I think the distribution of edges is far more important to "good" topology than anything else, because clearly even quads can cause problems if they aren't laid out correctly for the situation.  Remember, quads are just two tris together.  Quads just make it easier to model logically, and make mesh editing/rigging/texturing, and everything else to do with CG easier and more efficient.  That's why they are used, especially in organic modelling, but in all kinds of modelling nowadays.

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Tools :  3dsmax 2015, Daz Studio 4.6, PoserPro 2012, Blender v2.74

System: Pentium QuadCore i7, under Win 8, GeForce GTX 780 / 2GB GPU.