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Another one for the Intel Mac users (and other Radeon owners)


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I looked around a bit to see if a softmod for the ATI x1600 was available yet, and turns out there is one. Taking info from a few posters on a few fora, I got it to work with the newest drivers.

 

See http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=227800 and post by Milkmilkmilk on page 21, and later posts on new versions of the scripts.

 

Another reference: http://forums.guru3d.com/showthread.php?t=196557

 

A Radeon x1600 mods to a FireGL v5200. (This only works in Windows.) As if we needed another reason why the MBP is the best notebook ever. Some benchmarks (Maya users will LOVE this):

 

Before:

 

Cinebench OpenGL Hardware (average of 3 runs): 2687

 

Specviewperf 9.0.3:

 

3dsmax-04 Weighted Geometric Mean = 7.192

catia-02 Weighted Geometric Mean = 7.813

ensight-03 Weighted Geometric Mean = 6.408

light-08 Weighted Geometric Mean = 7.313

maya-02 Weighted Geometric Mean = 9.423

proe-04 Weighted Geometric Mean = 4.133

sw-01 Weighted Geometric Mean = 7.756

tcvis-01 Weighted Geometric Mean = 1.699

ugnx-01 Weighted Geometric Mean = 5.012

 

 

After:

 

Cinebench OpenGL Hardware (average of 3 runs): 3519 (Does that debunk the "pro cards don't matter in Cinema" thing?)

 

Specviewperf 9.0.3:

 

3dsmax-04 Weighted Geometric Mean = 16.03

catia-02 Weighted Geometric Mean = 21.27

ensight-03 Weighted Geometric Mean = 12.31

light-08 Weighted Geometric Mean = 19.44

maya-02 Weighted Geometric Mean = 49.43

proe-04 Weighted Geometric Mean = 17.19

sw-01 Weighted Geometric Mean = 26.21

tcvis-01 Weighted Geometric Mean = 5.354

ugnx-01 Weighted Geometric Mean = 6.995

 

 

What you need to do is follow the direction the first poster does, with some changes. Rivatuner is a newer version, and you will need the newest FireGL drivers from the ATI site (version 8.263). When the instructions say to unpack a file you got from ATI, run the installer, give it a custom unpack directory and choose the option that doesn't delete the files - the installer will be unpacked and the install process will fail, but then you can work on the files. At all steps, if you get an error choose the options that ignores it.

 

This may work on iMacs with the x1600 too, and there are instructions on those forum threads to cover most x series Radeons - even x1900's, which don't yet have a comparable FireGL. I have only tested it on the 17" MacBook Pro with 256MB x1600, so if you try it on another card and have problems I probably won't know how to help you.

 

The script for Rivatuner is:

 

[Common]

SrcFile = ati2mtag.sys

BakFile = ati2mtag.old

HlpFile = SoftR9x00.rth

MakeCRC = 1

Packed = 1

 

;common script for 6618+

 

DstVar0 = force FireGL 3300 capabilities

DstVar1 = force FireGL 5200 capabilities

DstVar2 = force FireGL 7350 capabilities

DstVar3 = force MOBILITY FireGL V5200 capabilities

DstVar4 = force MOBILITY FireGL V7200 capabilities

 

 

Src0 = 81 FA 00 80 00 00 75 16 A9 00 00 00 08 74 0F A9 00 00 00 10 75 08

Dst0 = 81 FA 00 80 00 00 90 90 A9 00 00 00 08 90 90 A9 00 00 00 10 90 90

 

Src1 = 83 F8 40 75 1D 66 81 BD 00 00 FF FF 02 10 75 00 0F B7 85 FE FE FF FF

SCM1 = FF FF FF FF 00 FF FF FF 00 00 FF FF FF FF FF 00 FF FF FF FF FF FF FF

Dst1_0 = 0F B7 85 FE FE FF FF 66 25 00 00 66 0D 52 71 66 89 85 FE FE FF FF 90

Dst1_1 = 0F B7 85 FE FE FF FF 66 25 00 00 66 0D DA 71 66 89 85 FE FE FF FF 90

Dst1_2 = 0F B7 85 FE FE FF FF 66 25 00 00 66 0D 0F 71 66 89 85 FE FE FF FF 90

Dst1_3 = 0F B7 85 FE FE FF FF 66 25 00 00 66 0D C4 71 66 89 85 FE FE FF FF 90

Dst1_4 = 0F B7 85 FE FE FF FF 66 25 00 00 66 0D 03 71 66 89 85 FE FE FF FF 90

 

