Re: What could be causing a slowdown across the board?

Jolly Roger <jollyroger@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:

> In article <1ih56y8.texzoy1x7io7zN%jamiekg@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>,
>  jamiekg@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
 (Jamie Kahn Genet) wrote:
> 
> > <billy@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> > 
> > > Gregory Weston <uce@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> writes:
> > > 
> > > >  jamiekg@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
 (Jamie Kahn Genet) wrote:
> > > > 
> > > > > I have enough HD space (little less that 100GB out of 500), CPU
usage
> > > > > is nowhere near maxed, memory usage is not maxed, drive activity
is
> > > > > nothing to write home about.
> > > >
> > > > What's the output of the command "cd /var/vm; ls -l" in a
terminal?
> > > 
> > > I'm curious how Jamie is measuring his system's resources usaage.
> > > 
> > > One convenient method, yet just as accurate as the command line
tools,
> > > because it can be clearly observed while a hang occurs, is a utility
> > > named MenuMeters.  Among other things, it can display memory paging
as
> > > it occurs.
> > > 
> > > http://www.ragingmenace.com/software/menumeters/
> > 
> > I've tried that but prefer iStat Menus
> > <http://islayer.com/index.php?op=item&id=28>
or just good old Activity
> > Monitor.
> > 
> > Total CPU usage has been as little as 15% when I've had these
slowdowns.
> > As I said before memory usage and disk activity are also fairly low.
The
> > couple dozen or so programs I run constantly are not CPU or RAM hogs,
> > except for BOINC - but that only runs after a few minutes inactivity
so
> > cannot be blamed.
> 
> And pageouts aren't high when this is going on?

No, nothing out of the ordinary.

It still _feels_ like overheating to me (the fact that it's intermittent
and a general slowdown), but the only high temperature is the power
supply (81ºc right now), everything else is under 60ºc. e.g. CPU A is
only at 43ºc at the moment. I'm no expert, but that seems normal. How
hot do other people's iMacs get?

Things DO heat up more once an app like BOINC or Handbrake is working.
But the slowdowns have happened when CPU usage is FAR from maxed.

Could the the fact that this Mac is running BOINC (i.e. 100% CPU usage)
nonstop while I'm away from it be causing trouble? Anyone here leave
their iMacs at 100% for extended periods? How are they handling it?

Regards,
 Jamie Kahn Genet
-- 
If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.