reliable mac pro benchmarks

[zoran]

Im in the phase of getting the "beast" (MacPro) but i dont know which one fits my needs. Im a graphic designer and i use AdobeCS4, QuarkXrpress and Adobe Premiere. Are there any reliable benchmarks that comment on the octo and the uad are doing with those apps so i can have a clear sight on what would fit my needs or what would be overkill?

[FRKT]

Im in the phase of getting the "beast" (MacPro) but i dont know which one fits my needs. Im a graphic designer and i use AdobeCS4, QuarkXrpress and Adobe Premiere. Are there any reliable benchmarks that comment on the octo and the uad are doing with those apps so i can have a clear sight on what would fit my needs or what would be overkill?

I ordered a 2.93Ghz quad-core Mac Pro with 6GB RAM and a HD4870 for a similar purpose. Unless you need the DisplayPort, though, you might want to upgrade to the recently announced GeForce GTX 285. Both are great cards. Either way, seeing that the vast majority of applications cannot make full use of an 8-core platform and probably won't for some time, a quad-core system seems a reasonable option; a quad-core 2.93Ghz Mac Pro will outperform the 8-core 2.26Ghz variant in these applications. As far as I know, this holds true for every application in the Adobe Creative Suite CS4.

If you're not concerned about the price of an 8-core 2.93Ghz Mac Pro, though, this machine is superior in every regard (well, bar power consumption).

[zoran]

Unless you need the DisplayPort, though, you might want to upgrade to the recently announced GeForce GTX 285. Both are great cards. I dont understand what you want to say here about the mini display port!


Either way, seeing that the vast majority of applications cannot make full use of an 8-core platform and probably won't for some time, a quad-core system seems a reasonable option;
But if there are not many apps that make full use of the 8core then what is that mac out there for?

[Umbongo]

I dont understand what you want to say here about the mini display port!



But if there are not many apps that make full use of the 8core then what is that mac out there for?

Because some do.

[zoran]

Because some do.
for example?

[Tallest Skil]

for example?

HandBrake, some of the Final Cut suite, etc.

"Oh, because only a few things do it, the computer shouldn't exist!"

That's absolutely wretched logic.

[FRKT]

I dont understand what you want to say here about the mini display port!

The HD4870 has a Mini DisplayPort, whereas the GTX 285 does not. You won't be able to use the latter with a 24" LED Apple Cinema Display.

But if there are not many apps that make full use of the 8core then what is that mac out there for?

Because some do and more will.

[Tesselator]

The HD4870 has a Mini DisplayPort, whereas the GTX 285 does not. You won't be able to use the latter with a 24" LED Apple Cinema Display.

Sure you will. Just get a $10 adaptor.

[zoran]

ok, so what about oficial/reliable benchmarks between the quad and the octo?

[FRKT]

Sure you will. Just get a $10 adaptor.

No such adapter exists. It's possible to connect a DVI display to a video card with a DisplayPort, but not the other way around.

ok, so what about oficial/reliable benchmarks between the quad and the octo?

See this thread (http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=691789).

[zoran]

well... thanx for the help, from what i can see it seems that in apps like pshop the differences are small, but there are bigger diffs in apps like compressor, that aparently utilise the 8cores. The real question here is, is Adobe going to release a CS that will utilise all 8 cores? Has anyone heard any such rumors/news about upcoming Adobe apps?

[FRKT]

well... thanx for the help, from what i can see it seems that in apps like pshop the differences are small, but there are bigger diffs in apps like compressor, that aparently utilise the 8cores. The real question here is, is Adobe going to release a CS that will utilise all 8 cores? Has anyone heard any such rumors/news about upcoming Adobe apps?

I'm sure they will at some point. Be sure to note that you probably won't notice a difference between a quad-core and an 8-core Mac Pro unless you're working on ridiculously large and complex Photoshop documents, even in a future version that can saturate all cores.