Src2 = FF 74 24 08 E8 C1 7B FF FF A8 04 75 0B 6A 2E

Dst2 = FF 74 24 08 E8 C1 7B FF FF A8 04 90 90 6A 2E

 

Src3 = 85 C0 75 0E F6 45 0A 80 74 08

Dst3 = 85 C0 90 90 F6 45 0A 80 90 90

 

Src4 = 85 BE AC 00 00 00 75 3A 6A 3C

Dst4 = 85 BE AC 00 00 00 90 90 6A 3C

 

Src5 = E8 B1 9C FF FF 85 C0 74 2E 68 84 00 00 00

Dst5 = E8 B1 9C FF FF 85 C0 90 90 68 84 00 00 00

 

Src6 = E8 EC 5B FF FF F6 C4 20 74 08

Dst6 = E8 EC 5B FF FF F6 C4 20 90 90

 

The file to mod in the ATI driver direcory is CX_34004.inf. Change the lines under the [ATI.Mfg.NTx86] header that refer to ATI FireGL v5200 to read:

 

"MacBookPro FireGL V5200" = ati2mtag_RV530GL, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_71C5

"MacBookPro FireGL V5200 Secondary" = ati2mtag_RV530GL, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_71E5

 

With those changes you can install the FireGL driver using the Have Disk button.

 

The FireGLMax instruction also work, but in this step:

 

- run the atiimxgl.exe antiprotection.rts script and point it to atiimxgl.exe in Program Files\ATI Technologies\FireGL 3D Studio Max\ and select your cards device ID from the dropdown menu

 

you can't select the device ID because it's not in the list - but that doesn't matter, don't change anything, it works. I'm using it in Viz, and it's fast.

 

So there it is - now we have a razor-blade-shaped, 17-inch, dual-core, dual-boot fashion statement with workstation 3D.

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For comparison, my other computer is a Core2 Duo E6400 @2.84GHz with a real FireGL v5100. It Cinebenches at a bit over 5000, and its Specviewperf 9.0.3 is:

 

3dsmax-04 Weighted Geometric Mean = 20.49

catia-02 Weighted Geometric Mean = 25.77

ensight-03 Weighted Geometric Mean = 13.28

light-08 Weighted Geometric Mean = 23.94

maya-02 Weighted Geometric Mean = 46.69

proe-04 Weighted Geometric Mean = 20.11

sw-01 Weighted Geometric Mean = 37.72

tcvis-01 Weighted Geometric Mean = 7.237

ugnx-01 Weighted Geometric Mean = 11.74

 

That's all as I would expect, except for the Maya numbers - the Mac actually beats the Core2.

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Thanks. BTW, I realized I missed one thing: the card ends up looking like a v5200 to the driver, but when you run the Rivatuner script the option you choose is "force MOBILITY FireGL V5200 capabilities". I'm not sure whether forcing regular v5200 capabilities would do anything.

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AJLynn,

 

Is this for Windows only or does it works for OSX as well? It looks complicated but those benchmarks look too sweet. Plus I have been having problems with the video card in Windows. Hopefully this will fix the problem.

 

Thanks,

Ernesto

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This is Windows only - it relies on driver hacking and AFAIK nobody's hacking OSX drivers. (Also, there might not even be an OSX driver for FGL v5200 - I don't think they make PCIE FireGL cards for Mac.)

 

It looks more complicated than it is - just get the right downloads and follow the instructions step by step. It's easier than Geforce-to-Quadro mods. I've been running it for a few days and it seems very stable in Sketchup and Viz, and definitely faster in the "real world".

