iMac 21.5" mid-2011 Resolve 9 performance

Hey all!

I think I just copy here my findings from the other site....

I got the BMCC 2.5K today! I wish I hadn't because I need to concentrate on other stuff for a few days, but with the BMCC arrived... it will be hard

I checked my iMac (2.5Ghz, i5, 8GB 1333 RAM, Ati Radeon 6750M 512MB ram) with some prores files and a few seconds long 2.5K RAW file. I could "work" with it, and the 10 seconds footage required a 1 minute transcoding into ProRes 422 HQ 2400x1350 resolution. So it's slow, but working.

(After installing Resolve I got a license error.... it took me a while until I figured that this is why the USB is enclosed in the package...

UPDATE:
I tested the iMac with some RAW transcoding....

I shot 20 minutes RAW (1x 10 min and 2x 5 min parts). It was 144GB. I copied them from the SSD to the G-Drive via USB 3. It took 15 minutes.

I opened the 3 files (3 folders) in Resolve. Just toyed with it. Nothing quality work, just to make sure the image has some adjustment for transcoding test.

This 20 minute 2.5K raw footage was then converted to ProRes PROXY. Total time: 1 hour and 12 minutes. Not bad for a machine which most of you said not to be capable of doing it, ha?

So based on this short test I'm considering shooting RAW even more.

I used a G-Drive 3TB with FW 800 connected to the iMac. RAW is on the G-Drive, output to internal HDD in iMac. I realized that the USBs on iMac are just USB2 ports...

Unfortunately the camera doesn't charge.... I don't know the reason but I'm kinda angry right now...

Good to hear you have it all working.

The USB dongle in the box is your license. So you need to look after it. You can install the software on any machine and use the same dongle.

I think the reason most were saying the iMac would not work is because as soon as you start to add additional colour correction nodes there will not be enough power or RAM in the GPU to manage. Just doing a simple colour balance an exporting does not even scratch the surface of what Resolve can do on a decent system.

As for the charging issue. Have you made sure the plug adaptor on the charger is making proper contact the the charger contacts? They can get bent when you swap/connect the plug pins.

Yes, I checked the plug and it was a connection issue.... Fortunately nothing more. I won't be changing between different plugs so I hope won't run into the same problem.

As for Resolve... I'm new to Resolve and color grading also in terms of moving images. I'm going to get the Ripple Training for Resolve 9 as a basis, but this is just for the testing period. I really want to get a professional colorist to grade my movie. As of now I think I'm going to shoot RAW, so he has plenty of room left for grading and correction. Maybe it will cost money, but a good colorist can make night and day difference to a well shot footage.

Just thinking... Is it possible to set a maximum fps for Resolve when transcoding? I mean, my iMac could do the conversion, but the little GPU sign at the top of the window was almost full all the time. So I thought it would be great to make it easier to the machine and maximize the fps, lets say 5-6fps.... It would take a little bit more time but would be easier on the machine...

Anybody ? Couldnt find anything on the subject...

Just thinking... Is it possible to set a maximum fps for Resolve when transcoding? I mean, my iMac could do the conversion, but the little GPU sign at the top of the window was almost full all the time. So I thought it would be great to make it easier to the machine and maximize the fps, lets say 5-6fps.... It would take a little bit more time but would be easier on the machine...

That indicator is telling you how much of the GPU is being used. Lowering the FPS would just use less of the GUP not really any benefit other than perhaps using less electricity.