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Post by reddirt on Jul 12, 2016 18:20:10 GMT -6
Hi guys, I have asked this question at the place many of you lovingly call "the other place" but am looking for perhaps a more "power user" response.
Mac only replies please; it's audio work only - no internet/ office etc; want speed and low latency.
I need to upgrade soon as my computer (2010 2.53 i5 17" MB Pro, 24" Mon, Snow leopard, PT 10.3.9, Studio One 1.5) has been a tireless workhorse but the immutable law which says all things must pass will ultimately have it's way.......
Also because I'm running Snow Leopard, there are certain new plugs /pgms / updates etc which won't run properly.
I can't afford a mac tower so we'll discount that (and possibly the mini as well as they've de-powered it to a 2 core i 7?)
Interface is Prism Titan / MH ULN-2 with a UAD Satellite.I run a max mix of 24 trks , recording max of 12 at once , 44.1 up to 88.2, only a handful of VI's, mainly "old school".
My thoughts at the mo:
i-Mac i7 4 core , 16 gig ram , 256 gig SSD on board, 256 SSD outboard for audio, 1TB 7200 spinner for back up. ( Don't want bigger drives as it becomes unwieldy.)
Additional Questions: Do I need the i 7 or would an i5 give me what i want?
Should i wait for a re-fresh which may include TB 3 , USB C and improved EL Cap?
Does El Cap run PT 10 / 11 successfully?
Thanks for your help. Cheers, Ross
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Post by kcatthedog on Jul 12, 2016 18:51:33 GMT -6
I would get the i7 as it is simply more powerful. what comms protocals are critical to your set up Isn't the prism USB 2 ? Why would you not upgrade your OS and pro tools ?
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Post by reddirt on Jul 12, 2016 23:37:48 GMT -6
I would get the i7 as it is simply more powerful. what comms protocals are critical to your set up Isn't the prism USB 2 ? Why would you not upgrade your OS and pro tools ? Thanks for the reply k cat ; I would be happy to upgrade the Os to El Cap if it's not buggy for audio; have seen a lot of complaints about it though. And PTools 12 is causing consternation with their new ownership model in some quarters - I'm not across that one at all ;it's just what I see on forums. Any personal experience on these points is gratefully received Cheers, Ross |
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Post by kcatthedog on Jul 13, 2016 3:41:20 GMT -6
I've been running El cap for quite a while no particular problems and seems more efficient.
I went to PT 12 but have not got last upgrade as it is buggy, but 12 gets rid of lots of 10 and 11's problems.
Due to avid's new annual pricing I bought 12 for the $99 for the reasons above and the locked in price but also bought Logic.
Very comfortable in logic now,liking it more and more,probably won't go back to PT and won't pay another $99 to renew in December.
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Post by kilroyrock on Jul 13, 2016 5:43:49 GMT -6
As an IT professional, I would recommend always going with the fastest processor you can afford. It is the biggest ticket priced item in the computer, and upgrading from an I5 to an I5 won't give you the gains you are looking for. The I7, depending on the chip, has hyperthreading, which (for me in PC land) in pro tools shows up as twice the # of processors. My 6 core I7 is actually a 12 core. And boy is it smooth.. There are things you can try, this guy updated his 2010 Imac - www.ifixit.com/Guide/Upgrade+iMac+Intel+Core+i3+CPU+to+Core+i7/8670 . If your only issue is processing speed, then that's fixed with new cpu and more ram, which could run you 3-700 bucks, but thanks to mac using Intel chips IS actually possible... Since you're playing with a 2010, I don't think there's a warranty issue? |
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Post by Ward on Jul 13, 2016 6:04:37 GMT -6
As an IT professional, I would recommend always going with the fastest processor you can afford. It is the biggest ticket priced item in the computer, and upgrading from an I5 to an I5 won't give you the gains you are looking for. The I7, depending on the chip, has hyperthreading, which (for me in PC land) in pro tools shows up as twice the # of processors. My 6 core I7 is actually a 12 core. And boy is it smooth.. There are things you can try, this guy updated his 2010 Imac - www.ifixit.com/Guide/Upgrade+iMac+Intel+Core+i3+CPU+to+Core+i7/8670 . If your only issue is processing speed, then that's fixed with new cpu and more ram, which could run you 3-700 bucks, but thanks to mac using Intel chips IS actually possible... Since you're playing with a 2010, I don't think there's a warranty issue? Excellent advice!!! |
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Post by javamad on Jul 13, 2016 6:05:15 GMT -6
Hi,
If you are not in a hurry .. it might be worth waiting to see what happens with the MacBook Pro or iMac in September? They could decide to offer more Ram ... better CPUs? I am waiting to see myself because I have a 4 year old MacBookPro 15" with 16Gb Ram and 512 Gb SSD (yes I paid for the fully loaded version back then and I have never regretted it) and I am not unhappy but I think I need to have my plan in place in case the worst happens.
Also, is 256 Gb outboard disk not too small? I am using a Thunderbolt 4Gb disk for audio (no problems at all recording up to 16 tracks live cos all I have is 16 tracks - an Apollo 8p and an ASP880 linked in with optical ) and all my samples with Native Instruments Komplete and it runs fine ... but admittedly can take 20-40 seconds to load large library projects. I know the SSD will fly but a good outboard HDD on Thunderbolt is not too shabby either.
