Tips for optimizing for speed?

It may be awhile before I can afford a new computer, so I was wondering of any tips for optimizing my current computer for speed.
*Of particular interest is the CPU usage graph of the Activity Monitor: why isn't the graph pegged* when an application is running an intensive process? In other words, when I am doing something with the computer, I expect it to be giving 200% effort (because I have two CPUs in my computer). So why isn't it?
And what can I do to fix it? How can I get the CPUs to work at full power? I've already maxed out the memory, using quality (Kingston) RAM.
I fully realize that the bottleneck in speed in most computers is the hard drive. I do what I can in that regard (keep them optimized, repair permissions, and so on).
+*I just want the CPUs to be giving their all when required.*+ Is there a third party app that would help? Any tips, advice or suggestions will be appreciated!
And, on a related note, why was it, when Macs used PowerPCs, were we told that "RISC always beats CISC"? That is, PowerPCs were faster and more efficient than Intel chips? But now, with Macs using Intel exclusively, we are told as to how wonderful Intel chips are? Any thoughts on that?

Software applications and OS don't, and it is a myth of sorts that 100% per core is being efficient, sometimes it is, usually it is not.
There isn't much bandwidth to begin with, and some have tried 10K VelociRaptor in their G5 1.8s only to find the WD Black 640GB was just as good or better, but you don't want drives older than a year ago in there.
Mac Pro used - and there are some 2009's 2.66GHz 4-core $1800, or from Apple, or look at $900 iMac even.
http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac/mac_pro
A lot of applications are not optimized or can't or are still stuck in pre-multi-threaded era, especially under PPC code.
And what pray tell instead of generalities are you running, so people can provide more specifics?

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Is FCP optimized for multicore (ie the new G5s)?

New G5 PowerMacs are out and I've been reading conflicting reports about this. Some say FCP is already optimized for using multicore processors, others say it will take a FCP rewrite for this to be the case.
So, who's right?

I'm curious about this too I've ordered a top-end machine.
Apple's benchmarks claim something like 68% improved speed over the current 2.7 dual G5 with "SD content" in FCP. Taken with a grain of salt we can assume it could be more like %50 in real world use which is a decent improvement. It also may be limited to certain tasks, specifically RT Extreme.
Another consideration is how much multitasking will (or won't) be improved by having two more CPU cores for the whole system. So when you're batching via Compressor or some other CPU-bound task you can still work on other things with less of of a hit (i.e. the rendering saturates as much CPU as it can "see" and you can still work off the remaining available CPU assuming the Finder et al "see" the remainder). This sort of ability is well worth having if you've juggled deadlines and have one machine at your disposal.
A real source on this will pop up once these get around. Ars Technica is a good place to watch.

Notebook/Laptop optimized for Photoshop CS5

I researching the options to get a new laptop, primarily for photo processing in CS5, Photomatix etc (Very minimum video editing). From my research, I have found following recommendations for optimized performance:
- 64 bit OS
- Quad Core processor
- Faster Hard drive (preferably Solid State Drive, if budget permits)
- Graphic Card (1GB recommended)
I cannot make my own machine, so I am searching online for HP, Dell, Lenovo etc and getting following for about $1200. Any recommendations or suggestions which can help in improving this configuration and making the right decision?
Thank you very much
Operating system
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Processor
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-720QM Quad Core processor (1.6GHz, 6MB L3 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to 2.8 GHz
Graphics card
1GB ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) HD 5650 Graphics [HDMI, VGA] - For Quad Core Processors
Memory
8GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
Hard drive
640GB 5400RPM Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection

