Is it time for a new computer?

[Anonymous]

Hi folks,

My 211MB model is running pretty slowly on my machine, and I'm wondering if its my computer or my file.

The file contains around 150,000 polygons. There are lots of SEO, custom profiles, and attributes. There are 60 layouts. And doubtlessly, there are some intersections that are not perfect.

My vintage 2010 computer is accurately listed below. I made a copy of the file and put it locally on my machine as a way of testing my server speed, but saw no change in performance.

Suggestions?

[Richard Morrison]

If cost is an issue, you might try upgrading your graphics card, which is pretty marginal as cards go these days, and maybe add an SSD before you spend the money on a new system.

[Erwin Edel]

While not ideal, you can try making a separate PLN for those 60 layouts.

I've done this in the past to make files a bit more easy to handle. I would publish the linked views to PMK and link those PMK files to your layouts. This makes the update of the layouts very fast, only downside is you no longer have a live connection to the model, but I find that I generally only print/save out layouts when I need to send them out, so hitting publish PMK button when work is done is fine.

You mention working on OSX, I suppose you are working on an old mac pro? It should be possible to upgrade the GPU and install a SSD as Richard suggested.

Here's a list of GPU that 'should' work with the latest versions of OSX. If you are running and older version of OSX (for some good reason?) you might end up having to pay premium for a new old stock sort of GPU that would work with your Mac pro and the older version of OSX.

https://www.tonymacx86.com/buyersguide/september/2016#Graphics_Cards

[Karl Ottenstein]

Since you say there are lots of SEOps, I would guess that could be the issue, but it would be hard for any of us to know without looking at the file or more info.

My Mac Pro is older than yours (specs in signature) and seems zippy enough to me... but I haven't worked on a file as large as yours. My SSD definitely makes a difference.

What operations feel slow to you, Nathan? Every kind of view? I wouldn't look at upgrading the graphics card unless you're talking about 3D navigation speed - as the graphics card isn't used for much else in AC.

Karl

[Karl Ottenstein]

PS See if this thread has any info that relates to your project:

http://archicad-talk.graphisoft.com/viewtopic.php?t=43046

[Erwin Edel]

I stumbled on this gem of a post yesterday http://forums.macrumors.com/threads/archicad-for-imac-27.1971734/ between discussions of Czech beer (also a good subject), there is some very good detailed advice of tweaking your mac for optimal performance. Maybe some of the tips will help you get some more use out of the old mac pro.

[Jacques Toerien]

Nathan wrote:
Hi folks,

My 211MB model is running pretty slowly on my machine, and I'm wondering if its my computer or my file.

My vintage 2010 computer is accurately listed below. I made a copy of the file and put it locally on my machine as a way of testing my server speed, but saw no change in performance.

Suggestions?

I know this is a slightly older thread, but these Mac Pros have a really fantastic upgrade path.

Firstly, you can upgrade all the way to dual 3.42Ghz six core xeon's. These are available from eBay, some even offer a service where you send your CPU daughter card in and they send you back the upgraded board. I have dual 2.93ghx six core xeon's and don't have any speed issues.

Secondly, pop a SSD in that baby. You can either connect one straight to the second SATA port in the DVD tray area, or buy a £15 adapter drive tray and install it that way. It won't make working in your model faster but is will significantly reduce disk access speed.

Thirdly, RAM, RAM and more RAM. The DDR3 ram for these machines is cheap, really cheap. I paid £12 each for 8Gb sticks on eBay, you could probably get them slightly cheaper now. Get 32Gb for peace of mind, more if you can. Make sure you buy matching speed sticks and also ECC registered.

Fourthly, GPU. Keep your ATI card for updates and buy a nVidia GTX 980. You can run this card in your machine with the drivers supplied by nvidia from their website. Do not buy a 10*0 series card as these do not have supported drivers. You don't even need to flash your card. Granted, you won't see the boot screen but with an SSD you'll probably only see it for 5 secs in anycase. I have a flashed GTX 680 and a plain GTX 970 and to be honest, there isn't much difference in ArchiCAD or other apps for that matter. It will only start to show in games and where you are relying on CUDA / OpenCL.

You should be good for another 2-3 years then for much less than the price of a new machine.

[Karl Ottenstein]

All of these hardware upgrade tips are very useful... but anyone experiencing slow model performance should first check that it isn't an issue with the model itself, which faster hardware will only improve slightly.

Between BMat intersections, curves=polygons in complex profiles/morphs, solid element ops, etc - you should really check to see if there is a model issue first before jumping to a hardware 'solution', Nathan. If doing the work to track down the model issues seems too time consuming, borrow someone else's high powered machine to see if it makes enough difference... if not, dig into the model.

That said, I agree with Jacques and Edwin that if you DO need more horsepower, then an upgrade to your 2010 Mac Pro would likely be the most cost effective thing - particularly SSD and memory - if you do the (simple) labor yourself.