Mac Gaming and Multithreaded OpenGL
According to the articles, the new Mac Pro already incorporates the new multi-threaded OpenGL in the pre-installed version of Mac OS X (10.4.7). The official release of the new version of OpenGL for existing Mac owners remains uncertain.
According to some people I've talked to, multi-threaded OpenGL games will see huge gains in performance. With multi-threaded OpenGL, the game, for example, can run off one core/CPU, while OpenGL can work on the second core/processor for its processing. So they work in concurrent fashion instead of co-habitating one CPU.
One demo reportedly had a doubling of frame rate when taking advantage of the multi-threaded OpenGL. And with dual and multi-core processors becoming commonplace, many customers will be able to take advantage of these optimizations.
Macworld points out that individual games have to be tailored for the new version of OpenGL before seeing the benefits, but game developers seem enthusiastic about its release.
Top Rated Comments
(View all)
The LLVM JIT optimizations combined with the new multi-threaded OpenGL stack have yielded a doubling of the frame-rate in "a very popular MMORPG" (which is code for "WoW"). Yikes!
With a link to another article on InsideMacGames that has some additional info:
With multi-threaded OpenGL, the game, for example, can run off one core/CPU, while OpenGL can work on the second core/processor for its processing. So they work in concurrent fashion instead of co-habitating one CPU. The amount of benefit multi-threaded OpenGL games will have depends on how complex a scene in a game is. So, for example, in a very complex scene with lots of polygons, you'll see big gains in frame rates. One person told me they saw a very popular MMORPG DOUBLE in frame rates in one particular scene because of multi-threaded OpenGL. We're talking from 60 frames to 130 frames just in that one scene alone.
Looks like multi-processor Macs will be getting a nice boost in gaming performance - the question is when? Maybe not until Leopard, hopefully sooner...
This should portend what all applications will be able to take advantage of. :)
Agreed. This could be big news for games, but think of the advantages for applications as well. Very cool. :cool:
As a result, the egg is here and the chicken is inevitable: we will see developers doing more and more with multi-threading because now it can benefit any kind of user :)
I think we're stuck at 3GHz and less for quite a while so single threaded apps, and apps linked to single threaded libraries, aren't going to show a performance improvement until they're broken down.
I think we're stuck at 3GHz and less for quite a while so single threaded apps, and apps linked to single threaded libraries, aren't going to show a performance improvement until they're broken down.
Agreed. I think multiple cores are going to be the way of the near term future, not faster clock speeds. Just wait until the likes of Kentsfield, Clovertown and Dunnington are released. And they're not that far away either. :eek: :cool:
It is still unclear, however, whether Intel's GMA 950 graphics processor or old ATI/NVIDIA hardware found on older machines will get support for multi-threaded OpenGL.
Bah, it better be available for the MacBooks :(
The Mac a viable gaming platform? No, surely not! :D
I can't wait until Blizzard releases a UB of Warcraft III with these improvements to OpenGL :eek: :D
I can't wait until Blizzard releases Starcraft 2... ;) :D :cool:
[ Read All Comments ]
Analytics firm Chitika today released a report showing that by its metrics iOS has now surpassed OS X in overall web traffic share in the United States. Chitika's methodology involves an analysis...
One of the most frequent reasons for an iPhone to go on a trip to the Apple Store's Genius Bar is because of water damage. Typically, a water damaged iPhone can be replaced for a flat $199...
TheVerge's Joshua Topolsky summarizes the iPad 3 casing findings reported earlier today, but also adds his own sources regarding some details of the iPad 3.
Image from RepairLabs
As...
Last July, Apple discontinued the white MacBook from its consumer lineup, pushing consumers toward the company's popular MacBook Air line or the 13-inch MacBook Pro. The company didn't kill...
Popular iPhone Twitter client Tweetbot has finally arrived on the iPad, with a user interface instantly familiar to any current Tweetbot user. Designed for the Twitter power-user, Tweetbot packs a...
