One quad-core vs. one 8-core (two quad-cores)

M

Morgan19

Registered
Our design firm is looking to upgrade our Macs so I'm doing a bit of research. Right off the bat though, I'm confused about the number of processor cores available, namely the Mac Pro with a 2.8 quad-core vs. two 2.4 quad-cores (8-core).

Our shop still uses CS3 now and will be upgrading to CS5 along with the new machinesp; in general our daily programs are Photoshop, Illustrator, Indesign, Flash, and Dreamweaver. No real video work.

Some quick research seems to indicate that Mac OS and most of the programs we'd be running day by day don't use that many cores, so the 8-core solution might be overkill? Would the 2.8 quad-core make the most sense for us?

Thanks!
 
Well it really up to you. One site I give you is the Mac benchmarking site Bare Feats, especially the benchmarks for 2010 Mac Pros versus others.
By the way, any dual MacPro will have much more resale value than the single cores. Plus always check out the Apple Store Refurbished store for deals (in the lower left corner of the Apple Online store).
 
Last edited:
More cores, faster cores, bigger and better computers, larger monitors -- none of those things listed are going to enable any of the employees to be "better" at Photoshop, or any of the other programs listed. A faster computer isn't going to make me type faster than 70 wpm, nor is it going to automatically make me a Photoshop genius when beforehand I barely knew what a layer was. :)

Having said that, more cores are always better -- I think the big question is, "Will more cores and a faster computer be justified in terms of the additional cost?"

Is an 8-core computer going to have a longer usable lifespan than a 4-core? Will it make the employees more productive? Are they suffering because of speed currently?

I can tell you that Photoshop itself will be faster on an 8-core computer than it would on a 4-core. As for the other programs (Flash, Dreamweaver, etc.), those are more dependent upon the speed of the person operating the computer than they are on the speed of the computer on which they run. Hey, a person can only type code so fast in Dreamweaver -- a faster computer won't make them type any faster than they currently do!

Hope that info helps at least a little... if you ask the employees that work on the computers, of course they're going to want the 8-core machine... so I suggest that you do not tell them what options you're considering, as if you tell them it's a toss up between an 8 and a 4, then you get the 4, they'll forever be disappointed... kind of like test-driving the V6 car, then purchasing the 4-cylinder.
 
You mean the 4 cylinder car with more horsepower than the 6 cylinder? ;) I think an evaluation is a process that _can_ include those lowly employees you're talking about. [/sarcasm]
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top