Which Mac Pro would be best for editing?

I'm upgrading my editing system and I was wondering what type of computer would be best. Again, the system is used almost solely for editing film in regular def and high def. I'm wondering what processor speed would be best. Whether I should get a duel core or quad core and why? What are the bells and whistles that are not needed? Price is no obstacle, but I don't want to just buy the best if it isn't necessary.

The amount of RAM is of more influence than the difference between the processor speeds of the Mac Pro models. RAM is not that expensive, so always put as much in as you can, when using software that uses lots of memory. You're even better of using a slower processor with plenty of RAM than using on that is a little faster, but has few RAM.
Then there is the speed of the hard disk memory that will be your next bottleneck, specially when using video or other large files. All Mac Pro 2008 models have 4(!) drivebays you can shove more SATA hd's right in. Then use the disk utility to configure them (2, 3 even 4!) as a RAID set, that is 2, 3 or 4 times as fast! Use the same type and size hd's for a set. Read up on RAID before you decide to use it. I use a striped RAID of 3 hd's and a 4th for a Time Machine backup of the RAID. They all fit nicely in the Mac Pro and hd's are not that expensive either.
BTW Both RAM and HD's are cheaper when you buy them outside the Apple store, I'm sorry to say.

Similar Messages

Which mac pro would be good for a recording studio

Hi, i am trying to gift a friend a mac pro.i am really clueless about which of the mac pro's would be best for a recording studio.

Apple Special Mac Pro
$2100 2.8GHz
The cpu can be upgraded to 6-core W3680
3 x 8GB RAM
SSD system
Mac Pro does not really benefit much from RAID of SSDs - lack of bandwidth
That is a good solid system - and one processor is even more efficient.

Which Mac Pro System works best with Premiere Pro CC?

I am looking to upgrade my 12 core tower to the newer Mac Pro. I am wondering if anyone out there has suggestion as to what makes the most sense financially in terms of which flavor of Mac Pro to get? For example, Is there a significant speed increase between the 8 core vs 12 core, and the D500 Vs the D700 Video Cards ? And how much RAM ? Normally the temptation is to go out and get the maxed out system, but reading though the forums with the various issues people are having with performance on the newer Mac Pro's and Premiere, would be great to know how it stacks up in the real world.
Appreciate any input in this regard.
Cheers
Chris

Gary Baker wrote:
I thought the only graphic card options on the new Mac Pro are all AMD cards, is that not correct? You can use the Quadro?
MtD
Yes, thanks I forgot about that. I was just going by what I have, which is an older model so I can apparently just replace it with a newer Quadro.
I'm no apple hardware expert and I'm not sure how the ports are setup. Apple's official support site only lists the AMD cards Chris mentioned for their most recent model, but that's also listed as late 2013 which doesn't seem right either. (or is it?) Note that they also list my mid-2010 model as only supporting ATI Radeon HD 577 and 5870 but I've been running a Quadro FX4800 in it with good results for several years, so I know that part's not right. So I'm not sure I'd take that site entirely literally, but of course you would not want to risk getting the wrong card. You should probably enlist the help of apple support (and/or forums) to get more details and assurance before purchasing, but bottom line is you'll want something with plenty of RAM (~ 4 GB or higher if possible) which will also be compatible with CUDA and or OPenCL playback in prpro.

Which mac may be the best for me?

as of now my budget is 3k
im still trying to decide between mac/windows
the mac side of it im looking at a 15'' pro 17'' pro and a 24'' imac.
im wondering if some one could give me the plus minus on the screen size, i tried talked to an apple sales person over the phone, she sounded more like she wanted a date than to sell me a mac. The nearest mac store is about 2 hours away, so its kinda out of the question, ive been soaring over the site for the last week.
i cant decide.. so i thought i would ask some experts.
please give me your knowledge or your opinion. They will both mean a great deal to me.
Uses for this computer:
School
Gaming
Selling real estate
*portable? mabye?* idk
buyer:
17 year old male
loves his windows machine
loves running linux
likes to have nice things.
mk now that you know... RESPOND

