New Mac Pro: Simultaneous Real-Time 4K Effect Rendering, +900MB/s Read/Write

[ChrisA]

Keep playing with FCPX, but when you really need to edit something do it on a real editing software (Avid Media Composer anyone?)

Apple are trying to convince us that the Mac Pro is a Pro, although we all know it's just a Mac...

Is there something you need to do, that you can't do with FCPX? Sometimes I think the FCPX can't do some task then I find it can. You have to be careful not to fall into the trap of saying "this sucks because I can't figure it out."

So we should post examples of some task that we can't do and not just say "it's not a real editor".

BTW FCPX, I've sure is targeted at the thousands of people who create video outside of Hollywood major motion pictures. After all that top end of the market is not very big. I'd guess 1000 people at most. But the numbers get bigger if you look at corporate training, weddings and the like.

 

[lolkthxbai]

works here
4s os6

So who should I blame? YouTube or iOS 7?

EDIT: NVM, my admin blocks youtube.

 

[winston1236]

"In fact, editing 4K on the Mac Pro feels like editing HD on my current MacBook Pro - except I can see large numbers for the frame sizes where normally I’d expect to see the reassuringly familiar "1920x1080".

Professionals don't edit on laptops.

 

[iSayuSay]

Think of it like this. It's really fast, and you won't be using half of what it offers. But if you get one, you won't have to upgrade for YEEEAARRRSS.

And unlike an iMac, if your screen goes bad, you don't have to buy another $2000+ computer. Just another $300 - $500 monitor.

It really is faster than iMac IF you get a higher configuration. Basic $2999 quad MacPro is barely faster than a maxxed out iMac. The quad Xeon inside is actually slower than i7 4771 in current iMac, and the D300 is not that much greater than 780M. Add a 512 GB SSD option for iMac and you get about the same price of the nMP.

All in all I find it hard to justify the $2999, not to mention I still have to buy a display, mouse and keyboard.

 

[chirpie]

But the numbers get bigger if you look at corporate training, weddings and the like.

Because weddings need 4k video editing!!!

----------

"In fact, editing 4K on the Mac Pro feels like editing HD on my current MacBook Pro - except I can see large numbers for the frame sizes where normally I’d expect to see the reassuringly familiar "1920x1080".

Professionals don't edit on laptops.

The heck they don't. At the very least you can do an onsite rough cut and use proxy media. A lot of productions aren't even waiting for dailies, they start the rough edit then and there!

 

[Mike777]

Pro user here

Hi,

our company is thinking of buying 2 of these 6 core mac pros. We would be using them for both mac and windows development. We're console developers for PS4 mostly, and here's our reasoning, please feel free to reply with any insights:

1. PS4 dev is done on windows - so we need fast gaming performance out of it in addition to very high across the board performance in general. We do a lot of lightmap baking, rendering and so on.

2. Our designer is familiar with mac software. It could cost more to train him in premier and other music software than it would be to let him continue using final cut and logic.

3. We do a fair bit of rendering. Would love to know how this machine responds with rendering on windows and mac.

4. We can't be reinstalling software or having computers that are unreliable, overclocked or overheating. We need computers that quietly work day in, day out without fail.

So essentially we need mac and windows boxes, mac mostly because re-training to use windows equivalents is an expensive process.

So the options really are the i7 27" imac or the mac pro. The mac pro appears to be priced so that you have to reason if a few more thousand is worth it for the perceived speed gain. As I see it, the mac pro isnt *that* much faster than a tricked out imac.

Welcome your thoughts before we purchase.

 

[blackcrayon]

It's expendable, though with a hefty price tag and less elegant way than in the past.

I don't think "elegant" is the word if you're referring to PCIe cards. And most of those would have some kind of junk hanging out of the back of them anyway.

 

[Mechanic]

Yes there is, Apple love to glue and solder down everything.

You really don't know what your talking about. Intel does not make a Xeon in a soldered array. The xeons in the new mac pro use a FCLGA2011 Socket.

