New computer options for After Effects/3D

[bobsaget]

Hey guys.

I'm an aspiring motion designer and it's become fully aware to me that my little 13" macbook pro isn't quite going to cut it anymore in this industry.

I use a lot of Cinema 4d, After Effects, Final Cut Studio and Photoshop.

While I don't have the money for a new Mac Pro, the ~2008/2009 Mac Pros have caught my eye.

If I told you I had a $1300 budget (will buy LCD later), what would you recommend for me in terms of used mac pros?

Or should I just wait for the new iMac?


Thanks.

 

[mjsmke]

For $1300 you wont be able to get the top end iMac, But i think you would get a decent second hand Mac Pro with more CPU power for your 3D work.

 

[bobsaget]

For $1300 you wont be able to get the top end iMac, But i think you would get a decent second hand Mac Pro with more CPU power for your 3D work.

Thanks! I'm not too well-versed in the Mac Pro world. What should I look for on craigslist/ebay in the ~$1500 range?

 

[toxic]

$1300 gets you a 2006 Mac Pro (1,1), but I wouldn't bother with that - the hardware is dated and future compatibility with Apple hardware and software is rather dubious.

$1500 can land you an i5 quad iMac.

 

[goMac]

As many cores, as much memory, and as nice a GPU as you can get.

Hope that helps.

 

[legreve]

Not to put you down, but I just want to add that my motion designer friend had a mac pro 8 core and even with that the render times were noticeable... in other words, if you like coffee breaks, well..

While you might be able to get something for that kind of cash, why not spend another 3-4 months saving up and then we might see both a new iMac and Mac Pro, in turn bringing down the prices of the current models (or maybe you'll have enough to get one of the new ones...)

 

[goMac]

Not to put you down, but I just want to add that my motion designer friend had a mac pro 8 core and even with that the render times were noticeable... in other words, if you like coffee breaks, well..

Yeah, this. The solution is to throw as much money as you can at it. Any machine will run the software. But the recommendation is get the highest specs you can.

 

[IceMacMac]

I am guessing that some of the comments here are sarcastic...or should be. Throwing money at something isn't thoughtful advice.

I use very much the same apps as you are talking about and I use both my 2009 mac pro and my 2008 8 core mac pro.

My 2008 mac pro has 32 gigs of RAM and two video cards that work just fine with c4d. If I wanted I could upgrade one of the video cards, but I only use it as my secondary workstation.

With c4d you desperately want Cores/threads to throw at your renders....thus an 8 core system is worth gold compared to an imac.

I'm not selling mine (at least not yet) but I'm sure there are sellers like me. Finding a used system with a ton of Ram, slots, etc is an attractive option.

No doubt if you wait...the next iMac might be quite attractive.

 

[bobsaget]

I am guessing that some of the comments here are sarcastic...or should be. Throwing money at something isn't thoughtful advice.

I use very much the same apps as you are talking about and I use both my 2009 mac pro and my 2008 8 core mac pro.

My 2008 mac pro has 32 gigs of RAM and two video cards that work just fine with c4d. If I wanted I could upgrade one of the video cards, but I only use it as my secondary workstation.

With c4d you desperately want Cores/threads to throw at your renders....thus an 8 core system is worth gold compared to an imac.

I'm not selling mine (at least not yet) but I'm sure there are sellers like me. Finding a used system with a ton of Ram, slots, etc is an attractive option.

No doubt if you wait...the next iMac might be quite attractive.

thanks guys

I may just wait even until the new Mac Pros come out.

I just graduated college and am planning on making a pretty big move in the coming months and while I will have the money to buy a new Mac Pro by June or so, don't want to spend all I have before moving.

What do you guys recommend for financing/loans for a computer such as a mac pro?

 

[philipma1957]

well remember if you are a student you get a discount. if your credit is good look into discover card. they give a 5% discount if you buy your mac pro from an apple online store. IF you don't have a discover card they have promo for new buyers 0% apr for a purchase. so you could buy a mac pro and get 5 % back and have a year to pay it back.

the discover student program it now is 9 months to pay back.

http://www.discovercard.com/student/?hcmpgn=0910_HPK_CCT_STUDENT_TXT

 

[goMac]

I am guessing that some of the comments here are sarcastic...or should be. Throwing money at something isn't thoughtful advice.

I use very much the same apps as you are talking about and I use both my 2009 mac pro and my 2008 8 core mac pro.

My 2008 mac pro has 32 gigs of RAM and two video cards that work just fine with c4d. If I wanted I could upgrade one of the video cards, but I only use it as my secondary workstation.

With c4d you desperately want Cores/threads to throw at your renders....thus an 8 core system is worth gold compared to an imac.

I'm not selling mine (at least not yet) but I'm sure there are sellers like me. Finding a used system with a ton of Ram, slots, etc is an attractive option.

No doubt if you wait...the next iMac might be quite attractive.

Not sarcastic at all. Any Mac Pro can run the apps, but no computer out there can run them fast. Given that, the best advice is to get the fastest computer you can.

I don't mean that to be a knock against the 2008's, I have one myself and I love it. But there isn't a threshold to be reached where one computer runs it silky smooth and another doesn't. We're still at the point where the more power you have, the better.

 

[Joshuarocks]

Not sarcastic at all. Any Mac Pro can run the apps, but no computer out there can run them fast. Given that, the best advice is to get the fastest computer you can.

I don't mean that to be a knock against the 2008's, I have one myself and I love it. But there isn't a threshold to be reached where one computer runs it silky smooth and another doesn't. We're still at the point where the more power you have, the better.

The 2008 Mac Pro is still a nice system.. given it supports EFI64, the video card upgrade path won't cease until sometime, or if Apple gets on AMD's butt about not making the video cards EBC firmware capable. Who would have dreamed that the 2006-2008 models can run the 5770 and 5870. I am sure the same thing will be done with the new video cards for the "potential" 2012 Mac Pro.. but by that time I will have exhausted my mac pro 6-core as I am not really using it for what it was meant for.