MacBook Pro 2018 15-inch i7 2.6GHZ 16GB RAM

[Intini]

Hi, everyone.
After spending a week with an iMac 2017 i5 and having a less than acceptable result, I ordered a MacBook Pro 2018 15-inch i7 2.6GHz 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD - the only one they had available around my city. I could not get more RAM and neither the i9 upgrades.
I want to run Pro Tools 2018.7 (Not Ultimate) with a LOT of VIs that are CPU intensive (Roland Cloud VIs, Pianoteq, NI Massive, Waves Element, etc.). These will be basically sessions with only these VIs and occasionally some VIs that are sample based orchestra (Kontakt, Structure) and drums (BFD 3). In a typical session there would be some 25 VIs synthesisers (CPU intensive) plus another 10-15 VIs that are sample based plus some 2 IR reverbs, one channel strip plugin per channel plus some 10 delay/effects and 10 audio tracks.
I got this machine to bridge a gap between now and when the new modular Mac Pro (hopefully) comes next year. But since it is not exactly cheap, I was wondering what can I expect from it. Can it do handle this work? My biggest concern is having only 16GB RAM and not having the i9.
Does anyone have experience with this notebook or has any suggestion of another machine - except for the iMac Pro because it must be an "affordable" short term solution.

[cwsand]

Yeah you really need more RAM and CPU power to run that many VI's IMHO. Not sure you're going to get that in a laptop. Is freezing/committing the VI's not an option? You could build a powerful pc for around $1000 give or take if you're willing to use Windows...

[Intini]

Originally Posted by cwsand

Yeah you really need more RAM and CPU power to run that many VI's IMHO. Not sure you're going to get that in a laptop. Is freezing/committing the VI's not an option? You could build a powerful pc for around $1000 give or take if you're willing to use Windows...

Hi, Chris,

Thank you for your reply.
I was going to build a PC (with an ASUS WS C621e SAGE with dual Xeon LGA 3647) but what put me off was Windows 10 - that is a great operating system but for me the Mac OS has a musical vibe that aids my creation mood in an unobtrusive way that I cannot find in Windows. Also, since this a "bridge" solution the resale value of the computer was quite an important factor and Macs tend to hold their value reasonably well, specially short to mid term (˜1 year). The other reason is that whatever I invest on in terms of peripherals (thunderbolt docks, drives, interfaces, etc.) would serve the next setup with the Mac Pro next year.

With respect to freezing tracks, it would be a workflow killer for me. So, based on what you are saying I will have to compromise a lot of things with this MacBook Pro while I am waiting for the new Mac Pro next year. Now I am sad....

[Intini]

I apologize for double posting. But this is just an update that I followed the advice and canceled my order for the MacBook Pro 2018 i7. However, before I go to Windows (for lack of Mac OS options) I ordered a MacBook Pro 2018 with an i9, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD. Let us see what this can do. I hope to use this until the 2019 Mac Pro. Should I expect this MacBook to do what I need or it is still not up to the task?

[clancychris]

Originally Posted by Intini

I apologize for double posting. But this is just an update that I followed the advice and canceled my order for the MacBook Pro 2018 i7. However, before I go to Windows (for lack of Mac OS options) I ordered a MacBook Pro 2018 with an i9, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD. Let us see what this can do. I hope to use this until the 2019 Mac Pro. Should I expect this MacBook to do what I need or it is still not up to the task?

How did the i9 work out for you?