MP 7,1 8-core or 12-core CPU?

[Coyote2006]

I am doing mainly programming and webdesign work. Also some grafic stuff and photoshop. I am dealing with mainy smaller files all day long.

I know the MacPro would be an overkill but I want to keep all my drives in the case and I want a Mac that also lasts for another 8-10 years as my 5,1 did. I do also want to have the flexibility to upgrade the machine from time to time and I do not want an all in one solution nor a Laptop (I do already have one and I use it as a backup working machine). A MBP or MacMini solution forces me to use multiple external drives or eGPU and I want a clean desk and if possible NO fan sound (I am getting older I guess ...).

As I am mainly working in the single core world, I'm not sure about the CPU to select. The 8-core might be enough but the 12-core seems to be faster in single core benchmark and has also more power if I need more cores.

Would you recommend the 12-core or the 8-core?

Thanks for any kind of input in advance.

p.s. for GPU I am waiting for the 5700 as it leaves more TB3 ports free (I'll probably buy a XDR next year) and is much faster than the 580 which I already have in my 5,1.

 

[C2R]

I am doing mainly programming and webdesign work. Also some grafic stuff and photoshop. I am dealing with mainy smaller files all day long.

I know the MacPro would be an overkill but I want to keep all my drives in the case and I want a Mac that also lasts for another 8-10 years as my 5,1 did. I do also want to have the flexibility to upgrade the machine from time to time and I do not want an all in one solution nor a Laptop (I do already have one and I use it as a backup working machine). A MBP or MacMini solution forces me to use multiple external drives or eGPU and I want a clean desk and if possible NO fan sound (I am getting older I guess ...).

As I am mainly working in the single core world, I'm not sure about the CPU to select. The 8-core might be enough but the 12-core seems to be faster in single core benchmark and has also more power if I need more cores.

Would you recommend the 12-core or the 8-core?

Thanks for any kind of input in advance.

p.s. for GPU I am waiting for the 5700 as it leaves more TB3 ports free (I'll probably buy a XDR next year) and is much faster than the 580 which I already have in my 5,1.

The memory is faster on the 12 cores...

 

[MacFlaX]

@Coyote2006 I struggled with the same question and went with the 8-core finally. The Mac Pro 7.1 is definitively overkill for my use case as well, most "heavy" application is Lightroom with larger RAWs. Main reason for the 7.1 was that I wanted a quite, clean and upgradable setup, similar to my 4.1 before. I hope that I can upgrade the CPU in future, if needed and eventually more affordable.
So far I'm happy with my choice, even if I'm sometimes thinking that the 12-core would have been the more logical configuration, because of higher RAM speed and higher single core turbo. As you are waiting for the 5700, you may still have some time to decide ;-)

Remark: Initially I wanted to go with the 8-core 16" MBP as upgrade from the 4.1, but I couldn't stand the fan noise, especially when using with an external monitor. Finally I send it back. The 7.1 in comparison is a real relive. Nothing to hear, whatever you do with it.

 

[Coyote2006]

@Coyote2006 I struggled with the same question and went with the 8-core finally. The Mac Pro 7.1 is definitively overkill for my use case as well, most "heavy" application is Lightroom with larger RAWs. Main reason for the 7.1 was that I wanted a quite, clean and upgradable setup, similar to my 4.1 before. I hope that I can upgrade the CPU in future, if needed and eventually more affordable.
So far I'm happy with my choice, even if I'm sometimes thinking that the 12-core would have been the more logical configuration, because of higher RAM speed and higher single core turbo. As you are waiting for the 5700, you may still have some time to decide ;-)

Remark: Initially I wanted to go with the 8-core 16" MBP as upgrade from the 4.1, but I couldn't stand the fan noise, especially when using with an external monitor. Finally I send it back. The 7.1 in comparison is a real relive. Nothing to hear, whatever you do with it.

Thanks a lot for you reply. I was also considering going with the MBP 16" as a 5,1 replacement and the XDR for this year. But the fan noise ... also I like the 5,1 as everything is in one box not spread around in different cases. The same reason why I did't go with an iMacPro. I've bought already a LG38" monitor (matte, much better than glossy) which is great as I really needed more room for the tools windows in the software I am using all day long. That was even more important than retina resolution right now.

