Configuring a Mac Pro

Apple's commericals have worn me down. I am switching from my PC to a Mac Pro and would like to have recommendations from those who extensively use Adobe's Design CS4 Suite. I will often have InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop opened at the same time. Illustrator files are usually complicated with many layers. Photoshop files can be 500 MB or more.
I plan to purchase the Mac Pro 8 Core http://store.apple.com/us_smb_78313/configure/MB535LL/A?mco=NDE4NDIyMQ
Can you make recommendations on which processor to choose, how much memory to purchase, and which graphics card to buy, plus anything else you feel worthwhile knowing? I want the machine to last 3 to 4 years. Thanks!

Robert1950 wrote:
Apple's commericals have worn me down. I am switching from my PC to a Mac Pro and would like to have recommendations from those who extensively use Adobe's Design CS4 Suite. I will often have InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop opened at the same time. Illustrator files are usually complicated with many layers. Photoshop files can be 500 MB or more.
I plan to purchase the Mac Pro 8 Core http://store.apple.com/us_smb_78313/configure/MB535LL/A?mco=NDE4NDIyMQ
Can you make recommendations on which processor to choose, how much memory to purchase, and which graphics card to buy, plus anything else you feel worthwhile knowing? I want the machine to last 3 to 4 years. Thanks!
Disregard the man behind the curtain (first answer you received). Follow the directions of the second answer you received. If you planing really serious work get a Desktop model with the fastest processor and a minium of 8 GB RAM, Getting Machine configured this way should come with a minium of 500gb Drive (approx). The Drives are SATA and actually plug in you can actually use up to 3 Terabyte of Hard drive space. Also choose the Nvida Card with the largest on board video RAM. (512kb-1024mb) The System RAM comes in Matched Pairs and capable of using up to 16GB.

Similar Messages

Ideal FCP drive configuration on Mac Pro?

I'm configuring a Mac Pro that I'm going to order in the next day or so. I do 90% of my work in Final Cut. I'm not sure of the best way to configure the drives. I'm not worried so much about the sizes or RAIDs, but the way Final Cut uses files and how I can I lay out everything it needs so it's not working too hard to get at it. The last time I built a system I just had to subscribe to the 'render files on internal drive, footage on external' rule that I've heard for years. But now there's more options and I want everything to run as smooth as possible.
I read here on the forums that a drive that does nothing but hold render files speeds things up. It got me thinking: Should I have a drive just for render files? Should I have a drive just for music? Is there anything I should definitely keep OFF the boot drive?
Initially I was thinking of putting four internal drives in the Mac Pro. Two would be a RAID 0 as the boot drive with the apps and render files. The other two would be a mirrored RAID with all my music, graphics and permanent, frequently used footage. Then I'd use an external drive for project footage.
I don't need an internal TB for all this stuff, but Apple's minimum additional drives are 500G in size.
For all I'm spending I want this thing to hum with productivity. I just need to find out the best arrangement.
Advice?
Thanks!

Do not raid the system drive. No no no...the system drive needs to be on it's own. If you have 4 drives in the machine, and you want to raid them, leave one alone and raid the other 3. There is no point in raiding the system drive.
And never store any media on the system drive, all media should be stored on separate media drives. Because the system drive is very busy doing system stuff, and if FCP needs to access those file when it is busy...dropped frames. So yeah, definately keep ALL MEDIA referenced by FCP off the system drive.
Shane

Configuring New Mac Pro's

I guess to upgrade to CS5 we need intel Mac.
We have 2-G5 right now. I wondering what are best configuration would
be for our shop? Just want to see if anyone would care to give an opinion. What we can get by with
or should we go all out for the future. Funds are limited with the economy right now. What to make the right decision.
We're a commercial shop 2- 40" and 28"
We don't do much design work.
We manipulate PDF (pitstop) and Illus. but basically just preflight and slap them in a layout.
Haven't bought equipment in along time.
Should a shop like ours go with:
the Quad-Core or 8-core; what the difference the Quad has 2.66GHz and the 8-core has2.26 standard; which is faster?
Memory: we don't want to hang up in Illus or Photoshop or Acrobat/Pitstop.
what would be a reasonable for that? 16GB? and aagain what would be the difference between the quad and 8-code?
Graphics Card:
We preflight large Illustrator/photoshop/acrobat files and don't want to get hung up. What's a reasonable soltion here. What should we think about when deciding?
We want speed. If we need to keep the cost down we need to righ configuration to easily expand them.
thanks
Rande

