Which Parameters Of Your Pc Determine Rendering Speed?, RAM? PROCESSOR? GRAPHICS CARD
 

If you inncrease RAM in your PC, rendering will be faster?
Or if you install a better GRAPHICS CARD?
Or get a better PROCESSOR?

They're all connected, without getting too wordy, better cpu is faster rendering BUT that doesn't mean you should skimp on RAM, the components need to be able to keep up with each other or you'll get bottlenecking.

If its a software/MR render its all in the CPU speed, the RAM speed also helps to a degree to swap files and hold parts.

If its hardware then its down to the GFX card, though I get a feeling in a few months/years we'll see big upped hardware rendering capabilities what with CUDA and all that.

what they said
but more cores= better
EG 3 3Gz processors are better than 1 8Gz processor

only when your software is built to handle multiple cores

One thing to note though the more CPU's the faster in general, not cores, when scaling up, cores can be bottle necked with the FSB so you get lower returns for more cores, untill technology improves.

How is maya for multiple cores/CPUs? (i.e. running it as well as rendering)
E.g. 2 quad-core processors with hyperthreading for a total of 16 virtual cores?

Leave running and rendering sepperate, when rendering a big scene use the cmd line or a right click (modded if using MR) and just leave it.

The only quads you can get with hyper threading are the i7's I think, and you cant get them on a dual motherboard as far as I know.

I know you can get Xeons with hyper-threading on a dual motherboard...
I guess I was just wondering if running maya (apart from rendering) could take advantage of multiple cores and/or CPUs to increase the speed and poly # limits of the viewport for example.
And on a separate issue if multi-core provided a significant speed-up for rendering.
Thanks, :)
Stwert

Can you? Our dual quad Xenons only show up with 8 cores not 16, they are a couple of years old now though.

I was thinking of the new Mac Pros, one of which I was initially considering buying and two quads will give you 16 virtual cores.

I think intel may have yet to release the equivalent processors for PCs, but when they come out (if they haven't already) I'm sure they will have the same ability.
But yes, I'm not sure whether or not the current or last years have hyper-threading.

Ahh I see, like I said ours are a couple of years old. The processors in the Mac pro will probably be available for the PC, I doubt very much intel would bring something out on the apple before the PC. Its not their major market. Other than the processors the macs are generally lacking and overpriced.

Also having virtual cores isnt necessary a good thing as hyper threading can run into problems.