VERY slow when editing text box

[Mark Dawson]

When editing text in a text box (selecting a 3 digit number, then
changing it to another 3 digit number), it is VERY slow on my old 400
MHz G4 (10.3.8, 384 MB memory). By slow, I mean 10-20 seconds
sometimes. Running top, I see that this operation consumes up to 80% of
the CPU to operate. Other Word operations don't seem to have any speed
issues. This is an updated 2004 Office word. On my Dual 1 GHz G4 (1.5
GB RAM, 10.3.8, Word 2001), it's instantaneous (maybe a 1 second pause)
for the same file. Since my machine is NOT 10x faster, there must be
something else going on. Any ideas?

Thanks!

Mark
(e-mail address removed)

 

[Mark Dawson]

When editing text in a text box (selecting a 3 digit number, then
changing it to another 3 digit number), it is VERY slow on my old 400
MHz G4 (10.3.8, 384 MB memory). By slow, I mean 10-20 seconds
sometimes. Running top, I see that this operation consumes up to 80% of
the CPU to operate. Other Word operations don't seem to have any speed
issues. This is an updated 2004 Office word. On my Dual 1 GHz G4 (1.5
GB RAM, 10.3.8, Word 2001), it's instantaneous (maybe a 1 second pause)
for the same file. Since my machine is NOT 10x faster, there must be
something else going on. Any ideas?

Thanks!

Mark
(e-mail address removed)

Well, maybe its a memory issue. I launched Activity Monitor, and
discovered that Word wanted 256 MB virtual memory (for 3 of those files
on my other machine, running 2001 Word, its using/allocated 487 MB). So
it might be that that machine is underpowered for Word (RAM-wise)?

Mark

 

[Beth Rosengard]

Well, maybe its a memory issue. I launched Activity Monitor, and
discovered that Word wanted 256 MB virtual memory (for 3 of those files
on my other machine, running 2001 Word, its using/allocated 487 MB). So
it might be that that machine is underpowered for Word (RAM-wise)?

Hi Mark,

I think you've got it. Most people recommend at least a half gig (even
better 1 gig) of RAM when running OS X and Word 2004. There are a number of
3rd party reputable chip sellers so you can buy memory a lot cheaper than
purchasing from Apple.

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Beth Rosengard
MacOffice MVP

Mac Word FAQ: <http://word.mvps.org/MacWordNew/index.htm>
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[John McGhie [MVP - Word and Word Macintosh]]

Hi Mark:

Beth's right: I think you have nailed it. I think you're low on processor,
memory, and motherboard speed.

The change to Apple's new ATSUI Unicode-enabled rendering engine in Word
2004 have made it quite a bit more power- and memory-hungry.

One of the problems with the Mac RISC processor is that things need about
double the real memory as does the other crowd on Windows, because even
though RISC instructions execute in fewer machine cycles, there are roughly
twice as many of them!

To get Word to "go", I would recommend the fastest processor you can lay
your hands on (two of them if you have deep pockets) and a gig of memory.
However, RISC applications also sling a lot of data along the bus: a fast
motherboard will make a big difference. And Word benefits from a fast hard
disk with a low seek time.

You knew all this: I am just repeating it so you have a solid justification
for why racing out to buy a new dual-G5 was a "necessary business expense"!

Cheers

Well, maybe its a memory issue. I launched Activity Monitor, and
discovered that Word wanted 256 MB virtual memory (for 3 of those files
on my other machine, running 2001 Word, its using/allocated 487 MB). So
it might be that that machine is underpowered for Word (RAM-wise)?

Mark

--

Please reply to the newsgroup to maintain the thread. Please do not email
me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie <[email protected]>
Microsoft MVP, Word and Word for Macintosh. Consultant Technical Writer
Sydney, Australia +61 4 1209 1410