New Macbook Air vs Pro for TP2
Just wondering whether the new Air with the following specs:
11-inch : 128GB
1.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor
4GB memory
128GB flash storage1
Intel HD Graphics 3000
would be a good choice to run traktor pro 2 with an s4 or would I be better with the base model MBP?
They will both run Traktor equally well
Really? Is the 1.6 processor enough? Is the base model MBP fine for traktor and ableton?
FWIW, I was running TSP2 on a 3 yr old windows laptop with a 2ghz core 2 duo up until last week and I don’t think I saw much more than ~25% CPU utilization at any given time. I just installed it on a new lenovo T420 with an i5 and 6GB RAM and I haven’t seen my CPU usage go much over 10% while running the program so far. Yes, you have a lower clock speed but, there are other features of the CPU that make it faster than a previous-gen @higher clock (hyper-threading, faster bus speed, larger cache, etc.)
TL;DR - I wouldn’t worry about any core i-series being able to run traktor.
All I’d worry about is not having space for all my tunes. The clock speed of the current range of intels seems to bear no relation to their performance when compared to older ones, so don’t read too much into the 1.6GHz.
So which one would you guys go for if you were buying now? I have an external HDD for my tunes so that’s not a problem. The main issue i do see is the 11" screen being too small for traktor? Is it wise to buy a MBP now or is there going to be an update anytime soon?
People getting their panties in a bunch over Ghz these days.. Have you been under a rock for the past 10 years?
Efficiency per Ghz has gone trough the roof in the past couple of years. Thinking back to the 3.5Ghz Northwood Pentium IV’s.. compairing them to the i5 1.6Ghz processors we have today. But the Pentium has way more gigahurtz you say? Correct. But not even nearly as fast, cool, awesome and powerful as the “low gigahurtz” 1.6Ghz i5.
EDIT: Oh I totally forgot, the updates just happened, External HDD won’t be an issue as long as you use a decent brand and make sure it’s a powered HDD.
Might even be cool to use a Thunderbolt HDD.
I think if it’s OK with an external hard disk then any MacBook Air is fine. Even if you lose some performance with the firewire transfers you gain a lot with the fast Solid State disk paging instead.
Anyone used the 11" screen for traktor? Never even thought i’d have this decision to make! It was 100% MBP last week until I actually started looking into these new airs! Think the Pro is still in front slightly as i can’t afford the 13" Air.
Alright. The thing that most people (including me) worry about the most probably is space. You are going to have a ton of music and i’m sure your music will take up 85% of the space on your computer. I’d go with the new one though because it has the new Intel Core i5 processor and it runs like a bamf (bad ass motha F****) so yehahh.
Sorry to bring this back but I still haven’t made my mind up! I think i’ve chosen the pro over the air but now it’s down to spec. I will be using the mac for Traktor, Ableton and Logic (Logic is my main concern as I’ve never used it before so don’t know how resource heavy it is). Will the following spec run these adequately and be pretty future proof?
Macbook Pro 13"
2.3 i5 Processor
4GB Ram (Probably stick 8GB in there in a few weeks)
500GB HDD
Tom, nothing in the computer world is even remotely future proof! Especially when it comes to Apple products, I’m not sure how they do it but man… they make the version you own feel ANCIENT when a new model comes out.
The current Macbook Pros have been released for 215 days which is exactly the historical average for how long it takes for them to refresh that line (usually just under 8 months) They’re holding a press conference next week for the iPhone. They may be talking about new Macbook Pros then as well.
No idea about the requirements for Logic, Ableton or Traktor but I’ve been running Serato on my MacBook Air for some time now and haven’t had any hiccups at all! the SSD is blazing fast.
If you go for the Air get the 13" screen for sure, I couldn’t imagine using this software on anything smaller and get the upgrade to 4gb ram - it’s soldered to the board so you can’t upgrade it later like the MBP
Devon:sunglasses:
I’m seriously ready to get a Macbook air myself but damn it I need firewire… that’s the one thing holding me back right now; when a thunderbolt to firewire adapter becomes available I am really looking hard at those. I’d say get the biggest SSD size and forget about your external for DJing; if you really have more than say 128 gig of tunes (half the largest SSD on the MBAs) put them on your external drive but then load the 100 gig you can’t live without onto Traktor on the SSD. Externals work fine but it’s one more point of failure you don’t need, and when you have SSD on the computer, a USB drive is just a bottleneck.
I’m running TP2 on my Macbook Air… but it’s the 13" 1.7GHz i5 processor w/ 4GB RAM & 256GB SSD. But honestly I don’t see any issues at all, and that’s with full effects, loops, samples, going. With an external controller and separate external sound card running of both USB ports. I don’t think the 1.6GHz i5 on the 11" model with 4GB is going to have problems with it at all. My only concern for you would be the cramped 11" screen. But it’s not like the base 13" Macbook Pro has better resolution, cause it’s actually identical to the 11" screen resolution. 13" Air has better screen resolution than the 13" Pro… #1 reason why I picked the Air (that and the included SSD).
What do you use firewire for? I’ve never “needed” it - well, actually.. I’ve never even had it.
Devon
my Ecler Evo 5 mixer/soundcard. I also sometimes use a FA-101 soundcard, also firewire, though that’s usually on my desktop.
the 13" screen on the air has really high screen resolution which makes traktor really nice to work with
@djproben, you can get a Thunderbolt-to-firewire 800 adapter for just the small price of $999 excl. tax. You also get a display with that for free! Awesome, right?
LOL … kinda defeats the point of buying a 1-lb laptop though 
Despite all the positive reviews of the Air I think i’ll be going with the pro. The ability to upgrade really sold it to me as I can whack 8GB of ram in there and (when they become a bit cheaper) an SSD. I’m really hoping the processors get a refresh this month otherwise i’ve forfitted the £65 uni gift card for nothing!