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MP 7,1 Waiting for Mac Pro 7,1 A1991 (no more)

David Kanter on RWT forums:

"OK, so you are still wrong on this point IPC != performance. Scaling up perf isn't free. It can be done, obviously (since Intel has done so, and they hardly have a monopoly on good design). But there's no guarantee that Apple can get to high frequencies without losing some IPC.

I know several CPU designers at Apple, and they will all tell you that they aren't targeting anything close to Intel performance. Their cores simply cannot scale to 4GHz. They also have no way to use 10A/core, which Intel certainly can. In fact, I bet Intel can probably draw around 15A/core for some workloads.

That is directly from the people who design the CPUs. If you think you know more than they do, let me know."

I hope this shuts down possible discussions about Apple using AX chips in Macs.
 
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koyoot said:
David Kanter on RWT forums:

"OK, so you are still wrong on this point IPC != performance. Scaling up perf isn't free. It can be done, obviously (since Intel has done so, and they hardly have a monopoly on good design). But there's no guarantee that Apple can get to high frequencies without losing some IPC.

I know several CPU designers at Apple, and they will all tell you that they aren't targeting anything close to Intel performance. Their cores simply cannot scale to 4GHz. They also have no way to use 10A/core, which Intel certainly can. In fact, I bet Intel can probably draw around 15A/core for some workloads.

That is directly from the people who design the CPUs. If you think you know more than they do, let me know."

I hope this shuts down possible discussions about Apple using AX chips in Macs.
Click to expand...

I also don't think Apple will use AX chip in a near future. But if Apple is thinking of getting out of the computer business and are thinking more in the line of "appliance" or commodity devices then yes they could go the way of Arm in their machines. An arm box with a keyboard is all that is needed to develop apps and consume media.

Only if they still want to stay in the rapidly shrinking "artist" market can I see them staying still in the computer business, since most media creation applications run better on windows where there is an abondance of choice when it comes to high performance workstation to be used.
 
tuxon86 said:
An arm box with a keyboard is all that is needed to develop apps and consume media.
Click to expand...

No. Try writing lots of code on a MacBook Air sometime. Compiling is a very CPU intensive process. An ARM box is not all you need. Yes, there is Swift playgrounds on iOS, but that's not close to writing a full app.

That doesn't even include all the side applications you need to develop an application.
 
But do you need to compile on the ARM box? Xcode server for example - why can't you do the compiling work on another machine and get back the result?
 
t0mat0 said:
But do you need to compile on the ARM box? Xcode server for example - why can't you do the compiling work on another machine and get back the result?
Click to expand...

Xcode Server doesn't eliminate the need to build locally. It's usually meant for testing code. Xcode Server would also be slower than building locally because you have to submit the code to the server.
 
So tell me. I'm running Pro Tools 12.6.x and VEP6 on two late 2012 Mini's (2.3 and 2.6, both i7) with single a SSD in each and a Thunderbolt 2 BlackMagicDesign MultiDock 2 with 2 TB ports and 4 slots more SSDs. I need ethernet for running my Vienna Ensemble stuff. Should I just buy a 6-core 2013 nMP and sell the Mini's? Or should I sell one Mini and get a single 3.46 6-core cMP? Or should I just stay and figure that this was my last great mac setup? This setup can't run on a throttled machine with one or fewer ports. No Ethernet is a deal-breaker for my studio. Please advise.
 
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JamesPDX said:
So tell me. I'm running Pro Tools 12.6.x and VEP6 on two late 2012 Mini's (2.3 and 2.6, both i7) with single a SSD in each and a Thunderbolt 2 BlackMagicDesign MultiDock 2 with 2 TB ports and 4 slots more SSDs. I need ethernet for running my Vienna Ensemble stuff. Should I just buy a 6-core 2013 nMP and sell the Mini's? Or should I sell one Mini and get a single 3.46 6-core cMP? Or should I just stay and figure that this was my last great mac setup? This setup can't run on a throttled machine with one or fewer ports. No Ethernet is a deal-breaker for my studio. Please advise.
Click to expand...
At this point and the way Apple is going..I wouldn't consider nmp as "outdated." It's still a current Mac Pro...it should be good for music daw. I don't think there is going to be another Mac Pro for another 4 years. Go for whatever pays you. Tech may be old...but it should handle your needs.
 
