Mac Pro Considerations

[6x6]

A lot of the time I spend in post processing is doing batch jobs. Outputting a couple of hundred 8 bit tiffs from my P40+ for example. I have been keeping a close eye on the reviews of the latest Mac Pro and had started to think that it was a machine mainly orientated for videographers. It looks like I might be wrong.

In reading through the macperformanceguide.com reviews, there is a section that talks about the processing of D800e images in Capture One. The new Mac Pro seems to be working through these images much much faster than the old Mac Pro. 1.5 seconds per image, compared to 4.2 seconds. That's a chunk of photographer time saved right there.

It looks like the performance improvements are down to the GPU, so anyone building a new Mac Pro system should take this into consideration.

Here is the direct link:

MPG - Apple Dec 2013 Mac Pro Performance - 2013 Mac Pro: D800E Raw to JPEG in CaptureOne Pro

I for one will probably spec up a 6 core, 64gb, d700 machine as it looks like a sweet spot for photogs.

 

[k-hawinkler]

Thanks. I agree, but will wait a little longer before placing my order.
Some more testing will undoubtedly be forthcoming in short order and will clarify the picture.

 

[RVB]

I have a 6 core with D700's and 64gb ram arriving at the end of the month,the great thing about this MP is that you can upgrade the CPU later..I reckon the 6 core will be more tun enough unless you do video or 3d work..

looking at Lloyd's results the 6core with fast cards is enough,the small gains of the octal core are not really worth the extra money,and the core with D700's should be even faster with capture one.. (Capture one pro 7 is very impressive here.. )

http://macperformanceguide.com/blog/2014/20140117_2-MacPro2013-CaptureOnePro.html

 

[k-hawinkler]

I have a 6 core with D700's and 64gb ram arriving at the end of the month,the great thing about this MP is that you can upgrade the CPU later..I reckon the 6 core will be more tun enough unless you do video or 3d work..

looking at Lloyd's results the 6core with fast cards is enough,the small gains of the octal core are not really worth the extra money,and the core with D700's should be even faster with capture one.. (Capture one pro 7 is very impressive here.. )

MPG blog - But... the Power of the GPU...

Thanks. That configuration is what I am considering to order.
I didn't know one could upgrade the CPU later. Thanks for the info.
Will Apple be offering the upgrade so that one can avoid any warranty issues?

 

[6x6]

Will Apple be offering the upgrade so that one can avoid any warranty issues?

Other World Computing (OWC) - Performance Upgrades For Your Mac may offer the upgrades, although nothing is official yet. Apple won't (well they never have in the past).

I'm pleased that there will be big benefits for photogs. If Adobe gets its act together we may see some major software improvements to take advantage of these machines (its the software that is keeping things slow in reality).

Time saved in post production = money saved for me, so it is starting to look like it is worth it. I'll hold out a while longer, but the initial reviews for photographers are starting to pick up in their positivity.

 

[k-hawinkler]

True, Apple never have. In that case it might be a good idea to keep the original Apple components and stick them back in the machine if one ever needs warranty work done. :banghead:

A friend of mine had third party memory in his machine and Apple refused to work on it.

Considering Apple's policies I wonder though whether third party upgrades are really worth it. I guess that's a judgement everybody has to make on his/her own.

 

[jduncan]

Re: Mac Pro Considerations 10 core processor in the Mac PRO

I have a 6 core with D700's and 64gb ram arriving at the end of the month,the great thing about this MP is that you can upgrade the CPU later..I reckon the 6 core will be more tun enough unless you do video or 3d work..

looking at Lloyd's results the 6core with fast cards is enough,the small gains of the octal core are not really worth the extra money,and the core with D700's should be even faster with capture one.. (Capture one pro 7 is very impressive here.. )

MPG blog - But... the Power of the GPU...

We have now more and more people doing upgrades. For me is to early to trow the guaranty but some people are adventurous.

