DeNoise AI very slow processing when running in background or system idle

Running Topaz DeNoise AI v3.7.1
MacBook Pro 2021 16" M1 Max 32 GB RAM
Low Light model with custom slider settings

I’m running DeNoise as the standalone app since it didn’t work when trying to open TIFFs directly from Lightroom (I needed to batch process 1000 images).

So my problem is this: When actively using the app (app window displayed, scrolling or interacting with window elements), images process in about 4-6 seconds each. When I switch to a different app such as Safari for web browsing etc. OR when I put my display to sleep (not the machine itself) as I often do and step away from my machine while batch processing … The images then take between 30 and 90 seconds each to process!

I started the batch and walked away from the computer expecting it to be done in about 90 minutes for 1000 images. I came back probably 3 hours later and it was barely half done! I have restarted the application a few times and experimented with the AI processor set to Auto, CPU and M1 Max with memory usage set to High. The behaviour is the same in all tested scenarios. No other apps are running other than when testing with Safari active.

As I’m typing this, the last three images have all taken over 50 seconds to process. I just switched back to look at the processing queue in DeNoise and they started processing at 5 seconds each again. Very annoying that the app engine throttles down -90% when you’re not looking at it.

Any suggestions are welcome.

I literally just bought a license today and am using the program for the first time other than a quick demo before I purchased. I’m lukewarm on the app so far in terms of image results and some UI elements but I can see it has huge potential and I’m willing to hang in and fiddle with it more. Would be nice if it actually properly used the hardware resources I’ve fed it.

EDIT: currently the only workaround is to unplug my external display and turn down the laptop display brightness to zero. Any display ‘sleeping’ throttles the performance down. Not a huge deal anymore and I got the settings I like dialled in for a large batch of images.

Seconding this. Happens with all three from the image bundle, 6-7 seconds becomes 30-90 seconds, I don’t have any apps that slow down background (or any non-front) applications or processes, so it’s a bit annoying when I can’t do anything but keep that window open on top.