Mac, Pro Tools expert question?

[DLINDSA21]

What is the best Mac Pro desktop system for pro tools recording. Low to no latency issues. Preferably a 2010-12 model. I currently record on Mac G5 and digi 003, looking to upgrade to an updated board soon also. Please reply your ideas. Thank you

[groundcontrol]

The one that's due to be launched later this year...

[nst7]

I agree, if you can wait for the one they'll release this year, that will be the best choice.

But if you can't wait, out of the current ones, the one that seems the most bang for buck is the 6 core 3.33. It has the best combination of fast processors and number of cores at a reasonable price.

This is a special order from the Apple Store online where you select the Quad core and then select the 6 core model from the drop down options.

They also have a refurbished one right now for almost $500 off, which is a great deal.

But I still recommend waiting for the new one.

[groundcontrol]

Or you can grab a Mini/server with SSD and 16gb ram and wait it out a bit for half the $$ if you don 't need the pcie option.

[tdowning]

I would also wait for the Mac Pro revision we have been promised for this year.

What follows is pure speculation and educated guesses on my part:

We all know that the Mac Pro is built with Intel Xeon processors. This allows for many cool things like massive amounts of RAM, but it also has its downsides, namely:

Xeon is a workstation product, and corporate product buyers expect rock-solid stability, and a long product cycle. I suspect that while choosing xeon parts was a good choice at the time, it has recently bit Apple in the butt.

I suspect that:
1. High prices have minimized broad demand for thunderbolt.
2. Long workstation product cycles, which lead to maximum stability, mean it takes a long time for new technologies to make it into corporate PCs
3. The Mac Pro update that Tim Cook promised for this year will include thunderbolt, but it may or may not come out before the 4th quarter.

If a new Mac Pro with thunderbolt comes out, I will probably get one. If not, I will probably look into building a hackintosh.

[tdowning]

If you despeately need pcie there is
http://www.sonnettech.com/product/xmacminiserver.html
you can connect two pcie cards to a mac mini, and keep it all in a 1U rack enclosure.

[DLINDSA21]

How about this model?

Apple Mac Pro Desktop (Two 3.0 GHz Quad Core Intel Xeon Processors, 2 GB RAM, 320 GB Hard Drive, 16x SuperDrive)


I'm afraid the 2013 version will be out of my budget. Any thoughts?

[BradLyons]

Also don't think you have to go with a Mac Pro, the iMac computers are VERY VERY powerful and more than capable for a professional system. To that point with the new Thunderbolt versions of HD NATIVE, we're starting to see iMac's running HD Native systems. They are great computers and can save you some $$