Here is the Intel Ark page for the 12 core
http://ark.intel.com/products/75283/

And a link to the picture of the Socket:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Socket_2011_IMGP3918.jpg

 

[blackcrayon]

Hi,

our company is thinking of buying 2 of these 6 core mac pros. We would be using them for both mac and windows development. We're console developers for PS4 mostly, and here's our reasoning, please feel free to reply with any insights:
....

Welcome your thoughts before we purchase.

It sounds like the Mac Pro might be the machine for you- but I would wait to see some reviews on how the video cards handle games in Windows. They are a sort of customized AMD video card so we don't know what they're equivalent to exactly yet. And they're designed after AMD's workstation cards rather than their consumer gaming cards.
If it can get say Radeon 7970 performance or something out of a D700, you're probably good...

 

[lolkthxbai]

professionals don't edit on laptops.

lolwut?

 

[tkatz]

"In fact, editing 4K on the Mac Pro feels like editing HD on my current MacBook Pro - except I can see large numbers for the frame sizes where normally I’d expect to see the reassuringly familiar "1920x1080".

Professionals don't edit on laptops.

You keep using that word, I do not think it means what you think it means

 

[THOPMedia]

Keep playing with FCPX, but when you really need to edit something do it on a real editing software (Avid Media Composer anyone?)

Apple are trying to convince us that the Mac Pro is a Pro, although we all know it's just a Mac...

You, my friend, have farts in your head.

You must now immediately post a link to your most recent 4K project. (or any media production you have done.)

GO

 

[smetvid]

The important factor with this machine is not so much the CPU power but the power of the GPU. In the test a configuration with dual D700's was used. This is why they were able to get such a high level of performance.

This is why in some cases a better budget option for the new MP may be to get the base 4 core and add the dual D700 graphics cards. That puts the machine around only $4,000.00 and will be able to do a heck of a lot more than a 4 core iMac. The top of the line iMac still only uses a mobile class GPU. That is where the new MP is really going to shine. In applications that can harness that much GPU processing like FCPX. 3D software that mainly renders with the CPU will not likely see a huge speed advantage over previous generation systems.

By the way Adobe Premiere can do some pretty intensive RT 4K playback as well if you have a 8 core machine and a very powerful Quadro graphics card. Most people tend to use it on 4 core machines with a single desktop class GPU which still does impressive RT playback on its own.

 

[THOPMedia]

Because weddings need 4k video editing!!!

You 10 years ago: "Because weddings need 720p video editing!!! "

 

[Michael Scrip]

Somebody recommended the Dell PowerEdge T620... so I configured one as best I could against a maxed-out new Mac Pro.

Same 12-core CPU, same 64GB RAM, but less powerful dual GPUs*... and the Dell was still $300 more expensive than the similarly specced Mac Pro.

(*the Mac Pro's GPUs are custom... but they are similar to GPUs that retail for about $2000 each... while the GPUs in this Dell are about $700 each)

And guess what... that Dell I'm quoting comes with 2 regular hard drives in RAID... not an SSD.

Dell's closest option is a 175GB Dell PowerEdge Express Flash PCIeSSD... for an EXTRA $2,800

All of a sudden... the Mac Pro's included 256GB PCIe SSD doesn't look so bad.

Granted... that Dell has a bunch of drive bays and slots... so that's one advantage if you need that capability.

On the other hand... that Dell doesn't run OSX... with is absolutely needed if you want to run Mac software.

If you're looking for a 12-core workstation... the Mac Pro seems like the better deal. (faster GPUs, faster storage, cheaper!)

 

[ChrisA]

"In fact, editing 4K on the Mac Pro feels like editing HD on my current MacBook Pro - except I can see large numbers for the frame sizes where normally I’d expect to see the reassuringly familiar "1920x1080".

Professionals don't edit on laptops.

Actually I've heard of people doing rough edits in 1080p on the set in a MBP.

I think a better way to say it is the "professionals in the past have not been able to edit on laptops." Now they can.

