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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

I don't have any 8 or 12 core machines to test against 2690V2 10 Cores. Just 4 core machines awaiting CPU upgrades. Anything beyond FPS and render times to quantify the results? I know I can "feel" improvements but I'd like to share something beyond just my opinion.
 
Transcend is now offering 16 and 32GB RDIMMS for the Neo MacPro. That brings you up to 128GB of memory for those of you who need to whip out the ole Abacus.
 
I guess the Transcend are 32GB are 1333 MHz - rather than the 1866 MHz ones supplied by Apple.

It does mean that we get to see if the nMP works with 128GB; Hopefully 1866 MHz versions will be out by Xmas. :)

AJ
 
The Transcend memory are nothing special. And we're still waiting for 32GB modules at 1666MHz (from any memory maker), so don't plan on seeing 1866MHz ones anytime soon, if ever. The other thing we need to take into account here is that DDR3 DRAM and associated RDIMM controllers have reached the end of their life cycle. No more development on that front. All Intel platforms moving forward, starting with Broadwell here in the coming few months, will shift to DDR4. New Mac Pro based on upcoming Haswell/ Broadwell core Xeon CPUs, probably to launch sometime middle of next year will incorporate PCIe v4.0 and DDR4 memory.

While most of the V2 Xeon systems out there, Mac Pro and otherwise, are typically spec'd out with 1866MHz RAM, it doesn't hurt to go 1666MHz as you actually get lower latency and faster transaction times. Just lower throughput due to the slower clock rate. Some people are sticking with 1666MHz for high-transaction / low bandwidth servers. This doesn't help our capacity dilemma for the RAM though. Only way to get more than 64GB in a nMP (or larger than 16GB @ 1666MHz or faster for DDR3 RDIMMs for any system) is to drop the RAM speed to 1333MHz… :(

That may change in the future, but I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for this one.
 
If any of you want to do a 4K gaming benchmark on your fully loaded NMP, Star Trek Online has just been released for OSX and it's free. That's one game I look forward to playing in 4K on my next Windows gaming machine.
 
I just wanted to update this thread with info about OSX 10.9.3 and 4K monitor support. It's all good now! I got my 24" Dell over a week ago, although only now got around to installing the 10.9.3 beta seed. Have been playing with the Dell and the Asus displays. Both working at 3840x2160 @ 60Hz and no hacks or tricks. Apple has added some more retina mode options starting with a 1280x720 equivalent (WTF?), a 1080p equivalent, 2560x1440 equivalent (really nice on the 24") and a 3200x1800 equivalent, or simply run it at native 2160p resolution.

The 32" looks nice at native resolution, but the desktop area feels too big at times, scaled down it softens up a bit unless you go to the 1/4 scale 1080p equivalent retina mode. The 2560x1440 retina mode on the 24" looks nice and doesn't feel too cramped.
 
Jeff Kilgroe said:
I just wanted to update this thread with info about OSX 10.9.3 and 4K monitor support. It's all good now! I got my 24" Dell over a week ago, although only now got around to installing the 10.9.3 beta seed. Have been playing with the Dell and the Asus displays. Both working at 3840x2160 @ 60Hz and no hacks or tricks. Apple has added some more retina mode options starting with a 1280x720 equivalent (WTF?), a 1080p equivalent, 2560x1440 equivalent (really nice on the 24") and a 3200x1800 equivalent, or simply run it at native 2160p resolution.

The 32" looks nice at native resolution, but the desktop area feels too big at times, scaled down it softens up a bit unless you go to the 1/4 scale 1080p equivalent retina mode. The 2560x1440 retina mode on the 24" looks nice and doesn't feel too cramped.
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good to hear that apple finally fixed this....the 24' dell looks like a great monitor...i am looking for an extra screen to use with my retina mbp, i'd hate to get the apple display only to have the new 4k coming out in a couple of weeks....but getting a dell....is a little painful...i am assuming i would hook it up with the display port? since hdmi is only 30mhz? i would also have to run an extra cable to use it as a usb hub, correct?
all the reviews are raving about the color and i would prefer a 24" to a 27 or 30....
i also don't think we can realistically expect a new apple display for at least another couple of months or? the rumors are getting old now, seems like it's just been wishful thinking for the last 2 years....
 
I'm betting we'll see new Apple displays at WWDC in June or just before. That is speculation, of course, but seems the most logical and Apple is really concentrating on display drivers, adding new display modes in this latest OSX update. It's probably going to go public sometime next month. I don't think we're that far off.

You do need to connect via DisplayPort (Thunderbolt). To get 4K @ 60Hz, you need Thunderbolt2, which thereby supports DisplayPort 1.2, so that means your retina MBP needs to be the current model, otherwise it's only going to give you 30Hz, no matter what.

The Dell 24" has a USB3 hub build in and yes, you do need to run a USB cable from your system to the monitor to use it. So far, I'm liking the Dell 24". I'm not so sure I care for the 32" size of the larger Dell, Asus or Sharp. That's pretty much what I found before. It's better now that we have proper mode support, but 32" just gets a bit too big to sit right in front of it. I would much prefer a 5120x2880 27" retina display. And I'm sure that is coming at some point, although I'm not willing to predict that one landing this year.
 