Hi Jeff,
Lloyd Chambers probably knows as much as, if not more than, anybody else about using Mac Pros and Photoshop, and you might find the following links useful:
http://macperformanceguide.com/index_topics.html
http://macperformanceguide.com/bto-macpro-configure.html
http://macperformanceguide.com/RecommendedDisplays.html
Personally, I think that the 8-Core 2.93Ghz is a better long-term investment than the 3.33Ghz Quad Core, but it is more expensive. However, it has the advantage of the additional processor, and double the RAM capacity, making it more future-proof, as, hopefully, software advancements make more use of the additional cores.
From personal experience I would recommend investing in the CTO Radeon HD4870 option instead of the nVidia GT120. I used the latter for 4 months last year, and it was OK, but the HD4870 is considerably faster.
Whichever Mac Pro you decide upon, I would buy the standard configuration plus the HD4870 option, and then buy additional RAM (I can thoroughly recommend Kingston) and larger capacity/faster drive(s) to suit your purpose and budget.
If you can stretch your budget, buy the 8-Core 2.93Ghz. If not, I would consider the 8-Core 2.66Ghz or the 3.33Ghz Quad Core.
Your other option is to wait a bit longer for the much rumoured 6-Core/12-Core Mac Pros, with possibly a Radeon HD5870, but, personally, my 8-Core 2.93Ghz based system is fast enough for me.
Regards,
Bill

Which configuration of Mac Pro?

I am trying to decide on the correct configuration for a new Mac Pro. However I have searched and digested so much advice, I’m further away from making a decision than I was before my search began.
The choices I have over here in the UK are:
Quad-Core
1 x 2.66GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon “Nehalem” processor
3GB (three 1GB) memory
1 x 640GB hard drive
18x double-layer SuperDrive
NVIDIA GeForce GT 120 with 512MB
8-Core
2 x 2.26GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon “Nehalem” processor
6GB (six 1GB) memory
1 x 640GB hard drive
18x double-layer SuperDrive
NVIDIA GeForce GT 120 with 512MB
My original plan was to opt for the first option(Quad-Core), but not sure whether to up the RAM to 6GB and upgrade the Graphics card to the ATI Radeon HD 4870 512MB.
My main workflow consists of 3D modelling for concept art in Photoshop.
I have Adobe Creative Suite 1 and understand that I will have to run this package under Rosetta due to it not being Universal. However I am hoping to upgrade Photoshop only to CS4 and then use Illustrator and InDesign under Rosetta.
The remaining aps. are as follows:
Pixologic Zbrush (system requirements):
3.12 Macintosh
OS: Mac OSX 10.5 or newer
CPU: Intel Macintosh
RAM: 1024MB (2048MB recommended for working with multi-million-polys)
Monitor: 1024x768 monitor resolution set to Millions of Colours (recommended: 1280x1024 or higher.
Smithmicro Poser:(system requirements):
Mac OSX 10.4 or 10.5 (10.5 required fro 64-bit rendering)
700MHz G4 processor (Intel Core Duo or 1Ghz or faster recommended) 64-bit CPU required for 64-bit rendering)
512MB system RAM (1GB or more recommended)
OpenGL enabled graphics card or chipset recommended (recent NVIDIA GeForce and ATI Radeon preferred)
24-bit colour display, 1024 x 768 resolution
1GB free hard disk space (4GB recommended)
Etc
My monitor is: Samsung T220 22” TFT, 1680x1050:1 2ms VGA/DVI, which is connected via Belkin Switch 2 for PC DVI-D 2 Ports Audio/KVM Switch.
I’m also wondering whether it is worth adding AppleCare protection plan to the package.
I would obviously like to keep my budget as low as possible. However I don't want to sacrifice the performance.
I think the first option would be suitable as the base line system but do I need to prepare or set the system up to cope with any developments in the near future?
I would be extremely grateful for any input on the details above to help make my decision easier.
Thank you in advance.

