8-core or dual core mac pros

[Tom Daigon]

Leopards release might change the functionaly of FCPs utilization of the Mac Pro system. Wait 6 weeks and you can make a more informed choice.

[David Roth weiss]

[lasvideo] “Leopards release might change the functionaly of FCPs utilization of the Mac Pro system.”

I don’t think Apple is releasing the 64-bit version of FCP right away, so I doubt Leopard will have any immediate impact. However, if I were buying a new computer I’d be getting the biggest and baddest box available, cuz someday soon you know there will be a 64-bit version of FCP running under Leopard.

David Roth Weiss
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[Andrew Kimery]

Right now FCP cannot utilize all 8-cores, but in some cases I’ve seen it go up to 6 cores used while rendering.
Some variables to consider though are:

Leopard. How many bugs will it have when released and how long will it take Apple to address them?
64-bit FCP. When will it come out? How many bugs will it have and how long will it take Apple to address them?
New Mac Pros. When will them come out and will the new “guts” have any glaring Rev A issues?

I bought a middle of the road Mac Pro recently to replace my 5yr old G4 and my reasoning behind that, as opposed to getting an 8-core, was this. First, the current gen Mac Pros have a memory bottle neck issue that keeps the machine from fulling reaching it’s full potential. People are assuming that the updated Mac Pros will use newer CPUs and motherboards that don’t have this bottle neck and better utilize multi-core functions. Secondly, since I don’t do a whole lot of heavy rendering I it was hard to justify the price of the 8-core right now. So, w/the 4-core being cheaper, I could afford to upgrade sooner so I decided a middle of the road Mac Pro now, and a middle of the road Mac Pro down the road (one w/the better mobo and such) would only be a little more expensive than an 8-core now.

But everyone is different so ultimately you have to decide what works best for you.

-A

[Andrew Commiskey]

I would get a quad machine and put the leftover cash into ram. This will give you better performance in Motion and FCP. The 8 core (although nice) is not fully utillized and even if Leopard solves this it could be 6 months before they stabilize the bugs.

Drew

[Rafael Amador]

FC can not use the 8 cores, but Compressor can use all of them. Have a look in Google, there is a lot of test that shows the performance.
Rafael

[Jon Taylor]

The answer as you see is no. FCP won’t take full advantage of all 8. But consider: what is your output? Are you delivering DVD’s to your client? If so, Compressor DOES (or should I say CAN, you have to set it up first. It doesn’t automatically do it!) take advantage of the 8 cores! And yes, I have an 8 core! It was worth EVERY penny because that’s where 99% of my output goes! If you save 25% on renders and converts, then you have spent your money wisely!

Fuzz

[Patrick Troy]

Im using an 8 core and have run into memory issues rendering HD.
My tech advice is that Leopard will fix these, but how long will it take for Leopard and FCP to be functioning smoothly utilizing the 8 core.
On the other hand it is blazing fast, a joy to use.

[Christian Glawe]

I have seen FCP get to around 560-580% whilst rendering on my 8-core. While it’s not a “full optimization” for Final Cut, it *is* an improvement over a 4-processor machine….

I got an 8-core primarily because I am a fairly heavy After Effects user, and After Effects takes advantage of the 8-core. Also, as a “one-man band”, I appreciate the faster render times, and the fact that multi-tasking is made easier with an 8-core. If I want, I can have Compressor going, and also be working on DVD menus in Photoshop, for instance… On my older machine, once Compressor started – that was it… go get a sandwich!

[Hector Silva]

[Patrick Troy] “Im using an 8 core and have run into memory issues rendering HD.
My tech advice is that Leopard will fix these, but how long will it take for Leopard and FCP to be functioning smoothly utilizing the 8 cor”

Keep in mind Apple recommends 1GB of memory per core for use in Compressor. If set up correctly Compressor will launch a separate rendering process for each core, but each requires enough memory to run in separately. I see in your profile you only have 4GB of RAM.

I say get an 8 core (if it fits in your budget) if you do a good deal of rendering / encoding. It will pay for itself in the first six months with the time saved.