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""MacBookPro FireGL V5200" = ati2mtag_RV530GL, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_71C5

"MacBookPro FireGL V5200 Secondary" = ati2mtag_RV530GL, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_71E5"

 

Hi, im on a mac pro with a x1900...my device ID is 7249..

 

one question, how did you get the Numbers 71C5 AND 71E5...I dont understand how to convert my device ID to the correct Numbers to install in the script,

 

cheers

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You can read off those numbers from the PCI device ID in the report generator in Rivatuner... I don't have it on this computer so I can't tell you which button it is specifically, but it was in those threads somewhere. The 71C5 was the device ID and I guess the 71E5 for the secondary because I couldn't find it specifically, but on other FireGLs it was just adding 2 to the 3rd digit.

 

The idea is that you can get the device ID for your card, and substitute it in the driver files for the device ID of the card you want it to become. This has to be done along with the Rivatuner script for changing some other device detection settings. I think your 1900 could be a FireGL 7300 or 7350... that's not actually a 1900, it's some kind of 1800, but people have been able to get it to work. I'd recommend looking through those threads. If you figure it out, tell us about it - that would be a great find.

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Just a side note...the default ati drivers in boot camp are absolutely absymall. One of the guys at work has a new macbookpro and was getting horrid half life2 performance under windows, had him update the drivers, and bam, he got over a 4x increase in framerate.

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Greg- Wow. You sure it wasn't just a Powerplay setting problem? With these mobility chips the driver can drop the GPU speed like Speedstep, and the defaults are kind of weak.

 

Matthew- There's nothing inherently wrong with having only number in a device ID. It's actually a 4-digit number in hexadecimal, which is a base-16 number system (which is nice for computers because binary in base-2, so 2 digits in hex represent exactly 1 byte in binary). The letter A-F actually represent the numbers 10-15. So my 71C5 is a number, it could just as easily be 7195. I think your device ID looks reasonable, you just need to look up how to set everything up.

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There are ways to get the settings wrong. Also, I don't think that with the default driver you are able to make it run full speed while on battery. But I have to disagree with the assessment of ATI - they make a consumer laptop chip that mods to a $500 workstation chip, and their actual workstation cards can be had (with a bit of shopping around) for way less than nVidia's comparables.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I'm just here because I noted the information about the softmod possibilities on another Mac-related hardware info website.

 

I thought I'd mention to people that if you have a MacBook Pro and plan on doing some 3D work with this softmod stuff, if you didn't know already, Apple has severely crippled the performance of the X1600 installed in MacBook Pros.

ATI shows "native" clockspeeds of 470 for the GPU and 470 for the memory on the PC versions of the X1600 - however, due to what people believe is a move to ensure the MBPs run cooler, Apple has them clocked at 300/300 (on mine it shows 313/300 actually when I check the clocks). That's close to a 40% performance hit just to keep the laptop cool and while I'm all for a cool running laptop, if I can bump the clocks up and get that speed back, I'll do it any day and twice on Sunday.

 

There are links all over the place about this underclocking situation (not to mention the sorry performance of the Matshita UJ-857 CD/DVD drive in MBPs too), but the first time I noted it was at

BareFeats where they tested and reported on it.

 

Another good source for info related to MacBook Pros is:

Differences in ATI X1600 Clock speed in Macs vs PCs

 

While some might look upon the "overclocking" as a bad thing, considering the Mobility X1600 in most PC laptops (not MacBooks/MBPs) is essentially the same exact GPU just BIOS-clocked at lower speeds by ATI for Apple, I don't see any issues other than increased heat by bumping them up.

 

Now that I know about the softmod success, I'll be reinstalling XP cleanly and natively on a Boot Camp partition later tonight or tomorrow, then running SPECviewperf at various clockspeeds under XP and will report on the results.

 

Wish me luck... hell, wish us all if the results are what I'm expecting. :)

 

bb

 

ps

Also, because of the underclocking, your normal daily 3D stuff like gaming is taking a big performance hit too, remember that. The X1600 is a phenonemal GPU, really, and Apple's decision to cripple it to save on some heat production is a good idea, but in a "Pro" laptop? No way...

