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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

New Mac Pro

6 core vs. 8 core.

I've been scouring the net for anyone giving real world experience comparisons between the six core and 8 core. For someone like myself doing mostly AE, but 30% FCP. Not a lot of filter stuff in FCP though. I know from experience that the additional cores for AE are really only useful when I'm BG-Rendering out my work. So for AE I think probably the 6 core is fine. But FCPX is a new animal to me. But from what I gather it seems the multiple cores are only advantageous for effects and rendering.

And the big question for me is the difference in L3 cache and if (as one salesman insisted) that difference alone is the reason to order the 8 core.

Input is appreciated. I know Neil mentioned in another thread he was going to compare a six and a 12, but I didn't see any follow up to that.
 
If you need the PCi-E slots and bandwidth why get the nMP in the first place. I hate to break peoples hearts but there is no real performance difference between OSX and Windows right now. The expansion chassis is just an added latency point in the hardware chain besides the extra cost.
 
FCPX is enough to keep me on the mac.

Eric Bowen said:
If you need the PCi-E slots and bandwidth why get the nMP in the first place. I hate to break people hearts but there is no real performance difference between OSX and Windows right now. The expansion chassis is just an added latency point in the hardware chain besides the extra cost.
Click to expand...
 
FCP is the main reason for staying mac. As a DIT it is all about being able to provide the editors with the files they need being mac based allows me to support Final Cut workflows better and even setup project bins for the editors.

I must admit I have been tempted by the possibility of a switch to Windows for the added flexibility of configuration and power your can get for your money especially since Scratch now supports rendering to ProRes on Windows. Memories of horrible driver configuration issues, hardware and driver conflicts and general Windows crashes put me off even though Apple seem to be putting out less reliable systems and software updates than they used to at least the limited range of Mac systems they produce are known hardware configs that they can optimise for and should be more likely to work reliably under stressful conditions. That and the cost of a full Scratch license (I can get away with just Scratch lab if I go with Scratch at all on Mac as I can use Resolve when I need secondaries - Resolve on windows won't render ProRes so I couldn't do the same there leaving me with the full Scratch as my only way of doing secondaries and rendering to ProRes)
 
http://www.cinemartin.com/cinec/

If later it just comes down to Pro Res then look Cinec. Obviously FCP keeps those editors on Mac but with the other editing platforms there is little reason to try and make a nMPro work for your workflow if that requires the hardware in high Bandwidth PCI-E slots. The person that mentioned the nMPro is basically a system with 3x PCI-E 2.0 4x slots is absolutely right.
 
Gunleik Groven said:
Mark... WHat is the problem with it being only for effects and rendering?
Click to expand...

If it's only for rendering and effects I would benefit more from the faster clock speed for the majority of my use. Which is why I was wondering if the enhanced L3 would make a difference in the user experience outside of rendering tasks.
 
Any higher compression codecs such as H264/AVC or extremely processing intensive codecs such as Red/DNG will definitely use the extra cache especially on the Xeons. Cache also is a large factor in performance for compositors or CG applications. Any application with significantly long algorithm strings to process or massive amounts of data to process from ram.
 
Jeff Kilgroe said:
I'll be giving FCPX and Premiere a better run-through with Dragon and other R3D footage here. I'll try to put some numbers to all of this. I plan to run RAID-5 on the Pegasus2. I may reformat if I decide a different configuration in terms of block size would be better. Although I'm betting it will be just fine out of the box as the TB1 Pegasus RAIDs have been great.

I Have the ASUS 32" 4K en route and will wrap up some 4K display testing shortly. As of right now, I have already done the following 4K display testing:

SEIKI 50" works via HDMI at 24Hz and 30Hz. Of course it still has the same SEIKI issues we get with all other sources like the panel still refreshing at 30Hz to give us judder and the inability to completely remove all sharpening/ etc. for monitor use. Even with it dialed all the way off in the service menu.

Samsung 55" F9000 -- works at 24Hz and 30Hz via HDMI. Have to run in game mode to get rid of all the extra "enhancements" crap. Looks nice, but too big for desktop use. Kinda like it since my 55" is mounted on the wall at about 11 feet away and I can sit in my recliner to use it. :)

Dell 24" 4K -- HDMI, DP, miniDP, all fine at 24Hz and 30Hz 4K. 60Hz via DP 1.2 MST (standard DisplayPort connection only) has issues with the secondary stream. Not as bad as described in the Anandtech reviewing of this pair, but there's sparkles, flickers and drop-outs. Some of the drop-outs cause both streams to blank for a split second here and there. So not useable. I have a couple other miniDP to DP 1.2 MST 21Gbps cables coming today to see if that helps. Since the Anandtech review, there has been an EFI update for the new Mac Pro, installed here. And there is also a new FireGL Dx00 driver package in the OSX 10.9.2 developer seed, which I have not installed yet. If MST fails to work with the ASUS and/ or with the newer cables, then I'll try the 10.9.2 beta. I don't recall if the Anandtech review system was running 10.9 or 10.9.1. I'm currently on .1 here and it had a video driver update to 10.9 as well. Even if it's not quite working yet, I think Apple will have this all working shortly. Hopefully in time for those $700 28" 4K monitors that are about to hit the market. We have Dell, ASUS, Lenovo, Acer and presumably others bringing these 28 inchers to market soon.
Click to expand...