Thanks for your helpful responses.
External display: I have a Samsung 22" monitor, whihc I will use for my work.
eSATA port: thanks, I am checking into this option, if I can't get a dual hard drive laptop.
I compared a Dell Mobile Workstation and got following specs for about $3000.Compared to the HP above, this one doesn't provide a quad core processor and 8GB RAM. However, the graphics card is lot better and it will support 2 high speed HDDs with RAID configuration. Seeing the proce difference, do you guys still suggest this laptop as compared to the one above? I am a bit confused here. Thanks again for your suggestions.
Mobile Precision M6400
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo P8700 (2.53GHz 3M L2 Cache, 1066MHz) Dual Core
edit
Operating System
Genuine Windows® 7 Professional, 64-bit
edit
LCDs
17" UltraSharp™ WXGA+ (1440x900) LCD Display
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Graphics
NVIDIA Quadro FX 3700M, 1.0GB Discrete
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Memory
4.0GB, DDR3-1333MHz SDRAM, 2 DIMMS
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Internal Keyboard
Internal English Backlit Keyboard
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Fingerprint Reader Options
No Fingerprint Reader
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Camera / Microphone
Integrated 2.0 MP webcam with dual digital array microphone
edit
STORAGE OPTIONS
RAID Configuration
All Hard Drives, RAID 0, 2 drive total configuration
edit
Primary Hard Drives
160GB Hard Drive, 7200RPM with Free Fall Sensor
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Secondary Hard Drive
160GB Hard Drive, 7200RPM with Free Fall Sensor
edit
Media Bay Devices
8X DVD with Cyberlink Power DVD™, no media
edit

Can websites be optimized for faster loading?

I have created a rather comprehensive website for nature, science and the environment in my region. I have tried to make it content rich with both text, links and photos for the broader, general population. I am,however, receiving complaints from about 25% of my subscribers that page load times are long, (sometimes very long) and that loading sometimes stops before continuing. A few of these say that pages won't load completely and one has said it has crashed his browser. Most others (75%) report absolutely no issues what-so-ever.
The website can be found at: http://web.mac.com/rwolfert/NJNature_Notes_Website/FrontPage.html
After questioning about 2 dozen readers, I have the feeling it has to do with the following (so far):
1-browsers…IE is the slowest by far with Safari and Firefox best. Safari renders pages best.
2-computer memory…I can't prove this yet but this seems a no-brainer. Anything less than 1 GB of memory is really not going to help with complex pages.
3-processor speed…this too should be obvious…newer machines will handle complex pages better
4-add-ons like drop shadows and reflections on images
5-and possibly, too many images on a given page
So, this leads to some questions about optimizing pages or an entire website.
1-Does the website have TOO many drop shadows, and/or photos?
2-Is there a way to optimize photos that have been resized so they are as small as they can be while not losing any screen resolution? I would imagine that when adding photos to a page that will play slideshows, that the images are automatically optimized for the page. But, images that are resized or masked on the page itself, are not. Is the answer here to process each of those kinds of images in iPhoto or Photoshop first, at the exact size? Would I have to set resolution in some way too?
3-Do I really have to 'dumb down' the site's graphics (drop shadows, etc.) for people with older and slower computers, and the 'wrong' browser?
Thanks for any help. I would really love to resolve this issue or, at least, give the complaining viewers an answer.
Rich

Something else I just thought of.
If you have other computers available (windows, too), would you please try the website there to see if platform or older vs. new computers make a big difference, different amounts of memory and/or processor speed, as well.
Note, I removed about 20 drop shadows and photo reflections from the Front Page of the website and I do seem to get about a 20% decrease in load time.
Thank you very much.
Rich

My iPhone 4 no longer connects to my car or alarm clock after a recent sync to my computer. The message at I get when trying to. Connect is "this accessory is not optimized for the device" or something like that. Anyone know how to fix this?

My iPhone 4 no longer connects to my car or alarm clock after a recent sync to my computer. The message at I get when trying to. Connect is "this accessory is not optimized for the device" or something like that. Anyone know how to fix this?

Hello there philp_69,
If I understand correctly it sounds like your phone hasnt been recognized in iTunes on your PC since the last couple of updates. I would use the troubleshooting in the following article which will walk you through the steps one by one.
iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch not recognized in iTunes for Windows
Thank you for using Apple Support Communities.
All the very best,
Sterling

My iphone 4 started displaying a message box with the following message: "This accessory is not optimized for this phone. You may experience noise and loss of battery." My question is: how to fix this?

