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The Indie Dispatch - What the Mac Pro Means for Indies by John Neely Published on Aug 9, 2006 1:00 AM

Dispatches from the world of independent filmmaking.

The Indie Dispatch - What the Mac Pro Means for Indies

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The Mac Pro - note the dual optical drive bays

With the introduction of the Mac Pro desktop system at Apple’s ongoing WWDC event in San Francisco, Apple completed its migration to dual core Intel-based processors. During his keynote speech, Steve Jobs detailed the core specs of the new box with help from Phil Shiller, Apple’s Senior VP of Marketing. Evangelistic hyperbole aside, the Mac Pro looks like a promising system for creative pros who work in film and video – and despite the fact that it has yet to appear in our local Apple Store, the company claims Mac Pros are shipping now. The big question for current Mac users, and those who may be lured into jumping off the Windows ship, what kind of value the Mac Pro represents compared to both its PowerMac predecessors, and comparably equipped Windows-based systems.

It’s well known that Apple computers occupy a sliver of the overall personal computer market – less than 4%. It’s also well known that among those creative professionals who produce content of all kinds, from documentary films to web sites, the share is certainly higher. Among my own colleagues working in indie film, at least half work on OS X systems with Final Cut Pro, Avid or Adobe Premiere, and I’ve edited on a Mac Powerbook for years – mostly content. While I appreciate the fact that Macs are fast and easy to use, I have learned that it pays to view Apple’s new product introductions with a healthy degree of skepticism. My reaction to the Mac Pro announcement is no different. I can sum it up as follows: Looks great, but do I really need it now? And more importantly, is it priced right?

First, let’s take a look at the core specs for the “standard” Mac Pro configuration priced at $2499. The computer ships with 2 x 2.66 Ghz Dual-Core Intel Xeon processors, making this a “quad” processor unit like the G5 Quad. The top of the line G5 ran on a PowerPC 970 CPU manufactured by IBM, which was available with clock speeds of up to 2.5 Ghz. The new Intel Xeon processors should contribute to the Mac Pro’s speed over the G5, yet for non-linear editors, the speed jump is not exactly revolutionary. According to Apple, the standard configuration Mac Pro performs Final Cut Pro renders at 1.3 times the speed of the top-end Quad G5. Shell out another $800 for 2 x 3Ghz processors and the speed increases to 1.4 over the G5 benchmark.

For most editors, including myself, that speed jump alone is probably not worth an upgrade. Most of my work is in documentary film, and my projects tend to be relatively simple. I’ve never used more than eight video tracks, and even with safe RT turned on, I seldom encounter extensive sections of un-rendered, red-barred material in my timelines – and that’s working on a 1.67 Ghz G4 Powerbook with a “mere” 1.5 GB of RAM. On a newer Quad G5 system, I’m never slowed down.

The Power Mac G5 - only one optical drive and fewer front-side ports than the Mac Pro

For users who typically work with larger numbers of video tracks, on multi-camera projects with numerous windows open at the same time, the Mac Pro may be the smarter bet. Working with multiple viewer windows and many video tracks is processor and memory-intensive, so if you fall into this category, you’ll get more bang for your Mac Pro buck. An upgrade would also make sense for people who spend a significant amount of time rendering footage, as that’s another processor-intensive process, and the one usually mentioned in Final Cut Pro performance measures. When you’re working on a tight deadline, any increase in rendering speed can make the difference between getting home in time to watch the game, or watching the render bar while shouts of joy erupt from the bar across the street.

Getting back to the standard Mac Pro configuration, it ships with 1GB of 667Mhz DDR2 memory, which is at the lowest end of my comfort zone. For editors working with pro apps like FCP or Avid Xpress Pro, upgrading to at least 2GB (the minimum available upgrade through the Apple Store) is the way to go. The extra memory will set you back another $300, bringing the total price for the system to $2799. If 2GB isn’t enough, you can pack the box with up to a whopping 16GB of RAM, but you’ll pay for it, to the tune of $5700.

