# Duo Core Vs. Quad Core iMac: Which is best for recording?



## swayman (Mar 6, 2010)

Hey Guys,

I'm planning on purchasing an iMac a little later this year. Knowing Apple there will be new models in a few months or so, but as of today I'm trying to decide between:

1. 3.06GHz Duo Core
2. 3.33GHz Duo Core
3. 2.66GHz Quad Core i5
4. 2.8GHz Quad Core i7

I'm using Pro Tools 8 at the moment, but will more than likely be using both Pro Tools 8 & Logic when I buy the Mac.

I've heard conflicting arguments for & against both Duo & Quad Core processors for music recording, so wanted to get your opinions. I've also had conflicting advice on the i7 being overkill for this purpose.


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## KaLeVaLA (Mar 6, 2010)

Quad core is better than duo! Duo means 2, and quad means 4...so..you do the math 
And i would just go for the i5! It is more than fast enough!


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## 13point9 (Mar 6, 2010)

I have the i5 running logic 9 its more than enough =)

search the i5 "turbo boost" on google its what convinced me to go quad

also you get the better graphics card as standard =)


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## S-O (Mar 6, 2010)

Isn't the i7 Intel's latest?


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## Triple7 (Mar 6, 2010)

It would all be personal preference dude, right now I am using a non-intel G5 and I don't have any problems. I would say get the i5, save the rest of the money that you would have spent getting the i7 and buy some more gear!


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## Customisbetter (Mar 6, 2010)

guys the I7 has 8 cores technically. hyperthreading.


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## djpharoah (Mar 6, 2010)

I'd hit an i7 as it has more L2 cache than the i5 and as much ram as you can afford. Ram will probably be as helpful if not more beneficial for recording.


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## Wookieslayer (Mar 6, 2010)

IMO go i5 save some money, it should be more than enough. Make sure u get enough RAM too


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## nihilist (Mar 6, 2010)

Quad Core i7 is obviously the best one for recording, the only issue is price.


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## ry_z (Mar 6, 2010)

swayman said:


> 3. 2.66GHz Quad Core i5



I'm using one of these, with 8 GB of RAM. (though not in a Mac)

Works perfectly well for my purposes.


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## damigu (Mar 7, 2010)

the i7 is a fuckin' awesome CPU!!


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## Pirate Life (Mar 10, 2010)

Dual core might be better if ur just doing recording, quads are usualy favored by graphic workers (3d n such).

Companies sell them because 4 is obviously better than 2 but you realy wont need it. I got a Intel I3-540 (Real dual-core, not multi-threaded)+8 gig ram and i run Metal Foundry + Cubase + Reason + a bunch of Vst and its still overkill. Don't waste your money is what I'm saying


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## Inazone (Mar 10, 2010)

Do recent/current versions of Pro Tools support hyperthreading? I know that running an older version on a Pentium 4 "HT" box, the hyperthreading function had to be disabled in system settings. I haven't tried it on anything newer, but just thought I'd throw that out there. Maybe someone can confirm that the current hyperthreading technology plays nice with Pro Tools?


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## ddtonfire (Mar 10, 2010)

If you're using big sample libraries, like S2.0 or MF, more cores & more CPUs = smoother performance. I'm using a dual core macbook pro and it struggles with 2.0 and MF sometimes (constant overloads), i have to limit my mic and drum choices.


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## Daemoniac (Mar 10, 2010)

The i7 will fit the bill the "best", but you arguably may or may not need it. I'm running FL Studio 9 and a whole fuckton of VSTs, fx, and tracks, and i'm using an i7 mobile (1.8GHz?) and 6Gb DDR3 Ram, and it's working pretty damn well so far.

The i5 could work well enough, as it is one of the newer procesors. Personally i'd steer clear of Duals; you're only going to record more, and the software is only going to get more intense. It's not like the i7's are hideously overpriced either i don't think


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## damigu (Mar 11, 2010)

^^ there's truth in both sides of the debate above.

on the one side, a dual-core machine will give you more than adequate power for all your recording needs right now.

on the other side, getting a quad-core machine and/or i7 CPU now will mean you can survive longer without upgrading, because the future software/plugins *WILL* get more complex and use more resources.


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## Zami77 (Mar 12, 2010)

Go with the most power you can buy. If you get a really good computer, you wont need to upgrade for 5+ years. Also keep in mind, RAM is very important as well, id say get a minimium of 4 gigs.


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