My iphone 4 started displaying a message box with the following message: "This accessory is not optimized for this phone. You may experience noise and loss of battery." My question is: Why is this happening and how do I fix it? (I'm losing battery power precipitously). Thanks in advance for any assistance with this question.

Thanks Kilted Tim, you solved the problem. I'm mightily impressed at the simplicity of the solution!
Jaded Kane

I need to download a version of Firefox that is optimized for Yahoo! but I cannot use Firefox 4 for Yahoo! because it doesn't support Norton 360 as of yet. Any suggestions?

If you do have any suggestions, where can I find it? The only place I know of is the http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/all-older.html web site and you can only get version 3.6.16 there and it's NOT optimized for Yahoo!. Please help!
Yahoo! keeps sending me the following message in a box on my screen along with the links to Firefox 4 and IE : Attention: Please upgrade to the latest Yahoo! optimized browser to ensure the best Yahoo! experience. But, as I stated in the question above, I cannot use Firefox 4 yet because it does NOT support Norton 360. Plus, I don't trust IE8 to use Facebook!
Thanks for any help you can give me! Your very prompt attention to this question is greatly appreciated as I am sort of at a standstill before moving on with my work.
Regards,
Christine
(Running Windows Vista Service Pack 2)

Symantec have released an update for Norton 360 to make it compatible with Firefox 4, for details see http://us.norton.com/support/kb/web_view.jsp?wv_type=public_web&docurl=20100720113635EN&ln=en_US

I have a 16GB 3GS phone. For the last few days, my phone is constantly giving me message that the accessory attached to my phone is not optimized for this iphone. You may experience noise or poor communication, while there is no acessory attached to it.

I have a 16GB 3GS phone since about20 months now. For the last few days, my phone is constantly giving me message that the accessory attached to my phone is not optimized for this iphone. You may experience noise or poor communication, while there is no acessory attached to it. I always used standard headphones and charging cable. Now when i recall, it started at one of the sync sessions with my itunes. I have turned my phone off and aon again and again but the message keeps coming every one or two minutes.I have also started loosing voicce on different applications like youtube etc. Also the ringer volume up and down key does not show me the small boxes increasing or decreasing on screen. The phone is playing crazy. Can someone help please
Thanks
Zia

It helped earlier but it has come back again. I don't know what to do. I tried what you said earlier but this time even this is not working either. And quite intrestingly my phone won't turn off. I turn it off, it goes off and then restarts on its own and then keep giving the same message again and again.
Could it be a charging cable, is there any chance that the cable which was working fine one day could turn to be "incompatible" with iphone the other day????????
Please help

After installing Mountain Lion on my 17" MBP G-RAID mini connected via Tempo SATA Edge ExpressCard34 is no longer recognized. I restored icon and access by removing 34 card and substituting FW800 for eSATA. Any fix for the higher speed connection? TIA

After installing Mountain Lion on my 17" MBP G-RAID mini connected via Tempo SATA Edge ExpressCard34 is no longer recognized. I restored icon and access by removing 34 card and substituting FW800 for eSATA. Any fix for the higher speed connection? TIA

Looks like the Silicon Image drivers were moved to the incompatible software folder during install/upgrade.
Downloaded latest drivers, errored out of install claiming that the drivers were from an unknown author!!!
Emailed their tech support this evening describing problem.

Just started getting intermittent error on my 3G:This accessory is not optimized for iPhone..." but nothing is connected or plugged in to it or anything?

Was just checking my iPhone and when I pressed the home button to wake it up the message "no sim installed" was on the screen, obviously it was so I restarted the phone, that cleared it but then I started intermittently getting a popup message "this accessory is not optimized for iPhone...(don't remember the rest), did a hard reset and still happening once in a while, there isn't anything plugged into or connected to my phone at all though, would appreciate any help or advice please

The most common reason for message "this accessory is not optimized for iPhone" with nothing plugged in, is dust, debris etc. in the iPhone dock port. Clean the dock port with a clean dry toothbrush. If the message returns again, clean the dock port again very carefully using some isopropyll alcohol, especially the pins which are on top of the dock mid rib.

