Hello!Considering that my computer is the late 2009 iMac and does not run Adobe CS6 or 3D modeling programs very well at all, I've decided it's probably time to purchase a new computer.Firstly: what I already know. Please don't debate these unless I am making a serious mistake.
It will be a iMac.
Latest generation (2013)
27 inch monitor
Based on what I've heard, two graphics cards and two processors are my options:
My only concern with the 775M is the video memory—I've found that runs rather high in graphics editing, and I'm not sure if 2GB quite cuts it for the future.I have no clue about processors though.
Could you explain a bit further? I'd like to use Mac OS X due to work-related reasons, and I don't support illegal use of the operating system (i.e hackintosh) but if there's a serious flaw in the product, I might reconsider.
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Quote from Fermat »
I have discovered a truly remarkable proof of this, which this margin is too small to contain.
[;/quote]
eg.?I fail to see how it's illegal.
The serious flaw is the lack of support in the OS coupled with insane margins and poor components on the hardware itself.
If you want to run Adobe programs and modeling extremely well, getting an actual desktop is your only real option.
e.g everyone else uses it, so it makes the most sense if I needed help with a task and for compatibility. I've had issues with photoshop between OS X and Windows.
I should rephrase the illegal part: it's a violation of Apple's EULA.
Lack of support of what? Do those above components work for photoshop/illustrator and modeling? To be honest, both programs work to some extent on my current Mac, and considering the 4-year gap I presume at least one of those processors and graphics cards would be sufficient.
If you want an iMac get an iMac... theres no reason to force a platform on someone who's comfortable where they are. And thats coming from a PC guy. As for the config options, if you are doing a buttload of video transcoding, you will notice a difference between the i5 and i7, otherwise just get the i5. For the video card, honestly I have no idea how much graphics memory 3D modeling requires at least for any work you would be doing on an iMac, but I somehow doubt it needs as much as, say BF4 which I run on 2GB fine. Remember, in the rare circumstance that you go over your 2GB vRAM it will just cut into your RAM temporarily with a slight performance loss. But 99% of the time you should be fine.
If you want an iMac get an iMac... theres no reason to force a platform on someone who's comfortable where they are. And thats coming from a PC guy. As for the config options, if you are doing a buttload of video transcoding, you will notice a difference between the i5 and i7, otherwise just get the i5. For the video card, honestly I have no idea how much graphics memory 3D modeling requires at least for any work you would be doing on an iMac, but I somehow doubt it needs as much as, say BF4 which I run on 2GB fine. Remember, in the rare circumstance that you go over your 2GB vRAM it will just cut into your RAM temporarily with a slight performance loss. But 99% of the time you should be fine.
Thanks for your advice! I'll see what a few others have to say but that's an excellent starting point.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Quote from Fermat »
I have discovered a truly remarkable proof of this, which this margin is too small to contain.
[;/quote]
Agreed with above, i7 will make a difference depending on what modeling you are doing and for video editing. As for the gpu, I know that most things are gpu accelerated now but I'm not entirely sure how the vram comes into play with it. However, faster gpu should make a difference for the things that can use gpu acceleration so the extra power of the 780m would make a difference even if the vram does not.
EDIT: Just realised I'm not sure if either of the cards are supported (or will be supported) for gpu acceleration in CS6. If the ARE the 780m will make a difference, if not then you may as well stick with the the cheaper 775m
Agreed with above, i7 will make a difference depending on what modeling you are doing and for video editing. As for the gpu, I know that most things are gpu accelerated now but I'm not entirely sure how the vram comes into play with it. However, faster gpu should make a difference for the things that can use gpu acceleration so the extra power of the 780m would make a difference even if the vram does not.
EDIT: Just realised I'm not sure if either of the cards are supported (or will be supported) for gpu acceleration in CS6. If the ARE the 780m will make a difference, if not then you may as well stick with the the cheaper 775m
From research, though the main Adobe website isn't fully updated, the 775M and 780M support gpu acceleration.
You are all conspiring to make me spend more money.
