While I'm working on the new HDD reviews for AT I'm also preparing for the new Mac section on AT, which brings me to this Macdate - what comparisons/reviews would you all like to see done in the new Mac section at AT?
I've got a couple of ideas already, including the new 2.5GHz G5 and a 64MB vs 128MB vs 256MB Exposé graphics card comparison but I'm looking for more requests. So just drop your requests in the comments section of this blog or drop me an email if you don't want the rest of the world seeing your request and I'll get cracking on it.
I'm a little behind on the Mac section seeing as how I have yet to develop a full benchmark suite for our Mac tests here at AT, but I'm planning on devoting some time to that later this week after I get these HDDs out of the way. I'm also open to any suggestions as far as benchmarks go; I'm thinking about trying to script together something to test office/general usage performance but given that I've been a Mac user for only a handful of months my talents are still quite lacking. I'm going to be doing more research over the next week or so, but always open to any pointers, suggestions, etc...
Back to work...
I've got a couple of ideas already, including the new 2.5GHz G5 and a 64MB vs 128MB vs 256MB Exposé graphics card comparison but I'm looking for more requests. So just drop your requests in the comments section of this blog or drop me an email if you don't want the rest of the world seeing your request and I'll get cracking on it.
I'm a little behind on the Mac section seeing as how I have yet to develop a full benchmark suite for our Mac tests here at AT, but I'm planning on devoting some time to that later this week after I get these HDDs out of the way. I'm also open to any suggestions as far as benchmarks go; I'm thinking about trying to script together something to test office/general usage performance but given that I've been a Mac user for only a handful of months my talents are still quite lacking. I'm going to be doing more research over the next week or so, but always open to any pointers, suggestions, etc...
Back to work...
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GL - Monday, June 14, 2004 - link
Here are a few things I've been curious about in addition to things that have already been mentioned:1) A performance analysis of FileVault-enabled partitions vs default HFS+ partitions.
2) Apache/PHP 4.x/MySQL 4.x performance on OS X vs FreeBSD vs Linux 2.6.
3) A compilation benchmark similar to the Quake 3 Source compilation benchmark for x86 CPU reviews, done on low-end hardware (i.e. iBooks), middle-level systems (i.e. eMacs andiMacs) and high-end systems (i.e. single & dual G5 Power Macs).
4) An explanation for why window resizing and scrolling are so sluggish on OS X vs any other modern OS. Where do the bottlenecks lie? Does Apple intend to alleviate them? If so, how and when can we expect them to?
5) Reviews of XServes with actual data on how quiet/loud the units are (and comparisons to other systems or noise-producing things).
jasonsRX7 - Monday, June 14, 2004 - link
You might also have fun benchmarking some of the upgrade processors that are available on sites like eshop.macsales.com. Mac systems have a very long usable lifespan, much longer than your typical PC, so owners of older systems are always debating if they should upgrade or buy a new system.When I first got into macs, I got a used Powermac off ebay, which came with a 400mhz G4. I upgraded it to an 800mhz processor within a few days. While it was much faster all around, things like iMovie were still a bit sluggish. I have a G5 now, so I'm all for getting new systems, but owners of older systems need a bit more persuasion, I think.
Robert T - Monday, June 14, 2004 - link
I second The raid, especieally serial ATA on G5's. Also I think there are some Hardware cards too, throw then in the review.Dave - Monday, June 14, 2004 - link
Just remember to make sure the Mac is made to look great otherwise hordes of raving MacZealots will be after you, and Eug Wanker won't link to this site 100 times a day anymore :DJohn Timmer - Monday, June 14, 2004 - link
One Request: There's about 4 software RAID packages available for the Mac (Apple's, SoftRAID, LaCie and Atto - maybe others?). A comparison would be nice.One Suggestion: www.xlr8yourmac.com seems to post some of the more thorough reviews of Mac hardware modifications, so you can probably pick up some good pointers on how to test there.
One Offer: A great way to link up a series of typical usage tests would be to AppleScript them. If you need any pointers on using AppleScript with some of the major applications, send me an email. Sending AppleEvents (what AppleScripts do) is a bit slow, but should scale with machine speed, so it's nothing that some statistics couldn't take into account.
Cheers,
JT