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DaVinci Resolve for Mac Configuration Guide, November 2010
Hi,
An updated version of the DaVinci Resolve for Mac Configuration Guide has been posted on our website. You can find the PDF on the DaVinci Support page.
This edition of the guide corresponds with the release of on the Resolve 7.0.3 for Mac which supports the following new graphics cards:
• ATI Radeon HD 5770 for the GUI monitor
• NVIDIA Quadro 4000 for the GPU
These two new cards each use 1 power connection which consumes the two auxiliary PCIe power connections provided by the Mac Pro. Other models of the ATI Radeon HD series of cards require 2 power connections and therefore cannot be used with the NVIDIA Quadro 4000.The ATI Radeon HD 5770 is a standard graphics card with the mid 2010 series of Mac Pro computers. This means that customers purchasing a new Mac Pro are no longer required to discard the standard GUI card and replace it with an NVIDIA GeForce GT 120 at extra cost.
While the ATI Radeon HD 5770 and NVIDIA Quadro 4000 cards are the latest combination of graphics cards for Resolve, the highest GPU performance for Resolve continues to be the combination of NVIDIA GeForce GT 120 (GUI) and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 285 (GPU). Unfortunately the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 285 is no longer available but owners of this card will continue to enjoy the highest GPU performance in Resolve.
This guide documents which combinations of GUI and GPU cards can be used with each other and in which slots they should be installed.
Other new additions to the guide include the dimensions and weights for the three panels, which comprise the Resolve Control Surface, as well as connection diagrams for the Mac Pro and MacBook Pro configurations.
We hope this guide proves useful and please let us know if there is anything you would like added or changed in the guide.
Finally, the DaVinci Resolve Keyboard Shortcuts for Mac are now available for download as a PDF.
Regards,
Luke Maslen
Blackmagic Design -
20 Replies
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Is it the Quadro 4000 that’s slower than the GTX285 or is it the ATI / nVidia combo that slows things down? A bit sad to hear of LESS performance with the latest and greatest but nice you’ve sorted out mixed cards.
Would two Quadro 4000 give any benefit at all or is CUDA-rendering “per card” only? I’m thinking of other apps that accelerate with CUDA as these normally use your main GPU for the job.
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Erik Lindahl
Freecloud Post Production Services
http://www.freecloud.se -
I have to add.. Brilliant guide. Simply brilliant. Would be nice with feedback on the above, and perhaps when we can see (*cough*) Kona 3 support.
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Erik Lindahl
Freecloud Post Production Services
http://www.freecloud.se -
The 4000 card isnt a replacement for either the 4800 or 285 – it replaces the 3800. So it is technically faster than the card it replaces, but unfortunately Apple/NVidia/PNY chose not to qualify the 5000 card for Mac.
4800 is still the fastest individual available card for Resolve on Mac, unless, as you suggest, you install 2 x 4000 cards which I belive will be faster.
Jamie Allan
Post Production Consultant
DaVinci Specialist (Linux/Mac)
Jamie@Jigsaw24.comJigsaw Systems Ltd. – IT & Broadcast specialists for the UK
https://www.jigsaw24.com
https://www.jigsawbroadcast.com -
Would there be a performance increase with a Quadro 4000 in slot 1, replacing the 285, and then having the GTX285 running off slot 2 via external PCI chassis expander giving it’s own power, I currently use this with a GT120 and it operates the same as if it was inside the MacPro.
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Interesting and perhaps a little sad. But I presume other software won\’t use a dedicated CUDA GPU so a dual Quadro 4000-setup would make sense for a lot of people then running CS5 and DaVinci on the same system.
I don\’t get how much more work it can be to just release a multitude of GPU\’s when you\’re already writing drivers for a given chipset. Anyhow.. Nice to see you\’re on top of things as much as you can. We might be going into DaVinci-land 2011.
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Erik Lindahl
Freecloud Post Production Services
http://www.freecloud.se -
I wonder what are the “official” 4000 test results?
4000 has more cores if you look in tech spec sheet.
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Margus
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What about a GeForce 8800 and a QUADRO FX 4800, they both only have one power cord, and I have been using this config without problem.
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Hi Erik,
The Quadro 4000 is slower than the GTX 285. It is not the combination that causes it to be slower.
While installing a second Quadro 4000 might be useful for supporting 4 monitors with applications such as Final Cut Pro, it will just be used as the GUI card for Resolve and so won’t help provide extra GPU performance. In other words, you may as well use a cheaper card for the GUI card with Resolve if you are using the Quadro 4000 as the GPU card.
Regards,
Luke Maslen
Blackmagic Design -
Interesting and thanks. I’m just wondering if any other app would be able to use the non-GUI GPU as Resolve does. This is why one could motivate two Quadro 4000-cards. The main contenders today are Adobe CS5 and a number of Premier and After Effects plug-ins that are OpenGL and / or CUDA accelerated.
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Erik Lindahl
Freecloud Post Production Services
http://www.freecloud.se -
Good day Luke,
I have a few questions and would love to chat off of the blog..
Can you email me at dwooldridge@mac.com?Thanks for your time,
Darin Wooldridge
Freelance Colorist / Technical Strategist
818-653-3918-cell
dwooldridge@mac.com
check me out at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Davinci-Resolve-Colorist/117363011609028?ref=….
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