No, but in all reality: could you explain what gpu acceleration is? Adobe tells some of the benefits of it, but what is it actually doing? Is it a hardware or software feature, etc.?
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Quote from Fermat »
I have discovered a truly remarkable proof of this, which this margin is too small to contain.
[;/quote]
From research, though the main Adobe website isn't fully updated, the 775M and 780M support gpu acceleration.
You are all conspiring to make me spend more money.
No, but in all reality: could you explain what gpu acceleration is? Adobe tells some of the benefits of it, but what is it actually doing? Is it a hardware or software feature, etc.?
GPU acceleration means that there will be direct calculation on the cards instead of going through layers of software for the calculation.
Do you feel that having a Mac would be the best option for you in terms of work? I'm not concerned about the performance.
GPU acceleration means that there will be direct calculation on the cards instead of going through layers of software for the calculation.
Do you feel that having a Mac would be the best option for you in terms of work? I'm not concerned about the performance.
I could get the most help from colleagues with a Mac, and I'm still not fluent in the modeling software we use. Thanks for the explanation of GPU acceleration as well.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Quote from Fermat »
I have discovered a truly remarkable proof of this, which this margin is too small to contain.
[;/quote]
I could get the most help from colleagues with a Mac, and I'm still not fluent in the modeling software we use. Thanks for the explanation of GPU acceleration as well.
In all honesty, you'd probably be best going with the higher end specs.
In all honesty, you'd probably be best going with the higher end specs.
All right. Going to go see if that fits into my budget, I might be having a bit more ramen this year though.
Completely off-topic: dechristmasified my avatar.
If you REALLY want a Mac, get one of the older Mac Pros and throw a flashed 7950 into it. That should be decent for rendering at a much lower cost.
Hmm... my main issue is that it doesn't seem like it will be supported much longer, as well as the fact that the 7650 doesn't seem to support Adobe products as well as NVIDIA.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Quote from Fermat »
I have discovered a truly remarkable proof of this, which this margin is too small to contain.
[;/quote]
Hmm... my main issue is that it doesn't seem like it will be supported much longer, as well as the fact that the 7650 doesn't seem to support Adobe products as well as NVIDIA.
It doesn't matter. it is quite possibly the best mac for the buck, From what I recall it's fully upgradeable and an actual desktop.
Proud member of the MCF AWA war of '13! if someone suggests Alienware or Cyberpower, wait for a custom-built list from someone who knows their stuff. Meh Rig
My bad, I mistyped though I searched the 7950.
Again, though, I feel that the Mac Pro will not be supported in a year or two, and a few years later Adobe wouldn't support it, so it would be a rather useless purchase.
The new 27" iMac is at least upgradable for hard drive, RAM, and CPU, though I'm not sure about graphics card. Looks like it though.
Is the 7950 enough of an upgrade from the 780M, even if the 7950 doesn't support the optimizations Adobe has for NVIDIA cards?
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Quote from Fermat »
I have discovered a truly remarkable proof of this, which this margin is too small to contain.
[;/quote]
My bad, I mistyped though I searched the 7950.
Again, though, I feel that the Mac Pro will not be supported in a year or two, and a few years later Adobe wouldn't support it, so it would be a rather useless purchase.
The new 27" iMac is at least upgradable for hard drive, RAM, and CPU, though I'm not sure about graphics card. Looks like it though.
Is the 7950 enough of an upgrade from the 780M, even if the 7950 doesn't support the optimizations Adobe has for NVIDIA cards?
Unless Apple is a real idiot, the Mac pro will be able to support all new versions of their operating system. The 27" iMac i assume is the all in one? (just monitor and no tower of any kind) in which case, no you can't upgrade it at all. Also, IIRC Adobe and AMD have been working together to use the OpenCL abilities of their GPUs.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Proud member of the MCF AWA war of '13! if someone suggests Alienware or Cyberpower, wait for a custom-built list from someone who knows their stuff. Meh Rig
Unless Apple is a real idiot, the Mac pro will be able to support all new versions of their operating system. The 27" iMac i assume is the all in one? (just monitor and no tower of any kind) in which case, no you can't upgrade it at all. Also, IIRC Adobe and AMD have been working together to use the OpenCL abilities of their GPUs.
