One of the potential benefits of a multiprocessor computer is the ability to run two intensive tasks simultaneously with minimal performance degradation. The two computers included in this test are powered by twin processors.

The tests combine Photoshop CS batch processing and RAW photo batch processing simultaneously. The tasks used in testing are the same as those run as single processes earlier in this report. The first table details the results when Photoshop is the foreground process; the second table details the results when Photoshop is the background process.

All results are in seconds. Single photo processing times are rounded to the nearest 0.1 of a second; batch processing times are rounded to the nearest full second. The fastest times for each task are in bold.

Task (Photoshop in the foreground)	Dell Precision 450 Dual Xeon 3.06GHz w/2GB RAM, WinXP Pro (seconds)	Apple Power Mac G5/2.0GHz Dual w/2GB RAM, OS X 10.3.2 (seconds)
Background: Canon File Viewer Utility 1.3.2: convert 25 Canon EOS-1Ds TIF photos to JPEG Foreground: Photoshop CS: Batch process 25 Nikon D100 JPEG photos using web site Action	File Viewer Utility: 175 Photoshop: 131	File Viewer Utility: 252 Photoshop: 154
Background: Kodak Photo Desk 3.2/3.2.1: Save 25 DCS 760 DCS photos as JPEGs Foreground: Photoshop CS: Batch process 25 Nikon D100 JPEG photos using web site Action	Photo Desk: 53 Photoshop: 125	Photo Desk: 73 Photoshop: 148
Background: Nikon Capture 4.0: Convert 25 Nikon D1X photos to JPEG using Batch Foreground: Photoshop CS: Batch process 25 Nikon D100 JPEG photos using web site Action	Capture: 123 Photoshop: 131	Capture: 159 Photoshop: 154

Task (Photoshop in the background)	Dell Precision 450 Dual Xeon 3.06GHz w/2GB RAM, WinXP Pro (seconds)	Apple Power Mac G5/2.0GHz Dual w/2GB RAM, OS X 10.3.2 (seconds)
Background: Canon File Viewer Utility 1.3.2: convert 25 Canon EOS-1Ds TIF photos to JPEG Foreground: Photoshop CS: Batch process 25 Nikon D100 JPEG photos using web site Action	File Viewer Utility: 172 Photoshop: 130	File Viewer Utility: 246 Photoshop: 145
Background: Kodak Photo Desk 3.2/3.2.1: Save 25 DCS 760 DCS photos as JPEGs Foreground: Photoshop CS: Batch process 25 Nikon D100 JPEG photos using web site Action	Photo Desk: 46 Photoshop: 129	Photo Desk: 73 Photoshop: 140
Background: Nikon Capture 4.0: Convert 25 Nikon D1X photos to JPEG using Batch Foreground: Photoshop CS: Batch process 25 Nikon D100 JPEG photos using web site Action	Capture: 109 Photoshop: 134	Capture: 157 Photoshop: 146

Testing Notes: Photoshop memory usage was set to a maximum of 50%. The number of History States was set to 1. Cache Levels was set to 1.