 

I paid $2K for this machine and another $250 for the 2GB of RAM, and I'll be getting a Hitachi 160GB 5400 rpm perpendicular recording hard drive soon for it, so I want the best performance I can get - meaning I'm running my X1600 clocks at 450/450 right now, with negligible additional heat because

I'm also running a cool new app someone put out yesterday to control the fans and keep the temps lower - read the following discussion thread at the Apple Discussion forums for info and linkage to the application:

 

STICKY! THE Ultimate Self Cooling solution for MBP.(no accessory needed)

 

Hope this info helps someone...

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I had a conversation with the very knowledgeable guy at my local Apple Store and asked about MBP heat issues and the whole "but isn't that waaaaay too much thermal paste" issue. (His read on thhat was that the reason some people were getting dramatically lower temps and other people got none was that the thermal paste was not a problem but some people messed up plugging things back in, missed a part and made the fans default to maximum, hence loud fans and lower temps.)

 

I got the impression that what went on was that Apple found the MBP to be way too hot in testing, but wanted it to be quiet because of ergonomics and use less battery, so they made a ton of tweaks to get the speed/heat/power/noise balance they were comfortable with.

 

Fortunately there are all these user tweaks now, so if I want to drop 5C and don't mind a few more dB I can do that. I just wish I could get the same set of tweaks in MacOS and Windows, but I guess the whole thing needs to mature a bit more.

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I'd agree with most of that, except they're marketing this as a "high end notebook computer" hence the Pro designation. They really need to resolve some of these issues in the 1st generation of MBPs, which I now own. I was sortakinda hoping they'd announce the 2nd gen models within my 14 day return period; if they do (I've got another week left), I'm returning this thing with extreme haste. :)

 

Haven't gotten the XP/ATI driver thing installed yet, been up all night playing around with the final version of Parallels Desktop for Mac. Man, this thing kicks some serious butt if you need to have XP and even Vista running alongside OSX instead of the dual boot. I know it can't do 3D work, but for desktop productivity or whatever, it's practically running at native installation speeds.

 

Simply amazing. Can't wait to see what VMWare does when they finally release their Mac client sometime soon.

 

bb

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Is VMWare going to use Intel "virtualization" now? If it's not I wouldn't even bother - even emulating a Windows machine under Windows it's slow.

 

I wish Parallels supported the 3D acceleration, then it would be great for me. Right now I'm switching regularly, which is a pain, but I found a program called Macdrive for Windows that makes it a lot easier.

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It does use VT if you've got Core Duo/Core 2 Duo. MacBook Pro is just CD, the Wife's new 20" iMac has C2D. On either machine running XP (even Vista) in a window is ridiculously fast. In my rather simplistic benchmarking, it's nearly native speed - seriously. I used PCMark05 from Futuremark to do a runthrough without the 3D test portion and the results were about 4% slower than the same test with the same parameters done on a native install from the BootCamp partition on this MBP.

 

Parallels is simply amazing, it really is, and highly recommended to check out. You set up a shared folder on the OSX partition (so you don't have to deal with HFS+/NTFS crap) and then just get to work on most anything except serious 3D stuff. It just works, what can I say? :D

 

bb

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Would you mind trying Cinebench 9.5 under Parallels? I'd like to compare results. I've been messing around with ATI Try Tool (very cool - I hadn't seen this one and the last time I used ATI Tool it was a long time ago and it wasn't very good) and found some interesting results-

 

When softmodded to FireGL, this board (MBP 17") clocks at 425:450. Somewhat higher than default - this could explain a slight dropoff I've experienced in battery life under Windows. I clocked it to 400:400 and got 3407 on Cinebench hardware OpenGL, then dropped it to 300:315 and got 2998. Still quite good. I think I'll set this up with profiles for the fast clock when plugged in and the slow clock on battery - like manual Speedstep. (Intel used to provide that with P3 notebooks and Win2k. It was a good idea, they should bring it back.)

