6Core with 5870 zooms!

[CountlovE]

Finally got some software intalled. First off I went from a 2007 2 Core MBP to a 2010 iMac 27inch fully loaded which I had to return for Display Issues. I then ordered a 6 core and bought a OWC 240 SSD.

I loaded up Steam for Windows and Bad Company 2 with the highest settings runs silky smooth. Even on the 2010 iMac, I couldn't get max resolution of 2500x1600 to run without slowing down. Really nice to actually play this game on all highest settings. I am looking forward to Battlefield 3 which will improve on the graphics engine for the game.

Starcraft 2 maxed out runs great in Windows 7 under bootcamp too.

The only problem I have seen so far is running Maya 2011 64bit under OSX. There is a serious issue with the Mac Pro and Snow Leopard when running Maya 2011. You get some serious lag and it must be something with the Xeon chips. When I had the 2010 iMac, Maya 2011 in OSX ran perfectly.

I installed Logic 9 with all updates, but I haven't had a chance to benchmark the program to expereince the 6core issue. Will test that out tomorrow.

I am really happy I didn't bother building a PC running Hackintosh. The pain of not know what will work when apple releases a new update is something I don't want to waste my time chasing down in my spare time.

If you are debating to get the Stock ATI or the 5870, spend the extra money and get 5870. This card is awesome for the Mac.

Does anyone know if there is a fix to get a networked Time Capsule drive to properly connect in Windows 7? I had this issue with the 2010 iMac running windows 7, and I do have to say it is pretty annoying that the only way I can get the drive to mount is to hard boot the TimeCapsule.

 

[Lone Deranger]

Would you care to elaborate on the slowdowns you've been experiencing under Maya 2011?

 

[CountlovE]

Would you care to elaborate on the slowdowns you've been experiencing under Maya 2011?

Create a sphere, locks up for 4 seconds. zoom in fine. Select sphere, locks up. Pan around fine. Edit vertex mode on sphere, locks up for 3 seconds.

Totally unsable. Had to just exit out and install in Windows 7.

 

[Lone Deranger]

Hm... that sounds awful. Though I must say that I've heard about similar problems before, from other users, running a variety of Mac setups. So it seems it's not necessarily exclusive to the 2010 Mac Pro's. Let's hope Autodesk sorts this out quickly. Best to file a bug report to let them know about it.

Which version of OSX did you trying it with? And was it a clean OSX install?
And what Maya hotfix version?

How are you finding the 5870 noise levels by the way? My last ATI card (the Radeon X1900 XT) would get a bit audible when stressed out.

 

[CountlovE]

It was the latest Hotfix 3 for Maya. There just aren't enough people using OSX with Maya.

I am also having problems with Left 4 Dead 2 running. It wants to lock up either right after loading a map, or it locks up 5 minutes after that.

I never hear anything come from the Mac Pro except the CD-Rom. On mine, that is the loudest item to hit my ears. Of course having a temperature controlled environment for it is always great too.