Seeking Macbook Pro Buy Advice From Geniuses :-), (plz)

[djh108]

Howdy!

Can you share some wisdom? I've suddenly learned I've got to work a little while traveling this spring and need to make a quick, informed decision about a new Macbook Pro. BUT, I'm out of the loop the last several years w/ Macs and PT and am hoping to get some guidance...

(FYI, for a bit of context: my plan had been to wait until PT caught up with the M processors before upgrading. But since I gotta buy now, one variable to consider is: how much is this machine is gonna be more of a stopgap vs. an upgrade that I'll live with for several years?)...

My Goals:

• Bang for the buck, but I'd go more expensive if it makes sense long term.

• A rig that can hopefully compete w/, if not surpass, my current studio rig which is: a 2012 mac pro 12 core 3.06. 64 gigs of ram. (pt ultimate 2021, native)

• That said, if I lost a little firepower compared to my desktop, that would probably be fine if other benefits made it worth it (cost, durability, stability, etc.).

• At the same time, I'm also open to spending a little more if I'm gonna end up with a considerably stronger machine...esp one that could make replacing my 12 core make sense bc of better performance, and/or kick future upgrades further down the road (I'm even flirting with going ahead and getting an M chip...I know, I know, more on this later)

My Work Needs:

• The most imminent need is post production mixing. Hour-long shows, running mostly izotope, stock avid plugs, complex stem routings. These rarely max out my 12-core (unless I start throwing lots of heavy specialty plugs at things, but always manageable).

• Music production...I often find a way to max out on heavy mix sessions. Also often use lots of virtual instruments in production phase. BUT, it would be rare the laptop would need to do this much heavy lifting...that is, unless I happened to pop for one that outperformed my desktop.

• Potentially some multitrack recording, probably no more than 8 channels at once.

• I occasionally do video editing, and while its no priority, if a small difference in price was radically better for video editing bc of video card or compatibility with adobe, I'd consider it

.

Benchmark Scores for a Few Points of Reference:

2012 12 core Mac Pro:

• Single Core - 611
• Multi Core: 5683

• This is my studio computer, my baseline for comparison

2015 Macbook Pro 6-core:

• Single Core - 790
• Multi Core: 3051

• Going rate seems about $1100
• Single core benchmarks higher than my desktop, multi-core lower, BUT how do these scores translate to a PT context??

2018 Macbook Pro 6 core:

• Single Core - 976
• Multi Core: 4730

• Going rate seems about $1600
• Similar to above: single core benchmarks higher, multi a little lower, but how does this translate to a PT context?

2018 Macbook Pro 6 core:

• Single Core - 1059
• Multi Core: 6087

• Going rate seems about $2100
• Higher benchmarks overall, BUT a brand new m-chip 16 inch starts at $2400, so does this really make sense, bigger picture?

Obviously theres lots in between these particular models.

What I'm Confused About:

• How good are benchmark scores at evaluating PT performance these days? Historically, I know benchmarks don't necessarily tell a full story...From memory, things like how PT can/can't take full advantage of multithreading on certain processors, caching considerations, and other random variables that are probably over my head.

• Are there particular machines to avoid for other reasons?

• If you knew you were planning on getting an m-chip machine in the next year or two, what would you do? Kinda seems like spending too much right now may be a waste since the promise of the m-machines seems so good? Or maybe go full blast and kick an M chip down the road further?

• Hear me out...what about an M Machine?? I KNOW they aren't supported yet, BUT, for my work needs this spring, I could probably get away with a little bug here and there IF things were stable enough, esp since my projects can be completed on my studio rig...and travel work is rare. SOOO...anyone successfully tried a post gig on one of these M machines (w/ primarily izotope and stock avid plugs)??? (I probably have just enough time to buy one and test it myself, and then scramble for a plan B if its a total fail...but obviously not looking for a needless hot mess either unless theres reason for optimism �� )

Thx for your POV. Prolly TMI here, just trying to wrap my head around it all as quickly and thoroughly as a need to make a decision has come suddenly.

I'm fishing for things "I don't know that I don't know", folks with experience in a similar boat and/or similar rigs, and anyone with insight on any of this.

Thanks so much...

[JFreak]

It all comes down to how long are you expecting to keep that machine. If you only need it a short time, why not try the M1 macbook even though it is limited to 16GB memory? If you plan to keep it for 3-5 years or even longer, forget M1 and buy the best Intel Mac you can afford. You said you are using VI's so perhaps 16GB is not enough and you need at least 32GB

[djh108]

thx for the reply...

The m1 is a compelling idea. Looking around it seems like folks are having success at things being pretty functional. Would love to know if anyone reading has happened to have had success/failure specific to izotope plugs....and/or complex bussing/routing, offline multiple stem bounces.

RE: the RAM issue, agreed more ram is better for VIs..that said I've heard this new RAM doesn't exactly compare to RAM for intels. Read somewhere its easily twice as powerful gig for gig...but idk how accurate that is. If anyone has experimented with VIs and an M machine, would love to know your impressions.

[JFreak]

It really depends how the plugin has been optimised. For example piano VI's of Synthogy (Ivory) are very memory friendly and require a lot of storage performance, but some others load everything into memory and a gigabyte is a gigabyte whatever processor is using it.

[Obsidian Dragon]

I agree with everything others have said here. I am optimistic about Apple Silicon and hope it becomes the performance beast it is hyped to be in future iterations. The current M1 as configured is still an entry level performer in entry level systems.

Given your immediate need and mentioned uses (VI's, Video, extensive Plugins, etc.), you will best be served with a high end Intel based Mac for now. An 8-core i9 16" MacBook Pro with 32GB or 64GB RAM will give you years of great performance and capacity for your needs.

If portability is not a requirement, you might consider a used Mac Pro (trashcan) or iMac Pro (discontinued). These are still great performers for Protools and can run the current OS (Big Sur) still.

[djh108]

Thanks for the responses everyone. I opted for a 2019 MacBook Pro 2.3 i9 w/ 32 gigs of ram. A bit more than I was planning on spending, but it benchmarks about 15% better than my 2012 12 core, so hopefully it'll buy me a few extra years before thinking about m1 machines. Should be here in a couple days.