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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 :)

•• Curious about the MacBook Pro? ••

CocoBermudez

CocoBermudez

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The last MacBook Pro I purchased was a 2006 Intel Core 2 Duo 2.16GHz. Now that I find myself shooting more and more on RED, this computer has become utterly useless for doing quickie edits when on the road.

I was wondering if the new line of MacBook Pro's are fast enough to do quick edits...say in 1/8th resolution.

I am also curious to know if any of you has experience working with the new line of MacBook Pro's in native REDCODE media in Final Cut Pro X.

Thanks
 
Watch out though, unless you're going with non-retina MacBook Pro, the 256GB isn't an SSD, it's flash storage chips directly soldered onto the motherboard; not user replaceable. Your only option would be to upgrade the storage to 512gb, which is the closest to 480.

However, on the non-retina MacBook Pro, swapping out for the 480gb SSD is doable.
 
Funny thing is, I used to do tons of quickie edits on a 2.33GHz 2006 model MBP with 2GB RAM. Just needs a fast eSATA RAID attached to work from. That system was a little workhorse and I replaced it in early '09 with a new one. But it handled 4K and 3K R3D files in Adobe CS4 when the R3D beta plugin was first launched. Cut a few commercials and a couple shorts on it.

The new Macbook Pro systems are quite nice though. You have Thunderbolt and USB3 interfaces, can use SSD storage, etc..

@ Kemalettin - I don't know how things are working in Turkey, but the 256GB SSD option for the MBP retina is discontinued. It's actually cheaper to buy it from Apple now with the 512GB SSD than it is to pick up a 256GB model off a store shelf and upgrade.

I love my MBP retina, I just wish it had 32GB RAM!!!
 
The video board is about to go out on my 2008 MBPro. (All wonky even as I type this.) :-(

Gonna need a new laptop. Is the Retina worth the extra $1000? Specifics?

EDIT: Hmmm... correction; looks like the difference is more like $500-600. Same question, though. :-)
 
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Jeff Kilgroe said:
Funny thing is, I used to do tons of quickie edits on a 2.33GHz 2006 model MBP with 2GB RAM. Just needs a fast eSATA RAID attached to work from. That system was a little workhorse and I replaced it in early '09 with a new one. But it handled 4K and 3K R3D files in Adobe CS4 when the R3D beta plugin was first launched. Cut a few commercials and a couple shorts on it.

The new Macbook Pro systems are quite nice though. You have Thunderbolt and USB3 interfaces, can use SSD storage, etc..

@ Kemalettin - I don't know how things are working in Turkey, but the 256GB SSD option for the MBP retina is discontinued. It's actually cheaper to buy it from Apple now with the 512GB SSD than it is to pick up a 256GB model off a store shelf and upgrade.

I love my MBP retina, I just wish it had 32GB RAM!!!
Click to expand...

i just checked it on apples US website this.i ll get it from NJ
looking forward to play with my new retina mbp in next month.is it very good with davinci resolve?
also i just bought e-sata redmag do you think i should had usb 3.0 ones? thought i would get caldigit e-sata card and transfer data from e-sata to usb 3.0 drives.
if i use redmag usb 3.0 and unload to usb hdd speed gets lower than usual?
 
Terry VerHaar said:
The video board is about to go out on my 2008 MBPro. (All wonky even as I type this.) :-(

Gonna need a new laptop. Is the Retina worth the extra $1000? Specifics?

EDIT: Hmmm... correction; looks like the difference is more like $500-600. Same question, though. :-)
Click to expand...

The "old" style non-retina MBP has one Thunderbolt, two USB3 and one FW800 for interface ports.

With the Retina model you get two Thunderbolt ports! And the screen is much nicer too. You also get an HDMI output. It's thinner and the internal flash SSD is using a proprietary interface, so read speeds are actually faster than typical 6G SATA. I've seen read speeds over 700MB/s on this thing! Write speeds tend to hover between 300 and 380 MB/s.

Retina loses the optical drive and FW800, both systems have the SDXC slot. Both systems have the nVidia GT650M 1GB GPU option. CPU options are the same...


So I guess, what it comes down to is that I recommend the Retina model. The high resolution screen lets you see 2K or 1080p video in 1:1 pixels with ample workspace around it -- within apps that have retina support like FCPX. If you do a lot of typing/ writing, etc.. the retina screen is wonderful. It's my favorite display to look at if I'm writing code. Can't wait for 4K+ screens for the desktop! Did I mention that second Thunderbolt port? I almost never need an optical drive these days, but if I do I'm usually not out and about and I can share the one from a Mac Pro tower or an iMac. I do have an external BluRay around here somewhere in mothballs I could drag out if needed. ;) Same with FW800... Don't need it or want it anymore.

The down-side to the retina model is the RAM is not user-upgradeable. Ever. Directly incorporated to the logic board. And that's not a big deal, but 16GB feels a bit cramped at times. You won't do any better with the other non-retina MBP. It only has two memory sockets and 2x8GB is the best you can buy for now anyway... By the time we can do better, they will offer 32GB or more on the retina model anyway.


