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#1
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Mac Pro or Mac Studio
Hi all,
We are finally upgrading our Mac's, but we are having doubts about which way to go and would like to know if anyone has made or is going through the same deliberation. Plan A) Mac Pro 2019 Intel, 16-core 3.2Ghz, 64gb RAM, 1TB SSD Plan B) Mac Studio, M1 Ultra 20-core CPU, 64-core GPU, 128GB RAM, 1TB SSD +Sonnet Chassis Looking at spec, it appears to be a no brainer, especially when you factor in cost (Mac Studio will be a fair bit cheaper even with the Chassis). I know there may be some kinks to work out RE plugs/software... but is the Studio a workhorse to rival the Pro? Really, I just want to hear any words of wisdom (or warning) that I won't get from a sales rep. A few extra notes: We have an external RMU, running HDX across the board, work off network storage (DDP and Nexis). Mixture of D-series & S6. Thanks in advance, and hopefully we can consolidate some info for those in a similar position. |
#2
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Re: Mac Pro or Mac Studio
Personally, I think the Mac Pro is a much better machine. The big downside is that it be not long for this world. I would anticipate another 2 or maybe 3 versions of MacOS will be released for it, before the plug gets pulled on OS version updates. Then another few years before App developers leave it behind too. It isn't an ideal proposition given the cost.
If you need a new machine now, the Studio is probably your best bet. If you can wait a few months, Apple's original Apple Silicon roadmap has them releasing a new Mac Pro before year end, or early next year.
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Pro Tools Ultimate 2024.3. OSX 13.6.5. Win 10. HD Native. Lynx AES16e. Lynx Aurora 16. i9-13900KF. ASRock Z690 Steel Legend. 64GB Ram. AMD Vega 64. BM Decklink. Dolby Atmos Renderer 5.2. Trinnov D-Mon. D-Command. |
#3
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Re: Mac Pro or Mac Studio
That's the bummer. The Pros are great machines but declared dead computer walking. If you need a machine now and it was $2k and lasted you two years that would be acceptable to me. But $6-8k for two years? Yikes. They make so much sense for studio installations except longevity.
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~Will |
#4
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Re: Mac Pro or Mac Studio
They really should offer Apple Silicon motherboard swap-outs for the 2019
machines. Like that's going to happen!? They've had a very short shelf life even in computer terms, I sort of wish I hadn't bought one, but it's a great machine as it is.
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Mac Pro 7,1 16 core, OSX 12.7.3, HD-Native TB, Trinnov MC, MTRX Studio, 2xRME ADA-4, Sync HD, AJA IO XT, Avid Dock, Avid S1, PT Control, Soundflow, PT 2023.12 |
#5
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Re: Mac Pro or Mac Studio
Leonard McCoy on the Intel Mac Pro: It’s dead, Jim.
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#6
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Re: Mac Pro or Mac Studio
Quote:
My main machine is the 2019 Mac Pro. Here is my take on it. Mac Pro: My Mac Pro spec is 16 core, 3.2Ghz, 160GB, 4TB. It is just less fiddly than with expansion chassis stuff on the Mac Studio. In terms of performance there is nothing that either machine cannot do at this stage. The Mac Pro is much more expandable. I have 160GB RAM in it, multiple OWC PCIE M.2 cards. The Mac Pro with a HDX card is quiet enough to be in the control room. The cooling in that thing is just incredible. It is so silent. I'd need two expansion chassis' to house everything I have in the Mac Pro if I was using just the Studio. Mac Studio: My Mac Studio is 10-Core CPU, 24-Core GPU, 32GB unified memory 512GB SSD storage. I would have up specced it if I had time but I needed it for a project and the lead time for a custom one was too long. I regret it but it was necessary. I wouldn't bother with the Ultra myself but if you do a lot of video editing then it would be the way to go. The expansion chassis means your have to have the chassis in a machine room. Even the one I am using (which I cannot disclose as it is something I am beta-testing) is fairly silent but too loud for a control room. The Corning 10m Thunderbolt cable (which is $400) makes this possible but then you will need long Digilink cables too, or put your MTRX (or other IO) in the machine room too. My Mac Studio is in a control room on an OWC dock with a 10m Corning Thunderbolt cable running through the wall to the storage expansion (OWC Express 4M2's). I am in the process of redesigning the studio though and it is all going in the machine room, including all the IO. If I was buying now and couldn't wait for the Silicon Mac Pro then I'd still get the 2019 Mac Pro. I would be inclined to wait it out though. But how long for? I don't know. Tower computers are just better for studios (IMHO). Something worth mentioning is data throughput. The Mac Pro with its PCIE storage (OWC Accelsior 4m2) is twice as fast as the Mac Studio using OWC Express 4M2's under the same conditions (RAID 5/6 or JBOD).
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James Richmond https://www.jamesrichmond.com 2019 Mac Pro, 2022 Mac Studio Ultra Avid S6, HDX2, MTRX II, MTRX, DAD AX64, AX32, Focusrite Rednet PCIER, Trinnov MC8 Pro. Studio: https://www.voltperoctave.com | Music: https://www.euclideancircuits.com Latest Article: Auto-Bounce for Logic Pro Affiliate Links: Auto-Bounce by Tom Salta Dreamhost Web Hosting |
#7
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Re: Mac Pro or Mac Studio
"Damn it man...I'm a doctor, not Steve Jobs!"
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HP Z4 workstation, Mbox Studio https://www.facebook.com/search/top/...0sound%20works The better I drink, the more I mix BTW, my name is Dave, but most people call me.........................Dave |
#8
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Re: Mac Pro or Mac Studio
Thanks all for your responses so far!
A few additional details: we have an MCR (that is well ventilated) where all the machines would be housed, so machine noise isn't really an issue for us. Additionally we don't use internal storage except for the system itself as we have a DDP housing all the project media. Agreed it would be fantastic if they offered an option to swap out the logic-board/cpu on the mac pro's when they eventually update to Silicon, but that just doesn't seem like an Apple-move. We are keen to see what is announced in the October Apple event, but as it stands I think we are leaning towards the studios. However I am still keen to hear if any facilities have adopted Mac Studios into their mix stages, and what their experiences have been so far? Thanks! |
#9
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Re: Mac Pro or Mac Studio
Quote:
I'm still pretty happy with my 2019 Mac Pro, I know Rosetta is amazing, but I like that (a) it runs everything natively and (b) I can stuff it to the gills with HDX, UAD, SSD, etc cards. I reckon it's going to take a good 12-18 months before all plugins are AAX native on M1, too, particularly the more obscure ones like GRM Tools (which still isn't native in any plugin format). Perhaps this is less an issue for post where the set of plugins is smaller.
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https://lukehoward.com/ |
#10
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Re: Mac Pro or Mac Studio
Had a good laugh Luke I guess you don't mix Post
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Marti D. Humphrey CAS aka dr.sound www.thedubstage.com IMDB http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0401937/ Like everything in life, there are no guarantees just opportunities. |
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