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Hey all. I'm about to upgrade from my G5 Logic 8 system to a Mac Pro and Logic 9. I'm wondering how everybody is finding 9's implementation when it comes to taking advantage of all the cores. If most or all of the work is still falling on the first core or two, it would seem wiser to buy a Quad with faster processors than an 8-Core with slower processors. I generally don't do final mixes in Logic so I'm more interested in how it will handle heavy VI usage than lots of processors. Advice?
Logic Pro 9 Logic 9 Core Distribution
- Thread starter seanmccoy
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I'm sure it would! But since I can't afford to go with one of the higher speed 8-Cores, I can't help but wonder if a Quad with faster processors might not actually deliver more immediate bang for the buck when it comes to heavy sample library and VI use. Seems there aren't many strong opinions about this, though....
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Unless you find a user working regularly with logic on both 4 and 8 core systems, you have to expect that people will report their findings with the one system they work with.
I have the original 2007 Dual Quad Xeon 3.0. Benchmarks I carried out showed it to have around 6 times the CPU power of the 2 x 2.5 G5 I had been using prior to that. The combination of Logic 9 and OSX 10.6.2 seems to have some optimisations with respect to spreading the load over the 8 cores, but I have to say, I never had any problems with logic 8 in 10.5 on this machine.
If you can't afford to stretch to an 8 core, the 4 core will still be a major jump from your G5. If you need that power now, the decision should be easy. If you don't need it, wait until you do before spending the money on a new mac. Remember, no matter when you buy, within a few months there will be some faster machine available. The whole trick is coming up with a definition of "need" that is relevant for you.
Oh, irrespective of the machine you buy, budget for plenty of RAM, 4 GB is an absolute minumum, I would say put in at least 8, particularly regarding your statements about heavy sample use you can't have too much RAM. Within the next months we will see more and more 64 bit software to match up with Logic 9.1's 64 bit capabilities, this is what heavy sample users have been asking for for a long time.
kind regards
Mark
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If I were you, I'd just wait a little bit as I'm pretty sure the mac pro range will be updated very soon. At least wait until the end of the month, unless it's urgent for you to upgrade.
I have no proof of what I'm saying but Apple usually updates their model every year, and the current mac pro is from March 2009 ... I suggest you have a look at macrumors (but as it says it's only a rumor site 🙂 ).
Just thaught I'll let you know, though it doesn't really help since you can wait long before they effectively update it...
I have no proof of what I'm saying but Apple usually updates their model every year, and the current mac pro is from March 2009 ... I suggest you have a look at macrumors (but as it says it's only a rumor site 🙂 ).
Just thaught I'll let you know, though it doesn't really help since you can wait long before they effectively update it...
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Definitely go for a slower 8Core compared to a faster 4Core (the speed difference isn't a humongous percentage anyway).
Plus, the current 4Core MacPro model only has 4 RAM slots (The 8Core has 8 RAM slots). The issue isn't so much the maximum RAM capacity (16GB versus 32GB), but the fact that it would be way cheaper to buy 8 x 2GB chips than 4 x 4GB chips even if the resultant memory is 16GB each.
And with Logic 9.1's new ability in 64bit mode to use VASTLY more than 4GB RAM (that limit is now about 8,000,000,000GB aka 8EB), the usefulness for more physical RAM in the computer will be higher as more and more elements become 64bit compatible.
Plus, the current 4Core MacPro model only has 4 RAM slots (The 8Core has 8 RAM slots). The issue isn't so much the maximum RAM capacity (16GB versus 32GB), but the fact that it would be way cheaper to buy 8 x 2GB chips than 4 x 4GB chips even if the resultant memory is 16GB each.
And with Logic 9.1's new ability in 64bit mode to use VASTLY more than 4GB RAM (that limit is now about 8,000,000,000GB aka 8EB), the usefulness for more physical RAM in the computer will be higher as more and more elements become 64bit compatible.
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