os x, gpu & future

Hello

I am an architect by profession and photographer by hobby. I am considering buying a Mac & waiting for the leopard release. I would mostly use OS X for my photography work [either aperture or lightroom + cs3]. I would be using autodesk software [like AutoCAD or 3D Studio Viz] for my architectural work. I might do some 3d rendering and modeling and I intend to use autodesk apps through Boot camp [on XP] for maximum performance.

Right now my concern is more towards GPU and whether I would need 256mb. I know aperture relies on GPU but I have also heard that OS X also relies on GPU and a good GPU helps OS X to perform better – not sure how true is it. I know I would need a good GPU for my architectural rendering and modeling but not sure if I need 256mb. Do we see more apps like future versions of Adobe products going towards GPU ? I understand that its better to get best GPU for one’s needs but I don’t want to overkill it.

How stable is XP SP2 on Mac ? I mean does it mean I would have two machines in one & what is the life expectancy if I am using single set of hardware to use to OS or it doesn’t matter.

I apologize for my naïve questions & I appreciate all the help.

Best
Dhiren

 

The life expectancy shouldn't matter whether you use XP SP2 as well on it. It essentially is like running XP SP2 on a PC laptop.

For really complex 3d rendering the extra VRAM might help, but you'd still be fine with 128MB.

OS X does use the GPU, but nothing that really requires 256MB of VRAM. In Leopard, I think only situations like having a number of virtual desktops open along with a number of open windows would be an area where the extra VRAM would help.

I would wait to see what the upcoming MBP refresh brings though; the question may become moot, as if they do upgrade the GPU's (which seems somewhat likely), 128MB GPU's may no longer even be used.

 

Yeah, these vid cards aren't made for the type of rendering seen in stuff like 3d max. Preferably you'd go with a FireGL card or the like for that work, they are optimized for that.
You wouldn't see a difference in the OS X between teh 128 and 256 mb version. Maybe in aperature, but not in Adobe. FYI, Adobe stuff is slow on the mac right now. It is running through the Rosetta emulator. If you can, get the Photoshop CS3 beta, it works nicely.

I agree with Zadillo though, wait if you can. It looks like the new Santa Rosa will be shipping this month, and mac should be shipping within the next two months with Santa Rosa. That should include a revision of the video card and possibly even new hard drives and displays. We'll have to wait and see though, the revisions may be even further out than that.

 

OSX actually runs perfectly fine on integrated graphics, as evidenced by the Macbook and Mac Mini lines. The dedicated GPU allows hardware decoding on some levels, as well as texture storage. HD content and rendering software will both run better with a dedicated card, but don't worry about running OSX with integrated.