I think you would do well with last year's 2008, more bang for the buck and good savings on everything.... and there are half a dozen models as of Monday - some go fast. Off the shelf as well as rendering.
8 core is ideal and Apple FCP or Compressor 3+ are very much being optimized for as many cores and cpu as you can throw at it.
http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac/mac_pro
Intel spend over $2B in R&D on Nehalem and Xeon 3500/5500 series (and the desktop Core i7 and i5) as we move to more cores and registers. A 4-core 2009 though the cost of faster clock speed goes up astronomically compared to the past much more costly.
You can build a single quad core using Xeon W3540 for $340 and clock that puppy up to 5.5GHz without trouble, server cpu can really take the clocking and heat. But an 8-core 2008 for $2400 really can hold its own, it is no slouch even now over a year since it came out.
Cost:performance benefit is something Barefeats has tried to answer in 7-8 tests on Nehalem and comparing to past builds.
I would not worry about 4-5 yr longevity. I'd buy what you need and figure in 2 yrs OS X and 3rd party software will catch up or surpass and more efficient system design and hardware. Any benefit from Snow will benefit a 2008; and 10.6 won't see mature drivers and code for a year, and 2009 only just came out.
Brand new is not your best business model.

Minimum configuration of Mac Pro: is it worth it?

Hi all,
I have a question that needs quite an urgent answer. I have the chance of moving up to a Mac Pro, but I cannot really afford the £1699.00 standard configuration. Instead, I was looking at the minimum I could get away with, which works out as follows:
Two 2.0GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon [-£200.00 from standard configuration]
1GB (2 x 512MB) RAM
NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT 256MB (single-link/dual-link DVI)
160GB 7200-prm Serial ATA 3GB/s [-£60.00 from standard configuration]
One 16x SuperDrive
Wireless Options = NONE
Apple keyboard & Mighty Mouse
Mac OS X
This works out at £1,439.01 (inc. VAT)
But what I want to know is, is it worth it or should I really go for the standard configuration? I use my Mac for music production with Logic Pro (and on a laptop with Logic Express), it's not at all required for video or photo editing work. A reply is needed quite urgently.
Many thanks.
24-inch iMac Core 2 Duo Mac OS X (10.4.7) 2.16GHz Core 2 Duo / 1GB / 250GB

By the way, after only half answering you, Yes, Logic Pro will give you benefits with the 2.66GHz model over the 2GHz model. Sticking with the middle/standard configuration as it will also enable you to hang on to your Mac Pro for that little bit longer which is worth money in itself.
We all know how hard it can be to scratch up the cash to buy the right kit. By the way, have you considered looking around at department store web sites and so on for a deal? For instance, El Corte Inglés, Spain's largest department store chain, are currently offering 5% discount on the standard Mac Pro (along with most of the Apple line). Additionally, though I'm not sure I should say this but I'm going to, but do you have family or friends who can buy your kit as an educational purchase? Obviously you won't get your VAT back as you would for your business but there are discounts to be had there.

The Best Configuration for Mac Pro

Hey All,
I'm getting a Mac Pro in April, and I'm just seeing if you guys new the best configureation for the Mac Pro, Now I like alot of space and I love watching Dvd's on my mac, I'm also really in to making great home movies!
Thanks!