[zoran]

...you probably won't notice a difference between a quad-core and an 8-core Mac Pro unless you're working on ridiculously large and complex Photoshop documents, even in a future version that can saturate all cores.
How can you say this? Have you heard any rumors or news saying that Pshop will never in its later versions evolve to utilize all cores? Im asking because if what you say is true then the octo is a clear cut case as far as it concerns graphic designers! ;)

[FRKT]

How can you say this? Have you heard any rumors or news saying that Pshop will never in its later versions evolve to utilize all cores? Im asking because if what you say is true then the octo is a clear cut case as far as it concerns graphic designers! ;)

That's not what I said. I'm sure Adobe will release a version of Photoshop that can saturate 8 cores at some point, but I doubt you will notice the difference between a quad-core and an octo-core system unless you are working with abysmally large and complex files in Photoshop (think large as in covering the face of the earth, twice). I'm a graphic designer, and I chose the 2.93Ghz quad-core. If I didn't feel uncomfortable spending over $7000 on a computer, I'd get the 2.93Ghz octo-core. If you don't, go for it. I would under no circumstances get the 2.26Ghz octo-core.

[zoran]

That's not what I said. I'm sure Adobe will release a version of Photoshop that can saturate 8 cores at some point, but I doubt you will notice the difference between a quad-core and an octo-core system unless you are working with abysmally large and complex files in Photoshop. I'm a graphic designer, and I chose the 2.93Ghz quad-core. If I didn't feel uncomfortable spending over $7000 on a computer, I'd get the 2.93Ghz octo-core. If you don't, go for it. I would under no circumstances get the 2.26Ghz octo-core.
Oups you are right, you didnt say that, sorry. Well, so what apps are you using with the 2.93Mpro? And are youhappy with it so far?

Also what is the use of having 2 or more graphic cards in one Mac?

[FRKT]

Oups you are right, you didnt say that, sorry. Well, so what apps are you using with the 2.93Mpro? And are youhappy with it so far?

Also what is the use of having 2 or more graphic cards in one Mac?

My Mac Pro hasn't arrived yet. I'll have it on Wednesday, at which point I'd be happy to report back to you on its performance if you'd like. I use Photoshop, Illustrator and Flash. Premiere every now and then.

I ordered an ATI Radeon HD4870 with my Mac Pro, as it's miles ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GT120. If you don't need a Mini DisplayPort (ie. if you don't plan to use a 24" LED Apple Cinema Display), you could opt for the recently announced NVIDIA 285 GTX. Apparently it's slightly superior to the HD4870, but as it isn't released by Apple it doesn't feature a Mini DisplayPort and thus cannot be used with Apple Cinema Displays. Either way, don't get a GT120.

[zoran]

hmm well... i hope you get what you want out of the little beast you ordered :D
btw now that you mentioned about the 24"ACD i dont think ill ever get a glossy screen to work on professionally so the ACD isnt an option for me now due to that! but im interested in knowing what display will you be working the MPro on? Do you have any recommendations cause the display has been an issue for me for a long time and although i do what to get an ACD, that 24" glossy isnt satisfactory for me at this point!

[FRKT]

hmm well... i hope you get what you want out of the little beast you ordered :D
btw now that you mentioned about the 24"ACD i dont think ill ever get a glossy screen to work on professionally so the ACD isnt an option for me now due to that! but im interested in knowing what display will you be working the MPro on? Do you have any recommendations cause the display has been an issue for me for a long time and although i do what to get an ACD, that 24" glossy isnt satisfactory for me at this point!

I... uhm, actually ordered a 24" LED Apple Cinema Display with my Mac Pro. I'm a little nervous about it. If I designed for print more often I'd have gone with an Eizo. Seeing that I've specialized in web design and development, however, I don't feel that I need colors to be dead-on and the drop-dead gorgeous Apple Cinema Display got the best of me. I'd look into Eizo if I were you; they're a little more expensive yet, but apparently they're the best you can get.

[zoran]

I... uhm, actually ordered a 24" LED Apple Cinema Display with my Mac Pro. I'm a little nervous about it. If I designed for print more often I'd have gone with an Eizo. Seeing that I've specialized in web design and development, however, I don't feel that I need colors to be dead-on and the drop-dead gorgeous Apple Cinema Display got the best of me. I'd look into Eizo if I were you; they're a little more expensive yet, but apparently they're the best you can get.
Trully the ACD is a divine pice of work but that glossy screen is quite troubling. It isnt only the color issue but also the glare problem, what do you think of that?

[FRKT]

Trully the ACD is a divine pice of work but that glossy screen is quite troubling. It isnt only the color issue but also the glare problem, what do you think of that?

I'm a little concerned. From what I've seen though, glare shouldn't be an issue in my current workspace. If you'd like I can report back to you when it arrives sometime next week.

[zoran]

If you'd like I can report back to you when it arrives sometime next week.
Yes please do, id be happy to hear your view!