Does the GPU have an effect in music production ?

[Seheab]

Hello , Is iMac M1 24” good for music production ? i use only logic pro , if i have to choose between base and upgrade model does the GPU have an effect in music production , which model do you recommend or should i go with Mac mini ?

Thanks a lot.

 

[CooperBox]

"Does the GPU have an effect in music production?" I admit it's not a subject I know much about but I guess the CPU is the prime factor with musical notation in Logic Pro (or other DAWs), with the GPU playing a much less important 2nd role. I would be surprised if an upgraded gpu provided significant enhancement.
Having said that the question is not really relevant to the current 24" M1 iMac as to the best of my knowledge the Apple GPU is common across all three models. Obviously the situation could change with the announcement of the larger-screened M1 iMac later this year.
If I had to buy an iMac M1 24" today I certainly wouldn't entertain the base model due to the lamentable lack of ports, but opt for the intermediate model with 16Gb memory, and purchase additional external storage (i.e. Samsung T7) as imho the price of Apple 520GB memory is a rip-off.

 

[Seheab]

"Does the GPU have an effect in music production?" I admit it's not a subject I know much about but I guess the CPU is the prime factor with musical notation in Logic Pro (or other DAWs), with the GPU playing a much less important 2nd role. I would be surprised if an upgraded gpu provided significant enhancement.
Having said that the question is not really relevant to the current 24" M1 iMac as to the best of my knowledge the Apple GPU is common across all three models. Obviously the situation could change with the announcement of the larger-screened M1 iMac later this year.
If I had to buy an iMac M1 24" today I certainly wouldn't entertain the base model due to the lamentable lack of ports, but opt for the intermediate model with 16Gb memory, and purchase additional external storage (i.e. Samsung T7) as imho the price of Apple 520GB memory is a rip-off.

Thanks so much man!

 

[imdog]

"Does the GPU have an effect in music production?" I admit it's not a subject I know much about but I guess the CPU is the prime factor with musical notation in Logic Pro (or other DAWs), with the GPU playing a much less important 2nd role. I would be surprised if an upgraded gpu provided significant enhancement.
Having said that the question is not really relevant to the current 24" M1 iMac as to the best of my knowledge the Apple GPU is common across all three models. Obviously the situation could change with the announcement of the larger-screened M1 iMac later this year.
If I had to buy an iMac M1 24" today I certainly wouldn't entertain the base model due to the lamentable lack of ports, but opt for the intermediate model with 16Gb memory, and purchase additional external storage (i.e. Samsung T7) as imho the price of Apple 520GB memory is a rip-off.

That's incorrect! The base model M1 iMac's have a 7-core GPU instead of 8-core in the higher spec'd ones.
I use my M1 iMac primarily for music production & don't think GPU matters much for it, but it would be worth the upgrade for the better thermals. The base model only has one fan, compared to two in the higher spec'd ones.

 

[glindon]

GPUs are not used by any of the major apps. Logic, Pro Tools, etc. So unless you plan on using it for other apps then it is a total waste of money. That being said, memory is hugely important if you use sampled libraries so I ended up buying a M1 Max w/ 64 gb. For your options I would go with 16 gb ram so it depends on your budget which model you should get. If price not so much an issue I'd still go for the mini because it's more flexible with ports and monitor choice that fits your setup. Screen quality not really important for audio work. Most important is screen real estate.

 

[Seheab]

That's incorrect! The base model M1 iMac's have a 7-core GPU instead of 8-core in the higher spec'd ones.
I use my M1 iMac primarily for music production & don't think GPU matters much for it, but it would be worth the upgrade for the better thermals. The base model only has one fan, compared to two in the higher spec'd ones.

Thanks man , I agree.

 

[Seheab]

GPUs are not used by any of the major apps. Logic, Pro Tools, etc. So unless you plan on using it for other apps then it is a total waste of money. That being said, memory is hugely important if you use sampled libraries so I ended up buying a M1 Max w/ 64 gb. For your options I would go with 16 gb ram so it depends on your budget which model you should get. If price not so much an issue I'd still go for the mini because it's more flexible with ports and monitor choice that fits your setup. Screen quality not really important for audio work. Most important is screen real estate.

Thanks man!

 

[MajorFubar]

Home-based amateur music producer here. Just want to underline the great advice already given. The GPU makes next to no difference for our purposes, but the overall depleted specs of the base-model M1 iMac means that I would probably avoid it if I were you.

Personally i'm giving a lot of thought to just going with a 2TB 16GB Mac Mini or similarly equipped Macbook Air, considering I already have a 27" monitor waiting in the wings.

 

[CooperBox]

@imdog
I stand to be corrected. Thanks for the clarification.
Given that the GPU appears to make next to no difference, I believe my advise on ignoring the base model due to poor lack of ports is the way to go, and opting for the intermediate model with 16Gb memory or even the high-end model if funds permit.

 

[imdog]

GPUs are not used by any of the major apps. Logic, Pro Tools, etc. So unless you plan on using it for other apps then it is a total waste of money. That being said, memory is hugely important if you use sampled libraries so I ended up buying a M1 Max w/ 64 gb. For your options I would go with 16 gb ram so it depends on your budget which model you should get. If price not so much an issue I'd still go for the mini because it's more flexible with ports and monitor choice that fits your setup. Screen quality not really important for audio work. Most important is screen real estate.

How big are these libraries? I use a ton of Kontakt ones and have never even came close to having any issues on the top spec'd M1 iMac. Not saying you don't need it for your use case but I think you can get pretty far with sample libraries on the normal M1 & 16GB

 

[UBS28]

There are plugins that can make use of the GPU. But since you ask if a GPU is used, I’m guessing you are not using those (it doesn’t work on MAC anyway).

 

[glindon]

How big are these libraries? I use a ton of Kontakt ones and have never even came close to having any issues on the top spec'd M1 iMac. Not saying you don't need it for your use case but I think you can get pretty far with sample libraries on the normal M1 & 16GB

A concert piano alone is like 30 gb, then add in some orchestral instruments and it’s easily 100gb of samples. It’s nice to set the engine to have 48gb of dedicated cache while the other 16gb is used for tracks. It also lowers cpu because it doesn’t have to work as much to stream all the tiny sample files from an external SSD, and in turn I can lower the latency as low as possible when recording new tracks.
I agree for pop or rap, other genres 64gb is way overkill.

 

[kagharaht]

Logic Pro runs beautifully on the 24-inch iMac with the M1 chip. In day-to-day use the program leans on CPU cores and RAM, not the GPU, so the extra graphics core in the “upgrade” iMac doesn’t make a measurable difference to track count or plug-in performance. What does help is memory: 8 GB is fine for small sessions, but if you like keeping a lot of software instruments or sample libraries open, bumping to 16 GB will save you headaches down the line. Size your internal SSD generously too; external drives work, but Logic’s “live loops” and sample-streaming features are happiest on a fast internal disk.

Does that kind of work ramp up the fans?