MacPro overkill?

[Anonymous]

Hi everyone,
I'm working on a 2009 24"iMac with Archicad 16, and I'm experiencing a rather slow workflow because our BIM models get very detailed for construction documentation purposes (I do not do renderings with this machine).

My experience with iMacs is that no matter what the processor is or how much RAM you install, when they are under pressure they are going to overheat and their performance will go down. It happens with this machine (4Gb RAM) and with a 2012 27" iMac (16 Gb)(the one we do renderings with).

For this reason, for our next generation of desktop computers we decided to move to MacPros over the next couple of years.

Looking at prices on Apple website (http://store.apple.com/us_smb_78313/configure/MD770LL/A) and trying to understand what would be the best option for a machine to run Archicad on, I have a few questions:

- Quad-core, 12-core etc.: what do you think is best for AC?

- How much is the processor speed important for AC (Hz)?

- Graphics cards anyone? One or two ATI Radeon HD 5770, or a fancy ATI Radeon HD 5870?

[PB]

Unless you need to upgrade now, it may be most prudent to wait until next year: A major upgrade of the Mac Pro is almost certain (& was mentioned by Tim Cook, Apple CEO, in response to general disappointment at the lack of a meaningful upgrade this year).

[Anonymous]

Thank you PB for the tip. We are definitely not in a rush and we'll consider switching the first computer next year, definitely after any major new release by Apple.

My question was more general: I am not an IT expert and I dont know whether or not it makes sense to purchase the top notch machine to work with Archicad. Does it? Faster processor, double graphics card?

[PB]

I can't advise on the Mac Pro, although I must admit that I was seriously considering purchasing one but decided against since the current version is rather 'old' for the price. Instead I have the new Retina MacBook Pro......and it is fabulous !

It runs ArchiCAD flawlessly, and also e-on's Vue Infinite which is (in my opinion) considerably more demanding than ArchiCAD. From what I gather on this forum, most users of the iMac are happy with their performance. But, as you say, a sufficient amount of RAM is important. Before the RMBP I was running on 3MB RAM and it was insufficient......now that I have 16MB it is great. I would have thought that a current iMac with atleast 8MB RAM, and preferably a solid state drive (SSD) would crunch through ArchiCAD with ease...