Current Mac Line-up: School an idiot

[jacksbyrne]

Hey all!

My 2009 MBP is finally causing me enough lost working time in getting PT and various sessions to run (even on a clean install) that I've accepted it's probably too damn old. Searches of the current state of mac haven't untangled this for me, so I need some schooling.

I can't afford to drop cash on a second hand mac outright, but some adjustments to my outgoings and I can start finance on a new one with no change to my outgoing costs overall. Looking at iMacs and MBPs (the laptop desktop debate needs solving still, the upsides of a mobile rig against extra power and upgradability basically).

Anyone using the 2017 models with success? Any pitfalls to watch out for? I've got installers for 10.8-10.10 so I can install one of them for stability if they'll work on a newbie. i5 vs i7 still an issue? If I need serious horsepower there's an HD rig on a cheese grater rig at the studio, so I just need something that can handle mix changes and ITB stuff without bogging down or hanging for a billion years when I start a session.

Thanks all!

- Jack

[The Weed]

First thing to know would be that any new Mac you purchase will come with High Sierra, unless you find one with Sierra. Whichever, you won't be able to install any older version of OS X below the one that is installed on a new Mac. And no version of Pro Tools is qualified for High Sierra, although many are running PT on it. Some are having GUI issues - look in the PT 12 Forum.

What version of Pro Tools are you using now? If it's PT 10 any upgrade would be to PT 12 and that requires plug-ins updated to AAX64 versions.

I'm sure others will have more for you.

[jacksbyrne]

Ah, figured I could install to an earlier OS with bootable drives, guessing the hardware is locked to HS? I'm on 11.3.1 currently. Mostly 64bit aax, though I can adapt stuff that won't come with me, most of my must have tools are current plugins.

If I can find them refurbed, how current can I get and still install an older OS?

[JFreak]

Originally Posted by jacksbyrne

If I can find them refurbed, how current can I get and still install an older OS?

http://everymac.com

[jacksbyrne]

Cheers all,

Looks like I'll be stuck with HS on a new Mac, which will mess with a buuuunch of stuff and need PT upgrading from 11. Joy! I'll keep researching, that Everymac link seems handy.

Anyone running 11.3.1 successfully on later OS versions than Yosemite?

[Sardi]

Originally Posted by The Weed

First thing to know would be that any new Mac you purchase will come with High Sierra, unless you find one with Sierra. Whichever, you won't be able to install any older version of OS X below the one that is installed on a new Mac.

That is totally incorrect.

Yes it will come with High Sierra, but if the machine was originally produced when an older OS was available/current, then it can be downgraded to that version.

I've seen this posted a few times on this forum and it's 100% wrong.

To clear up confusion - you can downgrade any Mac to the OS it shipped with when it was originally released. Remember that some Macs haven't had a refresh in multiple years.



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[jacksbyrne]

Cheers Sardi, good to know. This opens up my options if I can keep an eye on the returb store, maybe catch a pre-2017 mac