Which one? Core 2 Duo, or Core 2 Quad processor?

Hi,

I am thinking about upgrading from my present Core 2 Duo (E6600) processor to a Core 2 Quad (Q6600) processor. Would I see a big performance increase with Sonar 7.0.2?

I have heard there are many software programs not constructive to take advantage of Core 2 Quad 4 Cores... What about Sonar 7?

I would like hear from someone with Sonar 7 who has upgraded to the Core 2 Quad (Q6600). Thanks in advance...

Herbster

Cakewalk Sonar 7.0.2, Windows XP, EZ Drummer, Tascam FW-1884, Antec Sonata II 450, Asus P5W DH Deluxe, Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 2.4GHz 775 Processor, 2 GB Kingston DDR2 SDRAM, 2x 19" Wide screen LCD Monitors, 2x350Gb sata hard drives, PCI Express x16 Sapphire Radeon X1300, 2xDVD combo dual layer drives, Korg N364 workstation, M-Audio Axiom 49.

Either you haven't been around much here you are really are unsure what you should get. Thats not what I want to say but I am being nice. From any view point more cores are better then less. So go with a quad. The Q6600 is at this time a very cost effective buy. But the Q9450 may be the overall best buy. Look into both and you decide.

Can you afford an 8 core proc? BUY IT!!!

Too expensive? Can you afford a 4 core proc? BUY IT!!!

Too expensive? Can you afford a 2 core proc? BUY IT!!!


There has been some pretty extensive testing on use of multi-core procs with DAW software like Sonar, Pro Tools, Cubase, Reaper, etc... all of them are able to handle multiple cores in a pretty efficient manner. Some arguably better than others, but the bottom line is that more is better.

The biggest challenge you'll face in getting your multi-core proc to perform better is making sure to install the correct patches from either the chip manufacturer (Intel/AMD- AMD patches are more common) or from Microsoft. This will help ensure that your CPU is used most efficiently by Windows. There are 4 or 5 different Windows patches that may be applicable for you, so Google your way around Microsoft's knowledge base and see what you can find. Getting your multi-core CPU to work in Sonar is as easy as checking the "Use Multi-Processing Engine" option under Options-->Audio-->Advanced tab.

You may still run into interface drivers that don't play nice (anything Digidesign using their ASIO driver to run a different program like Sonar) or with plugins that cause issues (CPU munching has been common with past versions of UAD plugins), but Sonar works quite well.

+1 on checking the BIOS version as well.

Peace,

Q6600 or Q9450 ... it comes down to budget.

Quads are unbelievably powerful with Sonar 7....

I have read tests done for PC websites where they test dual cores versus quad cores. A faster dual core (e.g. 3.0 GHz) actually performs better than a slower (e.g. 2.4 GHz) quad core. Now, I don't believe they were testing with DAWs, just games and word processing etc.
However, the reason a faster dual works better than a slightly slower quad has to do with the way software (e.g. software being optimized for dual cores and not quads) and hardware (motherboards in this case) are currently designed. In the near future, we will start to see some changes in these areas I believe, which will make quad better than dual.

Just my 2 cents.

ORIGINAL: donbelisle

Wiz. thanks for that note about disabling MULTIPROCESSOR for using UADs.
I was concidering buying the UADs, this changed my mind!
Other issues was their age. A lot of hadware gets designed in a giving time
peroid, which work "real good" for the PCs at that time, moving forward
PC wise, doesn`t always reap the benefits of older hardware.
I`ll stuck to my Q6600 and just a few plug ins. I expect a good 3-5 years
with this setup, hope others ride the Quad wave to.
There is so much avaible processing with these quads, the UADs seem pointless.
Don Belisle
proud owner of a Sonar 7.02
Q6600,
DP35DP MB,
2 gig mem,
XP pro SP-2,
1 terabyte SATA
FW410, LT1010, many other goodies.

Hi

well, i dont mean do anything, other than to say, for me...using UAD's , Sonar, and my E6600 Core 2 Duo, I have success using it with multiprocessor disabled....the stuff I do, doesnt tax the CPU anyways...and the sonic benefits of the UAD plugins far outweigh and processor power I would pick up.

I have yet to hear anything native, that compares with the UAD La2a and Neve series EQ's at similar price points....

but, each to their own...thats not meant to sound negative, more a...once you find something that works for you and you get the sounds you want, milk it for what its worth...8)...

cheers

Wiz

In Windows install you can repair an install instead of reinstalling it. When you boot up the Windows install there will be a point where you can install third party drivers as well as go to the console. You don't want to do that you will wait and Windows will load its drivers and your third party ones if needed then it will ask to install or repair. At this point say repair. Now this only works if your install disk is the same version as your installed version. They must be the same. If the install disk is SP 1 and you have SP2 it wont work. You then need to do a complete reinstall.

I'm the process of upgrading to a Q6600 and 965 motherboard right now. My computer manufacturer reccomended it if I was going to upgrade during a repair send back. They said the difference would be like night and day. I think letting an expert redo the BIOS is a must for me or anyone during a processor upgrade. New toys! New toys!

Spectral CB-1100 Custom
160 & 250 Gb hard drives
4Gb of DDRII 800mhz Ram
DG965SS Motherboard
Q6600 Quad Processor