mac intel

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steven
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mac intel

Post by steven »

Does anybody been using HD with the new mac intel? Also, when is HD going to provide a universal update?

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alexwhite
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Post by alexwhite »

Search the forum and you'll find ilexsoft's initial response to both Rosetta and the Universal release timing (later this year). Good news is they've indicated that the uni binary will be produced... I bet the release will be timed to conincide with whenever Apple rolls out the new mac pros... maybe WWDC this summer?
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Gat
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Post by Gat »

So…… why is the 1.7 beta version of HD in PPC-only version ? Is ilexsoft waiting the 2nd version of HD to release a UB version ?

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alexwhite
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Post by alexwhite »

Sorry to be late with an update on the PPC version running on the mac intels...

Last week I finally couldn't take the wait. I logged my experience on one day and found that I was waiting for the mac "beach ball" during heavy drawings sessions, or watching my CPU temperatures, with HD and Sketchup for about 50% of the day. Enough. I needed to make an interim run at the intel machines. I had been holding out for the universal compile of HD and the upcoming mac pro later this summer. My old Cube, while upgraded to the hilt, was suffering and I have a lot of work to complete.

I did some in situ testing at the apple store. Since I have a 23" HD ADC monitor I started with the mac minis. I then did some quick speed comparisons with the iMacs. While the high end mini is not that much different on paper than the base iMac, the speed was much slower. The apple store had the permissions set, so I couldn't download a copy of HD to try (something I did when making a powerbook purchase decision last year). I think the stock iMac 128 MB graphics card does a lot better than the on board 64 MB alottment in the mini, which accounts for a lot in graphics applications (although I now read that the same on board graphics memory in the new amc book is performing better than the dedicated cards in the mac book pros).

So I walked out with the basic 17" iMac, duo 1.83 with 512k RAM. I also bought the ADC and mini DVI cables to span to my 23" ADC monitor. I held off from more RAM because the apple store clerk advised me to purchase third party for much less than Apple prices.

Bottomline, HD and SU, both PPC versions right now, work better on the new iMac than on my DP 1.3 G4 Cube with 1.5 GB RAM. I did overnight 2 GB of RAM from ramjet.com for $250. And I span to the new monitor with ease.... Rosettat seems to work the PPC versions well.

For the most part, things are working well. I still get an occasional long File Save in HD, but I think I just need to watch the activity monitor with my RAM usage. Even with 2 GB of DDR RAM, applications like iPhoto, dashboard widgets and Safari can eat up all actual RAM very quickly. Which is too bad, because I often draw with iPhoto up and use the web for manufacturers literature, symbols, etc.


I do look forward to the universal version however. And I am sure that I will be tempted to consider the new desktops when they come out...
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Andrew
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Post by Andrew »

Is ilexsoft waiting the 2nd version of HD to release a UB version ?
No, the release of the Universal Binary is not bound to version 2.0. We do not regard the Universal format as a "feature", but rather as a technical implementation that does not require an upgrade price per se.

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