Mac stress testing

[dusanv]

Anyone know of any apps to stress test the CPUs/memory?

I'm thinking of booting and trying the memtest86 but I can't see the temperatures in there...

 

[livingfortoday]

You can run the hardware test that came on the original discs with your Mac, that should test it out pretty well. Past that, I tend to just run folding to test the CPU, as it uses it 100%.

 

[mad jew]

Folding's a good idea. I also find converting files strains the CPU. For example, convert a DVD to an AVI, or convert an audio CD to MP3s. 🙂

 

[orangezorki]

I'd try BOINC - and then run SETI@home, or rosetta@home if you actually want to do something useful.

David

 

[Cromulent]

If you use Bootcamp you can always use the PC benchmarking utilities, although obviously the data they provide won't help you with OS X performance.

 

[840quadra]

I'd try BOINC - and then run SETI@home, or rosetta@home if you actually want to do something useful.

David

Is that a light slam directed at those of us who fold ?

Folding @ Home will use CPU clock cycles like the two you have listed, and I would recommend using an application that does what mad jew suggests at the same time as your folding process.

Running the 2 will require the system to balance multiple high CPU users, while also dedicating memory, and memory bandwidth to these applications, without effecting the kernel.

 

[livingfortoday]

Folding's a good idea. I also find converting files strains the CPU. For example, convert a DVD to an AVI, or convert an audio CD to MP3s. 🙂

Handbrake is a good program to do this, and uses 100% of the CPU. It's also Universal now, which I don't believe the folding clients are. BOINC is universal.

 

[Eidorian]

yes > /dev/null

 

[nitynate]

yes > /dev/null

Yes.
Makes computer hot very. Pay cash money very safe transfer wire!

 

[Sawtoothdude]

Try SystemLoad from www.bresink.de this is what i used to test my processor upgrade.

 

[dusanv]

Thanks guys. I used the SystemLoad, yes (doh!) and memtest86 . No problems found (I really wanted to test the OWC and Apple RAM).

The CPUs never go above 47 Celsius on high load which is good. Memory idles at toasty 55 and goes up to close to 70 on high load which seems a tad high. Power supply is pegged at 45 no matter what is happening to the system. Ambient air is 21.

x1900XT idles at 55 and goes up to 80 (ouch) in a game. Taught by my previous experiences with PCs I removed the heat sink on the x1900 thinking they used too much cheap grease. I found something that looked like Arctic Silver and it seemed there wasn't too much of it. I applied my own grease and put everything back together only to gain 2 degrees. This is the first time I saw a proper job with the thermal grease out of the factory...

I think I'll hack FanControl to put the minimum fan speed at 600 or 700.