Here is one case using a 10 core processor:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_8YMGyLTKM&list=UU_3vfVLGjww6N6ZudokdGvw

Best regards,

J. Duncan

 

[Bob]

Just did a little test with a new 8core 64Gig Mac pro compared to the latest version of the MBP
118 D800 files with adjustments converted to 1200 px long endue jpegs.
MBP 5:25
MP 3:15.
Oh, and there were three virtual machines running at the same time on the MP. C1 hardly scratched the ram.
No tuning or tweaking yet...
-bob

 

[jduncan]

Just did a little test with a new 8core 64Gig Mac pro compared to the latest version of the MBP
118 D800 files with adjustments converted to 1200 px long endue jpegs.
MBP 5:25
MP 3:15.
Oh, and there were three virtual machines running at the same time on the MP. C1 hardly scratched the ram.
No tuning or tweaking yet...
-bob

Hi,

Thanks for sharing. Where the files store in the internal SSDs of each machine or in an external array?

Best regards,

J. Duncan

 

[Bob]

Hi,

Thanks for sharing. Where the files store in the internal SSDs of each machine or in an external array?

Best regards,

J. Duncan

MP had files stored on a 6-way pegasus 2 in raid0
mbp was on local ssd.
I have found that C1 is not at all disk bound and gives virtually the same results over a wide range of disk performance.
-bob

 

[jduncan]

Hi,

It seems that we have announcement of 32GB modules for the nMP:

Welcome to the Transcend Info Website - Transcend Releases DDR3 RDIMM Modules to Maximize Mac Pro Memory up to 128GB

When the machine was introduced some people were sure that the limit of the machine was 64GB. I was surprised since I could not find base for that statement on the documentation.

Some people affirmed that it was a limit on the motherboard (at Lula).

I was not sure. Now it seems that the limit is not there. It will have been better for the machine to have dual processors and 8 memory slots but probably the market was not lucrative enough for Apple (the price will be far higher and the box bigger). Now the memory is slower it could be due to chip density, or thermal reasons(1).

I hope that this materialize for people that need more than 64GB of RAM.

People are changing the processors as stated before, even processors that apple does not offer :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSAjk2xpIl4


What we are laking is SSDs. I hope it don't take long.

Best regards,
J. Duncan

-----------
(1) They have two ways of building more denser memory modules, they can use more chips (and draw more current) or they can use newer more dense chips (and have price affected). I am not positive about the road taken by Transcend .

 

[RVB]

Hi,

It seems that we have announcement of 32GB modules for the nMP:

Welcome to the Transcend Info Website - Transcend Releases DDR3 RDIMM Modules to Maximize Mac Pro Memory up to 128GB

When the machine was introduced some people were sure that the limit of the machine was 64GB. I was surprised since I could not find base for that statement on the documentation.

Some people affirmed that it was a limit on the motherboard (at Lula).

I was not sure. Now it seems that the limit is not there. It will have been better for the machine to have dual processors and 8 memory slots but probably the market was not lucrative enough for Apple (the price will be far higher and the box bigger). Now the memory is slower it could be due to chip density, or thermal reasons(1).


I hope that this materialize for people that need more than 64GB of RAM.

People are changing the processors as stated before, even processors that apple does not offer :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSAjk2xpIl4


What we are laking is SSDs. I hope it don't take long.

Best regards,
J. Duncan

-----------
(1) They have two ways of building more denser memory modules, they can use more chips (and draw more current) or they can use newer more dense chips (and have price affected). I am not positive about the road taken by Transcend .

It appears that the 32gb module is slower than the 16gb module.. "Transcend’s 16GB DDR3-1866 and 32GB DDR3-1333 ". 1866 vs 1333..

I have a nMP and the new pcie SSD is superb but I have read that pcie 2 is going to be released soon and with double the speed..

Rob

 

[jduncan]

It appears that the 32gb module is slower than the 16gb module.. "Transcend’s 16GB DDR3-1866 and 32GB DDR3-1333 ". 1866 vs 1333..

I have a nMP and the new pcie SSD is superb but I have read that pcie 2 is going to be released soon and with double the speed..

Rob

Hi ,

It is. As highlighted in the note (1) I am not sure why. It could be that they add more chips and run into thermal constraints, or that they used higher density chips that are not yet disponible at 1866mhz.

For most photographers 32GB is, for know, all that we need. Many professionals are working from 16GB laptops with no issues. The other key bit we don't know yet is pricing.

Best regards,

J. Duncan