Help Me Migrate To Mac

[epu]

I am used to Windows laptops where I can install SSDs and other parts w/o fear of breaking warranties. This is not the case in the Macworld. I would like a new Macbook pro with 2 internal SSDs. It seems like this is not possible with newer Macs. The purpose of me going Mac is an easier time with PT and access to Logic. In 2014, is having two separate hard drives still a defacto requirement w/PT? Can I run everything (OS, Audio, Large Sample Library) from ONE SSD?

I came across this Mac w/a 2TB SSD (aftermarket upgrade).

It's super expensive compared to any PC laptop. I don't know if the Raid 0 can be configured so I would actually be using two separate drives (if necessary). I am looking for a completely portable solution (no external drives). I would also purchase Final Cut Pro and do video editing on this MBP. Maybe install Win 8 and run my PC programs on the same laptop.

At some point, I would scrap my desktop and get a Mac Mini. What else do I need to know in order to get this going?

Questions:

∙ Are there two drive solutions for NEWER Macbook Pros? (2013+)

[Darryl Ramm]

All current Mac Book Pros are Retina versions that have a single Apple proprietary PCIe based SSD. You cannot add a second internal drive. All (now out of production) previous MBP that could have two drives in them required you to swap out the optical drive for a second disk and use a third party disk tray. And all those drives are just pjs in drives any RAID features are just achieved using OS X software RAID and can be deconfigured. So the ad you reference is kind of [bleep][bleep][bleep][bleep][bleep][bleep][bleep][bleep]. While this sort of stuff is not officially supported by Apple I have never run into problems getting things like warranty repairs done on obviously modified Apple computers, with third party RAM installed, third part disks upgrades, etc. But with the current retina line you just have no choice.

The retina SSDs are fast as hell (over 1 GB/sec sustained large block read/write and high IOPS rates). If you need a second audio/session drive start (at the high end) by looking at an external thunderbolt SSD drive. Build your own or look at what Lacie has. You can get away with a fair amount of abuse using the single fast SSD in the MBP as both a boot/system and audio drive. So check if it will do what you need before buying a external drive.

Buy the fastest quad core i7 MBP Retina you can. the Discrete GPU is important for Pro Tools. Get the 1TB internal SSD and see if that is enough for you.

Buying a Windows laptop to reliably run Pro Tools can be a crap shoot. If you were to buy a Windows laptop today for Pro Tools you would likely get advice to buy the same MBP and run Winduws/Boot Camp on it.

[epu]

Thanks for your response. Have you ever run PT successfully with just your system drive?

I know this is a PT Forum, but can you run Win programs successfully on a Mac? I have a bunch of Video Editing I did w/Sony Vegas and would hate to have to keep a Win laptop around just to access/run/edit those projects.

[Darryl Ramm]

You can run Pro Tools successfully on a single slow HDD if you don't do much, it all depends on drive performance, sample rates, track counts and specific plugins and how many instances are required.

The only way to successfully run software like Vegas on a Mac is to boot into Windows via Boot Camp. It is too much for virtualization software like VMware Fusion etc. If you are doing all that and needing video edit space etc. you will very likely need external storage.

[epu]

Originally Posted by Darryl Ramm

You can run Pro Tools successfully on a single slow HDD if you don't do much, it all depends on drive performance, sample rates, track counts and specific plugins and how many instances are required.

So with the new fast internal SSDs on the new Retina MBPs, it would be feasible to run large sessions from the internal drive?

The link I posted above has two internal SSDs in RAID 0. You're saying it would be possible to deconfigure RAID 0 and have the MBP see it as two separate internal drives? Should I just contact the Vendor about this? I'm afraid the vendor might give me some wrong information.

[Darryl Ramm]

You need to get it and try. My definition of a large session may be very different than yours. o

Yes as I said on that 13" MBP all the drives are just plain disks using software RAID and you can use them however you want. Skip the 13" old MBP, that small screen sucks for Pro Tools. and whoever is selling this is clearly a jerkoff.

[Darryl Ramm]

And that 13" is not a quad core i7 and I bet it does not have a discrete GPU. You really want those features. If the internal Fast SSD does not cut it you can add an external audio drive, you cannot add extra cores or a GPU.

[epu]

Thanks again. I'm most nervous about the drive situation. I really don't want to have more than one drive on a portable device. I'll keep looking into this. Thanks for your advice.

[Obsidian Dragon]

Originally Posted by epu

Thanks again. I'm most nervous about the drive situation. I really don't want to have more than one drive on a portable device. I'll keep looking into this. Thanks for your advice.

This is just my opinion so take it as you deem you should.

The current MPBR have fast processors and a fast SSD which should be good for most moderate Protools sessions. The limitations (single SSD hard drive and fixed memory) may or may not impact you depending on your workflow and session size/plugin needs.

For my purposes, I like the previous generation MBP (non retina) for Protools. My reasoning is that I can install a second hard drive (7200 RPM or SSD) in the optical drive bay and also replace the system drive with a SSD if desired. I can also expand the memory via third party memory up to the maximum and save some money. Remember that on MBPR the memory is soldered on and can not be replaced or upgraded "EVER." It looks like this is the way Apple is going with the MBPR in the future so soon we will all be replacing our entire notebooks as often as our phones. If you agree with my opinion, be sure to look for a MBP model with the quad core i7 (maybe not as fast or efficient as the latest generation in the MBPR) yet works great for Protools. It is thicker and heavier than the MBPR however if that matters.

[Darryl Ramm]

16 GB of RAM soldered to the motherboard (in any of the models really optimal for Pro Tools) should last you a long time. And yes I forgot that Apple actually does still sell 13" non-Retina MBP, not that I would want to run Pro Tools on it. I suspect it is largely left in the market as a budget laptop for students and schools.