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JamesPDX said:
So tell me. I'm running Pro Tools 12.6.x and VEP6 on two late 2012 Mini's (2.3 and 2.6, both i7) with single a SSD in each and a Thunderbolt 2 BlackMagicDesign MultiDock 2 with 2 TB ports and 4 slots more SSDs. I need ethernet for running my Vienna Ensemble stuff. Should I just buy a 6-core 2013 nMP and sell the Mini's? Or should I sell one Mini and get a single 3.46 6-core cMP? Or should I just stay and figure that this was my last great mac setup? This setup can't run on a throttled machine with one or fewer ports. No Ethernet is a deal-breaker for my studio. Please advise.
Click to expand...

I was using a 2011 2.7 GHz iMac and a 2.6 i7 Mac Mini with VE Pro and Logic but although it was quite speedy I use a lot of different sounds on each project so I was constantly having to juggle two mice and keyboards. I ended up buying a 2009 5,1 3.46 GHz 12-core Mac Pro and adding more memory and SSD drives. But I'd say if your master/slave Pro Tools setup is doing the job then just keep using it.
 
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goMac said:
No. Try writing lots of code on a MacBook Air sometime. Compiling is a very CPU intensive process. An ARM box is not all you need. Yes, there is Swift playgrounds on iOS, but that's not close to writing a full app.

That doesn't even include all the side applications you need to develop an application.
Click to expand...

You wouldn't compile on that box. You would be "forced" to use Apple cloud based service for that.
All those side application can also be used remotely.
 
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Do we still anticipate ANY new Macs in 2016? If so, are we still saying November? And finally, if the Mac Pro doesn't come out this year, what is the best desktop for a Video Editor, and can I do pro video editing on Linux? Or am I better off moving to Windows and using Adobe Premiere CC?

As an all-in-one service solution (wedding videographer), I am growing tired of using the 2011 MacBook Pro for 3 camera 4K streams - even proxy files aren't the best. I need a more powerful machine, but Apple can go and **** itself if it thinks we're paying the same price today for three year old tech. No loyalty to its original fan base.

I'm remembering Macs being spoken about with such passion and enjoyment in an Apple Store, and it all seems like a distant memory. The Mac station areas of the stores are more like desks / spaces for iPhones to be purchased.

I expressed my frustration at an Apple Genius the other day... they don't even seem that bothered about Macs anymore themselves... his response, "I'm still happily using a 2009 MacBook Pro"... well, it might run your iTunes and Office applications, but it can't do much more than that... time to move on... but I'm tied to FCPX and need to learn a new NLE.

Apple needs to tell us that it's not bothered about us... and then we can break up from one another. If Apple and its Mac users were on Facebook, their relationship would read, 'It's complicated'. Let us be single. Tell us how you feel, Tim.
 
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tuxon86 said:
There isn't any hardware limitation limiting you to that single screen.
http://www.apple.com/xf/shop/product/MD826AM/A/lightning-digital-av-adapter
Click to expand...

You may be able to plug an iPad into a larger screen, but I can't imagine anyone doing any serious software development directly on an iPad. Maybe Tim believes that, but he also seems to think that an iPad is somehow something more than an oversized iPhone.
[doublepost=1476287869][/doublepost]
RuffDraft said:
Do we still anticipate ANY new Macs in 2016? If so, are we still saying November? And finally, if the Mac Pro doesn't come out this year, what is the best desktop for a Video Editor, and can I do pro video editing on Linux? Or am I better off moving to Windows and using Adobe Premiere CC?
Click to expand...

If you are an editor and want to move away from the Mac to Windows your life just got a lot more complicated since Apple abruptly dropped Quicktime for Windows.

Now editors are stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Stick with Apple and their grossly neglected Mac lineup that offers genuine Quicktime / Prores support or move to a technologically up to date Windows machine that no longer fully supports Prores, which may be the most widely used compressed format in the industry.

You could go Linux and rely on something like FFMPEG, but you won't get Premiere or FCPX. Can't remember if Avid runs on Linux, but I don't believe it does.

It takes a lot of courage to screw two consumer groups that make up an entire industry at the same time.
 
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There are few good paid video editors I'm Linux, oc none compares with premiere but seems very good and produce hevc IMHO the most important thing.

I'm not sure if we will see a nMP (I give it a 90% chance on at least 2 gpu configurations, but no Vega until q2 17).