You don't need to do much of anything to get good performance.
Once you've gotten use to it, and paid down a bit, shop for more RAM, check for what type and size of drives, and do make sure to include backups and maintenance.
http://macperformanceguide.com/index.html
http://www.barefeats.com/hard112.html

Mac Pro configuration for the best Logic Pro 8 performance

Hello,
I noticed that sometimes I have little delays playing midi keyboard in Logic Pro 8.
What is the hardware configuration of Mac Pro for the best Logic Pro 8 performance?
Do I need to install any sound card or any additional software?
My hardware overview is:
Model Name: Mac Pro
Model Identifier: MacPro1,1
Processor Name: Dual-Core Intel Xeon
Processor Speed: 3 GHz
Number Of Processors: 2
Total Number Of Cores: 4
L2 Cache (per processor): 4 MB
Memory: 1 GB
Bus Speed: 1.33 GHz
Boot ROM Version: MP11.005C.B08
SMC Version: 1.7f10
thank you,
Vlad

You should definiteley get some more RAM first. Buy another 3 Gigabytes to make it 4 Gigs. The Lateny you're experiencing is due to the Buffer settings within Logic. If you set that to 64 or 128 samples (in the Audio preferences->devices->Buffer) the Latency will improve but it will also reduce the number of Plug Ins you can use at the same time as lower Buffer settings require more CPU.
You didn't mention an Audio Interface which you should obtain if you want to record live Instruments. For the start you can do everything in the Box but the analog minijack Ins/Outs built in your Mac are not really state of the art and you'll improve the sound by getting a good Firewire Interface.
Also get a second/third HD as you should not be recording onto your system drive. It's good to have one drive dedicated for recording Audio and another one for samples/Jam Packs/Loops.

How do I get Mac Pro with Lion Server to restart at a set time when users are connected?

I have recently configured a Mac Pro with Lion Server, and have set it to restart automatically every morning at 3am. When I arrive in the morning, I notice that it has not rebooted, usually because it states there are users connected. Is there a way to automatically disconnect users so that the machine will reboot. No one is ACTIVELY connected at this time of the morning, but may still be logged in somewhere. I did see where I can log out users after a set period of time when using Workgroup Manager to manage a computer or computer group, but I don't use the server to manage all of the computers that have users log in.
Thanks!

Well, it doesn't necessarily have to be each and every night, but it was for the sole purpose of preventing sluggishness. We had it set up before, as Snow Leopard Server and it would restart every night. It would occasionally be slow and need rebooting, however a manual reboot was not possible by most people in the store as they did not have credentials to screen share and restart it - which would result in holding down the power button to shut it down.
The server is used for the sole purpose of logging in about 50 users just so they can customize their experience, as well as saving items to their own home folders. The store is closed during the night, and there is no reason anyone would be accessing it during the night.

Mac Pro 1,1 3 display question

I have a 1,1 Mac Pro with the ATI 5770. I currently am running a 30 inch cinema display on the DVI output and a 19 inch LCD on one of the mini ports using the following adapter:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004071ZXA
I was curious,since these 19 inch monitors are 1280X1024 if I could possibly run 2 using the mini ports with these adapters? I read that dual link DVI adapters are required,but what if the 2 displays are smaller like these?

Mini DisplayPort is not just a different-shaped DVI. It is a completely different protocol. To use all three ports, you will need to take drastic measures and install "active" "powered" converters on BOTH Mini DisplayPorts. The adapter you referenced is NOT such a converter.
HT4279- Mac Pro (Early 2009), Mac Pro (Mid 2010): Supported display configurations
TS3477l- Mac Pro (Mid 2010), Mac Pro (Early 2009): Issues with three displays and multiple DVI, HDMI connections <Edited by Host>
HT3382- Apple Mini DisplayPort adapters: Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

Just Ordered a Mac Pro & 24" LED Display

Neither item states that it comes with a video cord to hook the two together. One of the options while configuring my Mac Pro was to get a video cable.
Do I need to buy one? (Or does one come with either the display or MacPro)
If I need to buy one, which one do I need?
Thanks,
Tom

