More cores = Better?

[Adam Gold]

I'm looking at getting a new editing workstation in the next few months, and with the wide variety of chips in various combinations, was wondering what the optimum configuration would be when using Aspect with Premiere CS3 in terms of best performance for the money.

Core 2 Duo? Times two? Quad core? Two Quad cores?

From reading other threads it seems that more cores = better performance but I'm wondering at what point diminishing returns kick in. For the sake of argument let's assume one would use XP pro and have 4 GB of RAM.

I'm not averse to spending extra if it's worth it but don't want to break the bank for negligible performance gains. On the other hand, if springing for that second Quad core turns the system into a real rock solid fast performer, it'd be worth it for the $10 a week over the life of the system (let's assume $1500 amortized over 3 years).

Any thoughts from David N or other Cineform folks on this?

Thanks,

ag

[Noa Put]

Just google for quadcore reviews and you will find that the performance/time gain when rendering is worth the extra investment, if you are working on projects with a deadline. Especially since the prices on quads have decreased considerably the last week there is no reason not to go for a quadcore.

I think as long as the NLE's are able to use all cores, wether it are 4, 8 or maybe in the future 16 and more rendering a one hour project will at one point be just hitting the enter key and seeing the result. :D

[Adam Gold]

Thanks for the reply. I've actually been reading reviews steadily but at this point they're all pretty old, referring to earlier chip models and none really address the specific apps of Premiere with Aspect.

Adobe doesn't say much about how Premiere uses the cores...

[Richard Leadbetter]

I use a Q6600 quad core chip and CineForm performance annihilates the old Athlon X2 4400 system I used previously. When it comes to threading applications, nobody does it better than CineForm IMO.

However, if you're not in a hurry, the new 1333MHz Core 2s and Core 2 Quads will be even better still. CineForm thrives on high clock speed, fast memory and fast FSB.

In terms of the best performance for your money, surely the 2.13GHz or 2.4GHz quads would be the sweet spot right now? If budget is an issue, the 2.4GHz Core 2 is exceptionally good for the little cash Intel asks for it.

[Adam Gold]

Thanks, Richard. Sounds like good advice.

Cineform David(s) -- any thoughts on this?

[David Newman]

For the best real-time capture solution, yes go for the quads. However, the dual core with 3Ghz and 1333MHz FSB are available today, and Premiere and After Effects love those. No everything threads as well as our encoder, so having a higher clock speed and faster memory system, is good to have. That is the direction I would go.

[Salah Baker]

As a CineForm user with PPRO2/AFX. I would have to say, I wouldnt have gotten the Dual/Quads 32 bit for an edit machine in hindsight

[Adam Gold]

Many thanks for the opinions, guys. As I'll probably not upgrade before 6 months from now, I'll set my sights on two quads and four 1TB HDDs... and hope I don't have to sell my house to get them.

[Richard Leadbetter]

The prices of the 1333MHz FSB Core 2 CPUs are just stupidly low, and with the Q6600 now under $300, getting together an HD editing PC of incredible power has never been so cheap.