Mac Pro spec recommendations
Hello,
Just wondering if any Mac Pro users can recommend the spec of a machine to buy.
The first job it will be used on will be 3 x1080 output: 2 mapped projectors and an LED wall.
Will mainly be used in the corporate / awards sector, fairly basic mapping/ masking.
Can't afford to go all out on the spec but also don't want to under spec the machine, not my money to spend!
Thanks
Comments
Jus for info, the most important part is the graphic card. More info on this thread.
You can compare model on this benchmark website : the Firepro D300, D500 and D700 are quite the same as the official AMD Firepro W7000, W8000 and W9000 (in brief, the hugest gap is between D500 and D700).
Even the first model with a Firepro D300 will run easily 3x1080p outputs
Lastly, keep in mind that lastest MacBookPro Retina can run 3, 4 or 5 1080p outpus. See this test as an example.
Best. Philippe
Having to render 2 instances @ 5760x1080 is consuming some resources. Hopefully, we added options in Millumin V2 to avoid such a configuration.
Best. Philippe
The graphics card is the only major component that cannot be upgraded. Unlike other Macs, the Mac Pro is the only one that allows the user to officially upgrade the storage and RAM. The processor can be upgraded, but only with great care, a voided warranty, and a bit of a learning curve.
With this in mind, I would recommend going for the top-spec D700 graphics card, the fastest processor you can afford right now, and hold off on onboard storage and RAM upgrades.
To further keep costs down, buying refurb can be an excellent way to go. Same warranty as new.
Keep in mind though, that there are many video apps (Adobe AE, Premiere!) that still don't fully utilize the Mac Pro's GPU, and rely mostly on CPU power, so don't expect your renders and such to be dramatically faster.
Our 6-core D700 32GB RAM trash can had no problem running a mapped show on Millimin + Madmapper at 50fps while pushing 2 1080p projectors, a 720p projector, and a 1080p monitor, as long as we kept Millumin's active layers and effects fairly thin.
The most important part is the graphic card, not the CPU or the RAM. More info on this thread.
You can compare model on this benchmark website
: the Firepro D300, D500 and D700 are quite the same as the official
AMD Firepro W7000, W8000 and W9000 (in brief, the hugest gap is between
D500 and D700).
The D300 model already offers nice performance for running 6 x 1080p outputs (be sure to use active adapters such as these ones).
Best. Philippe
We ran most of our tests on the low MacPro model : D300, 3,7Ghz with 10MB cache, 12GO RAM.
Everything was fine running up to 6 x 1080p outputs, and movies at the same size : we mainly used PhotoJPEG and HAP codec. Despite H264 was just tested a little, it should be also fine.
However, we'll soon recommand HAP as a good replacement for PhotoJPEG, since its performances are excellent.
In brief : the CPU is not relevant, even for MacPro. The RAM either.
But really, I don't see the point to buy such an expensive machine, and just have 16GO of RAM, or the lowest model. I understand there is a big difference, but if you want to use your machine for another purpose than Millumin, it should be good to invest in a medium model.
Please note that this is just our point of view and our experience. I don't think it should make any difference, but keep in mind that every project is different.
If you can, rent of of these models for 1 or 2 days, and do your testing with your own projects (it's usually costing 70 to 140€ per day, worth for a try).
Best. Philippe