What kind of gear do you use for editing?

For instance what type of hard drive do you use?

Do you think SSDs (Solid State Drive) are reliable enough for your particular needs?

Do you prefer SATA, eSATA, FireWire400, FireWire800, USB 2, USB3, or some other type of data connector? Why do you like one versus the other?

Are your mass storage devices set up for the most capacity, the most backup protection, speed, or something else?

Do you use laptops, towers, desktops, all-in-ones, or rack-mounted gear?

What type of software do you prefer and why?

MacPro 2.66 Quad-Core Tower - 1.3TB storage/G-Raid Drives / Final Cut Studio

I have a multi-core CPU too but I've been finding it hard to get a definitive answer from anyone whether it really makes a big difference or not. I know some techs or gamers who swear it is like having multiple CPUs right in their rigs. While I haven't really experienced the same thing with mine. In terms of just brute force computing I mean. If that were the case then my dual core at 2 GHz would be like owning a 4GHz machine. What is your take on it?

windows 7, 8gb ram, 3,30GHz, core i5 processor, 64 bit

Adobe premiere pro CS5

Multiple Cores DO make a difference IF the software is coded to use the additional cores. Certain apps in FCS use all available cores, i.e., Compressor, Motion, Color etc. These particular apps are processor intensive and use all available resources.

Without going into a whole workflow scenario - I will say that the multi-core system I have has increased my productivity by 20% or maybe a bit more, due to the speed advantages in processor intensive tasks.

That is Significant. :)

Asus P6T Deluxe v2 MB
i7 quad-core (hyperthreaded = 8 cores) 2.6GHz (overclocked to 3.2GHz)
9gb DDR ram
3 500gb SATA HDDs in RAID 5 configuration
nVidia GeForce GTX-295 GPU

@AllFractup - multi core processors really show their stuff when the application knows how to use them. If an app isn't aware, then you will see no change.

AcmeStudios & Vader,

I have some new fractal software that does utilize multiple cores. The way people tout the gains you get from multi-core CPUs is like the coming of a new age in computing. I just haven't had that experience. Primarily I look for the best value out of brute force computing. Prior to making animations I didn't need to spend a lot of money to get a fast computer.

Relatively fast would be the right way of thinking about it. Compared to what is out there these days.

Anyhow thanks again.

I understand, I also have other software that uses multiple cores, but does not do it as efficiently. It really depends on the developer, and of course there are other factors such as efficient use of RAM, other processes running at the same time will also slow performance etc.

Finally... the BUS speed architecture of the motherboard is very important - you can have hell'a fast drive/ lot's of RAM, but if the BUS speed is slow, your jacked.

I just upgraded to a Intel i7 2600 with 16gb ram, 6x2tb drives and a Nvidea gpu so i can use the mercure engine in Adobe Premiere.

Everything runs on Windows 7