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2019 Mac Pro – show of hands
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[Tom Sefton] “Workflow issues with iMac Pro are screaming out for one”
I’m day 5 into a feature doing assembly and my nMP D700 has been cutting through 6K/7K RED files like butter.
Stupid me didn’t proxy anything but once we get a few hours break I set it to proxy.
I still believe in the trashcan 🙂 -
For most things the iMac Pro has been fine. This is an 8K stereoscopic 60p project with multiple nodes required in Resolve and a complex Resolve/FCPX/Logic/Compressor workflow.
If the project is in ProRes, the new version of FCPX and the MacBook Pro or iMac Pro are great.
Co-owner at Pollen Studio
http://www.pollenstudio.co.uk -
Contrary to Bob’s rant, I don’t think the coming Mac Pro is too far off the mark price-wise. I wrote about that before here:
https://digitalfilms.wordpress.com/2019/06/18/the-2019-mac-pro-truck/
Remember, it’s running Xeons, for which Intel gets a large premium price over i7 and i9 chips (which is what tends to come in system like Puget and other PCs).
https://digitalfilms.wordpress.com/2019/04/03/are-you-ready-for-a-custom-pc/
When you price out as close to the exact same configuration in a name brand system, like an HP Z8, you often end up with a higher price than the Mac.
Likewise the display is actually close to the cost of other high-end computer displays, if you factor in the usual Apple premium. However, I’ll stop at the $1K stand. That’s just silly. It’s more than an iPhone. Seriously?
Otherwise, for the right folks, the MP may be the best machine to get. Though for most people on this forum, a loaded Retina iMac or iMac Pro will be more than adequate. Or even the 15″ or 16″ (?) MBP with add-ons.
– Oliver
Oliver Peters – oliverpeters.com
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I don’t have a problem with the price because I don’t know what the price is yet.
There apparently is a need for Xeons in some applications, but for video work, from everything I’ve been able to learn, they are unnecessary, with the i9x CPU’s currently the best option, and a much cheaper alternative. Still, I’m willing to overpay for the Xeon’s if the rest of the system make’s sense.
I’m hoping to find one stuffed in my stockings come end of December.
Herb Sevush
Zebra Productions
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nothin\’ attached to nothin\’
\”Deciding the spine is the process of editing\” F. Bieberkopf -
If the price is an issue, then you are in the wrong end of the market for that. Unless like me you are building your own PC and reusing the power supplies, rack mount cases, keyboard, mouse & monitors etc then the price difference is not a deal breaker.
As I don’t need to run Apple OS specific software and I do rebuild then this MacPro is not on my radar. My last MacPro cost an arm and a leg back in 2009 but it paid for itself well within the life span. If you need the grunt and longevity of a system that can be upgraded with better GPU and sundry during it’s lifespan, then the MacPro price difference should not be a factor. And if you must run Apple software then it’s just a matter of choosing your grunt. If I was in that boat I wouldn’t go iMacPro over a new cheese grater.
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[Michael Gissing] “If the price is an issue, then you are in the wrong end of the market for that.”
I don’t think it’s all about price, although that certainly is part of it. For example, the Mac Pro may not be the best choice for editors. Its horsepower will tend to benefit animators and colorists first and foremost. OTOH, if you are primarily a creative (“offline”) editor, then maybe an iMac, iMac Pro, or MacBook Pro+ext display+eGPU is a better fit.
For example, if I were to outfit a facility with 10 editors on shared storage in an “open office” style facility, then I probably wouldn’t go with 10 beefy workstations. Power requirements alone will be an issue with the Mac Pro. In that situation, an all-in-one system like iMac/iMac Pro would likely be the system to use.
Some people will want a machine that can last 10 years or more and will pay for that. Others will be happier getting a machine for 3-5 years and plan on a complete refresh at that interval.
– Oliver
Oliver Peters – oliverpeters.com
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[Oliver Peters] “For example, if I were to outfit a facility with 10 editors on shared storage in an “open office” style facility, then I probably wouldn’t go with 10 beefy workstations.”
This makes great sense to me.
And maybe you get 9 iMacs and ONE NeuvoCheesegrater – Everyone works day to day on the iMacs/iMacPros – and when some contractor sends you a huge assed multi-layer Maya file that slows things down, you plop it on the big box – and let it crank through the complex renders.
When it’s done, you send the files back to the regular working machines.
It’s kinda sorta (not really) like the old workgroup laser printer model. Share the hub.
Seems like a decent plan to me.
Creator of XinTwo – https://www.xintwo.com
The shortest path to FCP X mastery. -
[Bill Davis] “It’s kinda sorta (not really) like the old workgroup laser printer model. Share the hub.”
Or to complete your analogy, if you’re in the print business and only have one printer can you afford it to be less than a laser?
The issue for independent editors is how often will you need that xtra umph, and how much are you willing to pay for it.
Herb Sevush
Zebra Productions
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nothin\’ attached to nothin\’
\”Deciding the spine is the process of editing\” F. Bieberkopf -
[Bill Davis] “and when some contractor sends you a huge assed multi-layer Maya file that slows things down, you plop it on the big box – and let it crank through the complex renders.”
I still hang on to a few BOXX/DELL/HP boxes for that.
I love Maya but its too darn slow on my nMPs and with no openGL its kinda useless. -
[Bill Davis] “And maybe you get 9 iMacs and ONE NeuvoCheesegrater”
I actually work in exactly such a scenario. We have 9 workstations (5 iMPs, 3 iM, 1 2013 MP). In that set up, the room with the 2013 MP is mine and it’s the station where I do any final Resolve grading as well as editing. Although I will often render on the iMPs because they are faster. One of the iMP units is used by our main AE artist and he does a lot of heavy lifting. Of any of these rooms, those two would likely get bumped up to a 2019 MP of any of them. All of these rooms are fine for up to 4K native, but if you get into 8K RED RAW or similar, then it’s more of a slog and a beefier machine would make sense.
– Oliver
Oliver Peters – oliverpeters.com
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