Help me decide between these two turntable/cartridge combinations

Sorry for the late reply bt. Yes, the Ortofon is a better cartridge. It has a better stylus, it tracks better and although I really have nothing to back this up I feel it is made better. Ortofon has way more experience building cartridges than Rega. Although I give Rega kudos for unique suspension geometry I do not think it represents an improvement. It might even be to the contrary. Their marketing is also a bit odd since they use the same damping material other cartridges use just in a different position relative to the coil. Look at a blow up of the very end of the cantilevers. The Rega stylus (very tall by the way which is bad) is mounted the old fashioned way through a hole in the crimped end of the cantilever which is more than likely aluminum ( I can't find that spec anywhere) The Ortofon In the modern low mass way is glued directly to the end of a sapphire cantilever second only to boron a diamond in stiffness. This results in a lower tip mass which is critical for tracking. The Ortofon is listed a 80 um. Only one cartridge in their line up does better, the Windfeld Ti @ 90 um. The Rega spec again is not published. Go with the Pro's and get the Ortofon. If you have to spend more money get the Cadenza Blue but I would make the jump to the Cadenza Black. You also Have the Lyra Delos, another excellent cartridge for the money. 
Now as far as MDF is concerned it is without question the best value in an extremely well damped material. It is possible to make extraordinary things with the stuff. It gets a bad rap because it is so common and low tech but when used correctly it is hard to beat within a mile of the price.
Is it indicative of an inferior product? Not at all. I made a plinth for a friend of 4 " thick MDF veneered in Cocobolo for a Thoren's TD 124 II and I do not think you could make a more handsome, functional plinth (with hinged dust cover). It is stiff, massive and extremely well damped. I made him a matching cocobolo tonearm board for his SME. The table was rebuilt and the chassis was powder coated gloss black so the whole thing looks killer. 

OP here are the facts about the Rega RP 8/Alpheta 2 combo.
We are long time Rega dealers and the combo is fantastic, musical and super easy to setup.

We have found that the Rega RP8/Alpheta 2 combo is unbeatable for the price.

The new Rega RP 8 and the 10 are based on the $30k Nyiad test bed reference table that is Roy Gandy's ultimate expression of a low mass design.

Unlike EAT Rega makes the Alpeta 2 to work perfectly with the matching tonearm, EAT uses an Ortophon which is an excellent cart but this cart is not designed to work specifically with the EAT tonearm. 

We were looking at switching to the EAT table but the Ortophon cart that came with the table wasn't in the same league as the Alpheta 2 cart and that was based on the previous version.
😊

The Rega Planner 8 is a $3,700.00 table the Alpheta 2 is an $1,900 cart.
the 2 together should cost $5,400.00 the two purchased together are $4,300.00 which is a $1,200.00 off the price, so for the money you are getting a really good phono cart.

The Alpheata 2 is an exceptional cart that is way more musical than the Alpheta 1 which had a peak on the top end, the new Alpheta 2 is fast and articulate and very musical.

Rega's new products are really fantastic and are way better in terms of musical qualities over the older Rega products.

We have played our demo Rega P8/Alpheta combo for people through out the years and people are always totally blown away by the sound of the Rega P8/Alpheta 2 combo, the newest Planner 8 Alpheta is a dramatic improvement over the previous version and in terms of pace, rhythmic timing, and articulation. 

Dave and Troy
Audio Doctor NJ  Rega dealers

Now the dealer chimes in bringing "facts" about his products, thanks for illuminating us the consumers
Don´t forget to advise him to play records only with the windows closed since a mild wind is able to destroy the soundstage

@gallus, naughty - but nice nevertheless.

What with Shure exiting the cartridge business Ortofon must now be up there with the very best.

As for Rega, well they used to be renowned for making good quality products at pocket friendly prices. Roy Gandy used to say he didn't want to follow in the footsteps of others (such as Linn).

I really hope that this is still the case.

What a great place to " carefully" and indirectly plug your place of business.