[Ham-Mac] iMac Intel - HAM Applications - first experiences

[Steve - VA3SPH]

I would like to share my first few days experiences with a new iMac  
Duo core (Intel) and HAM application I run.  Perhaps some of you have  
contemplated getting one sometime in the future but maybe concerned  
about running various HAM applications which are, at least at this  
point, running with the help of Rosetta. < http://www.apple.com/ 
rosetta/ >

My foremost application is MacLoggerDX (MLDX).  It is the hub of by  
HAM activity as it performs all the logging and QSL card printing,  
DXcluster etc...
I have had no problems with MLDX. It performs as well or better than  
my (now my XYL's)  iMac G5 1.8 Ghz.  There is one problem but it lies  
with the current beta drivers from Keyspan < http://www.keyspan.com/ 
downloads/macosx/intel/ > and specifically USB 4 port RS-232 serial  
adaptor and not with MLDX. I know this as I also tried with older  
Keyspan 2 port RS-422 Mac DIN -8 adaptor and seemed to work fine with  
beta Intel drivers.

While MLDX performed as well as a iMac G5 I will say with two  
processor there is more head room to perform other takes while having  
MLDX running. A common practice for me as I am using computer for  
running a number of task both HAM and non-HAM related.

My second most popular application these days is cocoaModem and this  
runs slightly faster on the new Intel iMac.  I suspect because Kok  
calls Core Audio and other Apple native routines even though his  
application is still running under Rosetta. What was astonishing to  
me was how little CPU time it used to encode/decode RTTY, PSK and now  
Hellschriber. 12.5% for each processor or 25% of 200% (the processor  
monitor "Activity Monitor" is a bit strange as  each process get to  
register 100% leading to 200% on a dual processor. ( It would be 400%  
on the PowerMac G5 Quads if you lucky enough to have one of them.)   
Anyway the new processors are fast and clearly Rosetta is up to the  
challenge.

Other applications I use also run without a problem including....

MacMemoriesManager
RDCP+Mac (Carbon version) - this hasn't been updated in a while.  
(Nice it still runs)
NI5V callsign lookup
EchoMac 1.14.4  (Minor rough edges with connect messages)
MultiMode OSX

I haven't tried MacDopplerPro due to serial port issues I mention  
previously but I am sure it will as soon as Keyspan release their GM  
driver this month.

I realize this isn't the most in-depth report an all the applications  
but from a first experiences perspective it seem very good and with  
many of this applications already being converted to Universal Binary  
it can only seem to get better.  The new system is the 20" model with  
2 GB RAM. Yes the larger RAM helps but this is the case on any  
computer these days.

Cheers & 73

Steve - VA3SPH