MacBook Pro Rig

[anthonytop40]

Hi All,

I am just about to take the plunge on a spec'd out 17" MBPro Quad Core 8GB Ram...etc,as I want a lean and mean mobile
recording/writing rig.

I will be running Logic,Superior Drummer 2,Spectrasonics,EastWest,UAD software as I've already purchased these.

I will also be using a portable external HDD to house my samples/sounds.

Any thoughts/tips from anyone who may be running a similar set-up? Is the MBPro Quad Core enough of a workhorse to run
all of this software without falling over..??


Thx
AT40

[mojobone]

That should more than do the trick, but if you need moar powar, you're in luck: http://tapeop.com/reviews/825/

[fullbirdmusic]

As mojo said, that's plenty of firepower. You'll be fine.
Have fun!

[orest]

The quad core is a monster! I'm actually buying one myself in December (I have some tax refunds coming in then) and will use it together with my Mac Pro.
You will definitely have some serious power, and the pro models are really really great and reliable.
I think it will be sufficient to run the software programs you have listed.

Did you buy the 2.2 or the 2.3 processor?
I will buy the 2.2 processor 15.4 inch monitor and plug it into a cinema display when I'm not on the run.

I guess you're going to run the system in 64 bit mode (I wonder why East West haven't done the 64 bit module for mac yet, they promised it to come months ago..), that will give you all the power you need!

SSD drives are also good. I will Buy a hybrid disc and install the OS on the SSD drive and save the music files on the 7.200 spin drive.

Best of luck! This one will do for many many years!! (I have had my Mac Pro for 3 years now, it's still running as if it was bought yesterday!!)

[anthonytop40]

Thx for the tips & reply's fellow Cab Riders.

Orest - I have not purchased one yet.Thought I'd ask here at the forum first - with the REAL users of computer rec equip.

Shops/retailers are of not much help(in my part of the world) - they will sell you anything & tell you answers you wanna
hear.Then it's your problem if things start falling over Recording wise.

Their appears to be a bit of a price hike between the 2.2 & 2.3GHz models - don't know why..?? how much faster could it
be..?? The SSD model is what I really want over the HDD = no moving parts.I'm also thinking an external HDD by Glyph is
the way to go.

AT40

[orest]

Thx for the tips & reply's fellow Cab Riders.

Orest - I have not purchased one yet.Thought I'd ask here at the forum first - with the REAL users of computer rec equip.

Shops/retailers are of not much help(in my part of the world) - they will sell you anything & tell you answers you wanna
hear.Then it's your problem if things start falling over Recording wise.

Their appears to be a bit of a price hike between the 2.2 & 2.3GHz models - don't know why..?? how much faster could it
be..?? The SSD model is what I really want over the HDD = no moving parts.I'm also thinking an external HDD by Glyph is
the way to go.

AT40

In my opinion it's pretty strange to have a 0.1 faster processor at a much higher price. I really don't know how much faster the difference would be. I will buy the 2.2 myself with 8 gig ram and a hybrid hard drive.
They say it's the best choice if you are recording music. The read speed is way better on the SSD drive than the sata drive, but the sata drive is faster when it comes to writing.

I can't imagine that you would run out of power with a machine like this. I also recommend that you buy Apple Care as well. I wouldn't take the risk even if it's a pro machine.

[fullbirdmusic]

There is always a price difference on processor speeds. You're not paying for that 0.1GHz of speed - included with that are other features of a processor like L3 cache. That's a big selling point for some and could be a very big difference in price (like about $400 from what I saw on the Apple site). For example, the 2.2GHz processor could have a 4MB L3 cache while the 2.3GHz proc could have 8MB L3 cache - that's double the amount of data that the processor can hold in its "memory," making it faster and more efficient. This also enables higher overclocking or "Turbo" speeds. This is becoming more of a standard practice lately.
So look at those details when determining whether or not you'll pay more and you'll see the differences. Here's what I got from the Apple site about the MBP. They don't give the L3 cache of the 2.2GHz proc, but I'm pretty sure it's 4MB or 6MB.

The Intel Core Core i7 processors are based on new 32-nanometer process technology with an advanced Core microarchitecture that features an integrated memory controller and Level 3 cache, giving the MacBook Pro faster, more direct access to memory. In addition, these processors feature:

Turbo Boost 2.0 - a dynamic performance technology that automatically boosts the processor clock speed based on workload, giving you extra processing power when you need it.
HyperThreading - a technology that allows two threads to run simultaneously on each core. So a quad-core MacBook Pro has eight virtual cores, all of which are recognized by Mac OS X. This enables the processor to deliver faster performance by spreading tasks more evenly across a greater number of cores.

You can upgrade the processor in your MacBook Pro to the 2.3GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor, featuring 8MB L3 cache and Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.40GHz.

[anthonytop40]

Thx Orest & Wes - this would explain the $$$ hike between the 2.2/2.3GHz.


AT40

[orest]

There is always a price difference on processor speeds. You're not paying for that 0.1GHz of speed - included with that are other features of a processor like L3 cache. That's a big selling point for some and could be a very big difference in price (like about $400 from what I saw on the Apple site). For example, the 2.2GHz processor could have a 4MB L3 cache while the 2.3GHz proc could have 8MB L3 cache - that's double the amount of data that the processor can hold in its "memory," making it faster and more efficient. This also enables higher overclocking or "Turbo" speeds. This is becoming more of a standard practice lately.
So look at those details when determining whether or not you'll pay more and you'll see the differences. Here's what I got from the Apple site about the MBP. They don't give the L3 cache of the 2.2GHz proc, but I'm pretty sure it's 4MB or 6MB.

The Intel Core Core i7 processors are based on new 32-nanometer process technology with an advanced Core microarchitecture that features an integrated memory controller and Level 3 cache, giving the MacBook Pro faster, more direct access to memory. In addition, these processors feature:

Turbo Boost 2.0 - a dynamic performance technology that automatically boosts the processor clock speed based on workload, giving you extra processing power when you need it.
HyperThreading - a technology that allows two threads to run simultaneously on each core. So a quad-core MacBook Pro has eight virtual cores, all of which are recognized by Mac OS X. This enables the processor to deliver faster performance by spreading tasks more evenly across a greater number of cores.

You can upgrade the processor in your MacBook Pro to the 2.3GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor, featuring 8MB L3 cache and Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.40GHz.

Thanks for the explanation! That makes a lot of sense!

[AndyKotz]

Make sure you're running at 64 bit because once your processor hits 4 GB of memory usage she'll lock up on you and crash. It'll tell you to remove plugins to continue, etc.
This was driving me nuts! As soon as I realized I should be in 64 bit and changed it... Logic started kicking some serious ARSE!!!
I have a ton of plugins and now they run smooth as silk!