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nMP mac pro 2013 configuration for motion graphics, video ...

M

MSF

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 7, 2014
10
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If you already have ordered yours or you are going to - let us know what configuration you've chosen and why.

I am still unsure. Maybe someone has some inputs.
I have been waiting a really long time for the new pro. (Working on a early 2009 still). But there are many things to consider:

I am working on AE, PR, PS, AI, media encoder (all CC) and Cinema 4D. Quite often several Apps are opened at a time.
I will buy what's fastest - but i don't even know yet, if i am better off with 6, 8 or 12 core for my most common task (after effects animations).

RAM - 64GB from OWC
1TB ssd (maybe also third party..?)
D300 - D700?
Are there soon third party CPU coming...?

Well, i waited long enough and i really want to order now. I hope you can actually make my decision a bit easier..:D
 
6 core, 512GB SSD, 16GB RAM, D700

I'm a digital developer who has worked on all sorts of multimedia projects over the years so need a machine capable of running Unity3D for virtual reality, 3D Studio Max for animation and 3D renders mostly done in VRay. Also write software for iOS and know that big storyboards can bog a system down, have a few apps on the app store and just getting into OSX development at the moment so all fun. I also play games on a separate windows machine but hope to have one machine to do it all saving space and cheaper energy bills.

So, to break it down. Went Hex core simply because I have always had quad core machines and fancied the extra +50% when I do CPU based renderings. I chose 16GB ram because I haven't really found it a bottleneck in my work in the past. If I need more ram I can simply add it on when it becomes an issue. 512GB SSD because 256GB is too small and 1TB is too much considering I can use cheaper fast external drives to make up for any short coming and finally D700's as I see graphics cards as a priority component in any machine I buy, especially if it looks like it can't be upgraded at a later date, also more OpenCL cores/streams are always a good thing when realtime rendering is being used.

I think that covers my entire requirement. If I ever need more CPU grunt then I would probably buy a couple of cheap slave machines to send 3D renders too or in a bind can always send work to a render farm but those are rare cases for what I do.

Also got a 27" thunderbolt display, I like the mac monitors with inbuilt sound and camera.
 
After effects and premiere machine:

8core
64gb (third party)
D700
512gb for scratch disks
 
I use the same software (Adobe and C4D) as you MSF, and went with the:

6 core, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, D700 for the same reasons as Anim.

After it was confirmed the CPU could be upgraded, that made it OK, in my head, to go with the lesser CPU for now. I'll upgrade, if I need to, when the prices drop.

RAM can be had for MUCH cheaper than what Apple is charging too.

I'll be using external TB2 storage for projects and backups (still deciding, but leaning towards the Pegasus2), so the internal SSD is fine at 512, and like Anim, I couldn't justify 1TB. Plus, looks as though there will be cheaper options for that as well.
 
you really want to get the D700.
If you look at how much more CPU cores cost and how much each GPU upgrade costs the GPU is a cheaper upgrade, and you won't be able to change it once purchased.
CPU, SSD and ram you probabaly will be able to change.
I'm going with 6 core d700 16/512.
I'll upgrade the ram after the Mac is paid off.
Prices should come down on ram in a few months.
 
I have not made a decision yet on what I'm going to do. My problem is that I kind of jump around between many different programs and they all have different requirements. So there really is no "best" option. Most of my use these days is between Avid MC, AE, Maya, and C4D (and of course photoshop, illustrator when needed). I may just start migrating to Premiere for editing and I wouldn't mind having FCPX as an option as well. So I'm probably going to wait it out a bit longer to see what kind of benchmarks we get on the Maya/C4D front.

I'm considering the 6 or 8 core, with D700, 32gb RAM. Again, this could change once I see some more benchmarks or hear when/if developers will take advantage of the hardware. I could just as easily be swayed to go back to Windows.


MSF said:
Are there soon third party CPU coming...?
Click to expand...