Then if you look, I think the majority of professional video is shot in 1080p

 

[Mechanic]

And how many people with old Mac Pros upgraded the CPU ?

I've heard dozens of people on MacRumors say they're still using a 2009 or 2010 Mac Pro today.

So why don't they just pop in a 2013 CPU and be done with it?

I agree... CPU upgrades matter... but I haven't heard much about them actually being done.

My mac pro 1,1 is upgraded from the original dual woodcrest xeons 3.0 Ghz (2cores)
To dual Clovertown 3.0 Ghz (4 core). People do it and really it was not that hard to do. So now I have an 8 core machine.

 

[THOPMedia]

Avid say Apple are 5+ years late to the game. Hello Symphony Nitris!

Hi, can you post a link to that press release please?

 

[chirpie]

You 10 years ago: "Because weddings need 720p video editing!!! "

Ah my tongue was firmly in cheek. I've even done a few myself. It's about the only time I ever get to use my camera sliders. LOL.

 

[Quu]

Looks like the SSD performance of the new Mac Pro is the same as the 1TB SSD in the rMBP 15". I get the same read/write and results in the Black Magic benchmark as the new Mac Pro with my 1TB SSD in my 15" rMBP Haswell.

This makes me pleased as if these SSD's are all the same as they appear to be there is a greater chance we'll see upgrades in the future.

 

[Mechanic]

Any news on what parts can be upgraded? I don't mean "user upgradeable," I mean someone with a good knowledge of the machine. Will we have to wait for ifixit?

The xeon resides on an FCLGA2011 Socket so that can be replaced Picture of said socket below.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Socket_2011_IMGP3918.jpg

Both video cards are also plugged in which means they can be removed too.
Apple has always sold video cards for mac pro upgrades.

 

[ChrisA]

You must now immediately post a link to your most recent 4K project. (or any media production you have done.)...

These posers are easy to spot. They make over broad claims with zero specific supporting facts. If he had some story about compatibility with XML format EDLs we might take him seriously.

One of my specific complaints might be addressed in the latest FCPX when they just added "libraries" but I've not looked yet. It will be a while.

My other complaint is that I'd like better integration with Logic. The XML round trip thing is akward.

Also mixing stills and video is akward. Apperture could be improved if it did videos

So, What I am asking for is a FULLY integrated audio, midi, video, still digital media assets organizer. ONE LIBRARY for audio, photos and video. Appe is almost there but needs to merge the libraries.

 

[THOPMedia]

Man I'd love to buy one of those to edit family videos on but I know that would be such a waste on powerful machine. I'd be embarrassed to use iMovie on it lol!

I wonder if the 6 core model is even overkill for a professional photographer...

Your MBPr should serve you well for a while yet but then you would want an iMac. I LOOOOVE mine. Honestly, this will serve me for years and years of Prosumer videography.

(I have the new maxed 27" with everything but the 3TB HD)

----------

Ah my tongue was firmly in cheek. I've even done a few myself. It's about the only time I ever get to use my camera sliders. LOL.

Got ya.

 

[ThisIsNotMe]

Well... I do want to buy one, but as a non-professional am looking at a way to migrate my 4 x Hard Drives (1 x SSD; 3 x HDD) to use with the new model. Apple Australia has an option of "PROMISE Pegasus2 R4 8TB (4 x 2TB) Thunderbolt 2 RAID System [Add A$ 1,799.00]"
Gulp! That's a lot of money.

The base (new) Mac Pro is $1,000 more expensive than the previous base model (yes, I know it is heaps faster!), so $1,000 plus another $1,799 blows me out of the water...

Anyone else in my situation and/or have any ideas of external 'boxes' to take my drives? Any advice would be deeply appreciated.

$16. Happy birthday!
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182154

 

[LastQuadrant]

I have absolutely no use for the new Mac Pro, but dammit, I want one.

I would love it if Apple made a i5/i7 version of the MacPro and called it a MacPro Mini. I think that would sell well for those that don't need or want to pay for XEONs.