making faster : CPU vs Graphic card

[rio-redstone]

Hi, all.

Now I've used El Capitan on hp xw6400 with Xeon L5335 x2 and Radeon HD 5450. It works well, and have almost nothing issue. But I want to make my Hack faster. Basically I'm satisfied with general uses; web, text, Xcode, watching movies, iTunes...
Now I plan to change CPUs or a graphic card in order to get faster movie editing, trim, cut, etc... by a software without re-encode like Mpeg Stream Clip, means not iMove or Premier or Final Cut.
So, now I think of two options,

1, faster CPU, like E5450 (of course, on 5400 chipset)
2, upgrade graphic card, like GeForce 710, 730, 750 or Radeon R7 240

Which is a SUITABLE CHOISE FOR OSX???

What do you think? Could you give me some advice?

thanks

 

[Stork]

Hi, all.

Now I've used El Capitan on hp xw6400 with Xeon L5335 x2 and Radeon HD 5450. It works well, and have almost nothing issue. But I want to make my Hack faster. Basically I'm satisfied with general uses; web, text, Xcode, watching movies, iTunes...
Now I plan to change CPUs or a graphic card in order to get faster movie editing, trim, cut, etc... by a software without re-encode like Mpeg Stream Clip, means not iMove or Premier or Final Cut.
So, now I think of two options,

1, faster CPU, like E5450 (of course, on 5400 chipset)
2, upgrade graphic card, like GeForce 710, 730, 750 or Radeon R7 240

Which is a SUITABLE CHOISE FOR OSX???

What do you think? Could you give me some advice?

thanks

I don't think you get a good bang for buck in a CPU upgrade.

But, I can recommend the GTX 750 Ti, which is going for <$100 new, or the GTX 950. I can't recommend the AMD R7 240 as you won't get as much graphics "compute power" as the previously mentioned cards. The only minor drawback to using the Nvidia Maxwell chipset graphics cards (740 with GDRR5 memory, 750, 750 Ti, and 900 series) is that you have to use Yosemite or El Capitan and the Nividia web drivers. You'll also have to wait 24-48 hours for Nvidia to publish their updated drivers after every OS X update. Here's an archive of the Nividia web drivers > Which Driver Should I Install for My New GPU - MacVidCards.com. However, this is a minor problem, and it doesn't bother me or others with Nvidia Maxwell chipset cards.

I recommend you check out Tom's Hardware's Best Graphics Cards for the Money, which reviews their choice of cards for money categories, and their Graphics Card Hierarchy Chart.

Once you home in on a card, check out the graphics card section of the tonymacx86 Buyer's Guide.

 

[rio-redstone]

I don't think you get a good bang for buck in a CPU upgrade.

But, I can recommend the GTX 750 Ti, which is going for <$100 new, or the GTX 950. I can't recommend the AMD R7 240 as you won't get as much graphics "compute power" as the previously mentioned cards. The only minor drawback to using the Nvidia Maxwell chipset graphics cards (740 with GDRR5 memory, 750, 750 Ti, and 900 series) is that you have to use Yosemite or El Capitan and the Nividia web drivers. You'll also have to wait 24-48 hours for Nvidia to publish their updated drivers after every OS X update. Here's an archive of the Nividia web drivers > Which Driver Should I Install for My New GPU - MacVidCards.com. However, this is a minor problem, and it doesn't bother me or others with Nvidia Maxwell chipset cards.

I recommend you check out Tom's Hardware's Best Graphics Cards for the Money, which reviews their choice of cards for money categories, and their Graphics Card Hierarchy Chart.

Once you home in on a card, check out the graphics card section of the tonymacx86 Buyer's Guide.

Thank you for your advice, Stork!!
Soon after reading yours, I cut off R7 240 from my list!

Anyway, I'm curious about your opinion for CPU. Even if E5450 has x1.5 more frequency than L5335, is it not worth doing that?? Just curious.

So, I like your idea of 750 Ti, that is attractive one, in terms of price, power, compatibility, etc... I'm going to upgrade a graphic card, as you say.

By the way, I think you use Maxwell-s. Metal must be running with your cards, right? How do you feel?? I'm very interested in Metal.

best regards,

 

[Stork]

Well, in Mac Pro processor upgrades, upgrading the processor throughput also depends upon memory speed which is matched to the processor and the motherboard's chipset. So, increasing the CPU speed may need faster memory, too, to realize faster processing. Hopefully, your research has given you insight to this processor/memory dependence. If not, I recommend you ask your processor upgrade question on a HP forum that specializes in your HP model.

 

[rio-redstone]

Well, in Mac Pro processor upgrades, upgrading the processor throughput also depends upon memory speed which is matched to the processor and the motherboard's chipset. So, increasing the CPU speed may need faster memory, too, to realize faster processing. Hopefully, your research has given you insight to this processor/memory dependence. If not, I recommend you ask your processor upgrade question on a HP forum that specializes in your HP model.

Thank you for your reply, Stork!!

Now I can understand the relationship between processor clock and memory bus speed.
As you told me, I'm going to get a 750 Ti. When I install the board, I'd like to use your article as a reference in this forum!

Thank you again, Stork!!