Not sure what you mean by this. The only option with the Mac Pro is Intel and you can buy them anywhere. Whether it's cost effective or you have the DIY know-how is a different story.
 
Not sure what you mean by this. The only option with the Mac Pro is Intel and you can buy them anywhere. Whether it's cost effective or you have the DIY know-how is a different story.
Click to expand...

Well, i am not huge in the DIY department.. hence my question :eek:
I jumped to (incorrect) conclusions reading this: http://blog.macsales.com/22230-owcs-mac-pro-2013-processor-upgrade-compatibility-testing I thought they would release some easy to install CPUs or something..

I'll probably also go with 6 or 8 cores. Just tested AE with the 8 i got now (in a 2009 machine) and the CPU bars aren't really dancing that high. Different thing with cinema, it's all full when rendering. But C4D really just affects 5% of my work...

Thanks to all for your inputs - i am yet again a step closer to place my order.
If you find any good comparisons of configurations concerning motion graphics please drop the link right here.

Here btw a discussion similar in topic: http://forums.creativecow.net/thread/2/1046270
 
After Effects and Cinema 4D:

8core
64gb (crucial ram)
D700
1TB for scratch disks

I have ordered this for feb, But still considering cancelling and getting the 12core (I already have a 2009 8 core so only want to go up in core count). After Effects should use all cores and Ram, if all multiple processor is switched on. :)


If anyone is using AE on a nMP on one of the stock models be good to hear how it's feeling? cheers
 
I will definitely not go for the 12 core. 8 will do - when in a year i feel for more cores - there will probably be more options and probably more than 12 cores available for the mac pro.
 
MSF said:
I will definitely not go for the 12 core. 8 will do - when in a year i feel for more cores - there will probably be more options and probably more than 12 cores available for the mac pro.
Click to expand...

If you're planning on upgrading the CPU in the Mac Pro down the road, then only the current batch will work. So the max amount of cores you will be able to achieve is 12.

It is assumed that the next update to the Mac Pro will use Haswell Xeons, which use a different socket than the current CPUs. So you won't be able to just buy one of those processors and put them into a 6,1 Mac Pro.
 
handsome pete said:
If you're planning on upgrading the CPU in the Mac Pro down the road, then only the current batch will work. So the max amount of cores you will be able to achieve is 12.

It is assumed that the next update to the Mac Pro will use Haswell Xeons, which use a different socket than the current CPUs. So you won't be able to just buy one of those processors and put them into a 6,1 Mac Pro.
Click to expand...

This is what nearly put me off buying. The next model would be a better investment for upgradable CPU's. But then I never upgraded my 2009 CPU, as 2/3/4 years later so much changes with the rest of the machine that I would prefer to sell and get a new one.

I read there is a faster 8 core (3.33MHz) version apple did not release, is there any other 12 core CPU's now with higher speeds or are we limited by the PSU?

:)
 
Sinx2oic said:
This is what nearly put me off buying. The next model would be a better investment for upgradable CPU's. But then I never upgraded my 2009 CPU, as 2/3/4 years later so much changes with the rest of the machine that I would prefer to sell and get a new one.

I read there is a faster 8 core (3.33MHz) version apple did not release, is there any other 12 core CPU's now with higher speeds or are we limited by the PSU?

:)
Click to expand...

Unfortunately 2.7 is the fastest clock speed for the 12 cores. However there is a 10 core 3.0 that may be an option.



But you're right. If you need it then buy it. No point in waiting around for something potentially better because that's always going to be the case.
 
I originally ordered what I considered a "Goldilocks" model... middle of the road on everything:
6 core
32 GB
D500s
512 GB

But I ended up changing my order to:
6 core
32 GB
D700s
1TB

The reason for me was the D700s are already worth over $6000, so I knew if I ever upgraded the D500s, it would be the most expensive thing to change later. I'm still having second thoughts about 6 core vs 8 core, but I assumed that in a year or two, I could potentially get an 8 or 12 core CPU for $1000 or so.

