Mac Pro??

[Chris Kenny]

[Craig Seeman] “To me, the most interesting aspect of what’s coming will be how they handle the GPU.
All Thunderbolt computers to date have the GPU on the motherboard. Keep in mind that Thunderbolt is also the display out.”

It would actually be quite handy if a hypothetical new Mac Pro had decent on-board video. It would solve the problem of how to get a video signal over Thunderbolt. Plus, making a separate GPU optional might be attractive for some customers who have more CPU-focused workloads (that’s especially interesting if there’s a new more rack-friendly form factor). It would also be great for e.g. Resolve users — use the on-board GPU to drive your GUI display, freeing up a slot for an additional CUDA processing GPU.

Maybe a plan for something like this is why Apple has, over the last couple of OS X releases, been adding support for generic ‘PC’ graphics cards to OS X.

—
Digital Workflow/Colorist, Nice Dissolve.

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[Tero Ahlfors]

[Steve Connor] “It’s NOT speculation Apple PR have stated there IS a new MacPro coming this year”

Well, no. “We’re working on something really great” doesn’t straight up mean they are making a Mac Pro.

[Marcus Moore]

That was Cook’s email. Apple PR later confirmed with NYT that Cook was talking about a new MacPro.

And ONCE AGAIN, for the record, Tim said…

Although we didn’t have a chance to talk about a new Mac Pro at today’s event, don’t worry as we’re working on something really great for later next year.

I’m sorry, but only a valiant wordsmith could pull vagaries out of that sentence. Tim was talking about the MacPro, and Apple PR later confirmed it with David Pogue.

[Steve Connor]

The problem is that Apple releasing a new Mac Pro doesn’t fit with the ” Apple has abandoned professionals” cry that is very popular since FCPX was launched.

Steve Connor
‘It’s just my opinion, with an occasional fact thrown in for good measure”

[Craig Seeman]

[Steve Connor] “he problem is that Apple releasing a new Mac Pro doesn’t fit with the ” Apple has abandoned professionals” cry that is very popular since FCPX was launched.”

That Apple makes laptops that has the equivalent of external PCIe slots and can cost upwards of $3000 is really just for hobbyists. Obviously it’s the hobbyists buying Pegasus RAIDs, Sonnet PCIe chassis, AJA IO XTs. None of this would interest a professional. One would surely conclude that an updated MacPro is just going to be an iPad peripheral (and the iPad is a damn nice professional tool itself).

[Santiago Martí]

Samyang and rokinon are the same lenses, rebranded. Samyang=rokinon=bower.
Used S16 lenses are a great choice for that sensor size. Some S16 used highspeeds arri zeiss could cost 10k for a set.

[Andrew Kimery]

[Marcus Moore] “I’m sorry, but only a valiant wordsmith could pull vagaries out of that sentence. Tim was talking about the MacPro, and Apple PR later confirmed it with David Pogue.”
Apple has a history of valiant word smithing so I don’t see the problem with not taking the company line at face value. I would be surprised if Apple wasn’t ‘re-envisioning’ what a MacPro should be and I’m sure some people will love it and some people will hate it. In 2010, when pressed about the languishing FCP 7 Jobs said the next version would be awesome. Awesome is debatable but I think everyone can agree that X was drastically different and unexpected so I’m not one to think Apple isn’t beyond rocking its own boat.

The Air has replaced the MacBook. The MBPr is going to replace the MBP. All Apple’s devices and computers are becoming more and more appliance-like (in that upgrading the machine means buying a new one) so I’m fully prepared for them to come out with what they feel a modern MacPro should be. I think I’d actually be a little let down if the new MacPro is just the same tower design but with updated specs.

[Rick Lang]

[Tom Sefton] “Hardware choices for Mac at the moment seem poor value aside from the macbook pro retinas. You could build a stonkingly fast PC system with a new 2k resolution HP monitor for less than a top of the range iMac and then be able to upgrade it for the next 5 years of its life….”

Tom, that thinking is so “yesterday” while many here are anticipating “tomorrow.” Do the apples-to-apples comparison “later in 2013” (Tim Cook’s timeline for the updated Mac Pro) and we’ll ignore that your OS of choice is Windows rather than Mac OS X. There’s been thousands of posts like this so I hope this doesn’t add another hundred. Call me grumpy, sorry!

Rick Lang

iMac 27” 2.8GHz i7 16GB

[Tom Sefton]

Rick, I don’t have an OS of choice. I love Mac stuff and have spent plenty on them in the past – if I wasn’t sold, I wouldn’t be bothering to ask where I could find the next machine I want.

There might well have been thousands of posts like this before, but it is all the more relevant now, given that you can’t buy a Mac Pro in Europe anymore and there is no date for release of the new model.

If you read my posts you can see that I am trying to purchase a Mac system for DaVinci resolve work that has thunderbolt ports for fast storage swaps. At present, a single 1 or 2GB GPU isn’t going to cut it for this (which is the only option for the iMac and can’t be upgraded).

I might be thinking yesterday here – if so, can you suggest a Mac system for working on RAW files from the Blackmagic Camera inside Resolve?

I don’t mind the grumpiness – I’m grumpy all the time. I just try and take it out on my B*£@!^d f@**$%g keyboard.

[Rick Lang]

[Tom Sefton] “If you read my posts you can see that I am trying to purchase a Mac system for DaVinci resolve work that has thunderbolt ports for fast storage swaps. At present, a single 1 or 2GB GPU isn’t going to cut it for this (which is the only option for the iMac and can’t be upgraded).

I might be thinking yesterday here – if so, can you suggest a Mac system for working on RAW files from the Blackmagic Camera inside Resolve?”

Ah, Tom, I had not realized those goals. You’ve said the magic words to unlock my grumpiness: Blackmagic Cinema Camera! Resolve’s processor and GPU demands will be the software that drives Apple’s new hardware sales for some users, like you. FCPX runs very well on an iMac; Resolve wants tomorrow’s big iron.

This excitement over machines fuelled by the GeForce GTX Titan seems a little over-heated to me when you examine NVIDIA’s own benchmarks–an improvement over the 680 but within reason, nothing earth-shattering, nothing that could not have been branded a 695 instead of the mighty powerful “Titan”. The nicest part of the Titan may be the 6GB GDDR5 memory as I agree the 680MX on the iMac will not suffice for all purposes. The processors are going to be running your work slower on the 680 than the Titan, but it will do it to a degree. But if the frame rate on the BMCC CinemaDNG clips is 2 to 4 frames a second on the 680MX, it may only be twice that on the Titan. A more severe problem is simply exhausting all the video memory and things effectively grinding to a halt.

Now that Apple is being sued for planned obsolescence, their engineers may have to think twice about constantly providing upgrades that are just below what you might expect so that you’ll need to buy a replacement a year or two earlier than you want to.

I do believe your best option, given we are all filthy rich and unrestricted by budget (or we wouldn’t be using Apple gear in the first place), is waiting for the mythical updating of the Mac Pro. I too believe it will include at least two Thunderbolt ports and possibly more, and will be able to support Apples implementation of the Titan if not a different class of NVIDIA GPU. Dual or triple Titans via SLI? Perhaps not. Thunderbolt storage device options are becoming more plentiful and 2013 should prove to be a watershed year introducing the next generation of “Mac Pros”.

There I’m not feeling so grumpy, still crazy though, and I think we can all sell our second cars to help finance these things just to keep the competition honest. Apologies for not understanding your perspective better initially.

Rick Lang

iMac 27” 2.8GHz i7 16GB