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Speed of V11.5, G5 & Tiger


DDDesign

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I've just been offered a good deal on a dual 2GHz G5 Mac. I'm currently using a 867Mhz Ti Powerbook. I do a lot of rendering, so I would hope to get a decent speed increase - if it were a Cinema 4D render I would expect a five-fold increase. However, some of the recent discusions about the speed of VW11.5 & G5's in this forum concern me. I've got no idea what to expect. Does anyone have any ideas? Has NNA ever done any bench testing?

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Hi David

Who told you you would get a five fold increase with Cinema 4D? whilst there can be no doubt that all programs should incease in speed I'm not sure something in the region of five fold would be true, nice but I doubt it.

Of course Cinema will take advantage and use the fact you'll now have dual processors. Something only the Renderworks part of Vectorworks would benefit directly from.

I've not used my companies newly purchased Daul G5 2 ghz machine to work in Cinema but I've no compliants as regards VW11.5 in Tiger so far. No perceivable slowness compared to my Windows 3.2 ghz machine at home running 10.5 and the 20" Apple screen is lovely, nice clear drawing area with palettes to the side. Wish you had the docking and roll up options of Windows but hey can't have everything.

You will see an improvement no doubt, but if you take the view that from feedback the Windows version of VW is faster etc, would you buy a Windows PC instead?

If not the Dual G5 2Hz to me is a great buy.

Alan

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Hey DDD,

I have a Dual 1G G4 at home, and I use a Dual 2.5 G here at the office. Both of them run Cinema 4D 9. I find quite a large speed increase between my G4 and the G5. I think you will be happy.

VW runs slow on all machines I have tried from G4's to G5's to PCs.

I would guess between the 2, I get at least double the speed in rendering.

Eddie

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Alan,

Increase in speed for Cinema is based on a Macworld bench test - I think Feb 04 where they compared 1GHz G4 to dual 2GHz G5, showing a 4 fold increase. I've extrapolated for my 867MHz.

I don't use Cinema either, but in the absence of other data directly relevant to VW, it seems the best comparason.

No I wouldn't move to Windows, because apart from the cost of replacing all my other software, and having to get used to another system, I reckon I save more time from having an OS that's stable and resistant to virus attacks. But I suspected you knew that:-)

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Hi Eddie, thanks for reply, but surely you would expect at least a doubling of speed based on clock speed alone between your 1Ghz and 2.5GHz computers! What I'm getting at is - isn't a G5 -especially a dual - supposed to give superior performance? If it doesn't I'd be almost better off just to get a faster G4 - and save some money.

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Hi David

I think it true to say that whilst one program can show a marked increase in performance from changing machine, operating system or OS upgrade, I don't think it is true to say all programs will.

A lot depends on how each program was written.

The latest version of Cinema has been released, and is a 64 bit version of its current 32 bit application.

Both will continue to be released but by all accounts the 64 bit runs faster on the same machine because much of the old stuff needed in the 32 bit version has been removed and as such the 64 version on the same spec machine runs faster.

Sadly this is only available in Windows. They have not released a 64 bit version for Apple because despite all the marketing etc. from Apple, Tiger is not a true 64 bit OS and as such they (Maxon) cannot release a 64 bit version. This may be true for Vectorworks as well.

The cost of buying a G4, fine machine as it is, and given the fact Apple machines hold their resale value well, would have me going that little bit further and get a new G5, in that way buying into today's technology rather than yesterdays.

I'd love a old Quicksilver G4 as I think it's the nicest looking case of its type, but compared to what's on offer now, and the prices it seems silly paying so much for old kit just because you like the case!

Hated the last G4's with chrome front, and the G5's "wall heater" look when it first came out but its grown on me a little and I can't fault the build or material quality of it. My G5 at work is near silent in use as well, which over the noise my home PC makes a welcome relief.

Bear in mind the expansion of memory capabilities in the G5 has to be considered. Increasing this as time goes on will be one cheap way of keeping up to speed. In comparison the G4 will have a lower total ram capability.

A years warranty is also something you'll get with a new machine.

Go on you know you want to ;~) and don't worry about this Intel chip stuff in the news lately, it will still be a Mac.

A machine brought today will still be supported long after you've changed machines yet again anyway.

Alan

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David,

indeed one would expect at least double (and I would guess it is more than that) - I havent used a stop-watch. The quietness of the G5s are phenominal (like Alanmac indicates), and the Tiger operating system is great as well.

I bet you will see some big increase when 64bit Cinema comes out.

If you an get a deal on the 2.0, then run with it.

All the best,

Eddie

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Yes David

That was when the first G5's hit the streets, as you can see 1.8 processor. Quite old report now.

Since then the prices have gone down and the specs gone up.

I'm still trying to figure how I can get the money for a Dual 2.7 and a 23" screen, past the "buying department" at home. A bunch of flowers and a bottle of vino's cut it on a purchase of this scale.

Wants silly boring stuff like a new kitchen and bathroom just because they are nearly twenty years old.

Still I get my Apple fix at work so it's not too bad.

So we'll be only to happy to encourage you to spend your money anytime, think nothing of it.

Alan

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Alan,

just say you'll need new equipment to design a kitchen that's really flash...

I'm using a 21" screen added to my powerbook - that alone has probably upped my productivity more than a new processor will!

Note that the architosh link does in fact list both 1.8 and dual 2GHz specs. Still, I would suggest it's time for NNA to do another test.

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So I've taken the plunge and got the dual G5 2Mhz with a 1.5G ram.

I've run a few tests and I can say that the G5 runs 320% faster on HLR, 330% faster on Final Quality RW and 250% - 290% faster on a v high quality Custom RW (recursion level=3). OS10.4 is no different to 10.3

The surprising thing is how much slower VW11.5 runs to VW11.01.

70% slower on HLR and Final Q, and 18-37% slower on my Custom RW test. Given that I've lost the ability to edit most of mys olids in my OIP, I'd say VW11.5 is a real disappointment!

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