 

Complete score:

 

Rendering (1 CPU): 311

Rendering (X Cpu): 574

C4D Shading: 359

OpenGL Software: 1380

OpenGL Hardware: 3407

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Bleh. I've been slacking the past few days, sorry for the delays. Here's what I just came up with:

 

---------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Ok, I've been goofing off the past few days and not doing the proper benchmarks as I should have done, but here they are including the relevant hardware info:

 

- XP Pro SP2 with no updates as of today, just the bare SP2 install

- Current BootCamp 1.1.1 drivers for all the hardware except the modified FireGL v5200 softmodded drivers during testing as noted

- 2GB PC2-5300 RAM

- 250GB Seagate SATA II hard drive, BootCamp partition for XP sits at the end of the drive, 32GB

 

Here are the results:

 

As an X1600 using the default BootCamp 1.1.1 Catalyst drivers:

 

CINEBENCH 9.5

****************************************************

Tester : br0adband

Processor : iMac

MHz : 2.16

Number of CPUs : 2

Operating System : XP Pro SP2

Graphics Card : ATI X1600 128MB

Resolution :

Color Depth :

****************************************************

Rendering (Single CPU): 347 CB-CPU

Rendering (Multiple CPU): 632 CB-CPU

Multiprocessor Speedup: 1.82

Shading (CINEMA 4D) : 428 CB-GFX

Shading (OpenGL Software Lighting) : 1659 CB-GFX

Shading (OpenGL Hardware Lighting) : 2991 CB-GFX

OpenGL Speedup: 6.99

****************************************************

 

followed by the results of SPECViewPerf 9.0.3:

 

Run All Summary

---------- SUM_RESULTS\3DSMAX\SUMMARY.TXT

3dsmax-04 Weighted Geometric Mean = 9.308

---------- SUM_RESULTS\CATIA\SUMMARY.TXT

catia-02 Weighted Geometric Mean = 9.673

---------- SUM_RESULTS\ENSIGHT\SUMMARY.TXT

ensight-03 Weighted Geometric Mean = 5.238

---------- SUM_RESULTS\LIGHT\SUMMARY.TXT

light-08 Weighted Geometric Mean = 10.33

---------- SUM_RESULTS\MAYA\SUMMARY.TXT

maya-02 Weighted Geometric Mean = 11.47

---------- SUM_RESULTS\PROE\SUMMARY.TXT

proe-04 Weighted Geometric Mean = 4.225

---------- SUM_RESULTS\SW\SUMMARY.TXT

sw-01 Weighted Geometric Mean = 7.200

---------- SUM_RESULTS\TCVIS\SUMMARY.TXT

tcvis-01 Weighted Geometric Mean = 1.350

---------- SUM_RESULTS\UGNX\SUMMARY.TXT

ugnx-01 Weighted Geometric Mean = 4.356

 

---------------------------------------------------------------------

 

As a FireGL v5200 with softmodding the drivers:

 

CINEBENCH 9.5

****************************************************

Tester : br0adband

Processor : iMac

MHz : 2.16

Number of CPUs : 2

Operating System : XP Pro SP2

Graphics Card : ATI FireGL v5200 128MB

Resolution :

Color Depth :

****************************************************

Rendering (Single CPU): 353 CB-CPU

Rendering (Multiple CPU): 630 CB-CPU

Multiprocessor Speedup: 1.78

Shading (CINEMA 4D) : 418 CB-GFX

Shading (OpenGL Software Lighting) : 1597 CB-GFX

Shading (OpenGL Hardware Lighting) : 4287 CB-GFX

OpenGL Speedup: 10.24

****************************************************

 

followed by the results of SPECViewPerf 9.0.3:

 