Tyner,
The ideal thing would be to wait until you could make it to the Apple store, and have a cursory look at OS X. Failing that, the next best would be to go to a Barnes and Nobles (or equivalent), sit down with one of the "Missing Manual" OS X books (by David Pogue), and give it a good scan for the kinds of things you could expect in OS X. The "Missing Manual" books are fantastic for turning a "noob" into a power user, but they also stand as a very good preview of what to expect.
You are not likely to find someone here that prefers Windows, quite the contrary. Those of us who are long-time, "die hard" Mac users might go further to say that we absolutely hate Windows. In my case, my distaste for Windows is not due to any neurotic allegiance to a particular OS, but to the fact that I am used to the ease and power of OS X, and Windows simply doesn't measure up. It's not that one can't do the same things in Windows that one can do in OS X, but that it is often much more difficult or time consuming. I'm not even mentioning those annoying pop-ups and messages.
With one exception, all the things you mention will be great in OS X. The exception might be real estate. From what I understand, some of the online resources necessary to real estate agents will only work in IE for Windows. This is not due to a failing in OS X, but to the fact that these websites do not use universal web standards. It's too bad.
Also, while games run very well in OS X, there are simply not as many ported to OS X as to Windows. This might or might not be a concern for you, based on exactly which game titles you prefer. For example, Doom 3, Quake 4, Prey, Command & Conquer, etc. all have Mac versions, and run extremely well. Check for your specific titles.
All this said, perhaps the strongest argument for you would be the fact that you could always run Windows on your Macbook Pro (or iMac). Doing so (while I don't prefer to recommend it) would make the question of compatibility/usability for real estate and gaming a moot point.
Whether or not you go with a portable is really an entirely different question. My guess would be that, for school, a portable would be almost a necessity.
Scott

What Mac Pro specs are best for Photoshop and Lightroom?

I'm about to cross over from PC to Mac. I've got up to 4 grand to blow on it and would like to spend it as wisely as possible. I've decided to take the Mac Pro route, but am unsure what configuration I should go for to keep Photoshop and Lightroom working smoothly. My image file sizes are usually around the 300 Mb mark but they often rise to 700 Mb or more when layers are involved. My so-called powerful Dell PC struggled with these sizes.
Should I do the obvious and go for bucket loads of RAM and as powerful a processor as possible, or are there more effective moves? For example, would 8 core be a worthy improvement over quad core?
My image library is stored on separate drives so I could hold back on hard disc space. If any wiser head can advise I would be grateful. Just don't make the answers too techy. I'm no computer boffin.
Thanks in advance.

1. Don't buy a MAC PRO now. New ones are to be released in the next weeks (maybe already today as today is Apples WWDC Opening)
2. Lightroom and Photoshop can use all processor cores you have. So I would go with the cheapest two CPU Model. As an upgrade by example from 2.26 to 2.66 Ghz (current Model) will cost you more then 1400$ for only 15% more processor power which results in maybe 7--10% faster application perfromance.
3. Don't buy extras at the Apple store.
4. For the saved 1400$:
4a. get from a third party provider a total of 10-16 GB of RAM (10 are normally sufficient)
4b. Additionally I would suggest to get 2 fast SSD Disks with 128 GB (or if you can afford it) 256 GB . Put them in a RAID 0 Array. Put your OSX Files and Lightroom Catalog, Caches and current work files on it.
4c. Get two 2 Terabyte Drives and run them as RAID 1 for your pictures. And an additional 2 GB Extra External Firewire 800 or Better eSata Drive for Backup purposes.
Have fun with a very fast machine.
Additional question: How are your current storage devices connected to you computer: USB, eSATA , Ethernet or Firewire?
If you don't know what some things mean, go to a good 3rd Party Apple Seller who gives you fair prices for upgrades.
Frank

Which MacBook Pro is the best for me

Hello, I was looking to purchase a MacBook Pro but the thing is I don't know which one to get. It is between the
13-inch: 2.4GHz
with Retina display
Specifications
2.4GHz dual-core Intel Core i5
Turbo Boost up to 2.9GHz
8GB 1600MHz memory
256GB PCIe-based flash storage1
Intel Iris Graphics
Built-in battery (9 hours)2
Or
15-inch: 2.0GHz
with Retina display
Specifications
2.0GHz quad-core Intel Core i7
Turbo Boost up to 3.2GHz
8GB 1600MHz memory
256GB PCIe-based flash storage1
Intel Iris Pro Graphics
Built-in battery (8 hours)2
The 2,600 is out of the question.
Which one should I get if I am
-Surfing the Internet
-Watching Netflix
-Doing School Work
-Editing and uploading videos
-Playing 1 or 2 Games.
Thanks if you can help me.
Tom L.

