Mac Pro 2019 W5700x for Davinci not amazing?

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everytuesday

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Mac Pro 2019 W5700x for Davinci not amazing?

PostFri Apr 16, 2021 11:25 pm

I've heard the W5700x single / dual gpu's are not amazing for resolve. Can anyone confirm this or at least speak to the use of them vs. the pro vega II. I'm considering a Mac Pro and want to me the best decision to get a smooth grading and editing experience with 4k/6k footage. Thanks!
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Marc Wielage

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Re: Mac Pro 2019 W5700x for Davinci not amazing?

PostSat Apr 17, 2021 1:45 am

We went with one Radeon Pro Vega II Duo in the 2019 Mac Pro, and it's been fine thus far. We also added a 4TB SSD as a data drive, a 2TB SSD boot drive, and 256GB of RAM, and we're generally satisfied with it. Things can slow down if we have a very long (40-50 minutes+) 4K timeline with a ton of color grades and NR, but you can tweak the Performance settings to get real time playback. Neat Video or anything like that still has to be cached.

BTW, we were surprised to discover somebody who tested the machine with two Radeon Pro Vega II Duos (4 total GPUs), and they only saw about a 5-10% performance increase at most. So there is a limit on "how high is up."
marc wielage, csi • VP/color & workflow • chroma | hollywood
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Uli Plank

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Re: Mac Pro 2019 W5700x for Davinci not amazing?

PostSat Apr 17, 2021 2:00 am

IIRC there were some comparisons where only Linux showed an advantage when using more than 3 GPUs, even 3 already tended to diminishing returns under Windows and MacOS.

But regarding Macs, I'd be hesitant to invest into Intel machines these days at that price level. Either wait for the ARM-based Mac Pro or get a good AMD-based PC if you need it right now. See my sig, I write this as someone having Macs for private use.

Intels's future doesn't look great these days.
No, an iGPU is not enough, and you can't use HEVC 10 bit 4:2:2 in the free version.

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everytuesday

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Re: Mac Pro 2019 W5700x for Davinci not amazing?

PostSat Apr 17, 2021 2:33 am

Marc Wielage wrote:We went with one Radeon Pro Vega II Duo in the 2019 Mac Pro, and it's been fine thus far.


Thanks Marc for the insight. Honestly I like hearing the word fine haha. It means it gets the job done without you needing to go on about problems or issues you've experienced.

Uli Plank wrote:I'd be hesitant to invest into Intel machines these days at that price level.


Yea Intel is a tricky one. I think on one hand you have a point, on the other it's so far out that it is too far to predict. I do agree it's not good for Intel that Apple and Nvidia are ditching their chips. I've also read that Apple will continue to support intel chips for the Mac Pro into the future(I mean its not like they are going out of business.) I personally don't think Apple is ready yet to compete with AMD and Nvidia on a dedicated GPU platform just yet. Which is more my main concern given that more and more work is given to the GPU. In 10 years will I be able to get parts for the Mac Pro 2019?

As for the PC route, yes its cheaper. Yes it can be more performant, but its windows. I always have issues with Windows machines. I grew up building PC's and its just a lot of tinkering with hardware/drivers. So I pay more upfront with Apple and I have less hassle on the day to day. That has been my experience, but I also haven't built a PC in the last 8 years.
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Uli Plank

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Re: Mac Pro 2019 W5700x for Davinci not amazing?

PostSat Apr 17, 2021 7:46 am

This is my experience too.

But the future may not be that far away, since AMD and Microsoft are preparing for the ARMs race too and Intel definitely doesn't have the pole position.

Two years ago we put more modern CPUs and GPUs into our old "Cheesegrater" MacPros and could squeeze some more life out of them. Will you be able to do that with todays MavPro in eight years? Better calculate to earn your money back in less time. Well, those old workhorses earned their money a few times by now.
No, an iGPU is not enough, and you can't use HEVC 10 bit 4:2:2 in the free version.

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everytuesday

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Re: Mac Pro 2019 W5700x for Davinci not amazing?

PostSat Apr 17, 2021 2:29 pm

Uli Plank wrote:This is my experience too.