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Post by ChaseUTB on Jul 13, 2016 23:42:16 GMT -6
I been in the same boat as well, aging 2012 15.5" MBP 2.6 ghz i7, 750gb 7200 drive, super disc, one thunderbolt port, 2 usb, FW 800, and a couple other connections. Wanted to get a permanent set up for the studio, but with my injury, bills, and family I do not know if I can afford to stay on the cutting edge Mac. I have been looking at IMac, and certain used trash cans, but from the trash can setups I have seen are not tidy and super costly considering all the adopters one has to purchase. I feel like Apple is moving in a consumer direction, and one can only hope the new MBP, and trash cans will show something for pro audio users. I love my MBP and run lion and pt 10.3.1/ 10.3.3, live 8.3 and live 9.6 on the HD drive and have el cap partitioned on owc tb 3 tb drive formatted for pt12.4/ live 9.6. I have to admit el cap makes the MBP a lot quicker when it comes to basic tasks like opening Live or PT, startup and login etc. Also, I haven't found many issues with el cap or PT on el cap. Hopefully we will see some info soon regarding new models  |
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Post by jcoutu1 on Jul 14, 2016 8:01:29 GMT -6
I'm worried that the next MacBook Pro models will be watered down and lacking ports, the way the current "MacBook" model is. I'm do for an upgrade next summer, but worried about what the future brings.
Currently, if I was getting an iMac, I'd spend the 3k, and get a 27" i7, 32GB RAM, and 512GB SSD.
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Post by sozocaps on Jul 14, 2016 9:32:47 GMT -6
As an IT professional, I would recommend always going with the fastest processor you can afford. It is the biggest ticket priced item in the computer, and upgrading from an I5 to an I5 won't give you the gains you are looking for. The I7, depending on the chip, has hyperthreading, which (for me in PC land) in pro tools shows up as twice the # of processors. My 6 core I7 is actually a 12 core. And boy is it smooth.. There are things you can try, this guy updated his 2010 Imac - www.ifixit.com/Guide/Upgrade+iMac+Intel+Core+i3+CPU+to+Core+i7/8670 . If your only issue is processing speed, then that's fixed with new cpu and more ram, which could run you 3-700 bucks, but thanks to mac using Intel chips IS actually possible... Since you're playing with a 2010, I don't think there's a warranty issue? I have looked into i5 vs i7 and both are multi core processors but most applications can not utilize the hyperthreading architecture on the i7 when I looked into it so it seemed useless. That being said I bought an i7... LOL with the thought when apps in the future can utilize the feature. Not sure currently if this has been optimized. |
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Post by kilroyrock on Jul 14, 2016 11:14:37 GMT -6
I have looked into i5 vs i7 and both are multi core processors but most applications can not utilize the hyperthreading architecture on the i7 when I looked into it so it seemed useless. That being said I bought an i7... LOL with the thought when apps in the future can utilize the feature. Not sure currently if this has been optimized. The features are utilized with Pro Tools at least, I don't know about other softwares. I would hope so though. I7 has been around long enough that the I7 instruction sets needed to utilize the new features have been incorporated into library packages and newer versions (I use PT11 still) use these, as efficiencies are a main issue with audio systems, vs say, point of sale software or calendar software packages. I'd hope that, and expect that, Apple has that in mind and allows this, as it'd be pretty sad if the same processor in Apple isn't being used to its fullest extent than its exact PC counterpart. |
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Post by ericn on Jul 15, 2016 20:44:59 GMT -6
I'm worried that the next MacBook Pro models will be watered down and lacking ports, the way the current "MacBook" model is. I'm do for an upgrade next summer, but worried about what the future brings. Currently, if I was getting an iMac, I'd spend the 3k, and get a 27" i7, 32GB RAM, and 512GB SSD. Agreed but that could be the difference between the 2 that any Apple Store geniot could understand! |
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Post by popmann on Jul 15, 2016 22:14:48 GMT -6
there's no "i7 features"....if you mean Hyperthreading, that's been a bios level thing for 15+ years from intel. If your app doesn't multithread well, it's not some esoteric processor support like putting in say Altivec or MMX instructions in the day....I know for a fact it works on OSX, as I have a hyperthreading i5 in my little Air. 4 threads (2 physical 2 virtual) in Cubase or even freeware encoders like XLD run full steam ahead. So, if ProTools doesn't thread properly....you won't benefit from a 12 physical coreMacPro, either. Nothing about being virtual cores changes how an app should have to address them.
that said....I would not upgrade the old machine. But, this whole inquiry is odd--the fear of all that might go wrong upgrading the OS is going to happen with a new machine, because it can't run anything BUT the latest OS, unlike his, which can probably run whatever point release gives the most compatibility for his hard and software.
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Post by popmann on Jul 16, 2016 11:32:29 GMT -6
Rather than edit that post-to clarify....I meant I would not spend the money to upgrade the CPU in the old machine. If you need a newer (but not the latest) OS for some compatibility, do so--but, check on all your packages, because you may end up losing compatibility with others when you cross the 10.8 to 10.9 line.
I realize that "upgrade" can be taken a number of ways in this particular conversation.
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