This accessory is not optimized for this iphone you may experience......... this keeps coming up on my phone.I have reset it back to new status and it still pops up help? how do I get rid of that?

THis accessory is not optimized for this iphone you may experiencenoise caused by cellular interference or experience delay in service.
THis keeps popping up on my phone.I have reset back to the original state and it is still there? how can I get this message off my phone?
I have purchased a new one and want to give this phone to my son

I know this is gonna be a very general tech question but you didnt say in your post.
Are you still using the device that was giving that warning?

How can PDFs be distilled with narrow margins for optimized viewing on iPad?

I am not reporting a serious issue. I am seeking to expand my understanding of PDF creating.
Using Adobe Acrobat XI version 11.0.10 on MacBook Pro (Retina, Mid 2012, 2.7 GHz Intel Core i7, 16 GB DDR3), I have been creating PDF files of music charts optimized for viewing on iPad using Acrobat Distiller XI version 11.0.10. I recently upgraded to Mac OS X Yosemite (10.10.2). Music charts are designed using Pages 5.5.2 using Page Setup for HP LaserJet 1012 and a custom page size (7.75 in. x 10.25) with four 0.06 inch margins. This allows me to replicate exact content of a PDF file optimized for printing [Page Setup for HP LaserJet 1012 with US Letter page size (8.5 in. x 11) having four 0.5 inch margins] on a PDF file optimized for viewing on an iPad. The iPad PDF has reduced white space in margins allowing the music chart to have the largest print viewable when looking at an iPad while performing.
I am creating a PDF by distilling a Postscript file and using Acrobat Distiller [PDF/A-1b:2005 (RGB)]. "Save as an Adobe PDF" does not work; it only generates "Error An error occurred while saving the PDF file." Moreover, "Save as an Adobe PDF" never works for any circumstance.
The issue is iPad PDFs no longer have 0.06 inch margins. A PDF file is created, but there is more white space in margins. I have determined the PDF production is being affected by the HP LaserJet 1012 0.167 inch minimal margins. The outcome does not change if I select Any Printer from Page Setup.
However, a PDF with 0.06 inch margins is created if I use the MacOS PDF generator (MacOS X 10.10.2 Quartz PDF Context).
Is there any thing I can do to use Adobe Acrobat XI to make charts optimized iPad like I could before I upgraded to Mac OS X Yosemite (10.10.2)? Just curious…
Kind regards, –John
P.S. I am attaching 3 screen shots of sample files (PDF with 0.5 print margins, PDF using Distiller, and PDF using MacOS Quartz)

Howdy Sukrit,
Thank you for taking time to respond to my query.
I tried your suggestion for resizing the size of the pages. Unfortunately, the PDF was created from a document that did not designate headers and footers. The Add Header and Footer tool did not recognize the existence of any header of footer, thus I could not use this method to resize the document.
Your suggestion did prompt me to realize I could hand crop each page of a PDF, but this would be a tedious but functional process.
I am convinced this issue is more a product of the Mac OS 10.10.x than an Acrobat issue. (I was creating properly sized PDFs with Acrobat XI and Mountain Lion Mac OS 10.9.x.)
I tried setting up a virtual PostScript printer with a generic PostScript in System Preferences > Printers & Scanners. [Ref: Set up a default printer in the Print Center (Mac OS X) <https://helpx.adobe.com/x-productkb/global/set-default-printer-print-center.html>]
That produced the same results.
I tried using all available presets including Oversized Pages as well as editing Adobe PDF some default settings for Distiller.
I tried setting the printer to EPSON Stylus Photo R280 inkjet printer using Page Setup. Although this printer has minimum margins set to 0.12 inch, the result was a poorly oriented PDF on letter-size page.
I have been distilling quality PDFs for years using Acrobat 4, Acrobat 5, Acrobat 6, Instant PDF 3, Acrobat 7, Instant PDF 4, Acrobat 8, Acrobat 9, Acrobat X. I once could create PDFs using a virtual Adobe Distiller printer with generic PostScripts and specific Laserjet PostScripts, but all my PDF had margins of 0.5 inch or greater. The need for me to limit white space margins PDFs used on iPad only came about in the last year.
Something seems to have changed after upgrading to Yosemite Mac OS 10.10.2. Now PDF creation using Adobe Acrobat seems to be tied to my HP LaserJet 1012 preferences having 0.167 minimum margins whereas the Mac OS X 10.10.2 Quartz PDFContext is not restricted in default margins. This has piqued my curiosity, and I want to learn more about this.
I appreciate your help and expertise.
Kind regards,
–John P. Zannini

