Configuration for an older Mac pro

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william_alexander

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Configuration for an older Mac pro

PostFri Nov 23, 2012 8:10 pm

Hello everyone,

I am running Davinci Resolve Lite on a Mac Pro v2.1 (Dual quad core Intel Xeon 3 Ghz, 16 Gb Ram). I have Mac OS X 10.6.8 and a GeForce 8800 GT.

Currently it is a bad start : the Lite version of the program does not run well at all. I get a lot of errors such as "Your GPU memory is full", "Your current hardware configuration is not able to support maximum realtime performance", and when I try to work with Prores footage, I also get black footage and the error : "Error occured while opening video clip XXX using QTDecoder", until I restart the program.

Also, I have noticed that DaVinci does not use all my RAM, which is a shame because I have lots of it.

Any advice?

Thanks!
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Elliott Balsley

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Re: Configuration for an older Mac pro

PostFri Nov 23, 2012 8:53 pm

That machine is severely underpowered for running Resolve. The memory speeds, bus speeds, and GPU are your biggest limitations. You should definitely buy a new GPU that is supported by Resolve, but you'll never get PCIe 2.0 speeds with that motherboard.
You'll also be limited by the wattage of your PSU, so keep that in mind when upgrading graphics cards. Does that computer have any 6-pin PCIe aux power connections? If not, your best bet might be one or two Quadro 4000's. But for that cost, you might as well buy a new machine.

Prores only works if you have installed one of Apple's pro video apps (FCP, Compressor, etc.)
Elliott C. Balsley
DIT, Colorist, Cinematographer
www.llamafilm.com
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william_alexander

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Re: Configuration for an older Mac pro

PostFri Nov 23, 2012 9:15 pm

I have the FCS 6 and the ProRes codec is installed.
Thank you for the advice, I'll change my whole computer when I have the money ! For now, if I understand well, a new graphics card such as the Quadro is not going to change things a lot, is it?

That QTDecoder error is my main issue right now. When it works, editing 1080p ProRes works pretty well.
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Elliott Balsley

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Re: Configuration for an older Mac pro

PostSun Nov 25, 2012 5:17 am

I think a Quadro 4000 would be a significant improvement for you, mainly when working with several nodes, but I'm not certain of that. If you have a way to borrow one, that would be great, then you can run the Standard Candle test with and without it.
Which flavor of Prores are you trying to use? FCP 6 does not support the newer ones, like LT and Proxy.
Elliott C. Balsley
DIT, Colorist, Cinematographer
www.llamafilm.com
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Elliott Balsley

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Re: Configuration for an older Mac pro

PostSun Nov 25, 2012 8:07 am

You might also want to upgrade your OS, as Resolve 9 requires 10.7 or 10.8.
Elliott C. Balsley
DIT, Colorist, Cinematographer
www.llamafilm.com

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