Why is no one going for the octo ?

[gabicava83]

Looking at all the threads, it seems that most people are going for the hex or the 12 core, but none for the base 8 core and say it's by far the slowest?

Is the difference that great?

Been offered one brand new, for £2100, but now after reading all this, thinking of possibly getting the hex.

Main use will be for virtualisation using vmware and citrix - will obviously purchase more RAM.

Any thoughts ?

 

[Ravich]

The 2.4 8 cores just arent that great of a deal. Compared to the 2009 base octo model, they got a 6% speed increase, and a 6% price increase. They also come with a better graphics card, wireless card, and a slightly bigger hard drive, but that's it.



The other important bit is that multicore support sucks for most software at the moment, so sacrificing speed for cores is a bit silly.

 

[milo]

Clock speed is just so much lower than many of the other options (including even the quad).

 

[mmhaskar]

Search the forum - there are actually several folks who have gone with the octo (myself included - arrives tomorrow!!).

It's not the right system for everyone, but it was right for me. Unlike many in this forum, I don't do any Photoshop or serious video/audio encoding. I do web development and have multiple VMWare instances running concurrently. Having the ability to assign actual CPU cores to each instance makes a difference for what I need. Won't lie though - kept waffling between this one and the single hex.

In the end, I saw B&H Photo had it for $200 off normal price (plus no tax!!) which translated to a $400 savings versus the hex. I'll be adding more RAM with the savings

The 2.4 octo doesn't make sense for everyone, but it made sense for my needs. Thought I'd share a different perspective.

 

[WardC]

Who wants a 2.4GHz 8-core when you get get a 3.33GHz 6-core that can wipe the floor with it in most applications, except those that fully take advantage of 8-cores....your applications that do a ton of crunching and compressing like Handbrake might benefit from the two extra cores, but your whole machine is going to feel much faster with a processor that is nearly 1000MHz faster.

In my opinion, Apple should have offered a 3.33GHz 8-core Nehalem option with two W5590 chips which would be a jump over what they offered before. That machine could do some serious damage all-around.

 

[gabicava83]

You do pretty much the same as myself.

That is a good saving you got yourself.

Thanks for all the replies.

The clock speed is rather different, but the good thing it's how upgradable it is.

Still unsure, I wonder how the hex compares with the octo with vmware, specially vsphere.

WardC - do you really reckon the machine as a whole is going to feel much faster? I mean generally loading applications, speed in regards to virtualisation and so on?

Thanks for all the replies.

G.

Search the forum - there are actually several folks who have gone with the octo (myself included - arrives tomorrow!!).

It's not the right system for everyone, but it was right for me. Unlike many in this forum, I don't do any Photoshop or serious video/audio encoding. I do web development and have multiple VMWare instances running concurrently. Having the ability to assign actual CPU cores to each instance makes a difference for what I need. Won't lie though - kept waffling between this one and the single hex.

In the end, I saw B&H Photo had it for $200 off normal price (plus no tax!!) which translated to a $400 savings versus the hex. I'll be adding more RAM with the savings

The 2.4 octo doesn't make sense for everyone, but it made sense for my needs. Thought I'd share a different perspective.

 

[maflynn]

Cost vs. performance, is probably the biggest reason why many people have shied away from the octo model.

If people need a serious multi-core machine, they'll probably spend go with the 12 core machine given that its only a grand more.

Many people who opt for the MacPro don't do it just for the number of cores, but other reasons, like drive bays, or the GPU and given that fact, it makes little sense to spend more $$ on cores that won't be fully utilized.

When building my Core i7 machine I was faced with this dilemma, spend a little more for a hex-core cpu or go with the i7-930 quad core. I opted for the quad core because my needs are such that I'll really not get to realize the benefit of the 2 other cores.

 

[milo]

If people need a serious multi-core machine, they'll probably spend go with the 12 core machine given that its only a grand more.

That would be $1500 more (at least in the USA).

 

[maflynn]

That would be $1500 more (at least in the USA).

You're right, I mis-typed the amount

 

[Hellhammer]

3.33GHz 6-core offers more raw processing power and it's a lot faster in single-threaded tasks due its clock speed but only 200$ more. The only downside is less RAM slots but now that 8GB modules are widely available, it can take 32GB just fine.

If you want an 8-core, get a refurb. For 3649$, you can get 2.93GHz 8-core

 

[gabicava83]

I thought it could only take 16? That is what I read somewhere else.

No new 2010's in the UK as refurbs just yet.



Thanks,

3.33GHz 6-core offers more raw processing power and it's a lot faster in single-threaded tasks due its clock speed but only 200$ more. The only downside is less RAM slots but now that 8GB modules are widely available, it can take 32GB just fine.

If you want an 8-core, get a refurb. For 3649$, you can get 2.93GHz 8-core

 

[johnnymg]

I thought it could only take 16? That is what I read somewhere else.

No new 2010's in the UK as refurbs just yet.



Thanks,

32GB has been CONFIRMED by multiple sources.

You won't see the latest MP's in the refurb stores until ~ months post release. For example, the latest 2.93GHz i7 imac just appeared in the US refurb store.

cheers
JohnG

 

[Hellhammer]

I thought it could only take 16? That is what I read somewhere else.

Apple states 16GB as maximum but 32GB can be achieved with 8GB modules while Apple only offers 4GB modules

No new 2010's in the UK as refurbs just yet.

I meant 2009 Mac Pro refurbs. There are several in US store but seems to be none in UK store