The monitor is going to come with the cable:
One cable with three connectors: Mini DisplayPort, MagSafe, USB 2.0

Mac Pro Late 2013 OpenCL GCD Crossfire

I want to buy a Mac Pro Late 2013 to do Calculation With Boinc (system to give CPU time for university research)
Some Boinc App use OpenCL and calculations are done on the GPU.
The new Mac Pro having 2 video card, will those App be able to use both GPU ?
I do have some doubt since reading this
New Mac Pros support AMD's CrossFire GPU teaming, but currently only within Windows
http://appleinsider.com/articles/14/02/07/new-mac-pros-support-amds-crossfire-gp u-teaming-but-only-within-windows
from the text,
Without CrossFire, apps and games running on the Mac Pro must be custom written to take advantage of the two GPUs. According to AnandTech, Apple has configured the Mac Pro so that "by default, one GPU is setup for display duties while the other is used exclusively for GPU compute workloads."
Any though ? :-)
Thank You

Yes, I agree, this is only a home server that I access both at home and when I am on the road.
But I stop calculation when I need to have a web server (rarely :-) .
if i understand correctly,
you do 700k credits a day on your 2010 MP with the dual Nvidia Quadro K5000s
and
around 200k credits a day on your 2013 MP with the dual D300
Do you think is it all about driver or cuda vs opencl.
I must say that I am happy at least to learn that MP2013 GPU work on Boinc
What is your link on boinc
mine is
http://boincstats.com/en/stats/-1/user/detail/3702/projectList
I have been doing calculation not only on boinc but other. I started back in the days when I needed a modem to connect to get more work on my 1989 IICX :-)

Installing medium-cost RAM on my Mac Pro

Hi everybody!
I've just bought a 2x 2.66GHz Mac Pro and it's wonderful. However, I ordered it with a minimum configuration because I thought I could find expansion pieces on the market.
Is there any problem if I install a 1GB-667-DDR2 RAM module non-ECC and unbuffered (it is to say, different from the ECC FB-DIMM from Apple, which seems to me TOO EXPENSIVE)?
I've read about heating > noise troubles, but I can't really believe them. Has anyone of you tested a medium-cost (e.g. Corsair) RAM module on a new Mac Pro? Does it give good results?
I didn't find problems when looking for a 3GB/s SATA HDD, but it's difficult and -above all- expensive to buy an Apple RAM module or other brands' ones with the same technology.
Can anybody help me, please?

Shima,
To quote from the Apple site for you on the performance benefits from symmetrical RAM configurations on Mac Pro.
The Mac Pro comes with two memory riser cards, each with four DIMM slots. With a total of eight slots, you can add up to 16 GB of memory. Memory DIMM pairs should be installed evenly on both risers. This table shows Mac Pro RAM configurations that will achieve ideal performance:
Riser A contains: Riser B contains:
2 x 512MB 2 x 512MB
2 x 1GB 2 x 1GB
2 x 2GB 2 x 2GB
4 x 512MB 4 x 512MB
4 x 1GB 4 x 1GB
4 x 2GB 4 x 2GB
Note: DIMMs must be installed in pairs of equal size from the same vendor. For instance, you must not have one or three DIMMs on either riser at any time. Additionally, two DIMMs from different vendors should not be combined and used as a pair.
From tests I've read around the web, filling the slots as Apple suggests achieves a 5-7% performance boost. Whether your MacPro would even recognise ram installed randomly, or in unmatched sizes is something I do not know.
Enjoy your MacPro, I am jealous.
G5 Dual 2ghz, 3.5Gb Ram, MacPro soon I hope. Mac OS X (10.4.7)
G5 Dual 2ghz, 3.5Gb Ram, MacPro soon I hope. Mac OS X (10.4.7)

Upgrading Mac Pro (2006) to 8-core Processor?