If I was to pursue the PC route, if Apple doesn't come out with a 32" m1x iMac, what options do I have that I can build a machine similar to how you build/configure one on Apple's website? A couple sites I have been to are all out of graphics cards so there's that.

Thanks for the help!
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Uli Plank

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Re: Mac Pro 2019 W5700x for Davinci not amazing?

PostSun Apr 18, 2021 2:20 am

Puget Systems are very experienced.
But the general shortage of GPUs is a serious problem for anybody who needs a new machine for DR.
No, an iGPU is not enough, and you can't use HEVC 10 bit 4:2:2 in the free version.

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Trensharo

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Re: Mac Pro 2019 W5700x for Davinci not amazing?

PostMon Apr 19, 2021 9:46 am

everytuesday wrote:As for the PC route, yes its cheaper. Yes it can be more performant, but its windows. I always have issues with Windows machines. I grew up building PC's and its just a lot of tinkering with hardware/drivers.

Most "issues with windows" lie between the PC and the chair.

Windows is about as hands-on as macOS, these days...

If you're building PCs with disparate parts, then of course it's going to be a lot of tinkering with Hardware and Drivers. What do you think building a PC entails? Fitting Legos together? That is not the ordinary experience of a person who buys a PC. Most people buy pre-assembled PCs, and generally things like driver maintenance are automated (esp. now that most vendor drivers are updated via Windows Update, and the Control Software has been put on the Windows Store).

You can't build a Mac, per se (discounting Hackintosh), so there really isn't any comparative benchmark. The only thing comparable is a Linux PC, and that's indistinguishable from a Windows PC in all ways except the OS and the software running on it... and I don't think anyone can claim that Linux is less PC maintenance than Windows.

And even if you could "build" a Mac, you have to weigh the freedom to use a greater variety of hardware in a Windows system vs. the very limited hardware support in macOS - comparatively speaking. For example, there was a point in time when only certain brands of SSDs supported TRIM in macOS, so, you had to cherry pick what brand you bought if you wanted to update a MacBook HDD with a SATA SSD.

Many people simply prefer macOS as an operating platform to Windows 10. That's really the only legitimate difference between the two - beyond comparing the quality of hardware coming out of various OEMs to Apple's systems...

For me, they are literally interchangeable. I don't really care which OS I use, so it comes down to cost and value proposition. The reason I stopped buying Macs is because they are bad value for the dollar and a pad long term investment due to limited upgrade options. I don't like being forced to pay huge overages for specs I may or may not need simply to guard against the possibility that I may need it later, but not have the capability to add it myself (RAM, Storage) - on top of the limited GPU options.

I also don't want any AIO machines, and I don't see a point in buy a Mac Pro when I can buy or build a perfectly usable AMD desktop system for far less cost.
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Trensharo

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Re: Mac Pro 2019 W5700x for Davinci not amazing?

PostMon Apr 19, 2021 9:48 am

Uli Plank wrote:Puget Systems are very experienced.
But the general shortage of GPUs is a serious problem for anybody who needs a new machine for DR.

The prices have reach the level of insanity, Lol. It's actually hilarious. I weep for anyone who was thinking about building a PC 8 or so months ago, but decided to wait for new CPUs/GPUs to release and were bitten by this. Must feel bad...

You can't even buy a budget GPU for < $450 or so, anymore, Lol.
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Uli Plank

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Re: Mac Pro 2019 W5700x for Davinci not amazing?

PostMon Apr 19, 2021 1:21 pm

With quite bit of virtual money destroyed yesterday, there's hope…
No, an iGPU is not enough, and you can't use HEVC 10 bit 4:2:2 in the free version.

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everytuesday

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Re: Mac Pro 2019 W5700x for Davinci not amazing?

PostTue Apr 20, 2021 11:19 pm

Puget actually has video cards in stock it seems, at least the high end stuff. Can anyone speak to how silent their computers run vs. the Mac Pro 2019? The prices while not 50% less than a Mac Pro, are def much cheaper which I guess depends on which spec you are looking at.

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