[Help] New graphics workstation CPU choice?

talk random
1

Hi there,

I’m hoping to build a new graphics workstation some time soon, and I’d appreciate some advice
Right now I’m running a 2.8GHz Pentium4 system with 512RAM. I was thinking to upgrade to a dual-processor P4/Athlon system, or just a single-CPU Xeon/Opteron. The CPU is the part I’m really not sure about. I want something that’ll actually be worthwhile, and seeing as CPU’s are still floating around 3.5GHz, I’m thinking to go for dual-processors.

Software I’m using:
CorelDRAW 12, Cinema 4D 8, Adobe CS2, 3dsmax, Premiere, After Effects

So, basically:

  • The cheapest Xeon (2.8GHz 800FSB) or a high-end P4 (3.2-3.5GHz)
  • The cheapest Opteron (242 or 244) or a high-end Athlon (3400+)
  • Can I get dual P4/Athlon CPUs? Are they better than a single Xeon/Opteron
  • or should I forget everything and just get a dual-core P4/Athlon?

Please don’t ramble on too much about technical stuff, I just want something that’ll be noticably faster than my P4 2.8 - something that’ll be worth the upgrade :slight_smile:

Thanks in advance!