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Mac: Best System for install: Power vs Ram - Updated question: Using both machines?

ScavengerScavenger Posts: 2,664
edited February 2013 in New Users

I have 2 macs to install Daz Studio on.

A Macbook: 2.2 Core 2 Duo with 4 Gigs of RAM running Mtn. Lion
A Dell Optiplex Hackintosh: 2.33 Core 2 Duo with 3 Gigs of RAM running Snow Leopard.
(I also have a G5 running Leopard, but we'll leave that out of this)

Which would be best to use to install Daz Studio (whatever the current version is).

Is the bit extra power in the processors better, or does RAM just win the day?

Post edited by Scavenger on

Comments

  • wancowwancow Posts: 2,708
    edited February 2013

    Generally, and I'm not a Mac user, but generally RAM is what you need if you are working in 3D Space, and CPU power is what you need to render. I think that 3Delight is available for mac, not sure, but if it is, I'd opt to install DS on the ram equipped machine and render on the other one... or you could install on each, use one to work and one to render...

    Or you could upgrade to Windows... :P

    Post edited by wancow on
  • ScavengerScavenger Posts: 2,664
    edited December 1969

    wancow said:

    Or you could upgrade to Windows... :P

    You keep using that word...I do not think it means what you think it means. ;-P

    Besides, as changing to windows doesn't affect the hardware I have at my disposal, as it would merely but Windows on the Dell that's been hackentoshed.

  • ChoholeChohole Posts: 33,604
    edited December 1969

    Please refrain from starting yet another app war is this thread, thankyou.

    The New Users forum is moderated more strictly than our general forums. As a community it will be important for us to cultivate an atmosphere of collaboration and encouragement that will allow for our newest additions to have fun and to learn in an environment that is conducive to both.

    @ Scavenger I am not a Mac user, but I do know that some friends with Macs think that snow leopard is the best Mac OS X even though you may be a bit tight on ram on that machine.

  • TotteTotte Posts: 13,498
    edited December 1969

    There are different parameters to take in account here, I'll try to give them pros/cons.

    MacBook:
    + More RAM (3D rendering is very memory hungry)
    - Slower CPU

    Hackintosh:
    + Just marginally faster CPU
    - Can be problem with OpenGL/Videocard driver

    Personally I'm not a fan of using laptops for rendering as they tend to go very very hot.
    I can compare a Mac BookPro 17" (2010) with a Dual Core i7 at 2.7GHz with a Quad Core Xeon MacPro (2009) and the MacPro is about 12 times faster when it comes to Rendering in DS.

    So, it is a close call there, but as OpenGL drivers can be a pain if they bug out and you crash I'll go for the MacBook. (I don't know if the dell is a laptop or a desktop, but If it is a desktop, I'll install on both then set up the scenes on the macBook, and render on the desktop, just let it have access to your runtime on the MacBook over a local network (not wifi though).

  • ScavengerScavenger Posts: 2,664
    edited December 1969

    Is there a tutorial (or easy instructions) on how I'd use both machines, the laptop to pose, the desktop to render...I've done a set up on the laptop..I'd like to put it on the desktop to render to see how that performs.

    Obviously I install DS4.5 on the desktop. Do I also need to install the content library?
    What file do I transfer from the laptop to desktop so the scene loads in Daz so I can render.

    (And would this be similar to how I'd use a 3rd party renderer? someone linked me to one that has free single user licenses)

  • TotteTotte Posts: 13,498
    edited December 1969

    The way I do it is the following way:

    I have the Runtime installed on two machines, laptop and one desktop.
    I let my second desktop access the first desktops Runtime via the network.

    Now I can build scenes on the Laptop, save them to either desktop and render there, or build scenes on one desktop and render on the other.
    The second desktop had no working Content Manager but I only render there, no problem. This changed when DIM came along though, so now I have the Runtime on three places (I guess I love to download content).

  • ScavengerScavenger Posts: 2,664
    edited December 1969

    ok...not sure i understood any of that..

    You have your runtime...the library of content...mirrored on both machines.

    Why then is the first machine is accessing the second's runtine when it's installed on both?

    So both machines need to have the content installed in order to render, as opposed to needed information saved in the .duf (is that the right extension) file?

    To duplicate what you can do, I would need to mirror the content on both laptop and desktop. I then build on the laptop. Save the .duf file, transfer it to the desktop, open it there and render?

  • TotteTotte Posts: 13,498
    edited December 1969

    Three machines involved....

    One laptop (Runtime on firewire disk, wont fit on the built in disk, sync using copy from main machine)
    Main Desktop, runtime on secondary built in disk
    Secondary Desktop mounts the volume with the runtime over the local network.

  • ScavengerScavenger Posts: 2,664
    edited December 1969

    Ah..Ok, I understand the set up now.

    And then you move the .duf file to the machine you're going to render from?

    You say the second desktop has no content manager. Is that something that can be disabled? Uninstalled?

    Is the content needed on both machines?


    ALSO, you use a firewire external. Is that just because that's what you have, or do you need firewire's speed as opposed to USB?

  • TotteTotte Posts: 13,498
    edited December 1969

    It has one but it's not updated as the content mapped to is on the other machine.
    Running DS browsing content on an USB-2 drive (300+GB content) is awfully slow, that's why.

  • ScavengerScavenger Posts: 2,664
    edited December 1969

    Thanks. I was thinking of putting my content on a USB3 drive I have. It'll work well with the new iMac I plan on getting in the near future, but would handle like usb2 on the macbook, so i'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

    Are you using gigabit Ethernet in your set up, or 100BaseT?

    3Delight is the third party renderer I heard about...I'll look into how that might be used after I get a better handle on posing on one machine in DS and rendering on another in DS.

  • TotteTotte Posts: 13,498
    edited December 1969

    Using GBit Ethernet

  • ScavengerScavenger Posts: 2,664
    edited December 1969

    Totte said:
    There are different parameters to take in account here, I'll try to give them pros/cons.

    MacBook:
    + More RAM (3D rendering is very memory hungry)
    - Slower CPU

    Hackintosh:
    + Just marginally faster CPU
    - Can be problem with OpenGL/Videocard driver

    So, it is a close call there, but as OpenGL drivers can be a pain if they bug out and you crash I'll go for the MacBook. (I don't know if the dell is a laptop or a desktop, but If it is a desktop, I'll install on both then set up the scenes on the macBook, and render on the desktop, just let it have access to your runtime on the MacBook over a local network (not wifi though).

    Well tested the render (Fiery Genesis Tutorial) on both the MBP and the Dell (a desktop).
    Took about 29 Minutes on the MPB, and 21 on the Dell, so the dell is around 28% faster.

    When I get to a more complex file, I'll have to see if that holds up.

    I guess it's all processor, as vid card seems better in the MPB than the Dell

    daz-graph-cards.jpg
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  • TotteTotte Posts: 13,498
    edited December 1969

    OK, then use the Dell for rendering, desktops are much better for CPU intensive tasks as mobile CPUs either get overheated and burn (cheap hardware) or clock down to prevent burn (expensive hardware)

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