Is my iMac the problem?

[jbArch]

Hi,
I'm running AC17 on this iMac:
IMac 24" 2.93 GHz Core2Duo, 4GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce GT 120 256MB

I've been getting some nasty crashes, (actually not AC crashing, it is the whole computer seizing up, screen flickering and totally unresponsive), typically when I'm trying to edit the model in the 3D window, or sometimes if I just try to view it in 3D. Typically I'm using OpenGL, and I've determined that I can minimize the frequency of this problem if I uncheck "textures" in AC's OpenGL settings.

But I'm a little bit surprised that this machine needs that kind of help just to view & edit my small projects. Is this hardware simply too old for the current version of AC? It is worth noting that I used the migration assistant to bring my files and several versions of AC over from an older MacBook Pro. At the time, I did not know about this warning from ArchiCAD Wiki:
http://archicadwiki.com/OsxMavericks#Known_issues

Transferring data between computers with Apple's Migration Assistant

/!\ Warning: Transferring user data to another computer via Apple's Migration Assistant to another computer with a newer OS X version (i.e. Computer A running OSX Mountain Lion 10.8 to Computer B running OS X Mavericks 10.9) is not advised and may result in corruption of ArchiCAD and BIM Server software.

The recommendation is that you first back-up your project files and Teamwork data, then uninstall any GRAPHISOFT software from the original computer, perform the Operating System migration, then re-install GRAPHISOFT software on the new computer. Failing to do so may result in you having to fully re-install your operating system on the new computer and install all programs from scratch along with user data.

Reinstalling AC solved some problems that I had initially after migrating to this machine, but I'm beginning to wonder if I should just start with a clean install of the system on this iMac?

Would appreciate any insight since I'm on the verge of buying a new mac just to end this frustration with AC performance.

Cheers!

[Karl Ottenstein]

Your old iMac has the bare minimum requirements. I'm not surprised that you're having issues with only 4gb ram and the gt120 card with only 256 VRAM. While you can add more memory to your imac, unfortunately the graphics card cannot be updated.

If absolutely nothing else is running, are things any better? (Press cmd-tab to see what else is running... Closed windows do not mean closed programs. Also, if you have multiple desktops enabled, disable them. If you have en external monitor connected, disconnect it. Test again to see if AC 17 alone with no extra graphics demand will work.)

[jbArch]

Thanks Karl. Yeah the performance is slightly better if I close lots of apps, but generally I'm only running AC and Mail, maybe Preview & Firefox on occasion.

But I think the graphics is a bigger problem than the memory/apps. Strange that we didn't have this problem in older versions of AC.

It's too bad OpenGL is the only way to get quick model navigation since most of the Mac graphics cards don't seem optimized for OpenGL. Any advice for choosing a newer mac? Unfortunately we end up using all-in-one solutions like the iMac and MacBook Pro, which limits graphics card choices.

[jbArch]

Karl,
Just for kicks I downloaded the "Graphics Card Test" file from this link:
http://www.archicadwiki.com/VideoCardsForArchiCAD17#Video_Card_Tests_Including_3D_Speed

The iMac with 256MB video card seems to work just fine with this file, and the model is far more complex than what we use on a daily basis. Wondering now if my problems stem from using files that have old materials, etc. from pre- AC17. Any known bugs in this realm, or good ways to test for this?

cheers,
JB

[Eduardo Rolon]

Thinking out loud.

When AC17 came out I had a model that would really slow down my MBP reason was the way I modeled site plans prior to PBC. I was using Slab as SEO's with meshes. Turning PBC's on in 17 caused that those slabs started to intersect with the model and caused the slowdown or possibly in your case the crash. The solution in that case was to put those slabs in a layer with a different Layer Number.

To test turn the "Legacy Option" for PBC in the protect settings and see if it crashes.

Reference post
http://archicad-talk.graphisoft.com/viewtopic.php?t=43046&start=0