1. A computer-implemented method of generating a visual representation of performance data for an application running on a plurality of compute nodes of a parallel computing system, comprising: receiving a selection of one or more performance counters present on the plurality of compute nodes; receiving a value for each of the selected performance counters, wherein the values are received without disrupting the performance of the application running on the plurality of compute nodes; and generating a visual display of the plurality of compute nodes, wherein the visual display depicts the plurality of compute nodes and depicts a performance characteristic of the application, as reflected by the received values for each of the selected performance counters.