[Toast]

IT has become available to install the client onto a Mac a friend has, I understand that pound for pound a Mac will out perform jsut about anything out there, so of course i'm interested.

Problem: I haven't a clue what I need to know/do/tweak.

I know it's a Mac, but i an not 100% sure of the version of OS I think it's OSX which version? no idea... How do I find out?

yadda yadda... any/ all tips advice/ etc would be greatly appreciated, and please remember that although I can work my way around a PC easily.. I'm a complete NOOB on a Mac.

Help?

[Shaktai]

With RC-5, tweaking is not really an issue for the Mac, once the cores are optimized and the latest version is.

The big difference is the CPU. A G3 CPU will hold its own on an equal megahertz basis and then some, but it is the Altivec (SIMD) enabled G4's that really shine at RC-5.

OS wise, RC5-72 requires the OS-X/darwin client. It will not run on the much older OS-9 clients (though OGR will).

You want client version v2.9003.481 for the best optimized cores but might have to download it from the pre-release/beta page at http://www.distributed.net/download/prerelease.html However, it is actually a final release now.

Oh, to check the OS version, while in the finder go to the "Apple menu" (apple icon) at the top left corner and select "About this Mac". That will give you the System version.

How fast is it?? My 800mhz PowerMac G4 will outcrunch my Athlon 2400 running Win XP by a little. Even the fastest P4's can't come near it on RC-5.

[Toast]

I'll check out the version on Saturday when i go over to his place...

I dunno what speed it is... If a physical description helps...
It's a graphite tower... lol that's about it...

I'll find out more later when I can talk to him...
Anything else I should know?

[Shaktai]

Originally posted by Toast:
I dunno what speed it is... If a physical description helps...
It's a graphite tower... lol that's about it...

A graphite tower should be a G4 processor. Speed won't be real important, any of the graphites will do very well at RC5.

This thread has a lot of benchmarks: http://forums.macnn.com/showthread.p...hreadid=148532

[Toast]

Update:

It's OS9.2

So unless something's changed recently... I guess I can't use RC5 on it?

[The_Equivocator]

Originally posted by Toast:
Update:

It's OS9.2

So unless something's changed recently... I guess I can't use RC5 on it?

Unfortunately, no. OS 9 development is all but dead for most everything out there. Now is the time to get your friend to upgrade to OS X.