2 x 2.66GHz Dual Core VS. 1 2.66GHz Quad Core?

[Hecklerdanny]

Hey everyone. I'm in the market for a new Mac Pro for home use.

Currently at work I'm using a 2 x 2.66 GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon Mac Pro with 5 GB's of RAM. This system was purchased a few years ago.

What I'd like to get for home is the brand new Mac Pro with one 2.66GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon with 6 GB's of RAM.

Can you guys please fill me in on the speed increase, if any? I guess "on paper" it looks just about the same to me, minus the extra GB of RAM, of course. I know very little about these Intel Xeon processors, so any information you could give me about the increase (if there is one) would be greatly appreciated.

I'll be using my home system for (besides all basic tasks, email, web, music) A lot of Aperture, Photoshop, Final Cut, iMovie, etc.

In short, is this a good system?

Thanks in advance for any information that you could give me!

 

[Igantius]

In short, is this a good system?

A very good system IMHO. When MacWorld reviewed the new MPs (http://www.macworld.com/article/139507/2009/03/macpro2009.html), it had various real-world benchmarks that included the system you're using, which I think will give you a idea.

beatfeats.com is always worth checking for this kind of thing.

 

[Hecklerdanny]

A very good system IMHO. When MacWorld reviewed the new MPs (http://www.macworld.com/article/139507/2009/03/macpro2009.html), it had various real-world benchmarks that included the system you're using, which I think will give you a idea.

beatfeats.com is always worth checking for this kind of thing.

Thanks a lot for this information! I'm reading the Macworld article right now.

 

[Umbongo]

It's dependant on what you are doing, but the clock for clock (old vs. new at same speed) performance increases tend to be in the 20-30% range.

Some things benefit hugely from the faster memory and hyperthreading of the newer system. There are also big performances increases for things like video encoding that Intel improved over the last two processor revisions.

 

[Igantius]

Thanks a lot for this information! I'm reading the Macworld article right now.

You're welcome! I've had a quick look at barefeats.com - don't think it compared these machines together, but it's still worth a look.

 

[Genghis Khan]

*what we need here is that graph someone made comparing the single thread and multi thread speeds of all the mac pros and some other macs...


the new system would be a nice upgrade as far as Final Cut editing goes, but i wouldn't consider it a necessary or even essential upgrade

benefits of the newer computer would be...
- hyperthreading (8 cores for rendering/encoding)
- RAM is 50% faster (although you can fit less in...)
- EFI64 v EFI32
- SATA cables for optical drives
- better power supply
- compatibility now and in the future


Although, may I ask why you want a new Mac Pro?

 

[Hecklerdanny]

*what we need here is that graph someone made comparing the single thread and multi thread speeds of all the mac pros and some other macs...


the new system would be a nice upgrade as far as Final Cut editing goes, but i wouldn't consider it a necessary or even essential upgrade

benefits of the newer computer would be...
- hyperthreading (8 cores for rendering/encoding)
- RAM is 50% faster (although you can fit less in...)
- EFI64 v EFI32
- SATA cables for optical drives
- better power supply
- compatibility now and in the future


Although, may I ask why you want a new Mac Pro?

Thanks a lot for the information. I stated in my original post, this system would not be replacing the first Mac Pro. The first Mac Pro is in my office at work. I'm looking at getting a new Mac for home use, and I was interested in how a brand new Mac Pro for home would compare to the Mac Pro I've been using in my office, speed wise. Etc.

 

[Genghis Khan]

Thanks a lot for the information. I stated in my original post, this system would not be replacing the first Mac Pro. The first Mac Pro is in my office at work. I'm looking at getting a new Mac for home use, and I was interested in how a brand new Mac Pro for home would compare to the Mac Pro I've been using in my office, speed wise. Etc.

Ah...lol...evidence of why you should not come onto forums when slightly drunk...

In that case, the new Mac Pro will be a beautiful machine to work on now and for years to come