VERY interesting

[Architect4122]

I was running AutoCAD just now under Windows XP.

A little window popped up saying "view hardware performance review"

some app that runs within the program and checks your computers hardware. It tells you what is working and what is not supported. More importantly it records your hardware and sends it back to Autodesk so they can make drivers for unsupported hardware configurations. It also gives you a read out of what your hardware setup is.

I have a 2007 (Sept) C2D SR MBP 2.4, 2gig RAM, 256mb GeForce 8600M GT.

This is what the read out report scanned on my computer:

Performance Tuner Results Log
Version: 17.1.0.1
Date of Last Tune: 4/28/2008

Machine Configuration
---------------------
Processor Speed : 2.4 GHz
RAM : 2031 MB

3D Device
---------
Name : NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT
Manufacturer : NVIDIA
Chip set : GeForce 8600M GT
Memory : 512.0 MB

Interesting... prob a fluke...thought I'd share though.

 

[MagicBoy]

nVidia use a feature called Turbocache that allows the GPU to borrow system RAM for the graphics card to use. It's probably that.

 

[Architect4122]

I thought that was only on graphics cards that actually support or promote themselves as turbocahe?

 

[MagicBoy]

It'll be on the entire range. They just promote it a as feature on the lower end cards so the lack of proper RAM doesn't look so stingy.

It's an old idea with a new name - back in the 90's it was called AGP texturing and no-one used it then either.

I had a GeForce 6500 in a PC which had 256Mb of (slow) RAM and reported itself as 512Mb due to Turbocache. 6500 suggests it was nearly as good as a 6600 when in reality it was nowhere near. The 6500 was basically a speeded up 6200 which did come with Turbocache plastered all over the box.

I've no idea if Turbocache is implemented in OS X. Anyone shed any light?