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www.postmagazine.com 24 POST MAR/APR 2022 WORKSTATIONS The latest tools for powering today's post production process COMPILED BY MARC LOFTUS A t the heart of the post production process is the computer worksta- tion, which empowers video editors, animators, colorists, VFX artists and audio production pros to tell their stories. Whether it's a commer- cial, streaming series, music video or feature film, oday's content is produced using workstations. In some scenarios, they may be networked for distributed workfl ws, like in a VFX-heavy show or animated feature. In other cases, music videos for example, they may serve as a standalone solution in which all aspects of post come together. This month, we look at the latest releases from throughout the industry — all of which are designed to support and speed up the post process. AMD AMD (amd.com) recently released its Radeon Pro W6600X GPU for Mac Pro, which was developed specifically or pro users. Built on the AMD RDNA 2 architec- ture, AMD Infinity Cache and other ad anced technologies, the new GPU delivers high- end visuals and performance for powering today's popular professional applications. AMD's Radeon Pro W6000X Series of GPUs provide several graphics options for Apple's Mac Pro. These include the Radeon Pro W6900X, Radeon Pro W6800X and Radeon Pro W6800X Duo GPUs. The AMD RDNA 2 architecture offers an array of advanced features that enable high levels of performance, efficie y and visual fidelit . RDNA 2, which is already a foundation for PC gaming, introduces significant a chitecture ad- vancements in the form of an enhanced compute unit, new visual pipeline, and all new AMD Infinity Cache. Up to 8GB of GDDR6 memory, with up to 256 GB/s bandwidth, provides ultra-fast transfer speeds to power data-intensive appli- cations. AMD Infinity Cache p ovides 32MB of last-level data cache integrated on the GPU die, helping to reduce latency and power consumption to enable higher performance than traditional architectural designs. With 8K processing and HDR support, the AMD Radeon Pro W6600X GPU is well suited for com- positing and editing workfl ws. APPLE Apple introduced an entirely new Mac desktop and dis- play in their Mac Studio and Studio Display. Mac Studio is powered by M1 Max and the new M1 Ultra, the powerful chip designed for personal computers. The Mac Studio is designed to deliver high performance, an extensive array of connectivity and new capabilities in a compact design that sits on the desktop. Mac Studio, powered by macOS Monterey, allows users to render massive 3D environments and playing back 18 streams of ProRes video. Studio Display complements Mac Studio, but also pairs easily with any Mac. It features an expansive 27-inch 5K Retina display; a 12MP Ultra Wide camera with Center Stage; and a high-fidelit , six-speaker sound system with spatial audio. Every element inside Mac Studio was designed to optimize the perfor- mance of M1 Max and M1 Ultra, producing a high amount of power and capability in a form factor that can live right on a desk. Built from a single aluminum extrusion with a square footprint of just 7.7 inches and a height of 3.7 inches, Mac Studio takes up very little space and can fit under mo t displays. Mac Studio also features an innovative thermal design that enables high performance. The system of double-sided blowers, precisely placed airfl w channels, and over 4,000 perforations on the back and bottom of the enclosure guide air through the internal components and help cool the high-performance chips. And because of the efficie y of Apple silicon, Mac Studio remains quiet, even under heavy workloads. Powered by either M1 Max or M1 Ultra, Mac Studio delivers high levels of CPU and GPU performance, more unified memory than a y other Mac, and new capabilities. For those requiring more computing power, M1 Ultra is the next leap for Apple silicon. M1 Ultra builds on M1 Max and features the all-new UltraFusion architecture that interconnects the die of two M1 Max chips, creat- ing a system on a chip (SoC) and consisting of 114 billion transistors. Mac Studio Powered by M1 Max enables up to 2.5x faster CPU performance than the fastest 27-inch iMac with 10-core processor. It also offers up to 50 percent faster CPU performance than Mac Pro with a 16-core Xeon processor, and up to 3.4x faster graphics performance than the 27-inch iMac. Mac Studio with M1 Ultra can play back 18 streams of 8K ProRes 422 video. It also represents a new level of graphics memory on a desktop, featuring up to 64GB of unified memory on ystems with M1 Max and up to 128GB of unifie memory on systems with M1 Ultra. And the SSD in Mac Studio delivers up to 7.4GB/s of performance and a capacity of up to 8TB. The back of Mac Studio includes four Thunderbolt 4 ports for connecting displays and high-performance devices, a 10Gb Ethernet port, two USB-A ports, an HDMI port, and a pro audio jack for high-impedance headphones or external amplified spea ers. Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0 are built in as well. Mac Studio also includes ports on the front for more convenient access. There are two USB-C ports, which on M1 Max supports 10Gb/s USB 3, and on M1 Ultra supports 40Gb/s Thunderbolt 4. There is also an SD card slot on the front to easily import photos and video. And Mac Studio provides extensive display support — up to four Pro Display XDRs, plus a 4K TV. The all-new Studio Display pairs with any Mac and features a 27-inch 5K Retina screen with over 14.7 million pixels, 600 nits of brightness, P3 wide color, and support for over one billion colors. It includes a 12MP Ultra Wide camera with Center Stage, a feature that automatically keeps users centered in the frame as they move around. Studio Display also includes a three-microphone array and a six-speaker sound system. Mac Studio starts at $1,999, while the Studio Display is $1,599.