The 1TB question was hard. I know I can get by with 512, and upgrade it myself later, but I decided that if I changed my workflow a bit to moving the newer FCPX Libraries to the local drive before working on something, I could get a nice bump in performance, then move the library back to external for storage.

If larger, cheaper and faster SSDs come along, I will most likely end up putting the original SSD into a Thunderbolt 2 case, so I might as well make it a big one.
 
When my pocket book is ready for the nMP (I'm a film editor by trade), I'm probably gonna do something similar to what CouponPages did. For me specifically, the base hex-core with the D700 upgrade and NOTHING else. Rationale:

1. There's a very good chance we'll never see aftermarket GPU upgrades for these machines. May as well buy the best offered. The pricing is surprisingly reasonable versus buying similar PCIe workstation GPUs for PCs.

2. The CPU is socketed, leaving the possibility for an unofficial upgrade down the road as the processors become cheaper (e.g. eBay server pulls). Either way, a single hex-core Ivy Bridge is already a significant upgrade from my aging 8-core Harpertown machine.

3. Memory is much cheaper elsewhere. I've never bought additional RAM from Apple and I've owned half a dozen Macs. The same logic applies here. Stock configuration; upgrade the RAM myself.

4. I think I would be fine on the base 256GB SSD. That's plenty of space for the OS and my core apps, with room to spare. I still use mechanical drives quite a bit, as SSDs are not economical (nor reliable) enough to use for long-term video storage.
 
CaptainChunk said:
When my pocket book is ready for the nMP (I'm a film editor by trade), I'm probably gonna do something similar to what CouponPages did. For me specifically, the base hex-core with the D700 upgrade and NOTHING else. Rationale:

1. There's a very good chance we'll never see aftermarket GPU upgrades for these machines. May as well buy the best offered. The pricing is surprisingly reasonable versus buying similar PCIe workstation GPUs for PCs.

2. The CPU is socketed, leaving the possibility for an unofficial upgrade down the road as the processors become cheaper (e.g. eBay server pulls). Either way, a single hex-core Ivy Bridge is already a significant upgrade from my aging 8-core Harpertown machine.

3. Memory is much cheaper elsewhere. I've never bought additional RAM from Apple and I've owned half a dozen Macs. The same logic applies here. Stock configuration; upgrade the RAM myself.

4. I think I would be fine on the base 256GB SSD. That's plenty of space for the OS and my core apps, with room to spare. I still use mechanical drives quite a bit, as SSDs are not economical (nor reliable) enough to use for long-term video storage.
Click to expand...

Remember with upgrading CPU you will be limited to what is currently available, next Mac Pro will have different socket. Think I would fill up 256GB in a day. Never used the new final cut myself but will give it a go in my nMP, just always think you can do so much more in AE. :)
 
Sinx2oic said:
Remember with upgrading CPU you will be limited to what is currently available, next Mac Pro will have different socket. Think I would fill up 256GB in a day. Never used the new final cut myself but will give it a go in my nMP, just always think you can do so much more in AE. :)
Click to expand...

My thought is, even if Apple moves to a new socket in the next generation of the nMP, I would think by then there will be plenty of lower priced 12 core CPUs popping up by then.

Right now, it's a $3000 upgrade from the 6 core, in 3 years I would hope we can get one for $1000. So for me, the idea of nearly doubling my speed in 3 years for $1000 rather than buying a whole new rig is exciting.
 
calaverasgrande said:
you really want to get the D700.
If you look at how much more CPU cores cost and how much each GPU upgrade costs the GPU is a cheaper upgrade, and you won't be able to change it once purchased.
CPU, SSD and ram you probabaly will be able to change.
I'm going with 6 core d700 16/512.
I'll upgrade the ram after the Mac is paid off.
Prices should come down on ram in a few months.
Click to expand...

Haven't tested it yet since I am waiting on my nMP still, but from talking with apple this RAM is comparable and a great deal. About $650 to get 64GB. Ordered 12gb and will change it out right away.
 
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