Need some more power. Advice wanted.

[SixChurchStreet]

Hey folks. Currently have a MBP 2.4 C2D 13". I love the form factor. But I find the CPU power a little lacking for my needs. I use guitar sims and VIs pretty heavily and these are both notorious CPU killers.

Anyway, I'm willing to put up to about $1200 into it, and I figure there are two options...

1.) Sell the 13" and get the 2.53ghz 15" i5 (or even push and get the i7). Trouble with this is I really like the 13" form factor. I use the MBP for everyday use as well and the 13" just fits the bill perfectly. But when it comes to recording it falls behind for me.

2.) Keep the 13" and get a base model iMac. This would give me more Power at my desk where most of my gear is anyway (monitoring etc. ). Id just use the same external FW drive for sessions, so it would be pretty seamless for the most part. The upside is I can keep my 13". The downside is if I'm mixing on my laptop which I love to do, I'm still goin to have to deal with the lower power CPU. Another downside is the anti-simplification going on. Two computers. Seem excessive, almost wasteful.

The other interesting thing is in geekbench scores the base model iMac actually outscores the i7 15". Seems to defy logic even though the ghz is higher on the i3, I figured the i7 's general superiority would more than make up for that.

I know the ultimate decision lies with me, and I'm not looking for anyone to make up my mind for me, only asking what you might do and maybe you'll think of a factor I haven't thought of yet. Another thing I'd like to add is regardless I want to keep a laptop. Working mobile is an important ability I need to keep. So ditching all laptop options isn't an option.

Thanks!

Kip

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[guitar486]

You could definitely up the RAM in your MBP for an increase in power, I might try that before delving into a new machine if what you have now is "almost perfect." If you want to still keep a laptop for mixing I'd still up the RAM to 8. I also own a 13" MPB and love it, but using PT on it is a nightmare. I can't do without the numpad and screen space, it drives me crazy. The bottom line is if you want a truly beefy setup for your main rig you should go with an iMac or Mac Pro. My main rig is a 2008 Mac Pro Dual-Quad-Core with 8gb RAM and it performs extremely well. Every time I decide it's a good idea to do some mixing on the laptop I change my mind about halfway through (although I could surely up the RAM and get better results). You are right, it's your call. If it were me I'd go for a Mac Pro.

[SixChurchStreet]

Originally Posted by guitar486

You are right, it's your call. If it were me I'd go for a Mac Pro.

I actually JUST put 8GB of crucial into my 13" tonight. So I'll see if that has any effect.

Getting any of the Mac Pros is definitely out of the question budget-wise. These Pro Tools rigs are for personal music project use, not doing any commercial work so I can't justify it. Basically I'm financially limited to adding either a base model iMac to my arsenal, or replacing my 13" with a 15" i5 2.53GHz.

Out of curiosity, which has more horsepower, the base model Mac Pro or Quad-core iMac? I think the Geekbench scores have the quad-core iMac topping it.

[CME]

Originally Posted by SixChurchStreet

I actually JUST put 8GB of crucial into my 13" tonight. So I'll see if that has any effect.

Getting any of the Mac Pros is definitely out of the question budget-wise. These Pro Tools rigs are for personal music project use, not doing any commercial work so I can't justify it. Basically I'm financially limited to adding either a base model iMac to my arsenal, or replacing my 13" with a 15" i5 2.53GHz.

Out of curiosity, which has more horsepower, the base model Mac Pro or Quad-core iMac? I think the Geekbench scores have the quad-core iMac topping it.

I would think they would be pretty close performance wise. The Mac Pro wins in expandability for sure. However don't overlook the iMac's. Especially the quad-core i7 model. If you can in any way stretch the budget, I would try and swing it over any of the Macbook's. However I might stay with an i7 macbook over an i3 iMac. Just my opinion.

[SixChurchStreet]

Originally Posted by CME

I would think they would be pretty close performance wise. The Mac Pro wins in expandability for sure. However don't overlook the iMac's. Especially the quad-core i7 model. If you can in any way stretch the budget, I would try and swing it over any of the Macbook's. However I might stay with an i7 macbook over an i3 iMac. Just my opinion.

Yeah. There's just no feasible way for me to get the quad iMac, not unless I sold the 13". But I don't wanna be without a laptop. Im thinking so far replacing the 13"' with the 15" might be my best option. I might wait until the new models come out too. I might end up with more bang for my buck, and maybe even an i7 for under 2k.


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[acmost]

Originally Posted by SixChurchStreet

Yeah. There's just no feasible way for me to get the quad iMac, not unless I sold the 13". But I don't wanna be without a laptop. Im thinking so far replacing the 13"' with the 15" might be my best option. I might wait until the new models come out too. I might end up with more bang for my buck, and maybe even an i7 for under 2k.


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I have a Mac Pro Quad/HD2 rig but funny, I just bought the Macbook Pro 13 base model a few days ago...it's big fun. I didn't really get it for PT9 but as long as I have it...:) Long story short, I'm thinking of losing it and getting the 15" i5 model myself. Verdict's still out but the performance benchmark thingies certainly look more deluxe with the i5. 13" is a cool size though.

[SixChurchStreet]

Yeah. The 13" for me is just ideal for all my other computer usage. And frankly the only thing the bothers me when using Pro Tools is the lack of CPU power. The screen resolution doesn't even bother me. That's what makes getting the iMac and keeping the 13" appealing. I can only home that this year Apple puts a respectable i5 into the 13". It may come at the expense of the SuperDrive but it might be a worthwhile tradeoff.


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