At least with imac models from a year or two ago, you CAN upgrade them although they do use mobile parts for ram and whatnot so the parts are usually very pricey.
Processors:
3.4 GHz Quad-core Intel Core i5
3.5 GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7
Graphics Cards:
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 775M 2GB GDDR5
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M 4GB GDDR5
My only concern with the 775M is the video memory—I've found that runs rather high in graphics editing, and I'm not sure if 2GB quite cuts it for the future.I have no clue about processors though.
You're making a serious mistake.
Could you explain a bit further? I'd like to use Mac OS X due to work-related reasons, and I don't support illegal use of the operating system (i.e hackintosh) but if there's a serious flaw in the product, I might reconsider.
The serious flaw is the lack of support in the OS coupled with insane margins and poor components on the hardware itself.
If you want to run Adobe programs and modeling extremely well, getting an actual desktop is your only real option.
e.g everyone else uses it, so it makes the most sense if I needed help with a task and for compatibility. I've had issues with photoshop between OS X and Windows.
I should rephrase the illegal part: it's a violation of Apple's EULA.
Lack of support of what? Do those above components work for photoshop/illustrator and modeling? To be honest, both programs work to some extent on my current Mac, and considering the 4-year gap I presume at least one of those processors and graphics cards would be sufficient.
Thanks for your advice! I'll see what a few others have to say but that's an excellent starting point.
EDIT: Just realised I'm not sure if either of the cards are supported (or will be supported) for gpu acceleration in CS6. If the ARE the 780m will make a difference, if not then you may as well stick with the the cheaper 775m
From research, though the main Adobe website isn't fully updated, the 775M and 780M support gpu acceleration.
You are all conspiring to make me spend more money.
No, but in all reality: could you explain what gpu acceleration is? Adobe tells some of the benefits of it, but what is it actually doing? Is it a hardware or software feature, etc.?
GPU acceleration means that there will be direct calculation on the cards instead of going through layers of software for the calculation.
Do you feel that having a Mac would be the best option for you in terms of work? I'm not concerned about the performance.
"Programmers never repeat themselves. They loop."
I could get the most help from colleagues with a Mac, and I'm still not fluent in the modeling software we use. Thanks for the explanation of GPU acceleration as well.
In all honesty, you'd probably be best going with the higher end specs.
"Programmers never repeat themselves. They loop."
All right. Going to go see if that fits into my budget, I might be having a bit more ramen this year though.
Completely off-topic: dechristmasified my avatar.
Hmm... my main issue is that it doesn't seem like it will be supported much longer, as well as the fact that the 7650 doesn't seem to support Adobe products as well as NVIDIA.
It doesn't matter. it is quite possibly the best mac for the buck, From what I recall it's fully upgradeable and an actual desktop.
and we're not talking about the 7650, but a overpriced but good looking MAC 7950.
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202027
if someone suggests Alienware or Cyberpower, wait for a custom-built list from someone who knows their stuff. Meh Rig
My bad, I mistyped though I searched the 7950.
Again, though, I feel that the Mac Pro will not be supported in a year or two, and a few years later Adobe wouldn't support it, so it would be a rather useless purchase.
The new 27" iMac is at least upgradable for hard drive, RAM, and CPU, though I'm not sure about graphics card. Looks like it though.
Is the 7950 enough of an upgrade from the 780M, even if the 7950 doesn't support the optimizations Adobe has for NVIDIA cards?
Unless Apple is a real idiot, the Mac pro will be able to support all new versions of their operating system. The 27" iMac i assume is the all in one? (just monitor and no tower of any kind) in which case, no you can't upgrade it at all. Also, IIRC Adobe and AMD have been working together to use the OpenCL abilities of their GPUs.
if someone suggests Alienware or Cyberpower, wait for a custom-built list from someone who knows their stuff. Meh Rig
At least with imac models from a year or two ago, you CAN upgrade them although they do use mobile parts for ram and whatnot so the parts are usually very pricey.