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2007 Harpertown Stoakley-Seaburg Motherboard With New Graphics Cards 8-Core Mac Pro
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Your application has to support this feature. Look for "network render" or "render farm" or "grid computing" in the docs/support sites for the application, or call tech support for the application. For specific applications, others here might have advice.
Depending on how much 'communication' there is between the machines, you'll probably want a high-speed network switch connecting the computers in your 'farm'.
So its a software and network based feature? Thanks! I've always wondered that.
On a semi-related note, The South Park Profile on Apple's site explains how they do things, and that is CRAZY!
No XGrid needed. I just load Maya and Mental Ray Satellite on each networked machine along with a few other tweaks (a few simple text docs + a little code, nothing major). When I open the program from the master machine it looks for the other ones as it's starting up. Every time I render all networked cpus jump into action. Maya Unlimited gives me 14 Mental Ray cpu licenses. If I want more it's about $1000 per cpu. The network can be as simple as Ethernet cables and a router.
Other 3D programs have these kind of features. With Electric Image I have no cap on how many computers I can to render to. Electric Images render isn't parallel like Mental Ray so it needs to have a slave app and a copy of the render app open on each cpu.
Mental Ray has been dogged for years by other renderers for being a slow renderer. But because it's a parallel app when you start adding local and networked cpus to the mix it's no longer a slow solution. For 3D, the more cpus the better. 8 core? Why stop there, give me 16 or 32.
Unless something has changed in the last 2 years, you don't get the ADC system discount until you renew for the second year of your membership, at which point you have $1000 invested.
I use "core" and "CPU" interchangeably
By many common definitions, core=cpu=processor.
"Core" and "Socket" are unambiguous. The definitions of "CPU" and "processor" differ in different contexts.
By many common definitions, core=cpu=processor.
"Core" and "Socket" are unambiguous. The definitions of "CPU" and "processor" differ in different contexts.
It must of changed because now the website describes the the different levels of ADC membership and discusses benefits of memebership. It doesn't say anything about only available in the 2nd year for hardware discounts. It basically implies that it is available immediately with membership but only one discount per year.
Bare Feats 8 Core Early Benchmarks Prove Waiting For SS & Leopard Will Be Worth It
This afternoon Rob-ART Morgan of Bare Feats posted his first set of benchmarks on the first gen 8 core Mac Pro. Just what I was worried about turns out to be the case. I'm starting to worry we'll have to wait for Penryn as well for a really efficient 8 core model. Would that still be no later than September?
Well, it is faster. Sometimes. Just not $1000+ faster. This is why I'm guessing they didn't go with the first quads. As I said, they would have been more expensive for something that's generally slower. At least the quad 3s are only the same speed. Maybe I will get an iMac after all and wait for a real multicore chip that isn't "duct taped" together. With better memory bandwidth. And a better video card.
Leopard will help though.
Leopard will help though.
After these first benchmarks, I think it is pretty clear that if you aren't going to wait until SS, at least realize the system is going to be a dog until you have 10.5 on it -- and that is assuming 10.5 fixes the problem, which I think is reasonable to expect.
That's interesting, since the benchmark link you originally posted makes a clear distinction between (p) processors and (c) cores. Go figure. You can click on each machine and get the details.
I guess the: "Unless something has changed in the last 2 years" wasn't an affirmation that the ADC rules may have been updated since I was a member?
Anyway, I confirmed with ADC that the rules have changed,and as you stated, you get the hardware discount as soon as you join.
Penryn Is Likely Needed To Optimize Performance As Well
Def. But I agree all the above would make the premium price much more worth it. I'm now likely to wait for that model. Penryn is the codename of the real Quad Core Processor with a shared 12MB L2 cache. Due to ship sometime in the second half of 2007.
Yes this makes it likely it's mostly for developers to test with their beta copies of Leopard more than it is for consumers and professionals without Leopard. Looking forward to the same tests with Leopard in June.
I read the Bare Feats article yesterday on the bottlenecks in the 8-core. I look at it as a positive thing, that it puts pressure on apple to update their hardware top to bottom. To have advanced multi-threading in 10.5. And with the OpenGL improvement rumor, the Rev2 Macpro should be pretty sweet assuming it has a new motherboard for dealing with 4-16? cores, running an OS built for intel-macs and multi-core from the ground up. And new GPU options to compliment the improved openGL.
This afternoon Rob-ART Morgan of Bare Feats posted his first set of benchmarks on the first gen 8 core Mac Pro. Just what I was worried about turns out to be the case. I'm starting to worry we'll have to wait for Penryn as well for a really efficient 8 core model. Would that still be no later than September?
Whoa, I am glad I did not sell the two Quad G5's last week!
Almost did.
Almost went for Octo.
Would not have built up my workflow at all, only drained the bank.
Due to ship sometime in the second half of 2007.
The problem with a second half 2007 release date is that Mac Pro probably won't get it until MWSF 2008. That seems like a long time to wait.
Especially since Leopard might possibly allow as much as a 50 - 75% performance improvement for the Octo over the Quad.
That along with a known price drop of the quad chip once it reaches production quantities might make the Octo look pretty sweet early June.
It would still be faster than your G5s, especially with Universal apps, just not much faster than the previous gen high end Mac Pro.
So here's my question: Is this Mac Pro pretty much dead in the water? I mean if there's barely any performance gain right now, and maybe a small speed boost with Leopard...what's the point?
Everyday it's looking more and more like the best bang for my buck is a quad-core machine--8-core barely offers any speed increase and it will be almost a year before Intel solves the memory problems.
Or am I wrong and Leopard will offer a big increase in speed for these 8-core machines?
Everyday it's looking more and more like the best bang for my buck is a quad-core machine--8-core barely offers any speed increase and it will be almost a year before Intel solves the memory problems.
Or am I wrong and Leopard will offer a big increase in speed for these 8-core machines?
It's faster for some things. Just not a thousand dollars faster for most people. Certain apps will definitely benefit, so for those using those apps professionally, if you need something now and/or can afford it, it will be worth it. But it is a custom config, so Apple can just continue to sell the base model as is and sell the higher models as they are ordered until they can add a new processor.
Leopard might help, but for now it's kinda almost helpful for some people sometimes.
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