Mac Pro Reviews Find Impressive Hardware, But Few Software Titles Take Advantage

[osofast240sx]

I am still have the argument that this machine is a monster, but to call it Pro…. when it basiclly for the most part will only cover the video editors. And that is just a slice of the big pie of creative people that would like to have horsepower (and more) . I am a professional, but I can not configure this machine to my needs (hardcore Photoshop). So the only option i have is to go for a maxed out iMac.

just because you are a professional does not automatically mean that you need a Mac Pro.

 

[Piggie]

Another problem: iPhone and iPad are popular products. Like it or not, developers will follow suit quickly with necessary changes.

Now MacPro is not your everyday computer nor it will sell millions like iOS or macbook does. Not to mention all MacPro software also needs to be able to run on other consumer Macs so they need to compensate. Most likely you need custom built in house software to be able to use it to its fullest.

Being the most powerful car means nothing if you don't have your own roadtrack built specifically for it. You can't enjoy its fullest potential.

Exactly
People seem to think all software houses are going to fall over and cancel all leave to massively modify all their titles for this, by normal terms, tiny market the Mac Pro will occupy.

 

[Nameci]

Tell him to talk to Intel and AMD.

That sums it up. Blame apple once they do their own CPU and GPU.

 

[szw-mapple fan]

Um, then turn it around and make the back the front.

Or just 90 degrees in case you dan't want to see the power cable all day.

 

[jayducharme]

Hard to reach ports seems to be Ive's signature design motif.

I don't know why so many people are saying this. I'm not sure how much different that is from the "old" Mac Pro. Yeah, there were two token USB and one FireWire port on the front (and a headphone jack). But most of the ports were located in the back. And on the old MP, you couldn't easily (if at all) swing the massive thing around to reach them. As others have said, with the tiny size of the new MP I don't think the ports are that difficult to reach.

 

[ThisIsNotMe]

So the moral of the story is to not use 1999 software like Premier Pro and use up-to-date software like Final Cut Pro.

 

[monokakata]

The 180º spin is unrealistic but I'm pretty sure that a 45º spin can be helpful at times.

Yeah. And it's not going to keep me from buying one, as I probably will in the spring. It's really just that the spinning (with no attached cables) thing annoyed me. I'm old and cranky and get annoyed too easily.

 

[binarybob]

I would prefer it if it had 10GB ethernet x 2 rather than all of the local ports. My most used software, adobe cannot seem to use more than 1 core anyway. Hopefully this will mean that the old hex core model will drop in price on ebay.

 

[flat five]

Yeah their idea that you simply turn the unit around and the ports light up shows that Apple didn't really think this through. Since this unit will require a lot of external accessories, turning it around will not be that easy and it will be really awkward to (un)-plug things into this Mac.

And the cables already plugged in do what? When you spin it? You'll have to horse around several of them, including a power cord.

So let's see now . . . right hand on the cylinder, left hand gathering together all the cables so they don't pull out (because none of them have any form of positive locking) . . . lucky that they're all the same length, otherwise the shortest one would stop the spin . . . .

I've wondering about this since the intro, way back when. I've yet to see anybody explain how to handle the snakes back there.

Am I missing something?

have either of you two had to plug/unplug cables on a mac pro before? you really think the new design is worse in this regard? it's way better.

 

[ThisIsNotMe]

If an app already makes "good" use of OpenCL and Grand Central Dispatch, wouldn't it already be optimized for this Beast(tm)?

Yes. But then you have lazy developers like Avid who survive on people who are entrenched in their ecosystem and continue to support lazy developers.

 

[liavman]

Wow, verge wasted so much space repeatedly cribbing about the lack of optimized software. What will you expect? It is not a question of if but when and I expect it to be sooner than later.

 

[Klae17]

Rotate 180 degrees and keep it there=Problem solved?

And leave it ugly like that? Hell no. Cables and wires sticking out. Why would Apple allow it to spin then? If that was the case they would have made it stationary.

 

[flat five]

If that was the case they would have made it stationary.

the rotation is also good while the lid is off and you're servicing it.. couldn't really ask for a better scenario as far as that's concerned.. servicing an item which is sitting right in front of you on top of your desk on a swivel base..

 

[joeleads]

Aperture?

What about Aperture? Didn't they promise a new version of Aperture to come along with the Mac Pro to take full advantage of it's hardware? So apparently 3.5 wasn't it? Can we still hope for Aperture X / 4 to arrive soon?

 

[phoenixsan]

Ok, I prefer.....

hardware capable of running in peak performance in multiple circunstances. Not over-specific hardware waiting for optimized code. Adobe can or not make optimized software.Even Apple can take time writing optimized code. So, good on Apple about the radical new design. And the specs sheet (bar the CPU). Not so good on modest gains..........

I have to get 25% or more in improvement over my workflow to seriously consider making a change and buying something....just my 2 cents....

 

[gugy]

Looking forward to see the reviews/benchmarks of using Photoshop on this machine.
I read that in that case the 6 core is worth it since the 12 or 8 cores are not as necessary.
Either way, I am getting one of these nMP sooner than later.

 

[MacDav]

How does Premiere run on it compared to a Windows based pc using the same processors, RAM and top of the line video card setup?

