12 core and the "software-trap"

[Paradiseapple]

I´m just about to order the 2.66-12 core MP but still wonder if i will step into the "software-trap" that was mentioned here so often. How much time will I win if I prefer the 12-core 2.66 to the 6-core? Will the 12 core already be "old" till Final cut and logic update there software to 12-core usage? Or is the 6-core just about to be "standard" in one or two years? Maybe the investment of the 1.300 Euro for the 12-core is a waste...

P.S. Sorry that this subject was discussed quite often in other threads, but maybe you can help me.

 

[Greg Punzo]

i'm in the same boat and you but already ordered my 2.66 12 core but thinking about trading it in for a 3.33 6-core.

 

[VirtualRain]

My views on this are fairly well documented elsewhere... I think buying a computer for the future is unwise. You are investing money in a depreciating asset you can't fully use.

To make this more interesting... it's like asking when you are 20 years old if you should buy a mini-van because one day you might meet the woman of your dreams and have several kids. Yep... it might happen... but wouldn't you rather be driving a sports car in the interim?

In other words... You can buy multi-threaded capacity you can't use today, or you can buy clock-speed that you can. This is likely not the last computer you will ever buy.

 

[strausd]

My views on this are fairly well documented elsewhere... I think buying a computer for the future is unwise. You are investing money in a depreciating asset you can't fully use.

To make this more interesting... it's like asking when you are 20 years old if you should buy a mini-van because one day you might meet the woman of your dreams and have several kids. Yep... it might happen... but wouldn't you rather be driving a sports car in the interim?

In other words... You can buy multi-threaded capacity you can't use today, or you can buy clock-speed that you can. This is likely not the last computer you will ever buy.

Hahaha thats probably the weirdest computer to car analogy I have ever heard

 

[2contagious]

Hahaha thats probably the weirdest computer to car analogy I have ever heard

agreed good one

 

[Paradiseapple]

Thanks for your friendly responses - I like the computer-to-car-analogy. I´m just afraid to get a 2 seat or 1 seat sports-car and maybe my two girl-friends (logic and Final Cut) become pregnant this year or next year with 8 or 12 babies. Will my car be able to transport them?

Because to be quite honest: I cannot afford another car in the next 3 years...

 

[plasticphyte]

There is some point in both 'arguments'

You can buy a CPU with a faster clock speed and get the benefit today & loose out on the advantages of more cores when software is updated, or you can put up with a slightly slower overall CPU clock speed and then get the benefits when software is able to take advantage of all the cores. Ultimately it's up to you based on your needs.

I personally chose the multi core route when I purchased my iMac i7 QC as I only had one piece of software to be updated to work with multiple cores.

 

[alphaod]

Thanks for your friendly responses - I like the computer-to-car-analogy. I´m just afraid to get a 2 seat or 1 seat sports-car and maybe my two girl-friends (logic and Final Cut) become pregnant this year or next year with 8 or 12 babies. Will my car be able to transport them?

Because to be quite honest: I cannot afford another car in the next 3 years...

Christ… 8-12 babies in ONE calendar year?!?!

Anyways, I think you'll be better off with the 12-core the long run if you can afford it; even if you only use 6 cores, you'll be turbo boosted up to the 3.06GHz anyways.

Don't forget 12 real cores is better than 6 real plus 6 fake cores any day of the week.

 

[Octobot]

Multi-core aware Applications

List of baby sprouting girlfriends that I just came across..
Thought I'd just post it in this thread.

http://www.motherboards.org/reviews/motherboards/2024_3.html

 

[VirtualRain]

I hear your plight...


Your software today:

Quad Core:

Hex Core:

Dodeca Core:

The decision may seem obvious until your software turns into this...

 

[strausd]

Christ… 8-12 babies in ONE calendar year?!?!

Anyways, I think you'll be better off with the 12-core the long run if you can afford it; even if you only use 6 cores, you'll be turbo boosted up to the 3.06GHz anyways.

Don't forget 12 real cores is better than 6 real plus 6 fake cores any day of the week.

And I remember reading how TB works on the six-cores where 2 of the cores will be boosted all the way. So max of 2 cores being boosted to 3.06, but with 2 CPUs that means 4 cores at 3.06, and with hyper threading, that means 8 virtual cores at 3.06 GHz? Not bad...

 

[GroundLoop]

Everyone goes on and on about this. There is one other thing to keep in mind when making your decision...

Do you run multiple applications at once? One single app may not use twelve cores, but 3, 4, or 5 apps running at the same time can. It all depends on your use case. This is the reason that I got the 8-core in 2009.

GL

 

[CaoCao]

twelve real cores, turbo boost tips the scales by boosting your speeds a lot when using six or less cores

 

[Paradiseapple]

Wow - thanks for your great sense of humour and all the advice. I´m quite shocked and inspired by the Jolie and Mercedes-Van-metaphor but anyway - I´m tending quite much to get the 12core. But with how much RAM: maybe I get 4x4GB RAM now and 4x8 later or the other way round to end up with 48GB. Poor bank account...

 

[VirtualRain]

Wow - thanks for your great sense of humour and all the advice. I´m quite shocked and inspired by the Jolie and Mercedes-Van-metaphor but anyway - I´m tending quite much to get the 12core. But with how much RAM: maybe I get 4x4GB RAM now and 4x8 later or the other way round to end up with 48GB. Poor bank account...

Why are you tending to get the 12 core?

Who's to say that if FCP gets with the times, it won't use OpenCL extensively and the best system for FCP is a Quad core with a pair of 5770's?

Look at it another way... the best bang-for-the-buck system for FCP today is probably the 3.2GHz Quad core. At $2900.

Scenario A: Next year, if FCP goes the OpenCL route, you add another GPU for $249 and you're gold. If you had purchased the 12-core, you've wasted about $2000.

Scenario B: If next year, FCP fully utilizes 12 cores, you sell your Quad (for say $2000) and you buy a refurb 12 core (for maybe $4000). No worse off than having bought the 12-core in the beginning.

Scenario A saves you $2000 and Scenario B costs you only incrementally more if you wait and buy the best computer for the job when it's actually useful.

 

[Paradiseapple]

Why are you tending to get the 12 core?

Who's to say that if FCP gets with the times, it won't use OpenCL extensively and the best system for FCP is a Quad core with a pair of 5770's?

Look at it another way... the best bang-for-the-buck system for FCP today is probably the 3.2GHz Quad core. At $2900.

Scenario A: Next year, if FCP goes the OpenCL route, you add another GPU for $249 and you're gold. If you had purchased the 12-core, you've wasted about $2000.

Scenario B: If next year, FCP fully utilizes 12 cores, you sell your Quad (for say $2000) and you buy a refurb 12 core (for maybe $4000). No worse off than having bought the 12-core in the beginning.

Scenario A saves you $2000 and Scenario B costs you only incrementally more if you wait and buy the best computer for the job when it's actually useful.

Thanks for your wise advise. It´s just difficult to get good refurbished Macs in Germany and I thought I could be up to date a bit longer than last time with my 2.66 Quad from 2006 than cannot deal with 64bit. But ok - I was happy with it for 3 years. Now I´m getting into trouble when I load my plugins in Logic (they need a lot of RAM).
Going with your car analogy I would prefer the Hexacore-limousine. The Van looks frightening and - I agree - there are bad rumors about both of them - the 6 and the 2-core - when it is about logic and FCP. Some guys even say they are slower that 4 or 8-cores...
But I have to question myself - that´s true - maybe I am just trapped by the hype of performance.