MacBook Pro SSD Retina is it worth for Production?

DJ Life & Community General Discussion
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21

I decided to go with a new 11.6" MBA again, but with much better performance. I have some preferred models, which are close from the price point .. what would you recommend?

  1. 2013 Model, Core i5 1.3 GHz, 8GB, 256 SSD, 950 EUR
  2. 2012 Model, Core i5 1.7 GHz, 8GB, 128 SSD, 850 EUR
  3. 2012 Model, Core i5 1.8 GHz, 8GB, 128 SSD, 900 EUR
  4. 2012 Model, Core i7 2.0 GHz, 8GB, 128 SSD, 1.000 EUR

Based on what I have learned from the last couple of days, CPU power is one of the most important criteria. Therefore, my favorite is number 4) right now. It’s an 2012 Model but with an i7 and 2.0GHz. RAM is almost the same for all models and the SSD is fine as I could go with an external USB 3.0 SSD on top.

What do you think?

22

Are you serious about production??? On an 11" mba??
Keep your old mba for on-the-move stuff and get a mac mini for home/production. 2.3 quadcore, 1tb ssd for 799. Buy a decent sized monitor and still get change from your $1000 plus a brand new machine with full warranty etc. if you’re planning on the usb3 ssd you can just use that on the mini then hook it up to your current mba.

23

Of course, I will use an external screen .. 24" or 27" ..
But I need the flexibility and mobility when visiting the studio of a friend e.g.
On top, if I work with mini, all my data progs, samples, are on the mini and I don’t want to have two system.

24

get what you’ve already decided and be happy.

at least I’d spend $200 more and get a new macbook pro 13 - more than 2x the power, 500gb hard drive, cheap customizable RAM and warranty that you can extend to 3 years, good resale value too. If you’re looking at used mba with no warranty then $1000 isn’t a good deal I think. Check geekbench and see how they compare for the money. By the time you add your external hard drive and power supply mba plus drive will probably be heavier than a 13 mbp.

25

The 13" Pro does not have anywhere near twice the power of the Air. Also, I wouldn’t waste money on an Ivy Bridge based laptop given the huge battery gains that come with Haswell.

26

[QUOTE=sw84244;658344

  1. how reasonable is it from the port connections point of view to go with a MBP instead of a MBA?

  2. why do I mainly see the MBP’s on the stage while the MBA can do the same things?[/QUOTE]

  3. Like someone already said, just get a hub and you’ll be fine. You’ll probably be needing more than two ports anyway (e.g. Interface + Maschine + Push)

  4. Because the MBA can’t do the same things. MBP vs. MBA is basically like a Formula 1 race car vs. a Porsche. A Porsche is a nice and fast car, but doesn’t stand a chance vs. the F1 car.

+1

The missing retina display isn’t a disadvantage when it comes to music production.

The disadvantages of the MBA are CPU power, RAM, harddisc space and screen size. Which is basically everything that matters for music production.

I think you should take none of them… :wink:

The CPU of the fastest model is still a lot slower than the minimal CPU of the smallest MBP.

A MBA is a nice computer if mobility is very important for you and if you only need to do ‘light’ work, e.g. office work or web browsing. It’s meant to be used for stuff like music production. The MBPs are called “pro” for a reason.

You should also get at least a 500GB harddisc. Sample libraries and sample based instruments like NI’s kontakt instruments need a lot of disc space. I don’t know if a external SSD makes that much sense, even if it’s usb 3.0.

Also, the biggest advantage of the MBA is portability. Combining a MBA with an external hd is like getting a sportscar, then use it to tow a trailer…

I’d suggest you try getting a refurbished non-retina MBP 15" with as much RAM, CPU and harddisk size as possible. You can also switch the superdrive for a SSD drive.
If you don’t need a portable solution you could also consider getting an iMac, which is much better for production than any laptop.

You may need to save up for these options a little longer, but I’m quite sure you would not regret it.

27

Nope. The 2012 i7 Air comes out on top of the base 13" Pro.

Air: Intel Core i7-4650U Benchmark

Pro: Intel Core i5-3210M Benchmark

28

Allright, my bad.

Still, getting a MBP with maxed out specs makes much more sense for music production than even the fastest MBA with 11" screen and 128GB SSD, imho.

29

Thanks a lot for all your comments. Honestly .. I am struggling again. I do see all your points .. and obviously they are all more than fair. I will take some more days to make my decision.

