MP 7,1 New Mac Pro configuration for Motion Graphics/Design

[gugy]

Hi,
I am wondering what would be the best configuration for motion graphics/design.
Mostly After Effects, Cinema 4D and Photoshop.
I'm assuming lots of RAM, fast hard drive for PS scratch disk and GPU for 3D rendering.

Also, for this work environment, would it be worth going to the MBP 16" route? While I get that the MP is a more robust setup, I am wondering if the gains will be substantial to justify the much higher price tag.

I appreciate any feedback.

 

[Zdigital2015]

Hi,
I am wondering what would be the best configuration for motion graphics/design.
Mostly After Effects, Cinema 4D and Photoshop.
I'm assuming lots of RAM, fast hard drive for PS scratch disk and GPU for 3D rendering.

Also, for this work environment, would it be worth going to the MBP 16" route? While I get that the MP is a more robust setup, I am wondering if the gains will be substantial to justify the much higher price tag.

I appreciate any feedback.

8-core, 48GB DRAM, 1TB SSD, Vega II would be my recommendation...Cinema 4D tends to have a lot of single-core tasks, so clock speed is more important, and doesn’t tend to use gobs of DRAM, and unless you are doing huge panoramas, or stitching massive files together, 48GB is plenty for Photoshop. After Effects is also not very well multi-threaded, so more than 8-cores isn’t really necessary. The extra GPU oomph of the Vega II would be good to have as anything that moves to GPU rendering would then immediately benefit in the future.

Here are my sources -
https://www.pugetsystems.com/recommended/Recommended-Systems-for-Cinema-4D-166

https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/What-is-the-Best-CPU-for-Photography-2019-1620/


https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/What-is-the-Best-CPU-for-Video-Editing-2019-1633/

Hope this helps.

 

[gugy]

Thanks,
for Photoshop, my experience tells me lots of RAM is a good thing. My files are huge. 2gb.
Good to know about the cores. I was under the impression C4D needed a lot for rendering.
it seems that the MBP could be a viable option, since cores are not a huge issue for the programs. The only drawback will be the GPU.

 

[bsbeamer]

I picked up an MBP16,1 to replace an aging MBP. It’s fast, but it’s not a desktop. If you’re going to use in clamshell mode, maybe that’s closer.

It’s generally speaking about 25%-35% faster than MP5,1 for a lot but there are certain things that are slower (such as video encode 2-pass via CPU only with frame/resolution resize). Personally feel Catalina just isn’t as stable as Mojave either, but not a ton that I can do about that.

The fans do kick on during renders or high taxing. Generally it’s not an issue but you will notice it more. Not that it’s louder, but it’s more in your face since it’s a laptop vs desktop under a desk.

TB3 eGPU works well, but getting ~33% worse METAL performance with an RX 5700 XT in Catalina vs RX580 in MP5,1 in Mojave. GB5 benchmarks show RX580 ~15-20% better in METAL vs RX 5700 XT. This should not be happening. There are 40 compute units in 5700 vs 36 in 580. I assume it’s a driver issue and at Apple’s mercy to fix.

Did post a bunch of benchmark results in another thread in MBP forum and maybe in MP thread where similar question was asked. And tried to compare to MP5,1 whenever possible.

 

[gugy]

I picked up an MBP16,1 to replace an aging MBP. It’s fast, but it’s not a desktop. If you’re going to use in clamshell mode, maybe that’s closer.

It’s generally speaking about 25%-35% faster than MP5,1 for a lot but there are certain things that are slower (such as video encode 2-pass via CPU only with frame/resolution resize). Personally feel Catalina just isn’t as stable as Mojave either, but not a ton that I can do about that.

The fans do kick on during renders or high taxing. Generally it’s not an issue but you will notice it more. Not that it’s louder, but it’s more in your face since it’s a laptop vs desktop under a desk.

TB3 eGPU works well, but getting ~33% worse METAL performance with an RX 5700 XT in Catalina vs RX580 in MP5,1 in Mojave. GB5 benchmarks show RX580 ~15-20% better in METAL vs RX 5700 XT. This should not be happening. There are 40 compute units in 5700 vs 36 in 580. I assume it’s a driver issue and at Apple’s mercy to fix.

Did post a bunch of benchmark results in another thread in MBP forum and maybe in MP thread where similar question was asked. And tried to compare to MP5,1 whenever possible.

THANKS!
Yes, I definitely can see how a desktop can be faster, but I think the question is how much it would be for the three software programs I mentioned. My gut feeling is not so much. I guess I will need to wait and see some benchmark results.
I love desktops, but I am inclined to consider the MBP for the portability aspect and above all the cost. The MP configuration I put together will be around $10/11k. The MBP almost maxed out is $5k. Sure there is more power on the desktop, but I am trying to see if these savings I can put towards an XDR display and not lose so much power in my work environment.

 

[thisisnotmyname]

THANKS!
Yes, I definitely can see how a desktop can be faster, but I think the question is how much it would be for the three software programs I mentioned. My gut feeling is not so much. I guess I will need to wait and see some benchmark results.
I love desktops, but I am inclined to consider the MBP for the portability aspect and above all the cost. The MP configuration I put together will be around $10/11k. The MBP almost maxed out is $5k. Sure there is more power on the desktop, but I am trying to see if these savings I can put towards an XDR display and not lose so much power in my work environment.

Desktop replacement works for some people. I tend to go more specialized. I have an iPad Pro for when I want to be mobile but don't need to do anything taxing, MacBook Pro for mobile and need access to full version application and/or horsepower, but when I'm at a desk I prefer a desktop. Big screens (without docking), great thermals (MBPs get warm when run clamshell and I dislike open laptop with external display), and quiet. That said I know a lot of people are very productive on MBP and the more mobile format has advantages in flexibility.

 

[Successful Sorcerer]

These of course are completely different... (macbook pro and mac pro). It also depends if you're planning to buy the upgrades in the future. I'd also consider the iMac pro which in my opinion is better value instead of the low end mac pro, especially if you need a great display as well. The iMac pro 8 core, with Vega and Apple 64gb upgrade is about the same price as the base mac pro. You can upgrade ram in both mac pro and imac pro of course. You also get the 1tb ssd instead of 256gb.

tldr; more ram, ssd and awesome screen for the same price.

 

[gugy]

These of course are completely different... (macbook pro and mac pro). It also depends if you're planning to buy the upgrades in the future. I'd also consider the iMac pro which in my opinion is better value instead of the low end mac pro, especially if you need a great display as well. The iMac pro 8 core, with Vega and Apple 64gb upgrade is about the same price as the base mac pro. You can upgrade ram in both mac pro and imac pro of course. You also get the 1tb ssd instead of 256gb.

tldr; more ram, ssd and awesome screen for the same price.

Yes, the iMac Pro is definitely an option. Hopefully we will see an upgrade soon.