iMac Pro Which iMac Pro for After Effects & Adobe CC?

[astralize]

Hi everyone. I've already ordered the 18 core fully speced iMac Pro. But now am second-guessing and thinking that since After Effects has lost its multi-threading abilities since 2015, maybe I'm better off with a 10 core that has a higher clock speed. Does anyone have any insights or experience on choosing the best configuration for After Effects and Motion Graphics work with lots of Photoshop, Illustrator and other Adobe apps? Which configuration would you pick if money is not an issue?

 

[flimpy]

Which configuration would you pick if money is not an issue?

Why are you second guessing your choice if money is not an issue? I would say stick to it and enjoy the fully loaded iMac pro you ordered. To answer your question - if money was not an issue I would have ordered the fully loaded iMac pro even if it was only for fun

 

[pajako]

I was in the same boat, money not an issue, wanting to splash all the way.
And then realized the 10-core with 64GB + Vega 64 + 2tb SSD would do fine.

 

[astralize]

The key is to know whether the 10 core or the 18 core will perform better with After Effects. My worry is the 18 core runs at a much lower speed (2.3Ghz) and the 10 core is at 3.0Ghz - which could cause a slow down for single threaded apps. So even with so many cores, if AE is not using them, it wouldn’t be a good thing having the 18 core. For rendering, something like RenderGarden would be good to exploit the cores - but everyday use is questionable.

 

[physics dude]

This is my concern as well. Some of my commercial work is from creating motion graphics in After Effects (and Element 3D, developed by Andrew Kramer's VideoCopilot). Today I discovered this thread in the Adobe forums:
https://forums.adobe.com/thread/2230330
If you go to the end (it gets pretty bombastic!), a guy pops in tells everyone he's come up with a product that takes on this Adobe issue. Here's a link to the program ($99) that was mentioned in the post above:
https://www.mekajiki.com/rendergarden/

Has anyone actually tried Render Garden?

Also....

[doublepost=1514740440][/doublepost]Max Yuryev (at AppleInsider) just uploaded a video testing After Effects (around the 5 minute mark, but entire review is solid):

Render was 29% faster 5:08 vs. 7:07 (M:S) in iMac Pro vs. decked out 2017 5k iMac

 

[Glockworkorange]

Why are you second guessing your choice if money is not an issue? I would say stick to it and enjoy the fully loaded iMac pro you ordered. To answer your question - if money was not an issue I would have ordered the fully loaded iMac pro even if it was only for fun

Yeah, if money is not an issue just max it out

 

[astralize]

This is my concern as well. Some of my commercial work is from creating motion graphics in After Effects (and Element 3D, developed by Andrew Kramer's VideoCopilot). Today I discovered this thread in the Adobe forums:
https://forums.adobe.com/thread/2230330
If you go to the end (it gets pretty bombastic!), a guy pops in tells everyone he's come up with a product that takes on this Adobe issue. Here's a link to the program ($99) that was mentioned in the post above:
https://www.mekajiki.com/rendergarden/

Has anyone actually tried Render Garden?

Also....

[doublepost=1514740440][/doublepost]Max Yuryev (at AppleInsider) just uploaded a video testing After Effects (around the 5 minute mark, but entire review is solid):

Render was 29% faster 5:08 vs. 7:07 (M:S) in iMac Pro vs. decked out 2017 5k iMac

Thanks - I also watched that this morning. It was promising to see AE perform well on the 8 core in the review. But we're still stuck until someone tests the 18core vs 10core. And that probably won't happen till Feb once the 18 cores start arriving. I did read another really good post where someone who knew what they were talking about said that the slower clock speed on the higher CPU count will definitely not speed things up in AE and can slow it down infact. So the 10core with the highest turbo boost might be our best bet. Lets wait and see if others chip in on this thread and give us more insight. Thanks everyone for sharing your thoughts.

