Which Mac

[Brawders]

Good afternoon. I am just feeling overwhelmed in the information available and I thought it best to post here. I am currently using a Mac Pro 3.1 (2x3.2 quad 20 GB) running dosdudes Mojave patch. The video card is supposed to not be compatible but it works with a little visuals glitches. I have the educator Pro Tools 2020.5.0 and it works pretty well.

My issue is that I want two monitors for faster work flow, and running Mojave with the 3.1 only allows me 1. I’d also like a little more processing power. I have been looking into upgrading a computer but I’m running into so much technical info. For me it’s up to buying a 5.1 and upgrading, but still running a patched version of an OS. Buying a 6.1 and upgrading memory. Or a Mac mini 2020 with the fastest processor and 1gig SSD, and installing extra memory on my own.

I only use this as a hobby at home recording and at MAX like 25 tracks with 2-4 plug-ins on each. I don’t care about the Mac mini video card being meh because I don’t need the visual power.

I am leaning towards the Mini because of the current OS and it should last me a while. Educator discount can get me one for about $1,200.

Thoughts/opinions? And thank you so much.

[DetroitT]

Mini but beef it up. Easy research.

[Darryl Ramm]

The Mini is appealing... upgrade the memory yourself, basically max it out.

The SSD is soldered to the motherboard and you cannot upgrade... so as with all Macs like this I would try to max out the internal storage. And with Apple tax that's expensive but I would do as much as you can afford. You can use that for macOS, your sessions, and samples if they will fit, and it's often easier, faster (*much* faster than external HDD), and more reliable than external storage.

Remember Macs are migrating to ARM based processors and will start doing so ~the end of this year. With no guarantees now about Pro Tools compatibility on those new ARM based Macs (so you might be better on a known working platform, and it does not sound like you want to be a bleeding edge type user). Or about how long new versions of Pro Tools will remain supported on the mini you purchase. But if you need to upgrade now it may make perfect sense, esp. if say if you plan around a ~3-4 year computer life.

[Ben Jenssen]

Originally Posted by DetroitT

Mini but beef it up. Easy research.

You lazy b. (irony!)

Brawders, I owned a 3,1 myself and pushed it to sierra, lots of ram and ssd's. But now, I'm so happy that I got a mac mini, even though a modest one, because there are so many advantages.

Cheap.
Upgrade the ram yourself.

High speed internal flash drive.

Four TB/USB-C ports.
As many peripherals and displays as you need, almost.

Catalina and a modern mac is a spearhead in user experience. As they should be. Things work.

Even my i3 version is much more powerful than my old mac pro.


(One BIG issue, though; bluetooth performance on the latest mac mini's is less than adequate. So if this is important to you, then google it before you buy one.)


PS: I got the Mini in my signature used for 500 and upgraded to 16 GB for 100. It handles PT sessions of medium size just fine.

[Southsidemusic]

Originally Posted by Ben Jenssen

(One BIG issue, though; bluetooth performance on the latest mac mini's is less than adequate. So if this is important to you, then google it before you buy one.)

Just a Tip for all the Mac Mini users.

A studio in LA showed me the fix for crappy Wifi and or Bluetooth on Mac Mini and they have it upside down!

Works 100% better and they have no issues at all after turning it upside down.

It has something to do with where the components are placed and the chassi prevent the signal to get thru properly. Go figure!

[Ben Jenssen]

Originally Posted by Southsidemusic

A studio in LA showed me the fix for crappy Wifi and or Bluetooth on Mac Mini and they have it upside down!

Works 100% better and they have no issues at all after turning it upside down.

It has something to do with where the components are placed and the chassi prevent the signal to get thru properly. Go figure!

A fix, but not a fix in a real sense.
I've had to place my Mini high up on the wall so that it has direct "view" to my bluetooth devices for it to work. And "upside down" simply because the wifi and bluetooth antennas are placed underneath.

In comparison to my old mac pro and imac, the bluetooth of the mac mini is scandalously bad. The pro and imac could be behind walls and still function. Compare that to; if I cross my legs and my knee gets in the way of the mouse, bluetooth fails with the Mini.

This is all over the net, I've looked hard, and I think there is no solution. Yet. The consensus is that it's a design flaw. Apple is silent.

Anyway, if you have the Mini on your desktop with input devices next to it, it's no problem.


My thread on MacRumors:

Mac mini 2018 bluetooth problems

[Brawders]

Hey everybody, thank you guys so much for the responses. I think the mini super beefed up sounds the best. I wouldn’t use the computer much for internet so is the WiFi a deal breaker? I’m probably primarily only using this for recording and not many peripherals.

[SomeOtherGuy]

Any reports on how much the fan kicks in while running a big ProTools session?

I heard that it kicks in fairly high and gets pretty loud--is this true?