30

I think you have to seriously consider which is more important to you, longevity and power or size.

Bottom line is that with either 13’ 11’ 15’ you are paying for what you get, no more, no less.

With the 11’ you lose the High Res Display, which maybe not a deal breaker now, but in 3 or 4 years it’ll be antiquated.

With the 13’ retina, sure its heavier and 1 inch all round bigger, but is designed for high CPU tasks like audio and video production.

Honestly I would not touch a 128 HDD, regardless of which computer you choose its very easy to fill up with day to day stuff and will require constant monitoring/backing up to check you aren’t running out of space, again, I’dgo with a bare minimum of 256 if this is going to be your Main Machine.

I would NOT recommend a non-retina 13’ (I have one) and the screen is really starting to show its age with everything from HD movies to websites, I can’t imagine how it would feel in a year or two. Sure its upgradeable to a point, but the processor and GPU are year+ old technology and cannot be upgraded - pointless purchase IMHO. Once you are finished upgrading to an SSD / Ram you are going to be hitting the 1.4k mark anyhow and still lacking a higher res display.

Any reason you did not mention a 13’ Air ? There has been a few popping up on the mac Refurb Shop for around $1299 with the i7/256/8gb… Theres one at the Moment with an i7/512/8gb for $1550 which is not a bad deal considering the price of SSD.

The 11’ is a tidy little machine, has enough Power to run the majority of Applications out there pretty well … but then again my Lenovo s10 ran Traktor pretty well too. But i would not consider using it as my “DJ” machine just because it worked - it simply was not comfortable in day to day use.

You’ve already used an 11’ for day to day work, so I’m guessing you already convinced yourself that it’s “just what you need”. Well trust me when I say when you try a 13’ retina for a few days you will seriously be wondering how the hell you managed to work on an 11’ ever before.

31

Yes, there is a reason.
The 11" feels really nice .. it’s really small and easy to take away to any place. You can grab it with just one hand and it just feels like a portable nice machine. However, the 13" doesn’t to me. I can’t really explain, but if I would go with a 13", than I would consider a MBP. Again, what I like with my current 11" MBA is really the portability and how easy you can work with it.

32

You’ll end up running the retina at 1920*1080 since at the retina resolution the DAW controls will be very small, which is another important factor to consider.

Imo for production a 15" cMBP w/ AG screen, a samsung 840 series SSD in optibay and maxed out ram works great as SJJVEN has pointed out. You can always buy an external monitor too :slight_smile:

33

What? No.

34

You do realize that the OP does NOT want a 15’ anything (or even 13’ anything) :roll_eyes:

35

Using the retina resolution is insane, did you every try running it at that?

since the forum thread reads: MacBook Pro SSD ‘Retina’ is it worth for Production and as far as I know retina comes in only 15" and 13". But then if the OP wants to go for an air, its his call. As pointed out by many members here I think there are various advantages of MBP over MBA.

Heat is also a factor since MBA is too thin and there is less room for proper heat dissipation+ I’ve found MBAs not too stable on a crane stand (if OP decides to ever play out).

36

At some point the Airs & Pros will merge.

I think you always should go with more than what you need, unless you are planning on upgrading every year. Once you start using Ableton, etc you may find you want the portability and the ability to use the laptop’s screen. Using any DAW with an 11" screen? I don’t think so. Many couldn’t even imagine using a 13". Do you really want to get an 11" Air with 128gb SSD and then find out you really wished you’d got something with a bit more GB and screen size? It’s up to you. I personally would go with a Pro.

37

Music production isn’t taxing on the CPU enough to generate a significant amount of heat, and the Air isn’t much worse at venting hot air than the Pros. My Air sits nicely on my Crane Stand too, just like any other laptop.

Besides the Retina screen there is next to no difference between the 13" Retina and 13" Air.

38

A MBA 11’ NOT a 13’ (if you read his answers and the entire thread he has no interest in larger sizes).

Reading the title of a thread and not the replies before posting is as pointless as a ninja flipping someone off in a dark alley.

:roll_eyes:

The only thing that ever causes my GF’s Macbook Air and My Macbook pro to heat up considerably is Flash Videos and even at that the CPU temp is no worse than any other laptop, just feels that way because the Aluminum casing is doing its job as a giant heatsink.

39

I use Retina MBPs now, and never change the resolution from retina to anything else.

40

Do you use the standard “Best(Retina)” resolution, or the maximum “more space” option?