If the 5700 takes even more time to be released I do have some more time to consider, right you are

 

[bcomer]

Thanks a lot for you reply. I was also considering going with the MBP 16" as a 5,1 replacement and the XDR for this year. But the fan noise ... also I like the 5,1 as everything is in one box not spread around in different cases. The same reason why I did't go with an iMacPro. I've bought already a LG38" monitor (matte, much better than glossy) which is great as I really needed more room for the tools windows in the software I am using all day long. That was even more important than retina resolution right now.

If the 5700 takes even more time to be released I do have some more time to consider, right you are

I was in the same boat as a professional software developer and hobby photographer. My current hex-core trashcan is okay but I am in the need of an upgrade. Just ordered a 12-core with 1TB of SSD and base 32GB memory. A memory upgrade will come from OWC and required.

I value a quiet office and the new MP continues to offer that as the trashcan did. You should strongly consider the 12-core for the faster memory etc. Upgrading the the CPU later is possible but why not enjoy the performance now?

 

[bob_stan]

That's the same choice I made when upgrading from the trashcan and I haven't regretted it.

 

[Coyote2006]

Greatly appreciate your feedback! What GPU did you choose?

 

[bxs]

• Reading your OP my advice would be to order the 8-core and save the extra $1,000 for other things.
• It's very rare, if not impossible, for any core to reach the Turbo Boost value unless you purposely disable all the cores but 1.
• The 8-core will deliver a nice 3.5 GHz per core whereas the 12-core delivers 3.3 GHz in normal use.
• Your workflow really is not that demanding as stated in your OP so the 8-core should be adequate IMO.
• The memory speed 2666MHz for the 8-core vs. the 2933MHz for the 12-core will not affect your stated workflow performance or responsiveness, and quite honestly you would not ever know the difference.

 

[AWW_13]

• Reading your OP my advice would be to order the 8-core and save the extra $1,000 for other things.
• It's very rare, if not impossible, for any core to reach the Turbo Boost value unless you purposely disable all the cores but 1.
• The 8-core will deliver a nice 3.5 GHz per core whereas the 12-core delivers 3.3 GHz in normal use.
• Your workflow really is not that demanding as stated in your OP so the 8-core should be adequate IMO.
• The memory speed 2666MHz for the 8-core vs. the 2933MHz for the 12-core will not affect your stated workflow performance or responsiveness, and quite honestly you would not ever know the difference.

Do you think the same holds true for working in Cinema 4D (and 3D work in general) or would the user benefit from having the 12-core?

 

[now i see it]

I used to live in Cinema 4D for a living and it will bring the fastest computer made today to its knees if you push it. There isn't a computer made today (or likely 40 years from now) that will let you fly through your project. No matter what super computer you've got- you'll still be waiting.

If I still was a Cinema 4D jockey and I lived in it for a living, I'd get the 28 core 7,1 if I wanted to stay with a Mac. If I couldn't afford the 28 core, I'd pick a core count a little lower that I could (barely) afford.

The 8 core 7,1 will feel slow in C4D after a couple days

 

[MacFlaX]

Greatly appreciate your feedback! What GPU did you choose?

...the 580X, and waiting for the MPX 5700 modul to upgrade (like you ;-)

 

[Romanesco]

16-core would be more future-proof. In a year or so we might see 32 & 64-core AMDs go mainstream regardless of the platform, thus 8 or 12-core (and to some degree 16 and 28-core Xeons) will start to feel dated.

 

[AdamSeen]

I’ve a similar use case. One thing to consider is the 8 core is 160w cpu, the 12 a 180w, the 16 a 205w. The 8 core seems to be artificially limited, so you’re going to get better single core performance from the 12 core. Not sure I agree with what a poster has said about it almost impossible to reach its turbo, I don’t have one to test yet, but it’s all about cooling.

The Mac Pro’s cooling can cool a 205w cpu. It will easily cover the 180w 12 core and should be better for your use case of high single core performance, it may even be the best single core performer out of all the CPUs.

 

[bcomer]

Greatly appreciate your feedback! What GPU did you choose?

580 for now but will update later

 

[Coyote2006]

16-core would be more future-proof. In a year or so we might see 32 & 64-core AMDs go mainstream regardless of the platform, thus 8 or 12-core (and to some degree 16 and 28-core Xeons) will start to feel dated.

