MP 7,1 MP potential buyer - Advice needed

[IA64]

So my 2013 maxed out iMac is showing already it's age and I was disappointed that the 2020 still looks the same.

What I'm interested in is a Mac that is whisper quiet, upgradable, supports XDR display (which already received as a present) and supports Nvidia under Windows 10 as my rendering software takes advantage of the CUDA making rendering time much shorter.

So far the MP7,1 ticks all the box except for upgradability. Yes, despite the "modular" design and the 8 PCI-E slots, I'm much more worried about the future CPU upgrade.

I still don't get it. It's very obvious that Intel won't be releasing newer CPUs for this socket type which means my only option will be the 28 cores for the next few years.

This alone is very discouraging to invest that much into this machine regardless of how much I'm getting in return.

I'm not very familiar with the MP roadmap but is there any chance that Apple would be releasing the same MP with a different motherboard, one that has a different Intel socket and hopefully PCIE 4.0 ?

And what are my options if I want to run the XDR display at 6K HDR?

 

[OkiRun]

This alone is very discouraging to invest that much into this machine regardless of how much I'm getting in return.

This seems to imply that this machine is not for your company..? If the computer makes money over investment, why is it a problem? Then buy AS Mac Pro in 4 years.

 

[DFP1989]

You received a Pro Display XDR as a gift without any way to use it? ?

This alone is very discouraging to invest that much into this machine regardless of how much I'm getting in return.

An investment suggests your making money with it. If it can’t pay for itself in a few years of work it’s not a great investment.

An Apple Silicon Mac Pro is likely to be years away, so aside from iMac and Mac Mini, it’s the only option you have.

 

[IA64]

This seems to imply that this machine is not for your company..? If the computer makes money over investment, why is it a problem? Then buy AS Mac Pro in 4 years.

The thing is, it's cheaper to just upgrade to a decent CPU in 3 years than to change the entire computer which will have a starting price IMO no less than 7,000 USD for the base model and I'm not going for a base model.

You received a Pro Display XDR as a gift without any way to use it? ?

I was telling my wife how gorgeous the XDR display is and that I'm planning to buy one. Since all my gear is Apple, she got it for me on my birthday, she didn't expect that it will NOT work with older iMacs.

I decided to keep it as I'm upgrading soon.

 

[ondioline]

1) You can't upgrade the CPU to a newer chip in literally any Mac you can currently buy new, so I don't see why thats a major concern
2) Intel doesn't have PCIE 4.0 on their roadmap at all AFAIK, certainly not any time soon, if there even is another Intel MP

 

[OkiRun]

What type of workflow do you have that 28 cores is not enough for the next few years?
The 2019 7,1 is a closed ecosystem in regards to CPU. You aren't going to get a higher or faster CPU for the 7,1 in the future tham the 28 core from what Apple's roadmap indicates.

 

[IA64]

1) You can't upgrade the CPU to a newer chip in literally any Mac you can currently buy new, so I don't see why thats a major concern
2) Intel doesn't have PCIE 4.0 on their roadmap at all AFAIK, certainly not any time soon, if there even is another Intel MP

The problem is that Apple used to release MP with processors that are already faster than most consumer CPUs ( E5-2697 V2 ) but this time it's not even the case.

The top of the line MP can barely compete with a TR3950X let alone the 3970/90X... I don't think the currrent W-3000 series in the MP is decent enough to justify the price.

What type of workflow do you have that 28 cores is not enough for the next few years?
The 2019 7,1 is a closed ecosystem in regards to CPU. You aren't going to get a higher or faster CPU for the 7,1 in the future tham the 28 core from what Apple's roadmap indicates.

I mostly work on Thea render studio. More cores is always welcomed.

Does anybody know if a custom built PC with an RTX card is able to drive the XDR display @ 6K HDR?

 

[OkiRun]

The problem is that Apple used to release MP with processors that are already faster than most consumer CPUs ( E5-2697 V2 ) but this time it's not even the case.

The top of the line MP can barely compete with a TR3950X let alone the 3970/90X... I don't think the currrent W-3000 series in the MP is decent enough to justify the price.



I mostly work on Thea render studio. More cores is always welcomed.

Does anybody know if a custom built PC with an RTX card is able to drive the XDR display @ 6K HDR?

"Apple says you can plug the Pro Display XDR into a Windows or Linux PC if they support DisplayPort, but you won’t really be able to configure it.. all of this mostly means is that the Pro Display XDR is unlike virtually every other display in the world in that it only really works as designed with new Macs running the latest versions of macOS Catalina or an Apple-blessed Blackmagic SDI converter box."

