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Report on the 2019 Mac Pro
Early report on the 2019 Mac Pro from a PPro user.
After finally resolving the many installation problems caused, not by the computer, but by the Catalina OS that comes with it, and which can’t readily be changed because of security features in the new Mac, I thought I would post my initial impressions for those who might be interested.
First off, after much research, I bought the 16 core, basic 580X GPU, 1 Gig system drive, and minimum 32 Gig memory from Apple, then added 64 gig of memory, a 2 Gig PCIe M.2 NVMe SSD drive, and a Radeon VII GPU. Total cost was a little under 11K with tax and shipping. Installation of upgrades was the easiest I’ve ever done with a computer, the internal layout of the 2019MP is the cleanest and easiest to work with I’ve ever seen.
First off, me being me, I’ll start with some minor complaints.:
This is a large and heavy system, not ideal for Desktop use, but rather for under desktop installation. However to open the case you must unlock from the top and pull straight up, making it necessary to drag the case out from under the desk to work on. Further, the way the case is designed you have to remove all cables to remove the outer case, and you can’t power up the system with the case off.
This means any work on the computer requires you to remove it from it’s working environment, remove all cables, do your work on the system, close the case, re-attach the cables and then turn on to test if everything is working correctly.
Compare that to the ease of working with the older 2010 system, where the side lid of the case slipped off and you could test your work without needing to remove cables or close the lid.
This is an ergonomic disaster, modified by the fact that it’s so easy to install new items correctly. Once again Apple has designed for no editor that I can imagine.
In addition there are only 2 i/o ports (both Thblt 3) built into the system, both on the top of the case. The 2019MP does come with an additional i/o PCIe card with 4 ports (2 Thblt 3, 2 USB 3.1) that you can reach from the back, but even with this the i/o is paltry and you’ve used up one of the pci slots.
I can understand the concept that with all the changes coming in i/o, leaving most of it up to the PCI slots is a way to keep things flexible for the future, but still there should have been more slots built in, at least some with older USB connectors.
The system is advertised as being very quiet, which is true, except for when you first turn it on, when the fan noise is the loudest I’ve heard outside an airport runway. This only last a couple of seconds, but it does take a little getting used to.
Now for the good news:
It works. Everything works. Ppro finally works as intended. Things that used to cause sluggishness or crashes simply work. Having Audition, RX-7, AE, Photoshop and Ppro open at the same time – no problem. 6 camera Multicams with a mix of HD and 4k, no problems. Warp stabilizer at warp speeds, no amount of CC or blur effects will cause sluggishness or latency in timeline playing at Full resolution.
I haven’t done tests between the old and new systems to figure out just how much faster everything exports, but I’m guessing it’s about a 50% improvement. Renders seem even faster, especially Warp Stabilizer on 4K.
All my plug-ins eventually were installed, the computer simply works and everything gets out of my way.
It’s loverly.
It’s still too expensive, I could get the same results for 60% of the cost in the Windows world, but if your stuck in OSX it’s a nice way to go.
Herb Sevush
Zebra Productions
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nothin\’ attached to nothin\’
\”Deciding the spine is the process of editing\” F. Bieberkopf