New Mac for HD Native & PT11- help!!

[sms1305]

Agonizing over Mac selection... There is a $2K swing between 12-core at 2.4GHz to 3.0 GHz for Mac Pro. Thinking I should be fine with 2.4, but would appreciate advice. Will be using Lynx 16. No video now. Not expecting to use a lot of VI. Projects are mostly bands who want to track together on 12-14 channels. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Cheers! Steve

[Bruce Paine]

What Pro Tools core system do you already have, and do you plan on replacing it with a different core system?

If you already have an HD Native PCIe card, and want to get a new Mac, then that would limit you to a Mac Pro.

If you do not have an HD Native system yet, then the HD Native Thunderbolt option would allow you to consider an iMac.

If you already have a good moniter to hook up to a Mac Pro, then the iMac might not be what you would want. But if you don't have a good screen, the top of the line 27" iMac would give you a really nice screen and pretty good power for a native system.

[sms1305]

Thanks, Bruce. Currently working with PT8LE, 003R+, and MacBookPro. But just purchased PT10HD Native, and want to select appropriate computer that won't limit us too soon, which is why I am leaning to the 12-core MacPro. But I don't want to over invest in a computer that won't be needed. Are you suggesting that an iMac with Thunderbolt would be sufficient and will allow me to take full advantage of PT11? I thought that I understood that it was designed to take best advantage of the multicore system. - Steve

[nst7]

The Imac I7's are multicore systems with hyperthreading. It will show up as 8 cores. For what you're doing it should be plenty. The 12 core would be overkill.

[musicman691]

Originally Posted by Bruce Paine

What Pro Tools core system do you already have, and do you plan on replacing it with a different core system?

If you already have an HD Native PCIe card, and want to get a new Mac, then that would limit you to a Mac Pro.

If you do not have an HD Native system yet, then the HD Native Thunderbolt option would allow you to consider an iMac.

If you already have a good moniter to hook up to a Mac Pro, then the iMac might not be what you would want. But if you don't have a good screen, the top of the line 27" iMac would give you a really nice screen and pretty good power for a native system.

There's always the Sonnet or Magma Thunderbolt expansion chassis for the op to put his pcie card (if that's what he has) in and that would/should work with any Mac with a TB port (MacBook Pro/iMac/Mac mini).

[Ale]

I can do all with my 6-cores

Look here at the benchmars of the mac computer.
You can also gownload a free copy of geegbench and test your benchmark of your current mac

http://browser.primatelabs.com/mac-benchmarks


I personally wont go Imac because this mac is not expandable

Ale

[Barry Johns]

Originally Posted by sms1305

Thanks, Bruce. Currently working with PT8LE, 003R+, and MacBookPro. But just purchased PT10HD Native, and want to select appropriate computer that won't limit us too soon, which is why I am leaning to the 12-core MacPro. But I don't want to over invest in a computer that won't be needed. Are you suggesting that an iMac with Thunderbolt would be sufficient and will allow me to take full advantage of PT11? I thought that I understood that it was designed to take best advantage of the multicore system. - Steve

If you go with an iMac, then change your existing order to a Thunderbolt HDN, if it's too late to change, then when it gets to you, return it for a Thunderbolt HDN. Otherwise, stay with PCIe if you plan on a MacPro, which is about to get updated, so I would urge caution on a new one right now.

[John_Toolbox]

Originally Posted by Barry Johns

If you go with an iMac, then change your existing order to a Thunderbolt HDN, if it's too late to change, then when it gets to you, return it for a Thunderbolt HDN. Otherwise, stay with PCIe if you plan on a MacPro, which is about to get updated, so I would urge caution on a new one right now.

What Barry said. Even if you were buying a used mac pro, I would wait until the new one is announced, because it will likely be much faster and drive the price of the used ones down.

If you need something right now, and don't want to wait for the new mac pro(which has an unknown release/announcement date as of yet), I think it would be safer to go with a used mac pro(because it won't depreciate as fast as a new one will) or a thunderbolt imac. The i7 imacs are very fast. Aside from internal drive bays and PCIe slots, they basically perform as good or better than the entry level mac pro quads do.