Macbook Pro vs Macbook Pro

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Which MacBook Pro would be better to run Pro Tools 10.3? MacBook Pro 2.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 Turbo Boost up to 3.1GHz 8GB 1600MHz memory 512GB PCIe-based flash storage1Intel Iris Graphics Built-in battery (9 hours) or 2.0GHz
2.0GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 Turbo Boost up to 3.2GHz 8GB 1600MHz memory
256GB PCIe-based flash storage1 Intel Iris Pro Graphics?

[Drew Mazurek]

i7

[Darryl Ramm]

Are all your apps, plugins and device drivers compatible with the OS X version included with this MBP? Pro Tools 10 is not officially supported on OS X Maverics, while it might work there are known uninstaller issues. Do your own research on all this.

What is the use? budget etc? You have suitable external storage already?

But in general....

In the past Intel CPU integrated graphics has been problematic, the Iris Pro integrated graphics is an improvement in past Intel technology, I don't know if there has been enough real world exposure to know if these suffer from past integrated graphics issues with Pro Tools. But in general I would still still get a MBP with discreet graphics. Maybe the i7 has that and you missed it?

Get an i7

How much internal storage you need only you can tell.

If this is the MBP with Retina Display, max the memory out as you cannot upgrade that in future,

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Yes sir its the MBP with the retina display. I was just curious about the Ghz I know the i5 has 2.6 Ghz and the i7 has 2.0 Ghz, so this wouldn't matter that the i7 is 2.0 and the i5 is 2.6Ghz the i7 wouldn't have a slower performance?

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I was just curious about the Ghz I know the i5 has 2.6 Ghz and the i7 has 2.0 Ghz, so this wouldn't matter that the i7 is 2.0 and the i5 is 2.6Ghz the i7 wouldn't have a slower performance?

[Darryl Ramm]

Well two people have already said the i7, but you seem to be comparing apples and oranges without realizing it.

If you are looking at the currently available 13" MBP with a i5 vs a 15" MBP with an i7 then there is usually no comparison for Pro Tools use since the 13" MBP models only have dual core (quad virtual core) processors (even if upgraded to an i7 at purchase, it's only a dual core i7). 15" MBPs have quad core (8 virtual core) i7 processors. You can upgrade the clock rate of any of these models if you want increased performance (but at rapidly diminishing improvement/$).

Always be careful assuming the core counts--"i5" or "i7" alone does not tell you, you have to look at the specs.

And trying to use Pro Tools on a 13" screen would make the 13" MBP a non-starter for me, even if it was not already a non-starter because of the dual core CPU especially given how much more the 15" can do fir a reasonable increase in price.

Buying a MBP for Pro Tools is easy-- get the 15" MBP with 16GB DRAM (it is not upgradeable) and select the SSD disk size you need/want/can afford for now (they are upgradeable in future, if a bit of a PITA) and with any left over money buy an increase in CPU clock rate. It is pretty easy to just max all options...

[WernerF]

Like the other's have said - an i7 for sure. There are also non Retina display i7 models. They are just as fast and don't require you to spend the grossly exaggerated prices that Apple charges for RAM and Drives. You can buy them from third party vendors for way less and easily install them yourself.

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Oh ok so the Ghz really doesn't matter? 2.0 vs 2.6?

[Darryl Ramm]

I am not sure why what I've already said still leaves confusion.

You are comparing GHz rating between a 2 core and a 4 core processor. What do you think will win?... the 4 core for Pro Tools (since Pro Tools and plugins multithread well at least for small numbers of CPUs). Comparing small GHz differences is just not that interesting with such a huge (2X) difference in the same number of cores.

We've pretty much answered this to death. As I've already said buying a MBP well suited for Pro Tools use is pretty easy (all the instructions you need are above).

[WernerF]

To the OP; why are you asking questions about points that have already been addressed? You pretty much, at this point, have all of the information that you need.