Members gearmike Posted January 6, 2010 Members Share Posted January 6, 2010 I need to purchase two Mac Towers for a project. One will be used with a ProTools HD1 rig, and the other will be used as a Final Cut workstation. I have a budget of $3800 for each machine. I want to know if it makes sense to buy the 8 core versions and run 8 gig of Ram and a 1 terabyte secondary drive, or get a 4 core and max out the RAM and load up more drives? I would like to configure both machines the same. I guess the real question is, with these two programs what would make the bigger improvement: more processors or more RAM? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members UstadKhanAli Posted January 6, 2010 Members Share Posted January 6, 2010 I'm guessing here since I don't know much about computers, but wouldn't it make sense to get faster computing now, and then stuff it full of RAM as need be later, since RAM is cheap? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gearmike Posted January 6, 2010 Author Members Share Posted January 6, 2010 I need to do this all at once. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 I want to know if it makes sense to buy the 8 core versions and run 8 gig of Ram and a 1 terabyte secondary drive, or get a 4 core and max out the RAM and load up more drives? IMO, I'd go with Option 1. You can always add more RAM and more drives later, and 8GB + 1TB (in addition to the system drive) should be more than enough for most projects. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members amplayer Posted January 7, 2010 Members Share Posted January 7, 2010 Unless you absolutely have to have the machines right away, the best option is to wait until the new Mac Pro machines come out in a couple months.Apple's secretive releases and stuborn resistance to lowering prices on current models means the only good time to buy a new Mac is immediately after they release it. Right now is a particularly poor time to purchase a Mac Pro new from Apple If possible, another option would be to buy used or lease these machines. As for which configuration to get, here's my $.02:1) Purchase the smallest amount of HDD and RAM from Apple. These both can be had for much cheaper from other online retailers such as newegg.com. The one exception to that is the first (primary) HDD. If you are not comfortable installing your own OS, then get one decent sized drive from Apple.2) Unless you will be running lots of native plugins (not TDM), it makes little sense to get the 8-core versions. Those cores will remain unused most of the time. Instead, get the fastest 4-core version that will fit in your budget. The one caveat to this is resale value. I have no idea if 4-core or 8-core machines hold their value better, but I'd guess an 8-core would.3) 8 GBytes of RAM should ordinarily be PLENTY. Unless you know you have a 64-bit application that can take advantage of the extra RAM, then all the extra RAM will go unused. Actually, most applications can never take advantage of anything beyond 4 GBytes of RAM. If it were me, I'd get 6 GBytes of RAM for the very small performance gain you get from getting RAM for Xeons in threes instead of twos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Huh? Posted January 7, 2010 Members Share Posted January 7, 2010 Why not get the 2.66GHz 8-core for the Final Cut machine and put 8GB RAM in there. This computer will be $4799. You will need a 2nd 7200RPM drive for rendering to.....get like a 500GB or better at Fry's for less than $200. For the PT HD computer get a 2.66GHz 4-core with 6 GB RAM in that. This will be $2649. You will also need a 2nd 7200 RPM drive for recording audio to. Same deal...Fry's or whoever. So the computers will be $7448 which is under the $7600 you have budgeted. The balance can go towards the hard drives. Get a 3rd drive for the audio computer if you are running VI's, for your sample libraries. Do yourself a favor and only use premium Apple RAM. Do not buy cheap RAM which MAY cause issues. Why take the chance? You would not put cheap tires on a Ferrari. It is more expensive but the peace of mind is worth it big time. Talk to anyone who has had RAM problems. RAM from NewEgg was mentioned........I do not know if this is premium approved Apple RAM, if it is, go for it if you can save a few bones. I have a very good friend who works for an authorized Apple store. He'd tell me if the RAM thing was bull{censored} ..... he is adamant about using premium RAM and will not put anything else in my computers. It's not a money thing for him either. Buy Viewsonic monitors or some other brand. You can get these for less expensive at many places. I got a very nice Viewsonic 19" a couple years ago for well under $200....the prices are better now, in fact I want to get bigger monitors...19" is tiny LOL!!! The advice about waiting for the new computers is good. Only thing is that they will be more expensive I am sure. Another option is to wait until they come out and look for used computers. Maybe someone wants to buy the latest and will sell a year old box for a good price, perhaps even with 2 more years of Applecare warranty on it which is fully transferrable. You don't have to have both the same configuration of computer. Get the faster 8 core for the Final Cut machine which will really benefit from it. The Quad 2.66 with 6GB RAM will do nicely for audio especially with HD. Also, this way if a new computer comes that you have to have, the 2.66 Quad core is the one you can upgrade...either sell it or trade it in and then make the brand new one the Final Cut one. Just my take on it. Good luck.....must be nice to have 8G spare to drop on computers, I envy you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gearmike Posted January 7, 2010 Author Members Share Posted January 7, 2010 Unfortunately these are not for my personal use. They are going into a facility I am building and I do not have the luxury of waiting till the proper buying season, and the client wants identical hardware so the machines can be interchangeable. I think I'll be going with the 8 core machines, 8 Gig RAM, and dual terabyte drives. This should be a decent starting point for them. They can then add RAM or drives as they see fit down the road. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Huh? Posted January 7, 2010 Members Share Posted January 7, 2010 Oh, someone else's money. I LOVE spending other peoples money..... Both 8 cores...good choice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Wendbot Posted January 7, 2010 Members Share Posted January 7, 2010 Make sure you know how cheaply things are going for in the market. I was surprised that a 1 terabyte Samsung Story external USB drive was only 99 dollars.That is 31/2 inch 7200 rpm. A 1.5 terabyte version is only about 15 or 20 dollars more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Hush Posted January 9, 2010 Members Share Posted January 9, 2010 I want to know if it makes sense to buy the 8 core versions and run 8 gig of Ram and a 1 terabyte secondary drive, or get a 4 core and max out the RAM and load up more drives?IMO, I'd go with Option 1. You can always add more RAM and more drives later, and 8GB + 1TB (in addition to the system drive) should be more than enough for most projects. +1 This is what I would choose Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Duddits Posted January 10, 2010 Members Share Posted January 10, 2010 1) Purchase the smallest amount of HDD and RAM from Apple. These both can be had for much cheaper from other online retailers such as newegg.com. Apple is no longer price gouging on RAM. On forums filled with people who obsess about this stuff, there's been recent comparisons where the price of RAM from Apple is as good or a better deal than from Crucial. Yes, Hell hath frozen over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ernest Buckley Posted January 10, 2010 Members Share Posted January 10, 2010 I agree with Phil. Get the 8 cores now and stock up on RAM later which will probably go down in price when the new machines come out. Does your sugar daddy need to spend any more money? I`d like to help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.