Hi Jeff, Do you know the maximum Desktop configuration this new MacPro with D700's box supports natively? Can that be increased by Thunderbolt displays (theoretically? Just interested in seeing Dragon 6K footage natively or above for use in panoramic scenarios,; also, we all know Red probably has higher res cameras coming this year (hopefully)... Thanks for any feedback!
 
John Bellari said:
Hi Jeff, Do you know the maximum Desktop configuration this new MacPro with D700's box supports natively? Can that be increased by Thunderbolt displays (theoretically? Just interested in seeing Dragon 6K footage natively or above for use in panoramic scenarios,; also, we all know Red probably has higher res cameras coming this year (hopefully)... Thanks for any feedback!
Click to expand...

It depends on the monitors connected. Six of the current TB displays gives you 15360 x 8640, three UHD/4K displays gives you 11520 x 6480, and three 4K DCI displays gives you 12288 x 6480. Of course, only the six TB display configuration is really attainable and works right now, assuming you have the cash. On paper, both of those GPUs could drive twelve UHD/4K DCI displays together - I guess that would give you a circle of displays - but they obviously can't because of the interface limitations with only six TB ports to use.
 
Jason Myres of the LiftGammaGain website has a long write-up on his experiences over the past week using the new 2013 MacPro with DaVinci Resolve 10:

http://liftgammagain.com/forum/inde...pro-resolve-benchmarks.2256/page-2#post-14588

His report is interesting and provides a couple of surprises. The speed gains between the new machine and a previous 12-core 2012 Mac were not as great as you might think they'd be, but there are some interesting cost differences.
 
L. Langer said:
It depends on the monitors connected. Six of the current TB displays gives you 15360 x 8640, three UHD/4K displays gives you 11520 x 6480, and three 4K DCI displays gives you 12288 x 6480. Of course, only the six TB display configuration is really attainable and works right now, assuming you have the cash. On paper, both of those GPUs could drive twelve UHD/4K DCI displays together - I guess that would give you a circle of displays - but they obviously can't because of the interface limitations with only six TB ports to use.
Click to expand...

Anandtech review tells the story:

http://www.anandtech.com/show/7603/mac-pro-review-late-2013/11
 
The only gripe I have with the whole thing is the pricing here in Germany.
The 8core maxed out costs $11.065 over here compared to $8.099 in the US. I understand import duties and what not. But $3K ? f***ing hell that's steep! They just change the $ sign into a € sign and keep the amount. It's the same deal with all apple products but with a huge sum like that it's worse. Thanks a lot. :(

***RANT OFF***
 
As I seriously contemplate migrating to the new Mac Pro I figured I should test some disk I/O. My main storage is a 16 Terabyte 8 bay SAS RAID connected to my current tower via an ATTO R680 card. I regularly get nearly 600 MB/sec Read/Write on that. I just moved the RAID card to my Magma Thunderbolt PCI expansion Chassis and mounted the RAID on my laptop. Same speeds! Sweet!

1504350_10202268001156499_1899439807_o.jpg
 
I think you missed my point, Mike. What I'm happy about is getting the same speeds via a Thunderbolt PCI Chassis to a Laptop that I was getting with the card inside a 2010 Mac Pro. This means I can migrate that drive to the nMP and not take any performance hits.
 
RAID speeds are dependent on lots of factors, we're unsure of his full configuration. Sure, there are setups that can go faster... And that discussion now has it's own thread.

As for the new Mac Pro and monitor testing, I'm pleased to report that 4K @ 60Hz on the ASUS 32" works just fine via the Accell miniDP to DP 1.2 cable. Available from Amazon for about $17.

The Dell 24" works as well, but still has an occasional sparkle, which seems to be a timing issue. It works attached to the HP running Windows. I'm kinda surprised as the Dell monitors are usually very forgiving with signal variances. Perhaps they will meld better with updated drivers on the Mac Pro as well. Have not tried from Windows on the nMP and have no intention of trying Windows on this system right now since I pretty well have it all set up just the way I want it and it's running great!

I did make the call to return the 24" Dell monitor yesterday. My sales rep let me pre-order the 28" $699 one, even though we're not supposed to be able to just yet. It's in the system, so here we go. They start shipping on or about the 23rd. I figure it should be as useable as the 32", maybe better because it can sit a tad closer to my face and the price is a lot more attractive. No official specs yet, so I'm kinda going out on a limb, but I was told I'll have all the specs before they ship in case I want to change my mind.
 
Hey Jeff, how's that Pegasus 2 going, would you recommend the 6 bay over the 4 bay version? Enjoy reading about how well the Mac Pro handles Epic material... any more revelations? Thanks
 
Is VAT/GST/TAX included in the $11,065? Remember that US prices are quoted ex tax, usually about 8%-10%. So if you have 20% tax that's already incuded in the price, it gets much closer very quickly.

In Australia we have 10% GST, included in the price, which makes the price difference look larger than it is.

Patrick Grossien said:
The only gripe I have with the whole thing is the pricing here in Germany.
The 8core maxed out costs $11.065 over here compared to $8.099 in the US. I understand import duties and what not. But $3K ? f***ing hell that's steep! They just change the $ sign into a € sign and keep the amount. It's the same deal with all apple products but with a huge sum like that it's worse. Thanks a lot. :(

***RANT OFF***
Click to expand...
 
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