked for Protected Application Execution [aka service]... GPGPU processing wont work with that install option on!

Don't know [maybe for debugging]. Just posted link to the 2 available Intel versions. Using Google, short discussion here in Macbacktrace section: http://archive-edu.com/edu/b/berkeley.edu/2012-11-06_593094_80/HarzPics_BOINC/

Just notice the links are to the .45 zips. Seeing .47 is out for Windows, expect the Mac version to follow on heels. Just change the .45 to .47, but as said, I'll post when out.