But for 4K content production I believe the also upcoming updated 5K iMac is up for the business, while not as could be an 8c Mac pro on dual rx480
 
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Hank Carter said:
You may be able to plug an iPad into a larger screen, but I can't imagine anyone doing any serious software development directly on an iPad. Maybe Tim believes that, but he also seems to think that an iPad is somehow something more than an oversized iPhone.
[doublepost=1476287869][/doublepost]

If you are an editor and want to move away from the Mac to Windows your life just got a lot more complicated since Apple abruptly dropped Quicktime for Windows.

Now editors are stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Stick with Apple and their grossly neglected Mac lineup that offers genuine Quicktime / Prores support or move to a technologically up to date Windows machine that no longer fully supports Prores, which may be the most widely used compressed format in the industry.

You could go Linux and rely on something like FFMPEG, but you won't get Premiere or FCPX. Can't remember if Avid runs on Linux, but I don't believe it does.

It takes a lot of courage to screw two consumer groups that make up an entire industry at the same time.
Click to expand...
One has to wonder what really was behind the dropping of Quicktime for windows. If Apple really wanted wide spread adoption and a bright future of Prores on both platforms, you would think they would have kept Quicktime around. Now, it's a total hardware lock-in if you really need to encode Prores, or it's an expensive third party option on Windows.

While there are many other codec options now, Prores is still popular but not a deal breaker. I think momentum has started to shift away from Apple based workflows, especially in post production. There are workarounds to dealing with Prores on a daily basis, and you can always keep some Mac hardware around for the client that absolutely has to have a Prores output.

If I didn't know any better, I would say that dropping Quicktime for Windows was a small step in transitioning away from the market all together. Apple really, really, really wants to move away from the desktop. They are a consumer device and consumer driven company now.
 
Hank Carter said:
You may be able to plug an iPad into a larger screen, but I can't imagine anyone doing any serious software development directly on an iPad. Maybe Tim believes that, but he also seems to think that an iPad is somehow something more than an oversized iPhone.
[doublepost=1476287869][/doublepost]

If you are an editor and want to move away from the Mac to Windows your life just got a lot more complicated since Apple abruptly dropped Quicktime for Windows.

Now editors are stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Stick with Apple and their grossly neglected Mac lineup that offers genuine Quicktime / Prores support or move to a technologically up to date Windows machine that no longer fully supports Prores, which may be the most widely used compressed format in the industry.

You could go Linux and rely on something like FFMPEG, but you won't get Premiere or FCPX. Can't remember if Avid runs on Linux, but I don't believe it does.

It takes a lot of courage to screw two consumer groups that make up an entire industry at the same time.
Click to expand...

Hell I know people who work with the smallest macbook air so the ipad pro isn't all that different...
 
Resolve and the AVID codecs, DNxHD and HNxHR are the logical substitute. There's also CineForm, which is a clever codec - but industry adoption was crippled by their original licensing scheme even before they were purchased by GoPro. An open source codec called VC-5 based on CineForm was standardized by SMPTE over a year ago but I have not seen it show up on any deliverables contracts yet - at least not with my clientele.
 
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Mago said:
There are few good paid video editors I'm Linux, oc none compares with premiere but seems very good and produce hevc IMHO the most important thing.
Click to expand...

There is Lightworks for Linux. Good enough for Thelma Schoonmaker to cut The Wolf of Wall Street.
But the mainstream wants Premiere, Avid or FCPX (sort of).

But for 4K content production I believe the also upcoming updated 5K iMac is up for the business, while not as could be an 8c Mac pro on dual rx480
Click to expand...

The 5k iMac is ok, as long as you don't push it too hard. The mobile GPU has its hands full driving the 5k display and Apple ID removed the vents on the top of the machine, so cooling under load still is a problem despite Skylake running cooler than the previous CPU.
[doublepost=1476304645][/doublepost]
Blair Paulsen said:
Resolve and the AVID codecs, DNxHD and HNxHR are the logical substitute. There's also CineForm, which is a clever codec - but industry adoption was crippled by their original licensing scheme even before they were purchased by GoPro. An open source codec called VC-5 based on CineForm was standardized by SMPTE over a year ago but I have not seen it show up on any deliverables contracts yet - at least not with my clientele.
Click to expand...

Cineform would be nice, but the problem will be getting past clients asking for 'Prores444', because that's all they know. That will be a challenge to change because it's so ingrained into the production world. It's like the old maxim from the 80's of 'nobody ever got fired for buying IBM'
 
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