Which pro for me?

[bittergourd]

Hi there,

Im looking at getting a new Mac soon primarily for Maya and PS work, I'm currently using both on my macbook and although its doing an admirable job considering its spec- the render times are starting to stress the poor little fella out so I think its time for an upgrade..

I was originally considering the top iMac, perhaps with the RAM upgraded to 8gig, but since that is so expensive I've been thinking more that the Mac Pro is the way to go..

Can anyone advise me whether it is worth getting the Dual processor machine? Will Maya rendering take advantage of the extra cores? If anyone is using either mac pro for Maya 2009, I'd love to know how its performing!

thanks

Yes Maya does take in to account all processors and cores. I don't use Maya 2009 on a Mac Pro (on a XP dual processor box for now) and it works great.

Straight from the Maya Feature's page on Autodesk's site:

Multithreaded, multiprocessor support with built-in memory handling maximizes productivity and provides large scene rendering capabilities. ​

Just an FYI that statement ONLY applies to the Maya Software or mental ray not to renders done using Maya Hardware.

 

[bob1982]

Yes Maya does take in to account all processors and cores. I don't use Maya 2009 on a Mac Pro (on a XP dual processor box for now) and it works great.

Straight from the Maya Feature's page on Autodesk's site:

Multithreaded, multiprocessor support with built-in memory handling maximizes productivity and provides large scene rendering capabilities. ​

Just an FYI that statement ONLY applies to the Maya Software or mental ray not to renders done using Maya Hardware.

Thanks for that info its really helpful, I think i'll bite the bullet and get the 8 core pro, Im facing huge render times so the extra processing will be well used!

I must admit I was having a few doubts over the last week or so and thinking of building a similar spec PC for so much cheaper but I just cant face going to the dark side!

But might it be worth waiting till later in the year as i've heard rumours that apple will give the pro range a speed bump soon... hmmm

 

[bittergourd]

Thanks for that info its really helpful, I think i'll bite the bullet and get the 8 core pro, Im facing huge render times so the extra processing will be well used!

I must admit I was having a few doubts over the last week or so and thinking of building a similar spec PC for so much cheaper but I just cant face going to the dark side!

But might it be worth waiting till later in the year as i've heard rumours that apple will give the pro range a speed bump soon... hmmm

Yeah, I am getting a cheap PC for Maya now as I need it now for school and even with Academic pricing the Mac Pros are not cheap. I am saving up and getting a Mac Pro later this year.

 

[LukeConway]

Hiya,

Im looking at gettin a Mac Pro and splashing out... I want it to last me a number of years and so im looking at my options.

I primarily use my mac for the web so desigining in CS4, animating in flash etc and some small video work...

What would suit me the most the quad 2.66 or the 8 core 2.26?

i understand I can put more memory in the future on the 8 core which sounds great and im limited to 8gb on the quad?

would i see a good performance increase on the 8 core for what I do? even if i need to wait for snow leopard to really make use of it...

also I really desperately want a 30" screen... is the ACD still seen as a very good screen adn will last me say 5 yrs?

many thanks for yoru advice..

Well I have the 8 core..... I would go with the 8 core because you said you wanted to use the machine for future purposes.... The Quad would work fine for what your doing but the 8 core just has so many more possibilities.


So what I am saying is go with the 8. You will not regret it!


-Luke

 

[macuserx86]

Get the most expensive one you can afford

/thread