 

[physics dude]

Regarding the "best bet" for me, I'm still doing my research. I only have room for two upgrades of the 3 (core, RAM, GPU) since my no interest Apple credit is $6500. Based on what I am seeing (and an email from Max at AppleInsider), I will stay with the 8-core and upgrade to 64GB memory and the GPU. That is, for now. I may order in a few hours. Big decision.

 

[danielwsmithee]

From everything I have read the 10-core CPU will be the fastest for after effects. Since it is the only CPU configuration that turbo boosts to 4.7. If AE is your primary tool. I’d get that CPU and put the extra money elsewhere.

 

[bxs]

From everything I have read the 10-core CPU will be the fastest for after effects. Since it is the only CPU configuration that turbo boosts to 4.7. If AE is your primary tool. I’d get that CPU and put the extra money elsewhere.

Correction - iMac Pro's 10-core Turbo Boost max is 4.5 GHz.

 

[danielwsmithee]

Correction - iMac Pro's 10-core Turbo Boost max is 4.5 GHz.

You are right. My apologies.

 

[physics dude]

^ From what I have read, After Effects does not fully utilize multiple cores. Shouldn't the extra go into memory and GPU instead (Max Yuryev recommendation)? Also can you post any links you have found regarding After Effects and the new machine? I would appreciate it.

Bottom line, no matter what I do (going from 2011 27inch iMac to this), my productivity will be quite improved.

 

[astralize]

^ From what I have read, After Effects does not fully utilize multiple cores. Shouldn't the extra go into memory and GPU instead (Max Yuryev recommendation)? Also can you post any links you have found regarding After Effects and the new machine? I would appreciate it.

Bottom line, no matter what I do (going from 2011 27inch iMac to this), my productivity will be quite improved.

Yup. Maxing the ram to 128 and the better 64 GPU will help with AE. The CPU still remains the confusing point. I just read that the 10 core actually doesn’t turbo boost to the max regularly (because Apple is optimizing silent operation over better performance). So that means the 8 core has a higher clock speed without turbo boost. There’s no way for us to know until people report back side by side comparisons. Which means for us anxious purchasers we either wait or bite the bullet with our best guess. I canceled my 18 core order for now - shall wait 1 more week to see if new light is shed on the machines.

 

[physics dude]

I canceled my 18 core order for now - shall wait 1 more week to see if new light is shed on the machines.

Good decision. I have about 14 days until my no-interest financing expires. I should have decent data by then. Happy New Years!

 

[mucke1]

Don't go with the 18-core. The best thing you can do for after effects is High Clock speed and less Cores. Look at this Article https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/a...ormance-Core-i7-8700K-i5-8600K-i3-8350K-1055/

You should concentrate on the RAM Preview speed..

When you look at the test. Go with the 8-core 64+GB ram and and 64.
The 10-core has the higher Clock Speed but to much cores... I hate Adobe for the BAD multicore support...

 

[pajako]

Don't go with the 18-core. The best thing you can do for after effects is High Clock speed and less Cores. Look at this Article https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/a...ormance-Core-i7-8700K-i5-8600K-i3-8350K-1055/

You should concentrate on the RAM Preview speed..

When you look at the test. Go with the 8-core 64+GB ram and and 64.
The 10-core has the higher Clock Speed but to much cores... I hate Adobe for the BAD multicore support...

That being said, combined with the fact that the iMac Pro is a more or less future-proof machine AND hoping Adobe reads this too I would hope future versions of ALL Adobe CC apps will take advantage of the multiple cores and pull all performance out of this machines whether it being 8, 10, 14 or 18-core!

 

[bxs]

That being said, combined with the fact that the iMac Pro is a more or less future-proof machine AND hoping Adobe reads this too I would hope future versions of ALL Adobe CC apps will take advantage of the multiple cores and pull all performance out of this machines whether it being 8, 10, 14 or 18-core!

What has Adobe done in this respect for the MP6,1 that has had as many as 12 cores since late 2013 ?

