I'm planning on getting a 12X in the fourth quarter, the exact configuration will be dictated by the cost of options. I suspect that the fast processor option will command a serious premium (it's $2600 for the Nehalem 8X) but beyond that I anticipate that the system will include the 5870 graphics card and perhaps an SSD system drive.
I've been playing with Macs for a while now (since '88) so most of the build-out will be aftermarket: Total RAM in the 24-32GB range, Hardware RAID card (probably Areca), and hopefully 8TB net storage. Dual 1080p monitors of course, plus color grading monitor.
The system will be used for HD post-production (video editing, color correction, compositing and effects, titling, authoring).
RatVega - Like you I'm an editor (I'm also a shooter), so I'd value your input, particularly because I'm easily confused by the comparisons between cores vs. speed, etc.
I've been using a MacBook Pro (with 4GB RAM) for my editing for a few years now (I use Avid Media Composer, by the way) and perhaps because I'm not doing 1:1 uncompressed and the like, it seems to work well. But my second camera is an AVCHD-based Canon, and rewrapping and importing the AVCHD files into Avid is a NIGHTMARE in terms of the time it takes. (my main camera is a Sony EX-1, and these files get converted to mxf and are imported into Avid very quickly).
I think a bigger, faster Mac Pro would help out with regards to this AVCHD nonsense, and for rendering etc. I just think it would be a better machine for editing, all round. But which one?
I tend to think that 12 cores would be best, but some of the posts that I read say fewer cores might be better, if the processor speed is faster. I guess I understand this, especially if a person's apps can't benefit from more cores (and I don't think Avid supports multi-threading, YET anyway; I hear they're working on a 64-bit version), but maybe in my case importing AVCHD would go faster with more cores?
To further complicate things (for me), some of you say that adding RAM is more important than anything else but a recent poster on a Mac/Avid forum said that Avid can only use a maximum of 4GB RAM; again, this may change in the near future, and this is a key point whatever Mac Pro I get I'll need to keep for four or five years.
From what I gather on some other threads, I should definitely put the soon-to-be-released Quatro video card on my wish list.
But which Mac Pro should I be saving my money for?
thanks for any advice, malch
