v3.1 santa rosa, graphics lag in the Dashboard, Dock... Advice please!

Hi everyone, first post here!

I have read the posts concerning the bad graphics performance of the NVidia 8600 GT in OpenGL apps (i.e games) on OS X, but I never saw anything concerning any degradation of performance in the OS X interface itself.

I don't have a Mac yet but I am currently looking at the MBP. With the issue in mind I went to the local BestBuy to see how it performed, and I found something I wasn't at all expecting: opening/closing the Dashboard, resizing windows and even moving the mouse over icons in the Dock was unexpectedly sluggish on the Macbook Pro v3 santa rosa, while it was completely lagless on the v2. Even the non-pro Macbooks with the crappy intel GMA integrated video card were smoother than the MBP!

No apps were open, and I checked the Activity Monitor and it was idling at approx. 4-5% cpu, which is to be expected. The slugginess on the Dashboard is independent of the number of opened Widgets.

So, my questions are as follows:

-Do you guys that own Macbook Pros v3 have experienced any of this slugginess in the OS X interface (Dashboard, Dock, ...)

-Are there new drivers/a solution to correct this problem? (As long as the interface and the apps work well in OS X, I'm good to go, as I will be using Windows for games.)

-Are the multimedia apps (i.e: Maya, Photoshop, Final Cut...) working OK or are they affected by this problem also?

-Is Apple working on this issue to your knowledge?

Thanks!

I just picked up a MBP v3.1 last Wednesday-the 17" WUXGA model. There are a couple of design flaws with the machine that I am not happy with (though I'm overall happy with the computer). However, this particular issue is one that I have not experienced.

The only similar issue I've noticed is that it gets just a bit laggy if you've got a process in the background that's running at 100% CPU utilization, but that isn't abnormal as far as I know.

As for Apple working on a fix for the problem (assuming that it is a problem), my guess is that they'll do exactly what they're doing with the heat in the MBP and the hinge problem with the 17" model... "Problem? What problems. There are no problems." But then, I may just be being cynical, too.

Well, it's nice to hear this doesn't seem to be a model-wide issue! I really need the extra punch of the latest version... anyone else not having this problem? ;D

Straying off topic for a second, what are you upgrading from and what do you need the extra power for? I'm curious.

I'm upgrading from a relatively outdated PC (Athlon 64 4000+, 2gb Ram, ATI Radeon x850 pro). This will be my first Mac. I need the juice for all kinds of multimedia-related stuff (3D modeling, photoshopping, video edition, plus games).

Also, it would seem like throwing money out the window to me to buy a computer which graphic card is almost the same as my current one!

I'm not sure the 8600m is much faster than the x850, to be honest... it's not exactly a top of the line card. I know it gets thumped by the X19x0 series and the GF79x0 series in DX9 (obviously DX10 is a non-starter... )
//edit: here's a comparison between the 8600m and the x850. They're not exactly direct competitors, so you'll likely never see a review between the 8600 (desktop or mobile) and the x850, but this is better than nothing... http://www.gpureview.com/show_cards.php?card1=534&card2=54

You might want to seriously consider a Mac Pro if you don't need portability. The MBP has heat issues that will be exacerbated by running games and 3D modeling and stuff on it... This may not be a problem, but it's something to consider. Also, the hinges are an issue on the 17" model (I don't know which one you're looking at).

Back to the lag issue... there's one thing I have noticed which I forgot all about. When there's an icon bouncing in the dock (AIM, for example...) it does make typing in text boxes lag a bit. Other than that... I've had no problems. Though as somebody that uses both PCs and Macs, I do have to tell you that to me, OSX has never, ever seemed quite as responsive as XP does. It's hard to pin down, a lot of people say it's not there, but to me there's a very small-but noticeable-difference. Obviously it doesn't bother me much though, since I bought (well, picked; it was a gift) the MBP...

I know it's not a killer card, but it is at least a bit better than what I currently have on my PC. Plus it has Pixel Shader 4.0. After a bit of research, it seems that the x1600 is about 2/3 of the performance of the x850 pro. I want a capable laptop mainly because I do multimedia stuff from time to time, it's not like I do this for a living or anything. I had the occasion to work on Macs (G4 and G5) quite a bit in my multimedia courses and I have noticed the responsiveness was a little worse than Windows, but overall I think the Macs offer a smoother experience.

The reason I'm looking at a MBP is portability, so the desktop is not an option. Since I have a limited budget (well, limited budget for someone who's looking to buy a Mac ;D ), I'll most probably buy the 15" model, so the hinges thing should not apply.

Concerning the heat issue, I am aware of that.. so I'll see. I don't see why Apple wouldn't fix it if it heats abnormally... in the worst case, I have no problem with taking the thing apart and replacing the thermal paste if need be (as long as I can do it without them knowing it if I ever send it for repairs!).

Anyway, thanks for your advice!