Until/Unless Premiere is optimized for OpenCL, a PC with a good CUDA card will be faster. You can't really compare the two until Adobe incorporates OpenCL in all of it's products. You can't compare FCP on a PC. You can compare FCP OpenCL speeds on Mac with Premiere CUDA speeds on PC or Mac. In this case the MacPro wins.

 

[needsomecoffee]

OpenCL Revo

Earlier post pointed out the 35x increase in performance using GPU and OpenCL vs. 3x for CPUs. nMP and FCPX are Apple forcing change in the market. The nMBP natively replaces a $3k Red Rocket card previously needed to process Red raw files. Silly to hear all the noise about how well the nMP meets someones specific needs (Verge == Premier, etc.) Highly optimized software deftly utilizing GPUs using OpenCL ***is the future***. Apple has implemented it. Verge thinks Adobe will lead this brigade. Yeah right. Thanks Apple for giving a glimpse of the future.

 

[flat five]

hardware capable of running in peak performance in multiple circunstances. Not over-specific hardware waiting for optimized code. Adobe can or not make optimized software.Even Apple can take time writing optimized code. So, good on Apple about the radical new design. And the specs sheet (bar the CPU). Not so good on modest gains..........

I have to get 25% or more in improvement over my workflow to seriously consider making a change and buying something....just my 2 cents....

here's the thing.. all of the software is currently optimized for cpu performance.. it's been like this for quite some time.. and the technology to utilize the code has been there for quite some time as well.. it's not as if we're waiting around for manufacturers to make some ✨wizard# advancement which unlocks our software.. you just have to spend money to unlock it.. a whole helluva lot of money..

you're sitting here worrying that there's no 16 core macpro to move up from your 12 but the reality is that you need 100 cores.. 12 to 16 is such a minuscule bump towards what you actually need in order to really see that code to fly.

and most people-- most pros even.. can not afford more than 12 cores.. especially for a measly .25x gain if going to 16cores..

there are much more affordable means of getting that power/speed and that's via the thousands of cores available in the gpus which come at an incredibly cheap cost..

they've made the right move at the right time.. the cpu race is officially over.. it's been proven to be way too expensive of a future and software advancements are going to sit stale if the cpu bound thought stays around.

a possible scenario apple faced.. would you rather:

make a dual 10core which will give .4x performance increase in multithreaded apps.. and know very well that hardly anybody is going to actually buy one.

or

offer a cpu which is slighty faster than the previous version but fill the machine full of a bunch of energy which simply (ok, it's not that simple) needs unleashed by the devs.. and this energy is available to everyone.. energy that can potentially lead to 20x or more performance increases


which is the better choice?

 

[mrhick01]

From what I have heard from a friend of mine who is heavily invested in CGI (working on hollywood blockbusters) this is not quite the machine many pro users have waited for. They asked for a smaller machine that is massively faster and what they got was a massively smaller machine that is just a bit faster.

As a pro User i dont know if I would really consider this a great buy. Expandability is rather limited (what if I want to change a Gpu? )

But personally - I would totally love having one. It is just a very sexy machine.
that price though.

Apple's responsibility or Intel's responsibility?

Intel has so thoroughly destroyed AMD in the server realm, they are resting on their laurels.

 

[LLIBSETAG]

Mac Pro Software

"If you build it…They will come."

 

[Klae17]

Lol the back of my current Mac Pro is a mess, and how many times do you plug and unplug anything once it is set the way you want? I don't ever move the damn thing its too heavy (50 lbs). The new mac pro is 11 lbs.

When it is designed to spin, make it easy to spin.

 

[AppleScruff1]

Until/Unless Premiere is optimized for OpenCL, a PC with a good CUDA card will be faster. You can't really compare the two until Adobe incorporates OpenCL in all of it's products. You can't compare FCP on a PC. You can compare FCP OpenCL speeds on Mac with Premiere CUDA speeds on PC or Mac. In this case the MacPro wins.

Thanks for the reply. How would they compare running Avid? I'm just curious about the performance of both machines running the same software. Obviously Apple is going to optimize their machine to run FCP as they well should.

 

[sanook997]

Well, okay but I'm not quite understanding the "mixed reviews", if it's all about the software support, isn't this more or less expected when you have a machine released so far advanced it leaves the software behind.

I recall reviews of Dell and HP machines getting all kinds of praise as the advanced hardware allowed for more robust software etc.

I guess you just have to consider the source and their bias, too bad really.

 

[Roykor]

just because you are a professional does not automatically mean that you need a Mac Pro.

Like i said, i want more cpu muscle, compared with a highend gfx (game) card. Is a imac a muscle monster? Sure, its fast, but i want more. So i need the "PRO" machine. The 6 core works great with Ps and with 12 active cores u have much more power than with the i7. But the iMac with i7 is doing a great job because its powerfull (even mobile) gfx card.

U can not like my vision, but this machine with awesome hardware is pointed to the video editor. And the rest...sorry guys, stick to your imac. It cost 2x a maxed imac but its only a bit faster. i can only dream of having a monster gpu in this monster machine.

Ps, check out in the hackingtosh topics all over what great setups can do and let Ps fly.

I have to go, check this out later