The heck with Minecraft, you are going to need to mine some bit coins to pay for that thing!
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Sonnet Announces New 4U Enclosure to Rack Mount Two Mac Pros
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The heck with Minecraft, you are going to need to mine some bit coins to pay for that thing!
It's the life isn't it? Before everything had to be planned beforehand - either we didn't give clients the option to mess with our video modules on location or I had to line up somebody back at the office to handle remotely.
I think lots of you aren't understanding that there's lots of uses for a rack-mounted machine beyond server/render setups. There's a whole industry of video/production/film guys who need crazy power on on the go. Sometimes we use PCs, sometimes Macs, sometimes it's a Linux box or something proprietary.
This rack solution offers up another option and really the cost is a drop in the bucket in the grand scheme of business.
That price isn't even terrible considering how much rack mounts and other server hardware actually costs..It is fairly high, but not outrageous.
dBeats
macrumors 6502a
You missed the point entirely. It's not that the Mac Pro LOOKS unique. It's that it IS unique. Lowest power usage in it's computing class, quietest cooling system (for audio work), small form factor for professional who need it in the field, etc. The result of making something that meets those needs and is more powerful than any Mac Pro before it was for it to LOOK that way.
If you seriously think the first decision from Apple was that they wanted a round Mac Pro and then everything was built around that idea, then you have no idea how Apple works...
dBeats
macrumors 6502a
Well there are 32-core 2U rack mounts, so I'd guess you could put 64 cores in a 4U rack space. However, it will need dedicated AC, a LOT of air flow, and would probably have a sound rating of 88-90dB. Plus it will need two-phase power and special wiring. Definitely need that in a room far away and no chance to put it on a cart and wheel it around, unless you have two-phase power outlets all around.
The 24-Core (2x12-Core Mac Pros) would run without dedicated AC cooling with enough natural air exchange. And would have a sound rating of about 40dB. In other words, you can rack mount them and put them right next to you. Plus, a simple surge protector with a good old standard wall plug is all you need. Bring it to a shoot, roll it in a roller board, plug it in an go. Pretty darn functional to me....
There are 48-core 1U servers.
So 192 cores against 24.
Next: comparison against GPGPU-oriented systems.
Agree. Working on a launching a kickstarter for another product that rack mounts the new Mac Pro called the Mode Mount. Should launch in a week or so. Check it out: modemount.com
Prototype:
Here's a rendering of two, side by side in a 4u rack:
DCJ001
macrumors 6502a
NT1440
macrumors P6
Very cool. Minimal material used compared to box alternatives. I do have to ask though, are the holes simply cut out and the rest waste, or is it machined and the loops are then pressed 90 degree angles?
dawnrazor
macrumors 6502
Well I can see these being used extensively in certain parts of industry. To have a powerful machine centralised like this means you can tap into it from different areas in a building and that us very useful and rather the point of these new workflows.
Having them rack mounted beside a large NAS or SAN, means the connections are as short as need to be for max results, keeps you room nice and quiet.
It's a combination of machining, bending, and water-jet. We are looking into extrusion vs water-jetting out everything and bending. We maximized cutting patterns and shapes to give us the least amount of wasted materials.
laurim
macrumors 68000
Fortunately, most of my clients are regulars and they get that making last minute MAJOR changes to videos are unreasonable. I do minor changes all the time. As an operator, I've also worked with other designers who do the "back in the office" changes and have to deal with super slow venue/hotel internet to get the revised version. Having a powerful machine onsite for last minute changes will be awesome and will minimize the hours I spend in my hotel room working on changes and rendering overnight. A lot of times it's not even the clients who want changes. It's me seeing the setup, seeing the staging/costumes/choreography and having ideas to make my stuff better. Now I won't have to decide whether the painful editing and rendering is worth it.
The A/V company I usually work with says they are buying MacPros and I'll bet they will want a rack mount like this so it fits in with all their other rack-mounted components. Anything that protects expensive equipment while it's on the truck, keeps it from getting stolen overnight and makes it fast to put up and strike down is a win for them.
iMacFarlane
macrumors 65816
More rational if you need a lot of CPU power, and one low-profile GPU is enough.
For GPU-oriented systems, to be checked.
jlgolson
Contributing Editor
The Mac Pro runs just fine horizontally. Apple approved!
https://www.macrumors.com/2014/01/03/new-mac-pro-safe-to-operate-horizontally/
laurim
macrumors 68000
Maybe someone can insert some random blinky LED lights on the front for you! The rest of us are just interested in the functionality.