As Toia says, the system will run circles around the Mac Pro towers! Or at least that's true for any apps that use 4 cores or less. The system trounces a 2009 8-core Mac Pro. My recommendation is to get the 2.6GHz w/ 512GB flash and 16GB RAM for sure. If you can max it out with 2.7GHz and 768GB, then that's even better, you won't be sorry! I have the maxed-out model and it's great. Good battery life with very low fan requirements (relatively speaking for this level of CPU), nice and quiet, fast. blazing fast.

Kemalettin Sert said:
i just checked it on apples US website this.i ll get it from NJ
looking forward to play with my new retina mbp in next month.is it very good with davinci resolve?
Click to expand...

I guess I should've noted, they do still have the 256GB SSD option, but not with the 2.6 or 2.7GHz CPU models. It seems to run Resolve just fine, but the GPU being a mobile GPU is a bit of a lightweight. I can't comment much more than that as I don't really run Resolve on the MBP, I keep it on my Mac Pro and HP tower.

also i just bought e-sata redmag do you think i should had usb 3.0 ones? thought i would get caldigit e-sata card and transfer data from e-sata to usb 3.0 drives.
if i use redmag usb 3.0 and unload to usb hdd speed gets lower than usual?
Click to expand...

The USB3 REDMAG mini is the way to go with this system. Then you can just plug the RED SSD reader right into the MBP and don't need to worry about SATA adapters and other things. USB3 is a bit slower than hyped up to be. I get about 150 to 170 MB/s offloads from the RED SSD's via the USB3 MAG reader. With the fast internal SSD, and a fast Thunderbolt external storage unit, this system kicks butt. :)

Add a RED Rocket in a Thunderbolt enclosure and then you have extra horsepower for doing transcodes for dailies or proxies or to assist in final renders. If you have that setup, then adding an eSATA adapter or SAS card into the mix is not a big deal, then the eSATA REDMAG reader would make more sense. I would still want the USB3 one no matter what, so I can always have one with the system, wether I have my TB to eSATA solution or not.
 
Last edited:
Kemalettin Sert said:
i just checked it on apples US website this.i ll get it from NJ
looking forward to play with my new retina mbp in next month.is it very good with davinci resolve?
also i just bought e-sata redmag do you think i should had usb 3.0 ones? thought i would get caldigit e-sata card and transfer data from e-sata to usb 3.0 drives.
if i use redmag usb 3.0 and unload to usb hdd speed gets lower than usual?
Click to expand...
You can get esata to usb3 cables, which theoretically support maximum 3gbps esata, not used one but planning to buy one to use with an esata raid. We'll see what happens there, it's meant to be plug and play: http://www.newertech.com/products/esatatousb3.php

I love my MBPRetina, it's a mini beast. The GPU (for PPro, AE and Resolve) and the SSD produce a powerful little machine. As far as Resolve goes... a Mac Pro specced up is still the way to go for lots of nodes (that's not from me, that's from Black Magic themselves) or a Windows machine of course.
 
Jeff - as always you are a gold mine of information. Thanks so much. Next time I am in Colorado, I want to buy you a drink or three. Meanwhile, I'll spend the rest of the day studying your post and making my decision to buy the Retina. :-)
 
Thanks Jeff!!!
i ll try to swap brand new e-sata redmag with usb 3.0 model (got new one from warranty) hope they do this..

one more question redmag usb 3.0 does require extra usb power to work or they just work with usb 3.0 power?
 
It works just with power from the USB port, no extra required! :)
 
Jeff Kilgroe said:
Funny thing is, I used to do tons of quickie edits on a 2.33GHz 2006 model MBP with 2GB RAM. Just needs a fast eSATA RAID attached to work from.
Click to expand...

interesting, got to try that...rather than editing through FW400...I should have known better.....
 
Mark Toia said:
Ive got the latest macbook pro stuffed with max RAM and SSD all the way... It kills my 12 core tower dead !
Click to expand...

For real? Now that is welcomed news. Promising indeed....
 
Keep in mind with the FW800 Adapter for the MB Retina, It hasn't enough power to do 'buspower'.
At least not my G-Tech Minis and G-Raid Minis....

With my 'older' Macbook non Retina, it just works...
 
Mark Toia said:
Ive got the latest macbook pro stuffed with max RAM and SSD all the way... It kills my 12 core tower dead !
Click to expand...

Interesting. My MBPR arrived last week. (2.7ghz / 16gb). I ran GeekBench on it and my 2010 12 Core Tower (2.66 ghz / 48GB RAM). The tower scored about 25% faster.

FWIW The ThunderCats -> FW adapter seems to power my G Drive Minis fine.
 
Christopher, on a MB Retina it powers the G Drive Minis?
 
Strange... I was already looking for other drives. Have to check this again... read about people having the same probs.
 
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