I downloaded Firefox Optimized for Yahoo on my PC and get an error message about every 15 seconds: Java Script/ Uninstall set. I deleted Firefox and did a new download/installation and am getting the same problem.

:I went to Mozilla's website and downloaded the Firefox Optimized for Yahoo, following the directions. The download installed easily, but when it opened my Yahoo web page (I already had an account with them), the Java Script error message "Uninstall set!" immediately began alerts, and kept repeating the alert about every 15 seconds. I got the same result even after uninstalling Firefox and downloading a fresh installation. I am only getting this alert via Firefox; I do not get it when using my Yahoo page with Google. Thanks.

See:
* https://support.mozilla.com/kb/Firefox+is+already+running+but+is+not+responding

I just upgraded my iPhone 3GS to 4.3.5 and my universal doc stopped working with it? It has worked flawlessly for the last year and suddenly I get the message: "this iphone is not optimized for this device." The music comes out too quiet to the speakers

I just upgraded my iPhone 3GS to 4.3.5 and my universal doc stopped working with it? It has worked flawlessly for the last year and suddenly I get the message: "this iphone is not optimized for this device." I dismiss the message, but the remote no longer works with it and the music is too quite to the speakers. The remote works fine with my Macbook Pro. I tried a restore on the iPhone and started from scrach, but the same problem exists.
Any help with this?
Thanks,
JT

yep... my iphone 4 also having problem like astoker.. u see on dock pin using torch light.. i found 2 pin touch each other.. i solve my problem ready.. thanks wjosten.

Following Media Files Are Not Optimized For Final Cut Pro

I'm sure you've seen this before and I've tried to search for a thread on it here and fell asleep, so sorry if this is a repeat.
I have edited projects in Premiere Pro (on my PC) and I have tried to transfer them in FCP. It worked with the exception of two things:
1. the error message, "Following Media Files Are Not Optimized For Final Cut Pro"
2. the quality *****! watching it on the playback in FCP it looks great, but then when I burn it to Disc it's pixelated in spots and generally has a lower quality picture.
I know that it's Standard Def. and can't expect the best, but I've done it before (once or twice) and it didn't seem this bad.
Can someone suggest anything to help the quality? Should I run my AVIs through MPEG Steamclip to make it a QT file and if so what is the best format in that since there are many to choose from and most I'm not familiar with?
Thank you,
Crayton

I did compress them to DV NTSC then burned it to DVD and the result was no bueno.
I thought what I would do is try compressing them again before I send them on over to DVDSPRO. Here is a simplified break down of the situation:
- I have edited the raw footage in Premiere Pro on my PC. They were recorded and captured as SD.
- I rendered them in Premiere, then transfered the rendered AVI file to FCP.
- When went to place the files in FCP, I received the warning message; "Following Media Files Are Not Optimized For Final Cut Pro" but I went forward anyways and it allowed me to do so.
- Originally I went ahead and compressed them from FCP to QT Movie as a DV NTSC, which ended up poorly.
- Therefore my question is, should I compress them using another file type (other then DV NTSC)? Which leads me to another program that I have called MPEG Streamclip, which offers tons of file types of which I am unfamiliar with most. I want the best quality of course but don't know what file type is the highest going from AVI to a format that can be accepted by FCP and ultimately DVDSPRO. Keeping in mind that I only have FCP5 and do not have Prores.
Did that make sense?
Thank you again,
Crayton

Tips for optimizing for speed?

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