Apple Pro Display XDR review: category of one

The Apple Pro Display XDR is a $4,999 monitor that can do everything — or can it?

www.theverge.com

 

[flowrider]

"Apple says you can plug the Pro Display XDR into a Windows or Linux PC if they support DisplayPort, but you won’t really be able to configure it.. all of this mostly means is that the Pro Display XDR is unlike virtually every other display in the world in that it only really works as designed with new Macs running the latest versions of macOS Catalina or an Apple-blessed Blackmagic SDI converter box."

Same with my LG UltraFine. It's meant to be a Mac only display.

Lou

 

[OkiRun]

Same with my LG UltraFine. It's meant to be a Mac only display.

Lou

Maybe just get MacBook pro until next AS Mac Pro is released... its opinion but I don’t think there will be a update for current intell Mac Pro except for changes to easily changed specs like ssd d and ram

 

[DFP1989]

Maybe just get MacBook pro until next AS Mac Pro is released... its opinion but I don’t think there will be a update for current intell Mac Pro except for changes to easily changed specs like ssd d and ram

Either that or the new 10-core iMac with the 5700XT. Will work with the XDR, and is way cheaper than a Mac Pro. Bonus you essentially get a secondary 5K display to boot!

 

[IA64]

Either that or the new 10-core iMac with the 5700XT. Will work with the XDR, and is way cheaper than a Mac Pro. Bonus you essentially get a secondary 5K display to boot!

Yes I thought of that but unfortunately you can't add an Nvidia card to the iMac so that's a bummer.

 

[patrick.a]

If you need a machine for rendering and that‘s what you do on a regular basis from my point of view - in the Apple world - you‘re stuck with buying a MP at the moment. I just did the same after thinking about it for weeks and weeks. All the other machines are not really made for sustained workloads. They will ramp up the fans, the fans will collect dust and after a year the machine will just not deliver the same amount of power anymore. And you can‘t really do much about it as you can‘t really open and clean an iMac or MBP. Also, you‘ll have a hairdryer running full blast in front of you while working the whole time.

 

[DFP1989]

Yes I thought of that but unfortunately you can't add an Nvidia card to the iMac so that's a bummer.

I don't think what you want exists. You either need to accept the available option which is the Mac Pro 7,1, or dump the XDR display for something that will work with anything you plug into it.

Frankly, making your computer decision around the display seems a bit backwards to me. The Pro Display XDR is clearly designed by Apple to work in their ecosystem, to the exclusion of almost everything else.

The 7,1 is really the only option if you want to add an nVidia card for use in Windows, but even then how the whole setup will work is a bit of an unknown since the XDR will have to stay connected to the AMD card.

Max Tech did a good video showing a bunch of different computers (Mac and PC) connected to the XDR, basically for most you're SOL.

Also, you‘ll have a hairdryer running full blast in front of you while working the whole time.

This is why I finally bit the bullet. My 16-inch MBP does a great job when I'm travelling or on location, but there is no way I could tolerate the noise day in day out at my desk.

 

[patrick.a]

Yeah, it‘s hard to focus on your work and actually brings some level of stress when your machine reacts acoustically to everything you do. Click here and whooooom. Do this and whooooom.

My 2018 MBP is basically toasted after 1.5 years of use. But I guess the 16 inch is better in this respect.

 

[DFP1989]

But I guess the 16 inch is better in this respect.

Yeah it's way better than the 2016 15-inch it replaced, and much faster.

 

[IA64]

The 7,1 is really the only option if you want to add an nVidia card for use in Windows, but even then how the whole setup will work is a bit of an unknown since the XDR will have to stay connected to the AMD card.

I guess you can connect the Nvidia directly to the XDR under bootcamp since RTX cards do support DSC so a USB3.1 Gen2 should be enough to drive the display at full potential.

 

[DFP1989]

How is the DisplayPort signal getting from the Nvidia card to thr XDR though?

 

[IA64]

How is the DisplayPort signal getting from the Nvidia card to thr XDR though?

USB-C from RTX to TB3 on XDR ? That's what I'm thinking. Should work according to feedback on forums.

 

[OkiRun]

Yes ~ wife's purchase put him in state of time limbo as the 7,1 is not exactly what he wants right now and the AS is years away. So what to do. Keep XDR in time capsule until AS is ready.

 

[DFP1989]

USB-C from RTX to TB3 on XDR ? That's what I'm thinking. Should work according to feedback on forums.

Cool, let us know how you go

 

[MarkC426]

Another question:
The 7.1 ships with Catalina.
After Big Sur is released, if it is still a 7.1 (and not a 7.2), could you still put Catalina on it?

Not sure if I want iOS on my Mac..... ?

 

[flowrider]

^^^^Yes. It was released with 10.15.2, so that will be the minimum OS that is supported.

I am using the Big Sur Beta, and like it a lot ?

Lou