New G5’s….not just a speed bump….

[Marco Solorio]

Well don’t get me wrong. I’m not ditching the OSX platform any time soon. It’s just that the software is ahead of the hardware, including GPU performance. We use a bunch of Dells over here for 3D stuff as well. I have a render farm completely made up of Dells… something far too pricey to do on Macs, except for the Mac Mini idea I mentioned earlier.

Macs: Video editing, compositing, DVD authoring, music/audio production.
Windows: 3D animation, CD authoring and web production.

This formula will not change any time soon for us. I personally believe the above outline are the better strengths of each platform.

I just wish Apple or IBM would get the show on the road on the hardware side of things.

Marco Solorio  |   OneRiver Media

[Jeff Carpenter]

This really isn’t anyone’s fault. The current manufacturing process used to make chips is nearing the top of its abilities. ALL chip makers are struggling to get smaller and smaller gains now. They’re having to invent new manufacturing technologies now and it will be awhile before we see the kind of gains we’ve been seeing over the last 10 years again. If you haven’t noticed, Pentium chips have been slowly creeping ahead too. It’s not the design of the chips themselves that are the problem, it’s the ability to actually make them that’s holding everything up.

[Marco Solorio]

[Michael Horton] “I think this law is alive and well in the GPU. “

You’re very correct, but *only* on the Windows side of things. The OpenGL cards we currently can choose from on the Mac side is a complete and utter joke. On Windows, you can get a dual PCI-E setup using two nVidia FX4400 graphics cards for the ultimate in OpenGL performance. nVidia and ATI offer a mere *fraction* of that kind of performance. I mean, it’s literally like comparing a McLaren F1 to a scooter. I have no inconceivable reason why ATI, nVidia or 3DLabs wont produce high-end workstation display cards on the Mac. Even though we don’t have PCI-E like we should, we could still benefit from much better cards on the AGP slots we have now.

[Michael Horton] “I vote for Marco to build a 3GHZ Mac. Get your team on that will ya? I got a couple interns I can send up.”

Sweet! Do these interns wear plaid mini skirts and pigtails?!!! Send ’em on over! Of course, there may be unexpected delays in the production process. A-HA! So THAT’S why they’re taking so long to produce these Mac for us!!!!!

😉

Marco Solorio  |   OneRiver Media

[Marco Solorio]

[Jeff Carpenter] “If you haven’t noticed, Pentium chips have been slowly creeping ahead too. It’s not the design of the chips themselves that are the problem, it’s the ability to actually make them that’s holding everything up.”

Yes, I totally understand this and have been seeing the same thing. However, Intel and AMD seem to have a better grasp on dual-core than IBM.

So yes, until a better method of building these things comes along, we’re not going to see Moore’s law in action any time soon, as has been the case for the last year.

At the very least, I’d *LOVE* to see quad G5 Macs with an even more advanced cooling system. Hell, I still have a $10k Daystar Genesis MP 800+ sitting at home under a desk with nothing hooked up to it… the only quad-processor Mac ever made with a depreciation value faster than **** dropping in a toilet. If they built quad Macs in the 90’s, surely they can do it today with a true multi-threading UNIX OS.

OR

Apple should do it like SGI and have the ability to stack workstations acting as one complete system. The OS doesn’t know there’s 8 computers locked together even though 16 CPUs are crunching through data like poppy seeds.

So… if we can’t have faster CPUs, then at least tie more CPUs together in one box OR build G5s who’s motherboards can be tied together to act as one system.

Simple! 😉

Marco Solorio  |   OneRiver Media

[Donato M. rondinelli]

Troy E. Parker
>>>>>>>But hey, when you have all day to sit around and think about that next great project you might do this year, ok…maybe next year, one has ample time to absorb such knowledge

Have some compassion on the Avid editor! I’m still getting over what happened, or shall I say what didn’t happen at NAB. I’m think about making this forum my new home page.

-dMR

[Troy E. parker]

yeah, I was wondering was compelling you to take a look over at the darkside of the post world 🙂 , though rumor has it that since NAB your Edit Staff has been observed aimlessly wandering the halls…

T