Color Grading Computer System

[Jose Omar Hernandez]

Does anybody has any link where i can learn how to build the most powerful computer for color grading ?? i want it to be mac tho ...

Edited August 28, 2014 by Jose Omar Hernandez

[Hal Long]

If you want it to be mac then you have three options.

 

1) Use a mac pro tower standalone: You can add in only one decent GPU (GTX 680, 780, 570 etc) with a little tinkering and power routing. This is what I use and I color 4-5K red files all the time in real time (with sampling set to 2k to match my monitor). This is a decent set-up and delivers pro results with the compromise of less than real-time if timeline sampling is set to 4K but delivers better than realtime performance when delivering to HD or 2K from 4K or 5K. It's possible to run two high-end GPUs but you'll have to run in an external power line to one of them.

 

2) Use a mac pro tower + a PCI expander: Look at the cubix boxes with PCI 2 or 3 speed and double width for GPUs. They have plenty of power. The boxes start around $2200-2300.

 

3) Hackintosh: You can build a PC that will match the new mac pros in speed with more cores and with real actual PCI slots for much less money. I've talked to people who have built 20-core machines with three GPUs that absolutely scream. The downside is there's no tech support to help you get the system running and every now and again a software update of an app or OS may give you real downtime. This route seems very attractive if you have time to tinker and aren't afraid to hack. I ultimately steered clear because I couldn't risk my machine going down mid-color session. But others swear by their hacks. Just my experience.