best pc processor speed for use with labview multithreading etc

[Kejoglo]

I hope that this is the correct forum for this question.

I'll be taking over a project from a colleague soon and am faced with specifying a new computer system for purchase. The current system uses LabVIEW and the IMAQ vision module. The software needs to do a large amount of processing within a very short cycle time and come to a decision about rejecting a sample for factory inspection etc. Typically the current system takes 12 seconds to make the decision and the cycle time is only 7 seconds, hence problem.

Now the current system uses a computer bought 4/5 years ago when it was a top of the range dual processor machine. What I want to get a feel for is how to go about getting the processor/pc specification for obtaining the fastest answer. Currently the LabVIEW software breaks down the problem into four areas and processes them individually, this multi-threading is thought to speed things up by using both processers (and appears to do so). However LabVIEW/Windows does this allocation - or at least somehow it is done without program control.

Does anyone have recent experience with this kind of problem? What is hyper-threading and would this be useful? What does dual core actually mean with regards to how quick LabVIEW can number crunch? Could you expect, say, a dual core 3.2 GHZ processor to be twice as fast as a single 3.2 gHZ? If not then how fast? How is the best way to handle dual core and hyperthreading from within labVIEW - if it can be handled at all?

There are a lot of areas of discussion here but any information or links which can be provided for specifying processors with particular emphasis on use with labVIEW/Vision would be most welcome.

Regards

Kevin

[GuenterMueller]

Hi Kevin.

First of all, I am sure you know the document LabVIEW and Hyperthreading.

I have a PC with two CPUs (P3, each 1000MHz, this should be close to your 5 years old PC) and at the same time I am working with a ~3 years old hyperthreaded P4 2,8GHz. Both PCs are no longer state of the art. But the P4 is between 1 and 10 times faster, and he is especially better in computational algorithms like image processing (For example: Edge Detections run about three times faster on the P4).

There is a good chance, that an up-to-date PC will be fast enough for your demands. I recommend, that you run a benchmark of your software's most important parts on a hyperthreaded or dual-core PC. Verify, that the software in fact (or should I say: without modification) uses both CPUs and make an estimation, how much spare time you might have. (As you can take from my words: I expect that a new PC will run your job in less than seven seconds.)

I hope this was helpful, Guenter

[Kejoglo]

Thanks Guenter,

Somewhat embarrassingly I had not seen the link before so I will read that! Thanks for your other comments also.

Regards

Kevin