Imac Render farm

Joined
Sep 10, 2008
Messages
28
Reaction score
0
Points
1
I need some input from you experts

I use my Imac mainly for computer graphics and video editing as the projects im working on are getting more complex i am in need of a more powerful computer i did some research and and chosen to go with a PC as the render machine as they are cheaper and you can upgrade them more easily

my question is this would it be possible to link my mac to the PC so i combine its processing power with the PC's or would it be less troublesome and complicated to just use them as separate machine what i was going to do was set up the 3D scenes on the mac then when they are ready to be rendered transfer them over to the PC and let it run while im working on other things or out or asleep

Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated

sorry if i rambled

Andy
 
Joined
Sep 23, 2006
Messages
893
Reaction score
20
Points
18
Location
Las Vegas, NV USA
Your Mac's Specs
iMac, and Macbook Pro
It sounds to me as if all you need is your Mac and PC on the same LAN with file sharing turned on. That's easily accomplished, and you can transfer files back and forth between them all day.
 
Joined
Dec 8, 2009
Messages
453
Reaction score
10
Points
18
Location
The same as Sheldon Cooper - East Texas
Your Mac's Specs
iMac 2014 i5 5k 32gb 1tb fusion, second TB display, 2014 MBA
To actually "link" the processors in your Mac and PC would require an app that I don't think exists, at least not in consumer form. Unless you intend to set up a rendering farm, you are stuck with using which every machine will render the fastest.

You can certainly process on one using the files on the other if you want - that is just simple networking.

A multicore IMac should outrun anything in the PC world that can be bought in a store. I know that my i7 is much faster than my AMD/64/6000, although I haven't bothered to find out why.

But if you are serious into movie making you can go the Hollywood route...
Put together a render farm of Linux PCs. No OS cost, cheap hardware, most software free, and the more you add the more power you have. You could do the same thing with IMacs, but not cheaply.
 
Joined
Jan 1, 2010
Messages
29
Reaction score
0
Points
1
I think nothing of that nature exists, but I'm not 100% sure. Also an iMac has the potential to became insanely powerful (For example the quad cores) or you could use a mac pro (they come in octa cores). If you really still want to use a PC, I also would personally use linux for the PC. I run a 512mb memory virtual machine that uses linux, at it is often times faster than my 2gb memory mac. Also, there is no OS cost and you don't really have any sort of virus problems. The main drawback is that linux is very user unfriendly.
 
OP
R
Joined
Sep 10, 2008
Messages
28
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Thanks guys

the reason i havent gone for a mac pro is i was told by an apple shop employee that you can upgrade the processors and for a basic mac pro with just the tower i can get a pc with the I7 processor for the same price

but heres another question thats just popped into my head if i were to stay that mac route which id rather do since ive had zero hassle with my mac compared to my parents who own a pc and are constantly having trouble with it

could i set up a render farm between my Imac and a mac pro tower?
 
Joined
Oct 22, 2007
Messages
8,967
Reaction score
287
Points
83
Location
London
Your Mac's Specs
Mac Mini Core i7 2012 | White 2009 MacBook 2 Ghz | 733 Mhz G4 Quicksilver
I found this

OpenSG - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

No idea how it works or what it can do, really sounds like the sort of thing studios would use, with professional IT support and more than 2 computers, but might be of interest at least
 

Shop Amazon


Shop for your Apple, Mac, iPhone and other computer products on Amazon.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
Top