Which Mac?

[chucky dinamico]

Hi! I recently bought a Digi 001, and I own a Pentium 4 1.7 GHz, 512 Mb, but I think that it doesn´t have the mixing and editing power that I need, so I want to change to a Mac. I also like the plug ins that you can use on Mac that aren´t available on PC. Anyway, wich Mac do you recommend me to buy? Does anyone got one for sale?

[Garissimo]

Hi! I recently bought a Digi 001, and I own a Pentium 4 1.7 GHz, 512 Mb, but I think that it doesn´t have the mixing and editing power that I need, so I want to change to a Mac. I also like the plug ins that you can use on Mac that aren´t available on PC. Anyway, wich Mac do you recommend me to buy? Does anyone got one for sale?

If you can wait for Digi to release a version of PT LE that runs on the G5 (should be late this month or October from evertyhing I've heard) I would start saving your pennies for a G5. Go to Apple's website for a technical rundown and pricing info. Most people are going to lean towards the dual processor G5 but I'd like to see how the single processor models do in terms of plugins and track count before I plunk down 3 grand on the dual. All of the G5s have faster internal busses than the G4s, have faster floating point engines (RTAS plugins use floating point math) and execute more instructions simultaneously. In short, if you are power limited on a 1.7GHz P4, a G4 probably isn't going to give you much extra headroom. Wait for the G5.

[Garissimo]

Hi! I recently bought a Digi 001, and I own a Pentium 4 1.7 GHz, 512 Mb, but I think that it doesn´t have the mixing and editing power that I need, so I want to change to a Mac. I also like the plug ins that you can use on Mac that aren´t available on PC. Anyway, wich Mac do you recommend me to buy? Does anyone got one for sale?

Before I typed out my response, I should have noted that you're using a Digi 001! That won't work on the G5 (different PCI bus). You could trade up for an 002r but if you want to keep the 001, you'll have to stay with a G4. Look into the faster dual processor models. Sorry for the confusion.

[where02190]

We have excellent results using a dual 1ghz G-4 Quicksilver.

[didger]

G4 dual OS dual boot 1.25 Ghz is the best all around deal going these days for Pro Tools, but they're getting harder and harder to find. Don't delay.

For pure speed, of course, PC has much more to offer and at a lower price, but there's limited plug variety and stability issues.

Results were posted recently for the new Centrino (new Intel chipset) laptops with PTLE and they blew everything else away for speed by a big margin.

I still prefer a G4 tower in my studio, though I do use a fast PC laptop (and an ibook) when I have to be mobile. Sometimes I just have to have more speed than any Mac laptop has. Powerbooks are also much more expensive than much more powerful PC laptops.

[didger]

In short, if you are power limited on a 1.7GHz P4, a G4 probably isn't going to give you much extra headroo

According to speed results (number of stereo Dverb inserts possible) recently posted, a 1.7 PC should be slightly faster than a 1 Ghz G4. However, a DP 1.25 will give you about twice the effective CPU power for PTLE 6.1 as a 1.7 Ghz PC for much less money than a G5.

G4's are rock solid and have been around for years. Who knows how stable G5's will be, especially at the beginning?

It boils down to how much CPU power you need (DP 1.25 G4 is enough for most people), how much money you can spend, and how long you can wait for G5 to be implemented and problems resolved.

[Jak]

Didger, you think DP1.25 are enough for most people? I`ve got a 002 and am thinking about getting a mac, but dont know which one, G5 dual 2 or dual 1.25 G4? I wanna do hip hop, using lots of samples and virtual synths and virtual instruments. Dual 1.25 enough? I wanna get started soon too. Thanks

[didger]

At this point there's nothing around that will give you better performance than a dual 1.25 G4. The very fastest PC's give you a bit more speed, but not enough to justify the reduced plug-in variety and potential instabilities and incompatibilities.

As for G5, that's just not quite happening yet and there's no way to be sure that there won't be some problems that will take a while to iron out. G5 will almost certainly be stable and a lot faster than G4 eventually.

It's a question of just how much speed do you need, how much money can you spend, how long can you afford to wait.

Using lots of samples and lots of virtual instruments doesn't eat up CPU power that much, especially if you use Reason. What really eats up CPU is certain plugs, like reverbs. If you always need the maximum number of tracks (about 32) and quite a few plugs and a lot of virtual instruments, then you may need to go to TDM.

Most people manage quite well with a singe processor 1.25 Ghz G4. Almost anyone would do OK with a dual G4, especially if you're a little careful how you manage your resources.

[Rock_Artist]

Well...
Regarding the Speed I must disagree as todays PC gives much better power than any G4.
That's why I'm waiting for those G5s to kick the PC ass but still no true davec or digi support.

The "major" plugins available on both platforms and if we're talking OSX/XP then it's every more correct.

Still To the questions,
The fastest G4 is best for the 001 as G5s won't even support it.

Mac will give lotsa nice stuff (like a decent OS ) but too much power ... I don't think so.

[Jak]

Do you think a dual 1.25 is enough for virtual instruments? I wanna use kontact x3, B3, Pro 53, all at the same time, not to mention plug ins. What do you think? It`s strong enough?