You might be right, but I am not that much into multi core work, so 16 core might be too much. I'd rather spend that additional $1000 into a better GPU ;-)

 

[Blair Paulsen]

The sad truth is that few software devs are willing to invest the coding resources to properly leverage multicore CPUs. Moreover, depending on which applications you care about, more and more compute tasks are now accomplished on GPUs.
FWIW, I'd do some research into how well your critical apps utilize multiple cores in tasks you do regularly. I'd also investigate their trajectory vis a vis CPU vs GPU usage. If it seems likely the next rev of your key program will primarily lean on GPU grunt for the heavy lifting...

 

[Romanesco]

You might be right, but I am not that much into multi core work, so 16 core might be too much. I'd rather spend that additional $1000 into a better GPU ;-)

You could always add a GPU MPX module in the future (even with your 580X), whereas if you buy a 12-core and then upgrade to a 16-core (or 24/ 28) you’d lose money. I would however agree that the 24 and 28 are not worth in any scenario. On top, an MPX module is an easier tech upgrade over a CPU replacement.

 

[Coyote2006]

That's right, software isn't often supporting multiple CPUs as it could be. The "problem" here is that the processor with more cores (12) seems to be faster in single core (at least comparing Geekbench 5 benchmarks).

It's very unlikely that I'll go for more than 12 cores in the future.

I've got to see how much Apple asks for the 5700. It would just be a nice option to have a strong GPU right at the start. At the moment I actually do not need TB3 ports and the 580 in my 5,1 seems to be "ok". But that might change when I get a XDR display later.

 

[ZombiePhysicist]

You could always add a GPU MPX module in the future (even with your 580X), whereas if you buy a 12-core and then upgrade to a 16-core (or 24/ 28) you’d lose money. I would however agree that the 24 and 28 are not worth in any scenario. On top, an MPX module is an easier tech upgrade over a CPU replacement.

Depends if you plan to hold on to the machine for a while. The 24/28 core machines give you 6 extra ram slots, so I think there is a lot of value from that.

That said, the CPU upgrades are astonishingly over priced. Let's hope they Rev the machine in a year with more realistic options.

 

[Coyote2006]

Maybe some 8-core/12-core users could share their experieces? Maybe by comparing to the 5,1?

 

[majus]

The 24/28 core machines give you 6 extra ram slots, so I think there is a lot of value from that.

Really? So far as I know all the machines have the same number of slots: 12.

 

[Coyote2006]

Really? So far as I know all the machines have the same number of slots: 12.

That's right. All 12 slots are available, but restricted to only ( ? ) max 768GB RAM except 24/28 cores

 

[Coyote2006]

@Coyote2006 I struggled with the same question and went with the 8-core finally. The Mac Pro 7.1 is definitively overkill for my use case as well, most "heavy" application is Lightroom with larger RAWs. Main reason for the 7.1 was that I wanted a quite, clean and upgradable setup, similar to my 4.1 before. I hope that I can upgrade the CPU in future, if needed and eventually more affordable.
So far I'm happy with my choice, even if I'm sometimes thinking that the 12-core would have been the more logical configuration, because of higher RAM speed and higher single core turbo. As you are waiting for the 5700, you may still have some time to decide ;-)

Remark: Initially I wanted to go with the 8-core 16" MBP as upgrade from the 4.1, but I couldn't stand the fan noise, especially when using with an external monitor. Finally I send it back. The 7.1 in comparison is a real relive. Nothing to hear, whatever you do with it.

Still happy with the 8-cores?

 

[MacFlaX]

So far im happy, yes. In practice the 8-core is more than sufficient for my use case (see above), especially considering that more cores would not really address the perceived Lightroom UI lag. For LR import and export I notice a big improvement vs my former 4.1.
If I would re-order today I may consider the 12-core, because of the moderate add-on cost. On the other hand I'm very relaxed, especially seeing how easy a CPU DIY upgrade could be done in the future (if wanted or needed).

 

[Coyote2006]

So far im happy, yes. In practice the 8-core is more than sufficient for my use case (see above), especially considering that more cores would not really address the perceived Lightroom UI lag. For LR import and export I notice a big improvement vs my former 4.1.
If I would re-order today I may consider the 12-core, because of the moderate add-on cost. On the other hand I'm very relaxed, especially seeing how easy a CPU DIY upgrade could be done in the future (if wanted or needed).

Thanks for your reply. How would you consider the fan noise compared to the 1,4?