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iMac Pro now or wait?
- Thread starter Ethosik
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CWallace
macrumors G5
The Vega 64 is designated a workstation card as opposed to a consumer card like the 580 so that could play a role - the drivers for the Vega are probably tuned even more for stability and not gaming performance (similar to nVidia Quadro drivers compared to their GeForce drivers).
I believe that we will see an updated iMac Pro before we seen an updated iMac. Ice Lake will be Mobile-only to start so there will not be an Ice Lake desktop chip usable in the iMac until probably late 2020 or early 2021. Intel should have the W-2000 series Cascade Lake Xeons out before then.
So it’s still only getting around 5 FPS on basic games like some reports suggest?
CWallace
macrumors G5
I would not expect the reduction to be that severe. Per Barefeats, a Vega 64 iMac Pro should be able to do between 60-120 fps depending on the game under macOS so I would expect Windows performance to at least be similar.
https://barefeats.com/imacpro_vs_pt3.html
If the iMac Pro doesn't support DisplayPort 1.4, then how does Apple's new USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter support 3840x2160 at 60Hz? The adapter only has two DisplayPort lanes which allow up to HBR3 speed.
For 4K60Hz:
1) two lanes of HBR3 is enough to support 8bpc RGB but only using DisplayPort timing 533MHz. HDMI 2.0 timing of 594MHz supports 10bpc YCbCr422.
2) two lanes of HBR2 can only support 6bpc YCbCr422 or 8bpc YCbCr420 (I don't think 420 is a valid option for macOS graphics drivers).
Since iMac Pro has Alpine Ridge Thunderbolt 3 controllers (is that still true?), then it can't output DisplayPort 1.4 over Thunderbolt 3, but maybe the iMac Pro bypasses the Thunderbolt 3 controller when connected to a USB-C DisplayPort alt mode device?
One way to find out is to connect a DisplayPort 1.4 device such as the Apple USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter and check the output of the following command:
Code:
/System/Library/Extensions/AppleGraphicsControl.kext/Contents/MacOS/AGDCDiagnose -a > AGDCDiagnose_a.txt 2>&1That nonsense again? It works over Windows on the 2017 iMac and iMP.
Apple only said that all Macs released in 2018 would support it. They didn't say that nothing released earlier wouldn't have that support. It's not the same thing.
We'll all know in September.
From what I've read, the 2018 MacBook Pro was the first to support DP 1.4. In fact, I've seen nothing that stated the 2019 iMac supports it either.
It's one of the standards that supports 8K video — and it didn't work till Mojave 10.14.3. It is not needed for 4K streaming. Again, that has worked over Windows on the 2017 iMac and iMP since they were released.
Glockworkorange
Suspended
elvisthebeagle
macrumors newbie
IPowerResale is selling iMac Pro Referb's that AppleCare can be added to by Apple for $3500. They are base models all boxed up like brand new. If you need more RAM go to OWC and the base price is $3800 but you can very affordable add RAM.
Observation: The new Mac Pro coming out VERY SOON is shown to have what would be the iMac Pro's next XEON processor. Also the graphics that are Vega 64 are the end of the line for the Vega I series. The next series is the 7nm Vega II the also is going in the new Mac Pro. Could it be possible that the iMac Pro will become the new iMac? They did not sell well. There are ton's of the iMac Pros "refurbished" for sale at huge discounts. They tell me that most of them are New and unopened. If you order one from Apple that is upgraded Drive or Graphics it will come from Shanghai, China.
The Xeon processor that is going in the Mac Pro is the ONLY new series after Skylake. Nothing in-between. Also I have been told that the new Mac Pro will be able to steam, play 4K DRM HDCP 2.2 only after the video card is upgraded to the new 7nm Vega II. The base model has the "old" 580 series. Only the 7nm Vega II has the hardware and drivers to support 4K HDCP 2.2 DRM, Dolby Vision, so on..... Or buy the current 27" iMac or any Kabylake Apple Laptop with UHD onboard graphics.
Cheers@!,
Observation: The new Mac Pro coming out VERY SOON is shown to have what would be the iMac Pro's next XEON processor. Also the graphics that are Vega 64 are the end of the line for the Vega I series. The next series is the 7nm Vega II the also is going in the new Mac Pro. Could it be possible that the iMac Pro will become the new iMac? They did not sell well. There are ton's of the iMac Pros "refurbished" for sale at huge discounts. They tell me that most of them are New and unopened. If you order one from Apple that is upgraded Drive or Graphics it will come from Shanghai, China.
The Xeon processor that is going in the Mac Pro is the ONLY new series after Skylake. Nothing in-between. Also I have been told that the new Mac Pro will be able to steam, play 4K DRM HDCP 2.2 only after the video card is upgraded to the new 7nm Vega II. The base model has the "old" 580 series. Only the 7nm Vega II has the hardware and drivers to support 4K HDCP 2.2 DRM, Dolby Vision, so on..... Or buy the current 27" iMac or any Kabylake Apple Laptop with UHD onboard graphics.
Cheers@!,
mlamb64150
macrumors member
I'd consider taking the hit on getting the 10-Core CPU. With the fastest single-core clock speed, and depending on which games you're playing, you're going to get the best gaming performance from that CPU on the iMac Pro lineup.
Thats the one I'm looking to get, for similar reasons as your own.
Zdigital2015
macrumors 601
Cascade Lake-X will still be LGA-2066, so there is hope that the iMac Pro gets one more Gen of Xeon W-2xxx that will essentially be a drop in replacement once Apple does the usual firmware updates. What Apple decides to do GPU-wise is an entirely different question (Radeon Pro Vega II?). Also, I suspect that we may see 6-channel DRAM and I think this is the end of the road from the LGA-2066 socket. However, an updated Xeon W-2xxx is by no means guaranteed.
Sooby
macrumors member
No, my statement wasn't nonsense because arguably the most plausible reading of Apple's statement is that Macs prior to 2018 will not be supported. You are right to say that it is not an absolute certainty that the iMac Pro won't support it which is why I said that it seems that it isn't supported; I didn't intend to make an absolutely conclusive statement. With that said however, the Apple statement on their website regarding this issue is as follows:
"4K, 4K HDR, 4K Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos and HDR10 content is available on all Mac models introduced in 2018 or later with 4K-resolution screens."
While such a statement doesn't necessarily entail that past models won't support it, I think the most plausible reading of that statement is that 2018 models and onwards are the only ones that will support it. It would be a strange statement to make if it didn't intend to imply that iMacs earlier than 2018 will not support it. Why wouldn't they include all the models that can support it in the statement if other Macs prior to 2018 can support it? Elsewhere on the website it says that Catalina will be supported on 2012 iMacs and later. It doesn't explicitly say that Macs prior to 2012 can't run it, but we know that it's implied that they can't run it; it doesn't need to be explicitly stated. Similarly, the most common sense reading is that 2018+ Macs will support it and only them. It is also unlikely to be a coincidence that Titan Ridge was introduced in 2018 and it's those Macs which are stated to have support.
I did some DisplayPort to HDMI/DVI adapter testing at https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...ransfers-recommendation.2278473/post-29466205
The Apple USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter supports DSC so it can exceed the limit of two lanes HBR3 using DSC. But DSC for macOS is only supported on Navi GPUs and Ice Lake and M1 Macs.
I haven't seen AGDCDiagnose showing how an iMac Pro can do HDR with the adapter at 4K 60Hz.