When it comes to hard drive space, the standard Mac Pro ships with a 250GB ATA drive spinning at 7200 rpm with a maximum transfer rate of 3Gb per second, but you can save $75 for a smaller 160 GB drive, or add $200 for a 500GB HD. The Mac Pro also has a total of four drive bays (twice the expandability of the G5) for up to two terabytes of total onboard storage. The additional bays are made possible because Intel’s Xeon chip is smaller, consumes less energy, and produces less heat than the PowerPC chip of the G5, allowing Apple to swap processor and fan space for additional bays and ports. This is a big enhancement for editors working on large projects. Internal drives add less clutter to a workspace, and cost less than comparable FireWire external drives. Configuring a Mac Pro with 2TB’s adds $1400 to the Apple store price, while budget-minded types may opt for third party drives with a lower maximum transfer rate. 500 GB Hitachi drives with a max transfer speed of 300MB per second can be found for less than $200.

Apple also offers numerous graphics options, starting with the NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT card, capable of supporting one 23 inch and one 30 inch display. For most editors this should be sufficient; my optimal set-up has consisted of two 19”-23” monitors. To run two 30-inchers – something that seemed like a fantasy only a few years ago – you’ll need to upgrade to an ATI Radeon X1900 XT for $350 extra. In addition to several other graphics options, the NVIDIA Quadro FX 4500 512MB, Stereo 3D is available for $1650 over the base GeForce 7300, but only 3-D modelers would realistically make use of that card’s significant power.

Finally, the new spaciousness of the Mac Pro’s enclosure allows for another optical drive bay. While the standard model ships with one SuperDrive, a second SuperDrive sets you back only $100. Needless to say, the ability to easily crank out DVD’s for clients has become as familiar a part of the NLE workflow much like recording VHS dubs were in the past. Two SuperDrives, in my mind, would be a no-brainer addition to a Mac Pro system.

So considering all of the above, here’s what  I see as a very solid Mac Pro editing configuration for a combination of SD and some HD editing that should fit the bill for the kind of work most indie filmmakers do:

Processor: Two 2.66GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon
While it’s possible to upgrade to 2 x 3Ghz processors, it doesn’t seem worth the $800 extra dollars. Likewise, a downgrade to 2 x 2Ghz processors saves $300, but the standard configuration seems the way to go here.

Memory: 4GB (4 x 1GB)
4GB should be ample for editing with a pro app like Final Cut Pro or Avid Xpress Pro, and provides enough headroom to simultaneously keep several other apps open, such as Apple Compressor, DVD Studio Pro and QuickTime Pro.

Hard Drive: 1 x 250GB 7200-rpm Serial ATA 3Gb/s and 1 x 500GB 7200-rpm Serial ATA 3Gb/s
750GB is not huge amount by today’s standards, but it does offer enough space to work on a well-organized project. As I mentioned above, third-party internal 500GB drives sufficient for standard definition video work are available for under $200, but if you do most of your work in HD, Apple’s drives will deliver better performance. I’d use the 250GB as my boot drive, and the 500GB as the primary media storage drive.

Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT 256MB (single-link DVI/dual-link DVI)
The base card supports two monitors – one 23” and one 30”. That’s plenty of screen real estate in my book.

Optical Drive: 2 x SuperDrives
Adding a second drive is a no-brainer addition for me, especially given that the second SuperDrive is only $100 extra. On the other hand, if you already have a trusty external DVD burner, this could be an area to trim your total price.

Wireless: Both Bluetooth 2.0+EDR and AirPort Extreme
Wireless on a desktop system is in my mind a cheap luxury. For $79, you can add Bluetooth and an Airport card to the Mac Pro. For me, the ability to forgo a few more wires behind the desk with a wireless keyboard and mouse is worth a modest expenditure.

AppleCare Protection Plan (APP)
AppleCare is a must have. While working in South Africa, my Power Mac system unexpectedly konked out, and my AppleCare Protection Plan saved the day. Without ACC, I would have paid local rates for the repair and materials, and that would have easily exceeded the original cost of the system! You are definitely better safe than sorry.

Subtotal: $4427