!Restored: Time for a new Mac?

[Rick Thompson]

I have been reading the new speed results in Macworld regarding the newest Mac Pro desktops, and I am wondering if it is that time again. I am still on a G5 (2Ghz). It seems the new ones overall score are from 294 (basic) to 327 (all the way). My G5 is rated overall at 166, so that says it is time. However, with AC, I just don't know if the "overall" has much meaning or not. My guess is running AC would not see that percent increase.

My main areas I could benefit would be opening files, updating externally linked drawings, publishing etc. Renderings are not as important, but of course, they count too. I might open and close quite a few files each day, so updating is where I tend to get impatient.

And, then there is the G5 and the intel factor. I think there is not that much difference there, if anyone knows, i would appreciate hearing your experience. I think processor speed is the biggest factor (?).

Assuming (haha) GS is busy making AC multi-processor enabled, then the 8 core would be worth the extra few hundred.

Oh well, any feedback would be appreciated.


thanks

[Anonymous]

Hi there,

this is not an answer but rather I would like to join in with additional question:
I am switching back to Mac (was there 1988-2000) and my question is HOW 24" iMac:

2.8GHz Intel Core 2 Extreme
4GB memory
500GB hard drive
ATI Radeon HD 2600 PRO with 256MB memory

compare in day to day use (anyone using this configuration on complex models) to one in first post.

My bigest ? is given video card perfomance.

[Anonymous]

Thanks Rick I hope this thread gains many posts. I am in the same boat as you, hardware wise. I too have been wanting to see the Layouts update quicker, the elevations to regen faster, etc. For rendering I am a die hard Cinema fan and I know that every processing cycle of every core will be utilized there. However, ArchiCad pays the bills and that is where I want to see speed increases.

I also would like to know more before I make a purchase.

There is a Mac dealer in my town, perhaps I will put together a project and install it on a machine to actually see the difference. Time permitting.

[Karl Ottenstein]

The 24" iMacs seem like a very sweet spot in the price/performance curve.

Just some tangential information on Mac Pro (not to be confused with MacBook Pro):

The "Early 2008" Mac Pro's have a faster system bus (1600 MHz), memory (800 MHz) and processors than before. But, not well advertised is that the 3.2 GHz processors are 120 watts per quad-core chip, vs 80 watts for the 2.8 and 3.0 (if Apple used the low power 3.0's). The sweet spot IMHO is the 2.8 with the extra money going to memory, but the 3.0 could make sense for a full time C4D or video editing person. The 3.2 has quite a price jump, plus the carbon impact of an additional 80 watts of power consumed...

Apple is not shipping the 8800 gt display adapter for the new Mac Pros until late February, according to the chat; I'm waiting for it to arrive without complaints before I order.

Cheers,
Karl

[owen]

GS have said that they will not be supporting PPC Macs in the future - can't find the link on their website but I think AC12 will be the last PPC release. So no rush but definately time to start looking at an upgrade sometime in the next year. The Mac Pros have just had a spec boost so they shouldn't change for a while.

As for the iMacs .. i would seriously consider one of these instead of a Mac Pro if i was buying a desktop (unless budget was not a consideration). I think they are great value for money and then there is the looks. Only thing i am hesitant about is the glossy screens - i would want to spend some time checking them out in different lighting conditions.

I don't think the 2.8 is worth the extra over the 2.4. Here in Aus you pay an extra $800 - admittedly you get an extra 1GB of Apples overpriced RAM and a slightly bigger HD, but no-one buys RAM from Apple, so i figure you are paying around $500 for that extra 0.4Ghz.

Performance of the video card is not an issue for ArchiCAD (or any other 3D app i know) .. unless of course you are worried about display bugs?

Have you considered getting a MacBook Pro and a Cinema display? Same performance as an iMac but a little more flexible. It does cost almost twice the price though.

[Rick Thompson]

owen wrote:
Have you considered getting a MacBook Pro and a Cinema display? Same performance as an iMac but a little more flexible. It does cost almost twice the price though.

I really need 2 displays, which I have (2 - 23"), so I need to stay with the desktop. I have used that set up in the past, and I liked it fine, thought not as well as having both. I have an Intel MacBook Pro, but haven't played with AC on it that much. I got it for a back up (and a sit in the bed) computer, but now I want to sell it and get an Air:) That would be much better in the old lap. But, I think I should so a new desktop first

Karl, it seem to me too that the basic one with 4 gig ram makes the most sense.

[owen]

2x23" is reason enough to go with Mac Pro for me

[Karl Ottenstein]

Rick wrote:
Karl, it seem to me too that the basic one with 4 gig ram makes the most sense.

I would consider 8 gig.

I've been getting what little knowledge I have from the macrumors.com and apple.com forums (and here).

To get the full speed of the new memory technology / bus, you need at least 4 memory cards...but one tester noted that with 6 cards (the 2 delivered in the base machine, plus 4 more) he got full speed as well, so will filling 4 slots is a minimum, filling 6 slots works too.

Especially if you need/want to run Parallels so that you can run some Windows apps (like the free Autodesk DWG viewer, or even the Windows version of AC for a few minutes for those pesty plug-ins that are still not available for OS X), you'll want more memory available for that virtual machine so that you're not swapping to disk so much. Throw in running AC (likely multiple copies including background updates), Artlantis, Safari, and whatnot, the more memory the better to keep things fast.

As owen notes, Apple prices for RAM and hard disks are obscene - buy them elsewhere. The new 800 MHz memory is not widely available, but most poster recommend the memory from OWC here:
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/memory/Mac-Pro-Memory

There have been reports that the standard 320 GB drive in the base Mac Pro is a Seagate with slow transfer speeds. One poster had almost double the speed in a benchmark replacing it with a Western Digital drive.

Mac Pro still supports software RAID, but I haven't seen adequate benchmarks. It supports hardware RAID with an $800 add-on card, but from what I've gathered, XP cannot recognize that card from Bootcamp and it seems that Parallels cannot deal with that card either.

Cheers,
Karl

[Rick Thompson]

8 Gig.. I wasn't expecting that since I never fully use up 4 gigs, but that is good info. I had no idea that the slots filled has a bearing on the bus performance.

Course, today is a different day, and the plot thickens I got an email from my daughter saying she was thinking about buying an Air. I said she was too young and didn't deserve one, but she should by my MacBook Pro... so I could get an Air. She just wrote back asking how much. I hate these life decisions. It's hard enough to just not suffer, then you are faced with this sort of stuff to deal with. As the Buddha said.. all life is suffering, and then you die (or something like that)

And, I make my living off housing, and look where we are.. dead in the water.

[Karl Ottenstein]

Rick wrote:
8 Gig.. I wasn't expecting that since I never fully use up 4 gigs, but that is good info.

Well, it is not essential. Especially if you got just the 4 core and didn't run many concurrent apps, much less Parallels. But figure with an 8 core machine, each core can potentially be running different stuff...if you've got it going on...and so many more processes can be active, wanting their little bit of memory. Generally, more memory means less disk activity equals better responsiveness.

I wouldn't pay Apple for 8GB, but at the OWC prices, it's worth considering.

Decisions.

Cheers,
Karl