12 core versus 6 core for D800 raw files...

Simple question, with all other things maxed out, ram, fast GPU, PCIe based SSD's for boot, apps and scratch, using CS6 or LR5, how much faster would a

12 core 3.4.6 processor be than a 6 core 3.33 at processing D800 raw files? These are both Mac Pros...

<p><a href="http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~ssanty/cgi-bin/eightball.cgi">Magic Eight Ball</a> says,<br>

"Ask again later"</p>

<p>The new Mac Pro is due in December, claimed performance on their models at<br>

http://www.apple.com/mac-pro/performance/</p>

<p>Probably not much, unless you get sneaky about it.</p>

<p>It isn't what you might hope for, and at best you'll get about a 1-3/4 times speed up with 2 times as many processors. But more likely it will be about 1.5x if the software is designed to use multiple processors, and if it is not there will not be any increase in speed.</p>

<p>There are ways to improve the use of multicore systems to closer approach that 1-3/4 increase in processing speed. But it again depends on using software that fits the requirements. If you can generate a "parameter" file interactively without actually converting the NEF files to image files and then run the actual conversion processing as a batch at a minimum you will at least eliminate having to sit waiting between each NEF file as it is converted. If you have programming skills it is possible to write a shell script to cause one NEF file per CPU to be processed at a time, and that will push it right up to 1-3/4 speed increase for 2x as many CPU's.</p>

 

Thanks. I will just stick to my current setup then since it really is the end of the line for me in using digital, won't be using Adobe cloud, no new digital cameras, etc. At the moment I am running a 2011 Mac Pro 5,1 6x3.33, 48GB ram, GTX680, 4x3TB, 840 PRO SSD via PCIe, 840 EVO SSD for boot and apps.

 

I'll stick with this...

<p>I've had a 12 core 64 gb pc for about a year. If the software takes advantage is flies. Most software do not get past about 2 cores worth of effort.</p>

<p>Noise Ninja and Focus Magic smoke, but that is about it. </p>

<p>I've got a 3.5GHz i7 based iMac. With Photoshop CC, Lightroom 5, two web browsers and 20 open tabs, email, etc etc. running, I don't get close to 50% on the processor usage. Maybe four out of eight will get to 50%, but that's it. And I've only got 16GB of RAM. So it seems like you should be fine, but you may want to get MenuMeters, you can see active usage on processors.</p>

<p>The luxury I have gotten with my config (I was gonna go with 128 gb) is that you never hit that wall, ever. The reality is I never know any time that gob of resources has done good things for me. I can live with that... ;)</p>

<blockquote>

<p>I've got a 3.5GHz i7 based iMac. With Photoshop CC, Lightroom 5, two web browsers and 20 open tabs, email, etc etc. running, I don't get close to 50% on the processor usage. </p>

</blockquote>

<p> <br>

It could be you've reached a bottle neck at other hardware though. If you pulled out half your ram and made it 8gb and then measured, I bet your cpu usage would drop to 30%.<br>

<br>

</p>