I need some real world advice here. I plan to buy a Mac Pro for use as a home computer. I use it for everything from word processing to video editing (1080p) and everything in between. I currently have a Core 2 Duo iMac (2007), which cannot even play back 1080p video without pausing frequently. I once tried to convert a 40 minute video to DVD format, and it took over 24-hrs.
Anyhow, I plan to replace it with a Mac Pro. I am comparing the (2.4 GHz 12-core, 12GB ram, 5870 video card) to the (3.33 GHz 6-core, 6 GB ram, 5870 video card). The price difference comes out to about $700 (not the end of the world, but I don't want to spend it if it makes no difference). In the past, I owned a PowerMac G4 400 and a PowerMac dual G4 867. Both of these lasted for about 8 years before they ran out of juice (although I still use the G4 for OS9 programs just for kicks
I plan to use my new computer for a long time as well, so having some extra speed to carry me a few extra years would actually be helpful.
The question is - for normal video editing, is the 3.33 6-core or the 2.4 12-core going to be faster? I'm not doing 4k 3-d rendering, etc.
Oh, and one more thing. Before you pick me to pieces for buying an outdated MacPro, let me just say this. First, I can't spend much on a laptop, because the first time my kids spill milk on the keyboard, I'll do something I wish I hadn't. Secondly, every iMac I have ever owned (G3, G4, and Core 2 duo) ends up feeling extremely slow after about 3 years. I considered a mini, but I like being able to add ram and hard drives over the years to extend the life of the machine.
Anyhow, I plan to replace it with a Mac Pro. I am comparing the (2.4 GHz 12-core, 12GB ram, 5870 video card) to the (3.33 GHz 6-core, 6 GB ram, 5870 video card). The price difference comes out to about $700 (not the end of the world, but I don't want to spend it if it makes no difference). In the past, I owned a PowerMac G4 400 and a PowerMac dual G4 867. Both of these lasted for about 8 years before they ran out of juice (although I still use the G4 for OS9 programs just for kicks
I plan to use my new computer for a long time as well, so having some extra speed to carry me a few extra years would actually be helpful.The question is - for normal video editing, is the 3.33 6-core or the 2.4 12-core going to be faster? I'm not doing 4k 3-d rendering, etc.
Oh, and one more thing. Before you pick me to pieces for buying an outdated MacPro, let me just say this. First, I can't spend much on a laptop, because the first time my kids spill milk on the keyboard, I'll do something I wish I hadn't. Secondly, every iMac I have ever owned (G3, G4, and Core 2 duo) ends up feeling extremely slow after about 3 years. I considered a mini, but I like being able to add ram and hard drives over the years to extend the life of the machine.