Which Mac to get?

B

ByerlyRips

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I need to get a new Mac and am wondering which one to get. Apple still has the Quicksilver single processor for sale in the education section. It's significantly cheaper than a dual. Should I save my money or opt for the faster dual? Is it significantly faster than a single processor machine? Am I going to see a big speed increase when encoding MPEG-1/2 video? Is the dual going to last a lot longer than the single in terms of speed? In the long run, am I going to be happier with the dual?
 
I'd say just get a single-processor machine. The duals aren't really much faster at all due to poor design and the fact that you won't see a great increase in performace in apps not written specifically to take advantage of dual-processors. Basically a dual-procesor machine will let you run more apps without bogging down your system...kinda like buying more RAM, you're buying an extra processor. Not speed, but less bogging of the speed the system already has.
 
Avoid QuickSilvers, get the newer systems instead. Believe me, it'll be worth it, just the oppertunity to stuff in another CD-ROM.
As for dual processors, they will come in handy if you plan to multi-task.
 
Depending on your application, if you are intending to run apps like Final Cut Pro 3, you will appreciate the Dual... but if you are not going to run processor intensive stuff, might as well not get the Dual and save some money.

Personally, FCP3 on a Dualie flies.
 
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