

- #Will a dual core i5 mac pro be better than a quad core asus computer for editing video full#
- #Will a dual core i5 mac pro be better than a quad core asus computer for editing video windows#
Then double the speed estimate for using SSD instead of disk (but only in the 4 GB to 8 GB comparison). For example, calculate something that with double the memory and should take twice as long (double the calculations) and then cut the longer run time in half to compensate for the extra calculations. Will you run in less than 8 GB most of the time and can wait for exeptional runs that are larger? Those are the tipping points.ĭeeper analysis (and probably not to hard to do): One can benchmark on existing 4 or 8 GB systems by artificially adjusting the application size from fitting in in RAM to overflowing into virtual paging. Luckily this analysis is probably the simplest since one can roughly calculate the gross memory usage from expect problem sizes and estimate if it will exceed 8 GB. SWAG: How much memory will your application need? I would base my decision on the RAM size and ignore the other differences. How much time do you want to spend making this decision? You can SWAG it or run relatively simple benchmarks. At most it would yield a 50% boost and probably not that much. I am not familiar with the details of the 3.7 GHz Turbo Boost but is sounds sexy. Ignore the processor speed differences, even the Turbo Boost. So that limits you to a $600 decision on if you need more than 8 GB of RAM.

Given Mathematica uses several GB just for the code, the 4 GB solution is likely to be too small. Keeping the data in RAM is likely to have a biggest impact on speed than any other factor but as with with most HPC applications, the answer is "it depends" if the cost justifies the benefit. These other factors probably won't matter in the end, given the large RAM and SSD tipping point differences. SSD) for which you may need to benchmark them on the actual target hardware. Then there are harder questions (CPU speed, memory bandwidth, disk vs.

Will the faster expected execution speed be worth the higher price? How much are the applications expected to grow if you have a more hefty machine? What is the run time difference currently if they fit in RAM vs. Are you willing to increase the RAM so it covers the current virtual memory sizeĪ factor for a more accurate measurement with a relatively easy benchmark: Great informatoin in the graph for deciding between disk and SSD, which is important and was not part of my analysis.īefore I get going too deeply I'll try to bring this down to earth. I get to put on my high-performance computing hat. R most likely has similar memory characteristics.

#Will a dual core i5 mac pro be better than a quad core asus computer for editing video windows#
Mathematica uses several GB for just the code.Ħ4-bit MATLAB on 64-bit Windows or OS X will support an 8 TB process limit! (not a typo) Mathematica, MATLAB and Octave will use all the memory you can throw at them but will you actually use that much memory in your particular applications? More memory is usually a good thing for faster response times but 8 GB is alreday a hefty amount of memory.
#Will a dual core i5 mac pro be better than a quad core asus computer for editing video full#
Note, twice the number of cores does not necessarily get you a full 2x speedup but it usually does run significantly faster (on multicore applications).Īs you have already implied, the flash memory will speedup the virtualization. I would be surprised if R does not run in parallel. Mathematica, MATLAB and Octave will speedup, using all the cores: These applications will run faster on the quad-core 15" MBP.ġ6 GB faster? Depends on your actual usage. Serious applications require serious resources.
