# set up check

**URL:** <https://psychtoolbox.discourse.group/t/set-up-check/1437>\
**Category:** Uncategorized\
**Created:** [May 24, 2007, 3:05pm UTC](https://psychtoolbox.discourse.group/t/set-up-check/1437 "2007-05-24T15:05:14Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Allen\_Ingling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a183cd/32.png) [@Allen\_Ingling](https://psychtoolbox.discourse.group/u/Allen_Ingling)\
**Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 3:05pm UTC](https://psychtoolbox.discourse.group/t/set-up-check/1437/1 "2007-05-24T15:05:14Z")

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Hi to all,  
  
I need to get set up for PTB experimental development in a new lab.   
Within my financial grasp is an iMac 24 inch with NVIDIA GeForce 7600  
GT graphics processor with 256MB of GDDR3 SDRAM using PCI Express.   
  
Is there anyone out there who can reassure me that they have something  
similar and they are working smoothly?   
  
I just left a post-doc position where we had Matlab 5.2 and PTB on OS9  
machines. That is what I know and I was pretty proficient in getting  
things done- I pray to avoid technical problems or a steep learning  
curve. I need to use Screen, color clut animation, and need timing  
resolution on the order of 5 ms.   
  
Cheers,  
  
Dawn Morales  
Asst Professor  
University of South Carolina, Aiken

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**Author:** ![franswcornelissen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df705f/32.png) [@franswcornelissen](https://psychtoolbox.discourse.group/u/franswcornelissen)\
**Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 6:48pm UTC](https://psychtoolbox.discourse.group/t/set-up-check/1437/2 "2007-05-24T18:48:43Z")

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Dawn,  
  
I can resassure you that PTB works okay on such an imac. Although I haven't used it in any   
way for actual experiments, I have done a bit of development on one of them, without any   
problems. It's a very nice machine in any case.  
  
The problem will be in your required timing resolution of 5 ms. That means that you need   
a 200 hz screen, which the imac certainly doesn't have (it has a LCD screen, which   
nominally runs at 60 hz, ie a resolution of ~16 ms).  
  
You can attach an external screen, but I am not sure what the max framerate is that it will   
drive (120 hz?).   
  
 I am not sure either whether the intel graphics in the mac mini will drive a 200 hz   
monitor. It sounds you may need either a powermac or macbook pro.  
  
Gr.  
  
Frans  
  
PS: regarding your learning curve, it is fairly easy to convert from OS9 to OSX PTB. Once   
you figure out the deal with Flip instead of WaitBlanking you're largely there ;-). But it does   
require a bit of rethinking to take advantage of all the new goodies that the opengl   
underpinnings offers. (e.g. the shader stuff looks quite intriguing, but ........;-)  
  
  
  

> --- In [psychtoolbox@yahoogroups.com](mailto:psychtoolbox@yahoogroups.com), "aikenphdawn" \<aikenphdawn@...\> wrote:  
> \>  
> \> Hi to all,  
> \>   
> \> I need to get set up for PTB experimental development in a new lab.   
> \> Within my financial grasp is an iMac 24 inch with NVIDIA GeForce 7600  
> \> GT graphics processor with 256MB of GDDR3 SDRAM using PCI Express.   
> \>   
> \> Is there anyone out there who can reassure me that they have something  
> \> similar and they are working smoothly?   
> \>   
> \> I just left a post-doc position where we had Matlab 5.2 and PTB on OS9  
> \> machines. That is what I know and I was pretty proficient in getting  
> \> things done- I pray to avoid technical problems or a steep learning  
> \> curve. I need to use Screen, color clut animation, and need timing  
> \> resolution on the order of 5 ms.   
> \>   
> \> Cheers,  
> \>   
> \> Dawn Morales  
> \> Asst Professor  
> \> University of South Carolina, Aiken  
> \>