 

[danielwsmithee]

What has Adobe done in this respect for the MP6,1 that has had as many as 12 cores since late 2013 ?

With Adobe's track record I seriously think an Adobe user may be better served by getting a new top of line standard iMac every 3 years, than get an iMac Pro for 5-6 years. If the iMac incorporates the 8700K, and has an option for Vega graphics there is a good chance it will outperform any iMac Pro for many Adobe apps.

 

[Upgrader]

Hi everyone. I've already ordered the 18 core fully speced iMac Pro. But now am second-guessing and thinking that since After Effects has lost its multi-threading abilities since 2015, maybe I'm better off with a 10 core that has a higher clock speed. Does anyone have any insights or experience on choosing the best configuration for After Effects and Motion Graphics work with lots of Photoshop, Illustrator and other Adobe apps? Which configuration would you pick if money is not an issue?

Go for the 10 Core with 128gb RAM. Fastest clock speed will be the best benefit for AE.

With the money you save, buy a 12 core 5,1 Mac Pro with upgraded CPU’s. Hook it up to your iMac Pro via Ethernet and use it as a 24 thread render node alongside your 20 thread iMac Pro.
Use Carbon Copy Cloner to clone the relevant iMac Pro folders regularly onto the 5,1 system drive so all plugins, fonts etc are synced.

Also buy Rendergarden - I have and it’s excellent - really very good for AE renders.
You set your prefs, press one button and it spits out both a full res render and a low res H264 if you want it to. It’s way faster than AME and the AE render queue and a decent amount faster than BGRender!

 

[pajako]

What has Adobe done in this respect for the MP6,1 that has had as many as 12 cores since late 2013 ?

I am afraid Adobe has not being doing enough to get the most out of our machines. At least not out of my MBPro 2016. That is why I think it is getting time gor Adobe to get up to speed!

 

[astralize]

Go for the 10 Core with 128gb RAM. Fastest clock speed will be the best benefit for AE.

With the money you save, buy a 12 core 5,1 Mac Pro with upgraded CPU’s. Hook it up to your iMac Pro via Ethernet and use it as a 24 thread render node alongside your 20 thread iMac Pro.
Use Carbon Copy Cloner to clone the relevant iMac Pro folders regularly onto the 5,1 system drive so all plugins, fonts etc are synced.

Also buy Rendergarden - I have and it’s excellent - really very good for AE renders.
You set your prefs, press one button and it spits out both a full res render and a low res H264 if you want it to. It’s way faster than AME and the AE render queue and a decent amount faster than BGRender!

Thanks for the suggested workflow. I actually already have other MPs in the office and already do that. I’m definitely going to give RenderGarden a try. I’m leaning ever so slightly towards the maxed out 10core at the moment. Hoping for actual new iMacPro users to chime in.

 

[fokmik]

so it seems the imac Pro is a more silent imac than 2017 normal imac even under full load..so the 2 fans setup should be implemented into the upcoming 2018 imacs as well as the new speakers

 

[BlueTide]

so it seems the imac Pro is a more silent imac than 2017 normal imac even under full load..so the 2 fans setup should be implemented into the upcoming 2018 imacs as well as the new speakers

Fully agree. Good luck with the BOM optimizers, though.

 

[Artillerystudio]

Hi everyone. I've already ordered the 18 core fully speced iMac Pro. But now am second-guessing and thinking that since After Effects has lost its multi-threading abilities since 2015, maybe I'm better off with a 10 core that has a higher clock speed. Does anyone have any insights or experience on choosing the best configuration for After Effects and Motion Graphics work with lots of Photoshop, Illustrator and other Adobe apps? Which configuration would you pick if money is not an issue?

 

[mucke1]

Go with the 8 or 10-Core and the Vega 64 and 128gb RAM if money money is no issue. 14 and 18 Core are wasted money with Adobe Products...