G5 Quad vs. MacPro Octo real world test result

having just made the jump to high-end intel mac from high-end G5. thought folks might enjoy seeeing my side by side FCP results. not precisely apples-to-apples due to ram difference. but in this case (as illustrated in my other post) that wont make an earth shattering difference...
---------------
G5 Quad
10.4.11
4.5 gigs ram
256meg vram
FCP 6.0.4
---------------
MacPro Octo
10.5.5
16 gigs ram
256meg vram
FCP 6.0.5
---------------

same FCP sequence;
30 sec tv spot. multi-layer composite with greenscreen. rendering to a single e-sata drive.
---------------
G5 Quad = 3min 47sec
---------------
MacPro Octo = 2min 23sec


a difference of 1min 24sec.

worth it? depending on your workload... i'd say YEP!

If you're gonna post test results, post all the critical machine information

You left out some pretty important info...like what the processors are in the 8-Core...the low end 2.8, 3.0 or the high end 3.2? Quite a noticable difference between these - especially between the low end 2.8 & the high end 3.2. Anyone doing a lot of grafix / compositing / 3D / compression work...recommend the 3.2 ($1600 more than the low end) with the NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT w/512MB VRAM ($150 more than the low end). It will all pay for itself FAST in render time saved. Speedy sucker. I tested one of these and compared renders to a Dual 2.5 G5...it took a 1 hour 45 minute render (for a single C4D 720p frame) down to 13 minutes.

And @ 256 MB Vram, you are using the low end video card so any GPU-related rendering will not be an earth-shattering increase in speed....

The Quad PPC is no slouch, BTW. Too bad it won't be supported in the near future because with a killer video card in it, it's a render beast in After Effects & Cinema4D

When life gives you dilemmas...make dilemmanade.

Holy Crap you put in 16 GB of ram? Something tells me you didn't put in Apple Ram ;-)

------------------------
Dean

"When I see you floating down the gutter I'll give you a bottle of wine."
Captain Beefheart, Trout Mask Replica.

>Something tells me you didn't put in Apple Ram

It's Joey's best known secret.



www.strypesinpost.com

Quote
all the critical machine information

sorry. it's the 2.8.

yeah, i looked at the 3.2 but to be honest, the speed tests i read gave it about a 10-20 sec jump on most of my typical day to day activities. and for me, that simply wasnt enough to justify the 50%+ additional price.

i do expect to put a more robust video card in it in the next few days.

i got my 16 gigs (in 8, 2 gig modules) from macsales (owc) for $359.

the ram upgrade from the standard 2gigs didnt have much of an effect on FCP [rendering] performance. WHAT DID was switching from firewire800 to e-SATA (on the same external iomega untramax quad interface drive) shaved 20-30 seconds off a 30 sec tv spot render.

where the ram made a HUGE diff was in after effects CS4 multiprocessor performance (thanks to jeff harrell for pointing out the AE MP preference settings) that cut times nearly in half render-wise.

Quote
The Quad PPC is no slouch, BTW. Too bad it won't be supported in the near future

.

YEP! and that future is here!

as mentioned in my previous thread - thats where this whole debacle began. i bought my adobe CS4 upgrade and found out mid-install, that AE was no longer PPC compatible : (

had to choose then and there to go forward or back...

wayne granzin Wrote:

> a difference of 1min 24sec.
>
> worth it? depending on your workload... i'd say
> YEP!


Definitely worth it! Especially for those working in long form. Imagine rendering a 90min show with TC burn!

Chi-Ho Lee
Film & Television Editor
Apple Certified Final Cut Pro Instructor

Thanks for the info...
So there is still life for my G5 Dual 2.5Ghz machine!





wayne granzin Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> having just made the jump to high-end intel mac
> from high-end G5. thought folks might enjoy
> seeeing my side by side FCP results. not precisely
> apples-to-apples due to ram difference. but in
> this case (as illustrated in my other post) that
> wont make an earth shattering difference...
> ---------------
> G5 Quad
> 10.4.11
> 4.5 gigs ram
> 256meg vram
> FCP 6.0.4
> ---------------
> MacPro Octo
> 10.5.5
> 16 gigs ram
> 256meg vram
> FCP 6.0.5
> ---------------
>
> same FCP sequence;
> 30 sec tv spot. multi-layer composite with
> greenscreen. rendering to a single e-sata drive.
> ---------------
> G5 Quad = 3min 47sec
> ---------------
> MacPro Octo = 2min 23sec
>
>
> a difference of 1min 24sec.
>
> worth it? depending on your workload... i'd say
> YEP!