Hello i just purchased a Mac Pro locally for $775, and it has 2 x 2.66 intel xeon duo processors, making it a quad-core machine. I've read that you can upgrade the quad core setup to an 8-core setup. Is this true? And if it is, would this be something that would be difficult to do?
I read that the Intel Xeon x5355 quad processors (code name: "clovertown")are plug and play. Would these processors be able to sit right in the original heatsink? I know you could configure the Mac Pros to 8-cores, and I assume the MOBO is the same on all Mac Pros from the 2006 line. If so, would I have to buy new heatsinks for the quad-processors, or would the original heatsinks work just fine?
Thanks guys!

Xeon 5355s are drop in replacements for the 5150s in the '06 MP. You will find more info here:
Hardmac.com - Le "Macbidouille" in English - Upgrading CPUs of a Mac Pro to Quad Core Xeons;
Apple's Mac Pro - Upgrading CPUs, Memory & Running XP - AnandTech -- Your Source for Hardware Analys…
A Google search will also help you find some videos. The task is not trivial and involves quite a bit of disassembly plus the need for special tools.
On eBay the 5355s are selling for around $290 each for refurbs. Altogether the tools will run around $50-70 if you don't have any of what's needed. If you also upgrade your RAM from 667 MHz modules to 800 MHz modules that will cost close to $250 for eight 1 GB modules.
You may also want a better video card depending on what you currently have installed. The ATI 5770 from Apple is about $250.00 or you can go with the less expensive ATI 4870. There's no real difference in performance since the old MP only has a PCIe 1.0 slot.

Memory and Multiprocessing results in After Effects are Inconsistent (Mac Pro)

I'm trying to "optimize my system" by doing memory and multithreading benchmarks but the results are completely unpredictable when I don't use "multiple frames simultaneously." My results are fast sometimes, slow others. When I do use "Render multiple frames simultaneously" my times are consistant but generally slower. So strange. Premiere screams but crashes a lot.
ANYONE KNOW ANY MAC TWEAKS TO GET MORE JUICE OUT OF THESE PROCESSORS?
Here's my configuration.
Mac Pro OS Mountain Lion (Culprit?)
After Effects CS6 (all updates)
2x3.46 ghz 6-core intel xeon
64gb of RAM
nvidea geforce gtx 570 open cl / cuda enabled
Crazy Raid 1400 R & W 1400mb/s

The biggest problem with the multiprocessor settings and memory assignment is that there are only a few plug-ins that are truly multiprocessor aware. There are also codecs that are not multi processor friendly. If your source footage has an unfriendly codec then turning multi processor on many actually slow the project down.
So I guess it's just as Mylenium said, "There is no one size fits all solution." I never have render multiple frames simultaneously turned on for layout, animation, and set up. Almost all of my motion work is done at half or quarter resolution. If I think a project will benefit by enabling the multiprocessor feature I will run a few tests before I render. Most of the time I just load a comp into the AME and let that pound away while I'm working on the next project. Overall I think that's the most efficient workflow. I don't get paid much for rendering, but I do get paid when I produce.

What is the optimum core configuration for a new Mac Pro to process and manipulate very large (80 megapixel) images using PhotoShop and Camera Raw?

Hello:
I will be using creative techniques to process and manipulate a large number (hundreds) of very large (80 megapixel) images captured using a medium format digital back (Phase One IQ180).
Final output will be digital fine art imagery printed using an Epson 11880 at large sizes (up to 60 inches x ?), retaining the highest possible quality and resolution. I will be using Adobe CC PhotoShop and Camera RAW as well as Capture One software. PhotoShop filters will be used extensively.
The Mac Pro needs to be optimized for the above purpose and be useful for at least five years. I plan to max out all the other options (RAM, graphics cards, storage). Performance is more important than cost.
The few discussions I have found that mention optimum core configurations seem to lean toward 6 or 8 (but likely are not taking into consideration my need for manipulating a large number of very large files), so I am looking to this foum for opinions.
Thank you,
Kent

See if this helps
http://macperformanceguide.com/index_topics.html#MacPro2013

Configuring a Mac Pro

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