Go for the 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display. It has got a quad-core CPU and a better GPU, which will improve your video editing and games experience, even if the Intel Iris Pro GPU is not the best GPU for those tasks

Which Creative Product would be best for

So I need a mp3 player and portable photo storage unit with very specific features. I need it for my holiday (coz I don't want to take my mac in case I loose it). I really like my creative USB mp3 player and would like to get a creative product to meet my needs.
My requirements are below. Could anyone help me by letting me know if there is a Creative product that will do ALL of these things?
Thanks in advance!
- Can store photos on it without having to go through a computer. Either through and XD and Compact Flash II reader or directly from the camera through a USB input (prefer the latter option)
- Colour screen so that I can see the pics
- mp3 player that supports VBS rips
- at least 30gig storage
- Ability to charge with the cigarette lighter in a car (or have rechargeable batteries that can be charged with an in-car charger)
- Standard headphone jack
Also, if there is a function so that I can back up my photo files on the fly straight into my external 40GIG hard dri've (without using a computer) this would be perfect.
Thank you!

Hi,
I just read your post and maybe you might consider buying a Zen Vision W. This is a 4.3" Widescreen portable video player. It has the USB Host Feature which is you connect your digital camera and transfer photos on it without requiring a computer. It's available in 30GB and 60GB capacities. It plays music and videos, has a built-in FM radio, voice recorder and some more extras and it has Compact Flash Slot so you can store your pictures from your memory card. Go to this link for the full specs of this player...
http://www.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=23&subcategory=24&product=575 2
hope it helped you !
ZenMaster2628

I want to devolope textures, both building and clothing for a online game I play, which adobe app would be best for me to download,, I have photoship cc just purchased it yesterday and I am exploring

I want to build textures both for building structures, and clothing for a game I play online,, I have photoshop cc, no apps,, what would be the best app to purchase and use?

Open itunes, authorize itunes to your account, connect iphone, click File>Transfer Purchases

Can i use Avid mbox pro with logic pro x? And also which mac would be best for using avid pro tools 11 ;)

Can i use Avid mbox pro with logic pro x? And also which mac would be best for using avid pro tools 11

If your info is correct you need to first buy Snow Leopard from the Apple on-line store ($20) install and update to 10.6.8 and then buy Lion from the App Store for $20.

I'm looking at getting into home movie editing. What Mac pro would work the best besides the one that costs the most?

Which Mac Book would work good enough for home video editing?

No need to go for the highest-cost MBP - an entry level 15" non-retina MBP should work quite well for you. You can begin by using iMovie and then, as your needs and expertise increase, switch to Final Cut Pro, if you wish. Your machine will be able to handle it.
Take a trip to the Apple Store online and look at the options for the non-Retina 15" MBP - and remember that you can always upgrade the RAM and the hard drive as a DIY project.
Good luck,
Clinton

I have photoshop and muse but need video editing which plan would be best for me.

I have photoshop and muse but need video editing which plan would be best for me.

Photography plan is $9.99 and each added program is $19.99 so do the math and decide if you want the entire plan
Cloud Plans https://creative.adobe.com/plans
-Special Photography Plan includes Photoshop & Lightroom & Bridge & Mobile Lightroom
-Special Photography Plan includes 2Gig of Cloud storage (not the 20Gig of the full plan)
-http://helpx.adobe.com/creative-cloud/faq/mobileapps.html
-http://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/kb/differences-photoshop-creative-cloud-photography.html
-and subscription terms http://www.adobe.com/misc/subscription_terms.html
-what is in the entire Cloud http://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/catalog/desktop.html
-http://www.adobe.com/products/catalog/mobile._sl_id-contentfilter_sl_catalog_sl_mobiledevi ces.html

Which 15" MacBook Pro will be best for my planned use?

