I'm in the market for the new Mac Pro.

Question

I'm in the market for the new Mac Pro. I've been waiting for it to be released and have some cash set aside for this. I am a video editor and use Premiere Pro CC, and After Effects. My primary content is simple documentary films - so nothing too intense, but always HD (1080) video. I don't see 4k in my future but it's always a possibility so I want to future-proof my purchase for the next 3 years or so. With respect to storage space and RAM, I can make that decision myself based mostly on cashflow (since they are likely both user-expandable). However, with the basic configuration of the number of cores and video graphics card, I could use some advice. I think they are both set for the life of the computer, so important to get it right.
My current thinking is to start with the 6 core model (I guess I have no real reason for this decision, except that I feel like the 4-core base model is put there to make the price feel lower, while the real advantages in performance start at the 6 core - am I way off on this one?). But, I wonder if I should spring for the 8 core or even the 12 core? Probably overkill for me - out of my budget anyway.
The other decision is the graphics card - is the D500 enough? Will it be limiting factor in the future? Or should I move to D700?
Here are the cost differences:
from 6 core to 8 core is $1500
from D500 to D700 is $600
Which is worth it? (neither, both?)
Thanks.

Answer 1

Whether it's worth it depends more on you and what your current and future needs are.
The good news is that Adobe's CC apps can already take advantage of the AMD FirePro GPU's in the Mac Pro, and offer hardware acceleration of the Mercury Playback Engine, which you'll see in Premiere, After Effects, and Media Encoder.  According to the Adobe staffers I've talked to, even the FirePro D300's will see a big benefit, in fact they say you won't see a big bump by upgrading the GPU.  As far as Adobe's apps are concerned, their OpenCL use is all single precision, and the D500/D700 upgrades put a lot of weight in double precision performance (which is unused in their apps).  Their recommendation - put the bulk of your budget on cores and RAM.
How many depends on how elaborate and complex your work is.  Simple documentary films with the odd effects, transitions, titles, and grading.. you'd be fine with a 6-core IMO.  If you're leaning towards getting into really layered comps and effects, you'd shorten those long render times down a lot with the 8-core.  As for memory, I'd recommend at least 4GB per physical core.
Good luck!