Run All Summary

---------- SUM_RESULTS\3DSMAX\SUMMARY.TXT

3dsmax-04 Weighted Geometric Mean = 18.87

---------- SUM_RESULTS\CATIA\SUMMARY.TXT

catia-02 Weighted Geometric Mean = 24.08

---------- SUM_RESULTS\ENSIGHT\SUMMARY.TXT

ensight-03 Weighted Geometric Mean = 6.303

---------- SUM_RESULTS\LIGHT\SUMMARY.TXT

light-08 Weighted Geometric Mean = 23.53

---------- SUM_RESULTS\MAYA\SUMMARY.TXT

maya-02 Weighted Geometric Mean = 20.14

---------- SUM_RESULTS\PROE\SUMMARY.TXT

proe-04 Weighted Geometric Mean = 13.38

---------- SUM_RESULTS\SW\SUMMARY.TXT

sw-01 Weighted Geometric Mean = 30.61

---------- SUM_RESULTS\TCVIS\SUMMARY.TXT

tcvis-01 Weighted Geometric Mean = 3.831

---------- SUM_RESULTS\UGNX\SUMMARY.TXT

ugnx-01 Weighted Geometric Mean = 6.252

 

---------------------------------------------------------------

 

So, as you can see, it works. Amazing jumps in performance on most of the tests, some boosts in others that aren't quite as noticeable, but hey, consider that all I had to do was spend 2 minutes editing a simple config file and then reinstalling the drivers and control panel (it helps since the FireGL version gives you a few additional goodies for specific 3D applications) and look at what I got for it. :)

 

Well worth the time to accomplish the softmod, but if you're a lazy bastige, I'll post the drivers I used on a RapidShare link, just ask. I'm thinking about providing detailed step-by-step instructions also, so if anyone is interested, let me know.

 

btw, the FireGL drivers were based on 8.293, the latest and greatest from ATI.

 

bb

 

ps

You'll note it's not done on a MacBook Pro. I had to return my MBP last Saturday because it was just giving me too many hardware issues: the CD/DVD is crap, it ran too hot even with the smcFanControl applet now floating around, battery life wasn't nearly 4 hours as advertised, etc.

 

I'm happy now with my Core 2 Duo 20" iMac and it's much more powerful too. The X1600 is stock clocked at ~475/~500 or so, and I could do the testing with overclocking, but it's fast enough, why bother? :)

 

This iMac has the same X1600 that's in the MacBook Pros: iMacs are made pretty much completely from laptop parts, sooooo...

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I started using ATI Tray Tool to control GPU clock - it automatically goes to something like 320 plugged in, 220 on battery and I've got an over 400 setting for when I want more power, but even at the lower clocks it's fast enough for most things and uses less energy.

 

BTW, please don't post a link to a modded driver file on the forum - I'd bet redistributing a modded ATI driver would be a software license violation.

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  • 1 month later...

AJ

 

I did the softfiregl or I think I did and I 've got terrible scores here.

Not sure what I did wrong. Used latest Rivatuner patchscripts...etc..

 

Can someone give a clear step by step (in newbie language) of how to achieve a successful install of the patch and drivers.

I think I screwed up a step along the way.

 

 

My SpecviewPerf 9.0

 

Run All Summary

 

---------- SUM_RESULTS\3DSMAX\SUMMARY.TXT

3dsmax-04 Weighted Geometric Mean = 6.357

 

---------- SUM_RESULTS\CATIA\SUMMARY.TXT

catia-02 Weighted Geometric Mean = 6.934

 

---------- SUM_RESULTS\ENSIGHT\SUMMARY.TXT

ensight-03 Weighted Geometric Mean = 6.039

 

---------- SUM_RESULTS\LIGHT\SUMMARY.TXT

light-08 Weighted Geometric Mean = 6.193

 

---------- SUM_RESULTS\MAYA\SUMMARY.TXT

maya-02 Weighted Geometric Mean = 8.538

 

---------- SUM_RESULTS\PROE\SUMMARY.TXT

proe-04 Weighted Geometric Mean = 3.706

 

---------- SUM_RESULTS\SW\SUMMARY.TXT

sw-01 Weighted Geometric Mean = 7.505

 

---------- SUM_RESULTS\TCVIS\SUMMARY.TXT

tcvis-01 Weighted Geometric Mean = 1.687

 

---------- SUM_RESULTS\UGNX\SUMMARY.TXT

ugnx-01 Weighted Geometric Mean = 5.125

 

MACBOOK PRO

2.33 GHZ

3GB DDR3

ATI X1600 256MB

OSX/ 10.4.8 BOOT CAMP

WINDOWS XP PRO

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