I am heading back to school and am required to get a MacBook Pro for class (I am a Design, Art & Technology - AKA Multimedia - major). The suggested specs from the school are as follows:
15-inch MacBook Pro
2.7GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7, NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M with 1GB GDDR5 memory
8GB 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x4GB
750GB Serial ATA Drive @ 7200 rpm
I am in the process of researching if this is the best computer for my needs. I am upgrading from my current laptop - a 2.53 GHz 15" MacBook Pro from '09 with 4GB of RAM and 7200 RPM 750 GB HDD (upgraded from a 5200 RPM 250 GB HDD) running 10.6.8 - which has been holding up great for four years. At this point though I need a second computer that has a quadcore processor.
My normal/expected usage:
I will likely be working on projects in web design, some light game design, app design, interactive installation, etc. for class. I anticipate working on video editing software and Photoshop as well. I regularly use Ableton Live with an external audio interface, MIDI devices and third party plugins for music production (20 to 40+ track mixing & mastering) and may start to use it for live or interactive projects. I run an external monitor as a second screen when at home and do a good amount of multitasking work with the second display where quickness switching between applications is key.
I stopped by the local Apple store today and had a conversation with one of the sales reps exploring the possibilities of deviating from my school's suggested bundle above. We talked about the benefits of SSD's on performance but the drawbacks on storage size to $$ ratio (I need at least 500GB of storage space, preferably 700GB). The rep suggested multiple times that the Retina display model would be best for me because it is a more durable computer and makes more sense than dropping the 2.7 GHz processor to a 2.6 GHz on the above recommendation and using the money to upgrade the hard drive to an SSD (since it would be a similar computer but without the hi-res screen). But the Retina models were in stock, while the custom non-retina model I was considering building online was not, so I do not know if the rep was just doing his job as a salesperson and trying to move what the store had in stock...
What I am hoping to get opinions on is: Given my planned usage, will the school's suggestion be sufficient/will my downgrade of proccessing power to fund an SSD be insufficient/does it make sense to really stretch my budget and get the Retina 15" 2.7 GHz with 8GB RAM and 512/768 GB SSD? Even with the educational pricing and my usage, I don't know if the upgrade to the Retina 15" is justified - but I am not very experienced in comparing computers. Any thoughts or suggestions? Thanks!

I say DITTO to what Clinton just told you, AND what woodmeister said.
As to use of the External HD use same for all large media files, PDF , pics, movies etc.
Keep your internal SSD for programs and primary (use it every day) working files of small size.
Yes, I would replace the SSD as upgrade and RAM myself.
Ram takes 30 seconds to do, anyone can do that nearly with eyes closed. EASY
SSD, youd need to use carbon copy cloner or likewise, clone your internal HD to the SSD, check with a boot to make sure all ok........then install the SSD, very easy, like Clinton said, .....done it many times.
You asked:
Are you able to reference info on them without moving the data to the internal SSD?
Yes, you can alter, open close etc files off the external HD same as you can the internal SSD, however access speed will be slower, but plenty fast enough for anything you want to do, watch movies off same, work on/ alter/ create files on internal and then backup to external
You need an external HD at any rate for Time Machine backup, and backup in general. NEVER trust any internal HD, or a single copy of anything.
In fact you should always have at least 2 backups for data, in which case a 2nd external HD is highly recommended.

Which Mac Pro configuration for DTP

I am looking for information on which configuration would be best for a DTP design studio. I'm looking for 3 machines for 3 people. 2 desktop publishers (ads/packaging) and a web-designer (flash, html)
I'm thinking of buying as soon as Adobe comes with Intel based CS3 next year. Until then, I can find out which configuration would suite us all.
Any people who can give me advice?
Or is there an application out there to test your average CPU / RAM usage through out the day to see what we are using at this moment ???
We now have 2 dual 2GHz G5's with 2GB of RAM, and I'm on a 2x 2.5GHz G5 with 3GB's of RAM.
Thanks for your advise in advance.

Yes, I'd upgrade the RAM before the video card. I'd also take the photoshop benchmarks with a grain of salt, namely because they are comparing Photoshop running under Rosette on the Mac Pro, to Photoshop running natively under the G5's. While the slightly lower performance could be an issue to some I doubt is has real world impact. In addition, since your waiting on CS3 which will be native, any performance problems should be removed, as CS3 should be a native application.
Finally I want to say desktop RAID arrays have their place, but I haven't seen how it fits in here. The folks are accessing and saving files to a server in their work environment. It is not clear if you are opening the files over the network, or checking them out to the workstations first. If you are opening over the network, then the talk about RAID is pretty much makes little sense. If you are copying to the workstation first, then a RAID for data could be slightly helpful, but since the image sizes seems as if they can be manipulated in memory, it is not clear how much of a benefit a data RAID would produce. Yes opening and saving a file may be faster, but there will be no increase in actual image manipulation.
It seems to me the place to spend money here is on RAM, then graphics card, if you are using an application that can take advantage of the processing power on a graphics card, such as Aperture, and many 3D rendering programs. If there is no gain to be made in graphics card performance, then I would spend money on 16 MB cache hard drives, one for the OS and applications and one for data, size can be determined by your needs. It is only after everything else is looked at would I consider any type of RAID here meant for performance reasons. However, as for your file server... I would think a good RAID 0+1 or 1+0 RAID would be beneficial to your file serving performance, along with a good gigabit network system.
Anyway... My Mac Pro just showed up at the door... Off to have some fun!
Tom N.

