8 core or quad core?

First off I am new to this board. I am looking for advise on which MacPro Workstation to buy. The golden question.
I do heavy motion graphics, Video editing and I also do 3D with Windows based apps.
I work on PCs and Macs from place to place. It is time to upgrade my personal arsenal and I have not worked with the new 8 core. Sounds sweet is it worth the extra money?.
My question would be should I take advantage of the quad core mac pros or do I pony up for the 8 core?

You might want to find out if the Apps you'll be using will take advantage of all those CPUs to begin with. Will the stock or upgraded video card options available from Apple suit your needs?

Maybe it's just me, but it seems silly to buy a Mac primarily to run Windows Apps. If most of what you are going to do will be Windows, buy a high end Dell Quad core or some such. Remember, that little "Made for Vista" or "Made for XP" sticker that every PC has isn't to be found on a Mac. It's not a designed for Windows box, but it happens to run Windows. It runs Windows well, by most accounts, but running Windows is, for now, an afterthought at best.

Who is running primarily running windows apps? Me?
How dare you!

Just kidding....Fix...I might have worded that wrong. "I do run windows just for 3D."

AE, FCP, PS are run on the mac.

Thanks for your reply. Seems that AE will take advantage of the mutithreads.

the 8 core is just ridiculous.

Based on the minimal info, would guess you have kept your system and software fairly up to date (or should if this is a business). Hardware, you're accustomed to replacing your rig in less than 2 years and you invest in the current versions of the primary software you use. Also, either time is money or is at least important to you. If this is you:

Hardware side: Of course it's hard to tell, processors were doubling in speed every 12 months for several years and hit almost a 3 year slump with only minimal increases until the core duo. "Assuming" we will not be seeing a doubling of speed every 12 months again - The quad core would probably be another 2 year and maybe a 3 year system. The 8 core would more than likely be a 3-4 yr system and stretching it maybe get 5 yrs out of it.

Software side: Even if they don't have the ability to make use of the 8 cores at this time - all of the major players in this type of software will have support before long.

If that is not you, and you are use to keeping hardware longer than about 18-24 months, the quad core is more than likely going to be an adequate upgrade for you.

The other hardware decision for your uses is the video card. For the average user or gamer that can afford the Mac Pro, would not recommend the FX 4500 over the X1900. In your case, it is probably worth at least doing a little research and consideration.

dupsta said:

First off I am new to this board. I am looking for advise on which MacPro Workstation to buy. The golden question.
I do heavy motion graphics, Video editing and I also do 3D with Windows based apps.
I work on PCs and Macs from place to place. It is time to upgrade my personal arsenal and I have not worked with the new 8 core. Sounds sweet is it worth the extra money?.
My question would be should I take advantage of the quad core mac pros or do I pony up for the 8 core?

Click to expand...

if you run After Effects (CS3) and FCP 6, 8 core is the way to go.
check this articles out http://www.barefeats.com/octopro4.html and http://www.barefeats.com/octopro5.html

you can find 4 vs.8 core comparisons here http://www.barefeats.com