Re: SPSS 20 + 64 bit OS

Posted by J. R. Carroll on Jan 27, 2012; 4:31pm
URL: http://spssx-discussion.165.s1.nabble.com/SPSS-20-64-bit-OS-tp5166219p5435944.html

Frank,

 

Thanks also for the information about 64 bit specials (memory pointer sizes,
runtime libraries).
How can one speed up a 32 bit version as much as possible: Probably only by
using a machine with more kernals (eg. six core)? Would linux be an
advantage to windows? 

There are a number of solutions that I have worked with in the past.  Hardware and software specifics notwithstanding, consider the following:

1.  Last I heard, individual lic of SPSS 32bit/64bit cannot utilize multi-core technology; if you want to utilize multiple cores, I believe you have to get the server edition (and the server - it's not cheap), and run SPSS "remotely" (or on the server itself).

2.  Running a Linux distribution won't necessarily help you.  It's more about how much 'crap' you have running on your PC that will contribute to slowing down SPSS.  For instance, if you are browsing the internet or listening to streaming music you will be potentially taking away from available processing power.  Shut down extra applications (and services running in the background) to avoid any potential resource hogging issues.

3.  My home PC (which is also my backup work PC) is tailored/custom-built (I built it, but I also paid for premium parts) - things that I have found over the years that help SPSS that are hardware related are the following:  faster RPM harddrive (I have a 10,000 RPM raptor HD that I use to run my OS and as a scratch disk for writing data like SPSS) - better yet, if you can get a solid-state HD, you might see improvements, but I do not know this for certain; faster RAM (1066, 1333, 1666, etc) - the bad part here is that you need to make sure your motherboard (MOBO) supports faster RAM before you buy it (and try not to mix RAM speeds).  There are other concerns regarding RAM that you'll want to consider, but this should be discussed with your IT support (if you have them); another thing to consider is proper cooling!  I have seen considerably faster results in computing with PC's that ran at colder temperatures (each processor/PC has its optimal temp range - follow that!).  I use a custom designed case with intake and outtake fans that draw/pull air in a systematic fashion, and I use a liquid cooled radiator on my processor.  This keeps my PC running around 27-32 degrees Celsius (if I am remembering correctly).  My friends PC without proper air flow and a standard fan/copper radiator cooling his processor runs closer to 45-50 deg Celsius.  

4.  How you run your SPSS will also contribute to performance (and Jon Peck and David Marso can speak on this issue better than I, I am sure).  I have done several Monte Carlo simulations in the past and I've used Python to run a set of simulations, save the data/output, close it all, and start the next series of simulations.  By introducing/adapting my syntax to consider different ways to processing my data, I had better results than if I had just done it all with syntax (chances are that I wrote the syntax poorly and the same job could have been optimized in SPSS without Python - but the point still stands - optimize your scripts!).

I'd start with those considerations and improve where you can.  But, upgrading your PC in both hardware/software in only one domain may prove futile - if you are upgrading (and you can afford it) you may just want to get the best-of-the-best PC + 64bit windows (or the equiv of Linux/Apple), server edition of SPSS, etc... but, that costs some serious $$.

HTH,

 

----


J. R. Carroll

On Fri, Jan 27, 2012 at 8:02 AM, drfg2008 <[hidden email]> wrote:

Thanks also for the information about 64 bit specials (memory pointer sizes,
runtime libraries).

How can one speed up a 32 bit version as much as possible: Probably only by
using a machine with more kernals (eg. six core)? Would linux be an
advantage to windows?

-----
Dr. Frank Gaeth
FU-Berlin

--

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