Need Mac Pro Configuration for Aperture

[kschwarz]

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I was wondering if anyone had suggestions on the configuration of a Mac Pro for Aperture to get the best performance. The question is where will the investment in the equipment pay off for the best speed boost. The variables are listed below, and each has it's own cost. The problem is, I do not know which opions are worth the investment. An suggestions? Thanks in advance for your help.

 

1. Processor speed/number (Dual vs. Quad Core - up to +$1500)

2. RAM (4 GB at +$700 or 8 GB at +$1700)

3. Video board (standard NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT 256MB (stock), vs. ATI Radeon X1900 XT 512MB (+$100) vs. NVIDIA Quadro FX 4500 512MB (+$1400)

[Bert Stynen]

I have been struggling on the issue of buying Aperture or Lightroom. Being an enthusiastic Apple-products fan, I was drawn to Aperture, but after having downloaded the trial-version 1.5 on my MacBook (not a “Pro”) I was very disappointed with the steep hardware requirements. Working on my photo’s took way too much time to enjoy the program. As I love notebooks (I can sit anywhere in my house, and do my work in bed, on the breakfast-table, …) I was not prepared to invest in a heavier static system.

 

Eventually I tried Lightroom, and this was a very different ballgame. My MacBook with 1 Gb of RAM could effortlessly work on the photo’s.

 

The decision was quickly made, and I haven’t regret my purchase for a second. The UI is every bit as Apple-like as Aperture itself, but the program is a lot faster, and is developing quickly (now version 1.1).

 

Bert

[bernd_muc]

1. Processor speed/number (Dual vs. Quad Core - up to +$1500)

Twice as many cores should give you a boost, though not two times as fast. If you have the money, go for it (or test it at an Apple Store near you first). I think that two DualCore processors are fast enough to work fluently.

 

2. RAM (4 GB at +$700 or 8 GB at +$1700)

The more RAM, the better. But don't buy it at Apple - go to crucial.com (Micron's factory outlet) or your dealer of trust and get some brand memory there (Infineon/Quimonda, Micron, etc.). As Aperture probably currently is 32 bit, it can't use more than 4 GB... This will change with Leopard and then a probably new version of Aperture (but I don't know the current 64-bit savvyness for sure - i.e. not being there). Looking at crucial.com, I'd get two sets of the 2GBx2 - at ~$400 a set - (or one in addition to what is installed).

 

3. Video board (standard NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT 256MB (stock), vs. ATI Radeon X1900 XT 512MB (+$100) vs. NVIDIA Quadro FX 4500 512MB (+$1400)

Most calculations are done in the CPU, so a super-high-end graphics card won't help much. Aperture might use CoreImage to do some things on the graphics card but I think that the stock card is enough for that. I guess it's a matter of taste if you prefer ATI or NVidia.

 

Bernd

 

P.S.: There are just suggestions, so don't hold me responsible for anything

[fjmcsu]

Karl,

I agree with you statements regarding Aperture & Lightroom as I use both.I run a G5 "Quad-core" 2.5 PowerPC & the biggest help was adding more RAM ,& as stated I purchased the minimum from Apple & bought the rest third party & it works well.

[gwelland]

Karl,

 

For Aperture it is worth investing in the X1900XT video card because it's one of the few applications that will take advantage of the speed of the GPU (Graphics processor). The difference in performance between the 7300GT and X1900XT is noticable with Aperture. For everything else, including Photoshop or Lightroom it makes practically no difference at all - the 7300GT is just fine. I don't think there's much point in going for the Quadro FX unless you're doing scientific visualization type of stuff because you're getting essentially the same performance from the X1900XT for a LOT less money.

 

If you get a machine with the 7300GT and decide to upgrade, I'd recommend replacing the card as opposed to adding an X1900XT and running the 7300GT alongside it. I had compatibility problems in this mode and had to run 2x X1900XT instead (I have 3 screens which requires 2 video cards).

 

I have the 8-way box but in reality you'll do just fine with a Dual Core 2. I also run Aperture on my MacBookPro 17 and it's just fine with the Dual Core 2 on that box.

 

Memory - yes this makes a difference. 4GB and up would be the recommendation for a desktop machine. Whilst the app might only take advantage of 4GB per instance, having more will allow the rest of the system to run alongside without swapping out. This applies to both Aperture and also Photoshop/Lightroom etc. I have 8GB in my 8-way box and I often see it running up to 7GB+ at times with normal apps running, PS CS3 with Aperture or Lightroom, email, web browser, productivity apps in the background etc. On my MacBookPro Aperture runs just fine within a 3GB machine.

 

As mentioned, RAM is cheaper from Mac specialists vs Apple, although they've dropped their prices significantly recently.

 

In summary, the main machine's CPU and RAM would be the same for a fast machine for either Aperture or Lightroom/Photoshop. For Aperture, get the faster video card.

[kschwarz]

Thank you all for your help!

[Eoin]

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I only read this thread this morning and I can't stress the importance of GPU to aperture. For the $100 price of the X1900XT it is a most worthwhile investment. The Quadro is an overkill and quite old at this stage, however serious thought needs to be given to screen size and number of screens used as this has a direct impact on visual performance and slider response. 2 screen setups will slow the system by as much as 100%(half). As will 30in as opposed to 23in screens.

 

Ram is another huge factor, for less page swapping 4gb is about minimum it will how ever run on 2gb but as you get into the workflow you'll notice slowdowns. Apple Ram is to darn expensive, look at 3rd party ram such as suggested here.

 

Dual v Quad core, and the price, is a tough call for aperture, if your using CS3 then perhaps Quad, but Aperture runs well on Dual and slightly faster on Quad, is it worth $1500 for the speed, I don't think so, not when you combine the total cost of extra ram, GPU and Quad, it becomes outrageous for the speed boost.

 

However, all the above being said, Aperture is due for an update, perhaps v2 and we have no idea what the system requirements will be for that, so perhaps that should be factored into your decision. For the current version(v1.5), 1 monitor, dual core, X1900XT & 4Gb ram will give you a fairly responsive system.