Heavy processing needs

[teknowledgist]

I like the concept of YoWindow and the display of the information looks very nice, but I think there is an efficiency problem. I have a quad-core, 2.7GHz machine with 16GB RAM, so I don't think it is problem with the capability of my machine. My normal "idle" average CPU usage (with 15 applications running including a VM running it's own software) is around 10%. When I run YoWindow, it jumps to around 50% - on all 4 processors!

If YoWindow were running some kind of 3D simulation or computing protein folding, I could understand CPU usage like that, but there is no reason for this fairly simple screensaver to draw that kind of power. If I leave for a couple hours, my room would be noticeably warmer!

Any chance of tightening things up?

[Mallorca]

Hi and welcome to our forum.

I'm surprised about your CPU usage. Indeed, Yowinow 2 was an "resource eater", but with Yowindow 3 we got the great effect of a very low need of CPU usage.

My system: Win7/64, CPU intel i7/850 (quad) with 2,93 Ghz, 8 GB RAM
Yowindow needs less 10% of the CPU and when its closed to the taskbar it is near to zero. The CPU usage is a little bit different depending on the shown weathersituation (more by rain and thunderstorm).

So in your case another situation must be the reason for the high need of the processor.

Werner

[teknowledgist]

What can I say but give some evidence. Because the YoWindow screensaver leaves secondary monitors completely up and running, it's easy to watch what is going on and take screenshots. Here is what happens to my CPU usage when the YoWindow screensaver kicks in.

[teknowledgist]

Here is what happens when my system comes out of the YoWindow screen saver.

[teknowledgist]

And here is what is using the majority of the processor time.

[Mallorca]

Hi,
there was no moment from me to didn't beliefe you
But I have no idea what's happen on your PC.

So the question to Pasha, all mods and members: any idea? or similar experience?
Werner

[hermanz]

Hi

I have an Intel (R) Duo CPU 3.16 GHz and 3 GB RAM.

Between no clouds and heavy clouds the CPU is between 2 and 32%
Rain takes 32% CPU. When it rains, the clouds do not move.
So the maximum is 32 % CPU.


gr.
Herman

[teknowledgist]

Interesting.

I was just experimenting with YoWindow as a screensaver, but it playing with it, I have noticed that I have no perceptible change in processor activity when the YoWindow application window is minimized, but as soon as I expand the window, my processor(s) jumps into high-gear. Minimize the window and the activity stops even though the YoWindow tray icon/stub still has accurate information.

To follow hermanz's observation, it has been cloudy with off-and-on rain here (Hurricane Sandy) for days. I haven't seen a sunny day since I downloaded YoWindow, so maybe that's part of it.

Nonetheless, a few, 2-dimensional cloud/rain graphic overlays should not tax the processor like that.

T.

[par]

I've spent a lot of time making sure YoWindow consumes as less CPU power as possible in minimized state.
Happy to read your observations

YoWindow is Flash based application.
Flash takes a lot of processing power to display vector graphics.
There are no GPU utilization like in 3d games.
So that is why YoWindow eats CPU when it is opened full-screen - for vector graphics display.

[teknowledgist]

Now that I've had a few sunny days, I see a distinct pattern. Using the default, "Village" landscape on a sunny day, there is very minimal CPU usage. The birds, airplanes, horse, weeds, and smoke (anything else?) cause an increase of less than 10%. That's good.

However, as soon as there are any clouds and especially if there is rain (I haven't seen snow yet.), the cpu utilization jumps up. While the simulated clouds look very nice, it's never going to fool someone into thinking it's a real window. I don't know if there is a way to gradually scale the realism on the clouds (and rain, etc.), but I'd be OK with a simple on/off that leaves the clouds as simple, moving, white blobs that don't tax my system.

Keep up the good work.

Thanks.