Which Mac Pro? More cores=slower speeds? And most of us know the speed matters or FPU for music and I don't understand the faster is for the least amount of procs. And while I get the whole rendering thing and why it makes sense.

Which Mac Pro? More cores=slower speeds? And most of us know the speed matters or FPU for music and I don't understand the faster is for the least amount of procs. And while I get the whole rendering thing and why it makes sense.
The above is what the bar says. It's been a while and wondered, maybe Apple changed the format for forums. Then got this nice big blank canvas to air my concerns. Went to school for Computer Science, BSEE, even worked at Analog Devices in Newton Massachusetts, where they make something for apple.
The bottom line is fast CPU = more FPU = more headroom and still can't figure out why the more cores= the slower it gets unless it's to get us in to a 6 core then come out with faster cores down the road or a newer Mac that uses the GPU. Also. Few. I'm the guy who said a few years ago Mac has an FCP that looks like iMovie on Steroids. Having said that I called the campus one day to ask them something and while I used to work for Apple, I think she thought I still did as she asked me, "HOW ARE THE 32 CORES/1DYE COMING ALONG? Not wanting to embarrass her I said fine, fine and then hung up. Makes the most sense as I never quite got the 2,6,12 cores when for years everything from memory to CPU's have been, in sets of 2 to the 2nd power. 2,4,8,16,32,64,120,256,512, 1024, 2048,4196,8192, 72,768. Wow. W-O-W and will be using whatever I get with Apollo Quad.
Peace to all and hope someone can point us in THE RIGHT DIRECTION. THANK YOU

Thanks for your reply via email/msg. He wrote:
If you are interested in the actual design data for the Xeon processor, go to the Intel site and the actual CPU part numbers are:
Xeon 4 core - E5.1620v2
Xeon 6 core - E5.1650v2
Xeon 8 core - E5.1680v2
Xeon 12 core - E5.2697v2
I read that the CPU is easy to swap out but am sure something goes wrong at a certain point - even if solderedon they make material to absorb the solder, making your work area VERY clean.
My Question now is this, get an 8 core, then replace with 2 3.7 QUAD CHIPS, what would happen?
I also noticed that the 8 core Mac Pro is 3.0 when in fact they do have a 3.4 8 core chip, so 2 =16? Or if correct, wouldn't you be able to replace a QUAD CHIP WITH THAT? I;M SURE THEY ARE UO TO SOMETHING AS 1) WE HAVE SEEN NO AUDIO FPU OR PERHAPS I SHOULD CHECK OUT PC MAKERS WINDOWS machines for Sisoft Sandra "B-E-N-C-H-M-A-R-K-S" -
SOMETHINGS UP AND AM SURE WE'LL ALL BE PLEASED, AS the mac pro was announced Last year, barely made the December mark, then pushed to January, then February and now April.
Would rather wait and have it done correct than released to early only to have it benchmarked in audio and found to be slower in a few areas- - - the logical part of my brain is wondering what else I would have to swap out as I am sure it would run, and fine for a while, then, poof....
PEACE===AM SURE APPLE WILL BLOW US AWAY - they have to figure out how to increase the power for 150 watts or make the GPU work which in regard to FPU, I thought was NVIDIA?

Which imac would work best for Graphic Design?

I am a Graphic Designer, currently using Creative Suite 2 (soon to be upgraded to CS3) and I need a new Mac for home. A Powermac takes up too much space, so I'm thinking about an imac with a 24" monitor and I have a few questions for the experts:)
Which imac would work best for graphics?
Is the monitor acurate for Pantone color matching?
Is the 24"monitor on the imac clear and bright?
Is Leopard a stable OS?
I also need an (inexpensive) color laser printer. Any suggestions?
Thanks a bunch!
Suzi (Machead since the beginning of Mac history)

Hello and Welcome to Apple Discussions.
The 24" iMac uses a superior LCD panel to the 20" model and so is certainly better suited to your purposes. I don't know how badly having a piece of glass in front of the display would affect you as a designer though.
The display certainly is clear and bright. I use it on it's lowest brightness setting.
Leopard is stable but it's worth checking that drivers for any devices that you currently rely on are available. For example I have to go back to my 10.4.11 iMac G4 to use my scanner. Personally I can't get iCal to alarm in Leopard but that's a fairly minor gripe.
As this is the forum for much older iMacs I'd suggest re-posting in the Intel iMac forum and even Mac OS 10.5 Printing forums for better informed opinion:
<hr width="200">
G4 (aka Flat Panel): Intel:
Click image to go to correct forum.
cheers
mrtotes

Which Mac Pro would be best for editing?

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for