New Mac Pro - Crunching 7Q RAW footage w/ DaVinci Resolve

J

jshbckr

Veteran
Finally got my hands on a new Mac Pro, upgrading from my 2012 MacBook Pro (!). My MacBook Pro would have a "GPU Out of Memory" error whenever I imported a 4K RAW sequence in Resolve, and nothing I did would fix it. Reinstalled, had footage on SSD, it's maxed out at 16GB of RAM, can't upgrade the GPU.

I also do animation, so it was making more and more sense to invest in a beefier computer. So I picked up the 8-core Mac Pro w/ dual D700s (6GB VRAM each).

Needless to say, not only can I import 4K RAW flawlessy in Resolve, but it plays back without dropping frames and exporting ProRes files is damn near real-time. A 1-minute clip of 4K RAW 60fps, conformed to 24fps, with some simple color nodes took 1:18 to export as a 4K UHD ProRes HQ file.

Prior to this, my only option was After Effects, which would take around 30min to export a 1min file. So roughly 23x faster transcoding.

I'm a happy boy.

Can't wait for Premiere to update with 7Q RAW support. I'll be sure to post some initial tests/reactions.
 
I got the 6 core/32gb/D500s Mac Pro coming in 2 weeks. I have a trailer I am shooting next week with the 7Q and waiting to edit it all on the Mac Pro. Should be very telling of what this computer can handle! I hope it isn't too sluggish, the price of your machine puts it out of my reach. Can't wait!
 
Martin.G said:
Must be nice for maccers to finally be able to do what cheap Windows boxes (home built gaming computers) have done for years already.

Good for you!

http://blogs.adobe.com/aftereffects...ical-and-creative-bounds-with-timescapes.html
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Computer setups ideal for gaming aren't necessarily good for video work. Also, it's not that Macs weren't capable of this before, in fact the newest Mac Pros (aside from the PCIe SSD and dual 6GB GPU) aren't significantly faster than the previous 8/12-core Mac Pros. I was simply using the laptop because that was what fit my needs best when I was buying a computer a few years ago.

I'm also quite aware of the capabilities of Windows machines, I used to build PCs before switching to Mac. I prefer OS X. And honestly, it seems these days I see more posts from PC guys asking how to get X to work with Y but can't find a Windows equivalent of some plugin, app, etc.
 
Since the early 90's I have used MAC and PC's for different things - generally based on the software that I was wanting to use. Mac's have always been easier to use as long as I was willing to do it the MAC way. The part of me that just wants to get things done wants the Mac.

The engineering/tinkerer/former software developer side of me wants the computer to do it my way - which is why I keep the PC's around (I also use PC only Solidworks).

I see the two worlds as I see the difference between a hot rod mustang versus a Bentley. The mustang will probably beat the Bentley in a flat out drag race and I can tinker with its performance, but the Bentley will win in every other regard and I will never come near it with a wrench. As I get older - I lean more and more toward the easy way.
 
My experience from filmschool, is that the Bentley needs just as much wrench as the Mustang. Nowadays theres no difference in the components either. Same engine, clutch, transmission and tires on both. Its just a matter of a custom steering wheel, an ultracool gear change and award winning exterior design that sets them apart. And the price tag. Just like real world cars. Its amazing how much feelings there is involved in buying a car, and how little there really is to distinguish the different brands - and their competing cars from another.

An Intel CPU and a Nvidia card is an Intel CPU and Nvidia card nomatter whos brand it is installed in, really.
 
Martin.G said:
My experience from filmschool, is that the Bentley needs just as much wrench as the Mustang. Nowadays theres no difference in the components either. Same engine, clutch, transmission and tires on both. Its just a matter of a custom steering wheel, an ultracool gear change and award winning exterior design that sets them apart. And the price tag. Just like real world cars. Its amazing how much feelings there is involved in buying a car, and how little there really is to distinguish the different brands - and their competing cars from another.

An Intel CPU and a Nvidia card is an Intel CPU and Nvidia card nomatter whos brand it is installed in, really.
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Some Macs are definitely still susceptible to needing repairs, that's for sure, but for those of us who prefer the workflow of a Mac (I have a LOT of utilties, plugins, etc, that speed up my Mac workflow) the only alternative to actually buying a computer from Apple is to build a hackintosh. To rx8pilot's point, it's more reliable to just buy the Mac.

And if we're really getting down to the nitty-gritty, it's not like we're talking a price difference of thousands of dollars. Any computer with PCIe SSD, dual 6GB GPUs, 8-core Xeon processors, and a slew of Thunderbolt ports is going to be expensive. I know not everyone here does full-time video work professionally, but for those of use that do, a few hundred dollars isn't much to spend in the name of productivity and reliability.

I wouldn't be critical of one person's computer choice any more than I would be of their camera choice. People have different needs and different equipment satisfies those needs.

Anyway, I didn't start this topic to create a flamewar of Mac VS PC. I thought that died out 10 years ago.
 
Maybe its different in the US, but where i live, everything in the Apple store is 2x the price of homebuilding. For me thats not worth a false sense of increased reliability. Our iMacs kneeled and that hated color palette turned like a turbo, and many times did we almost miss deadlines because of software failure in the Macs.
 
Josh, I have a very similarly spec'd unit and I couldn't be more than happy with it. It has sped up all of my workflows, from 4K processing to just day-in and day-out usage - worth every penny. I was upgrading from a 2010 12-core Mac Pro and while you're correct about raw processing speed being roughly the same as the previous generation, the actual realized speed of the new machines is ridiculously enhanced. I went from a 3-4 min boot to a 40 sec boot. I'm assuming it's mainly because of the new RAM, PCI-e SSD, and (to a lesser extent) dual GPUs.

Enjoy your new toy!
 
Well i had Mac for years and i just got tired of spending money. This year i am working with 2k and 4k raw from the odyssey and bought a pc, 2011 socket with 64 gb a 6 core i7 and dual 770 4gb oc. And i have spent under 3000 euros an even bought a 27 ultrasharp dell 2k. So i still love Mac world, but i have to say i can still do and deliver evrything in windows with a lot less money and still have the chance to upgrade in the future.
 
I did not intend for a flamewar. Let me put it in the macs favor to prove it.

My son is 1,5 years old. He threw my old laptop down from the bed, destroying the charger plug (macs are better here, magnetic is forgiving vs. physical connection on the Dell).

My new laptop has Windows 8.

In my two weeks of owning a Windows 8 laptop, i have had more problems than during 4 years ownership of 3 homebuilt computers + a laptop with Windows 7. In just two weeks...

So if you want to go with Windows, make sure to get Windows 7. Its generally known that every odd numbered windows is bad, while the evens are good :2vrolijk_08:

http://i.wp.pl/a/f/jpeg/27606/windows-zestawienie-ocena-gizmodo_660.jpeg
 
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