Mac Pro for LR/Aperture/PS

[Nikon]

Which would be a better choice and what would be the real world difference in performance between the following 2 Mac Pros:

2009 2.26 GHz 8 Core
2010 2.8 GHz Quad Core

Both would be set up the same with regards to HD's and memory.  Would there be any real/noticable difference in the video card 512MB vs 1GB? This is for use as a photo station, no video at least not in the near future.

Have read that the quad core would probably be faster due to architecture but is this real world or on paper performance?

Any and all advise/opinions appreciated.


Thank-you,

Mark

[francois]

Mark,
Have you read LLoyd Chambers Mac Performance Guide? It should give you some pointers!

http://macperformanceguide.com/index_topics.html

[DeeJay]

Hey.

After alot of research I just bought a 3.33GHz 6 Core. It seems like it's the Sweet Spot in the Mac Pro Range particularly for photographers. The 8 Cores aren't your best choice, the 12 Cores not so great either. Photoshop Lightroom etc, can't make use of all that threading. 12 and 8 Cores work well mostly for 3D rendering and some Video editing, that sort of thing.

Apparently another great buy is the 2.93 Quad. You can find them refurbished and new as well.

So you are better off buying one of the lesser models and piling it with RAM and an SSD for your system and Boot drive.

I've literally just bought and awaiting delivery on the 6 core, 24GB RAM, 2x OWC SSD's in the optical bays in RAID0 for Boot, Apps and scratch drive. And 12TB Sata Raid0 array in the drive bays.

that macperformanceguide.com site is a must read.

[jerryrock]

Here is the Adobe position on multiple processors and Photoshop CS5:

http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/404/kb404440.html#main_Processor_speed

Processor speed
The CPU (Central Processing Unit) of the Macintosh limits the speed of Photoshop. Since Photoshop manipulates large quantities of data and performs many calculations, its speed is greatly dependent on processor speed.

PowerPCs are not supported in Photoshop CS5. Photoshop CS4 requires a PowerPC G5 or an Intel-based processor. Photoshop can also take advantage of multiprocessor systems (that is, systems that have two or more PowerPC (Photoshop CS4 only) or Intel processors), which are much faster than single-processor systems. All Photoshop features are faster on a multiprocessor system, and some features are much faster. Note that there is a law of diminishing returns with multiple processors: the more processors you use, the less you get from each addition processor. Therefore, you may not experience expected speed increases if you use more than four processors.