Jeff Kilgroe said:
I'm betting we'll see new Apple displays at WWDC in June or just before. That is speculation, of course, but seems the most logical and Apple is really concentrating on display drivers, adding new display modes in this latest OSX update. It's probably going to go public sometime next month. I don't think we're that far off.

You do need to connect via DisplayPort (Thunderbolt). To get 4K @ 60Hz, you need Thunderbolt2, which thereby supports DisplayPort 1.2, so that means your retina MBP needs to be the current model, otherwise it's only going to give you 30Hz, no matter what.

The Dell 24" has a USB3 hub build in and yes, you do need to run a USB cable from your system to the monitor to use it. So far, I'm liking the Dell 24". I'm not so sure I care for the 32" size of the larger Dell, Asus or Sharp. That's pretty much what I found before. It's better now that we have proper mode support, but 32" just gets a bit too big to sit right in front of it. I would much prefer a 5120x2880 27" retina display. And I'm sure that is coming at some point, although I'm not willing to predict that one landing this year.
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i do have TB2....i was expecting june as well....i guess i will go with the dell if i just can't wait anymore....thanks for the as always excellent insight....
 
Apologies if I missed it but has anyone here put a 10c chip in the nMac Pro, I just ordered another one and a 10c chip but the system has not arrived yet... Just wondering what its like?
 
I haven't seen any reports of 10 core CPUs in the nMP yet. Although it should work just fine. I have a quad-core w/ D700's on order that I will be upgrading to 10 or 12 cores when it arrives. I'm still undecided, but leaning toward the 10-core. Keep us posted! When will you get the Mac Pro? Mine just says "April."
 
Occasional sleep and wake issues with the Dell monitor. Given the new and beta status, it doesn't surprise me. Submitted the bug report... I really like this 24" Dell. Did a calibration on it today -- great color overall. Some slight distortion in the corners, but very consistent. Doesn't show the light leaks and other issues we see all too often on the Sharp or Asus 32" models. I can't comment on the Dell 32".

The monitor syncs and runs at 24Hz just fine too and I can drive it from the REDRAY via the HDMI input. Very nice. I didn't give this monitor a fair shake the first time I had it because of the MST support issue from both Apple and nVidia at the time was poor.
 
Jeff the 24" is at 60Hz right?

How are you finding that and do you feel it could be better?

Its the only thing keeping us from pulling the trigger.
 
One of mine is a 10C but D300 gpu's. I'm still waiting for the D700's for that machine. I'm on a job till end of March so I haven't been able to give much of a "review" on the 10C. It's the 2690v2 3ghz. I don't want to give any impressions until I do more than simply boot the system. I swapped to the 1TB apple ssd and 64gb ram and installed 10.9.1 and literally had to walk away for job prep. Maybe you guys will beat me to it if apple ships before April.
 
Eric Santiago said:
Jeff the 24" is at 60Hz right?
Click to expand...

Yes, 60Hz via DisplayPort 1.2 in OSX 10.9.3. Some minor issues with sleep/wake on the monitor, but that seems par for the course when Apple adds new display support. Running in DP 1.1 mode without MST support limits the display to 24 or 30 Hz. 30Hz is too slow for desktop monitor use -- mouse cursor and windows chug around the screen in a jerky motion and nothing is smooth, when not at 60Hz.

One drawback to MST mode is the screen is actually divided into two 1920x2160 halves and there is an occasional tearing or glitching in the middle of the screen. Luckily I have yet to see that happen on video playback, usually just scrolling UI windows like Safari or Xcode.

The "retina" scaling in 10.9.3 is nice and I like the 2560x1440 equivalent scaled desktop on this screen size. I just wish more apps were "retina" aware. The ones that are look crazy good. I drop into native res on the display for REDCINE-X and a few other apps. It does make a lot of stuff super tiny, but I can toggle to full screen and playback at UHD resolution. Looks especially good with 4KHD R3D clips since we're seeing 1:1 pixels.

My primary display on the Mac Pro is still a Dell 30", I plan to replace it with a 4K monitor as well, but I'm holding out until the 4K+ Thunderbolt displays show up, which should be real soon. LG is releasing theirs in Q3, Apple is supposedly testing theirs -- I've heard reports, but have not seen one in the wild. I bet we'll see something at WWDC in early June.


Either way, don't jump on a 4K monitor now unless you have developer access to OSX 10.9.3 and don't have issues running buggy beta OS releases. I think we'll see this update release in the next 3 weeks though. I'm finding it's an improvement over 10.9.2.
 
i have the 8core with the 2x 700 inside, just arrived

i am surprised about the redcine performance - same raw file in my macbook pro retina (2012) and the mac pro, ...

redcine - exporting from 5K to HD prores4444

macbook pro retina is around 2:40 min, ... the Mac Pro speeds up to 14 seconds for this clip ... pretty nice... playback in full res at the Mac Pro seems to be real

Mac Pro makes a huge powerful impression to me

testing more about the weekend with AE and Da Vinci ...
 
thinking of order 128GB OWC Memory kit, however will wait another week for benchmark Test with Mavericks
 
Kwan Khan said:
thinking of order 128GB OWC Memory kit, however will wait another week for benchmark Test with Mavericks
Click to expand...
I s thinking if ordering this as well instead of faster 64 gb.
Anyone seen a benefit from this yet?
 
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