MBP to replace MacPro?

[JustinBW]

Hey All,

So recently I have been pondering going with an all mobile/laptop setup.

I work with audio and currently have a 13" mbp and a 2.8 quad mac pro.

Seeing the new macbook pros coming out, I think it is very possible for me to get a 15" and get rid of my mac pro and 13". It would be extremely liberating to have an adequate mobile setup, but also something that I can dock at my desk when I want.

So I was hoping maybe some of you could share your insight with me in a few areas.

Firstly, is there any possible harm to working in clamshell mode and really 'working' your computer? (Currently with my mac pro that is only a 2.8 quad, I get up to around 65% cpu usage, rarely ever go over that)

Secondly, does it void your applecare to replace the dvd drive with a ssd? (I reckon it does just making sure). Realistically that is the only big benefit I have with the mac pro; I am using all the bays; I think getting a 500 ssd and a 1 or 2 tb reg hd could suffice (along with a large external).

Do you guys think Apple will soon (maybe next refresh) offer a sanctioned mbp with 2 hard drives?

I am in no rush, this is just something I am hoping to do within the next year or 2; as the laptops get more powerful, I can't justify being stuck at my desk to have a smoking machine.

Any tips or insight would be greatly appreciated

 

[yusukeaoki]

1. In my opinion, I think you Mac Pro is faster than the current MBP.
Clamshell mode isnt any problem with Cinema Display.

But still, MBPs only have mobile CPUs.
2.8GHz Intel Xeon is prob faster than a 2.4GHz Intel Core i7.
Ive never used Xeon before so I cant really say it but is your Mac Pro 2009 model?
Goodthing about Mac Pro is that you can edit your GPU.

2. When you say 2 HDD/SSD you mean optibay right?
Technically if you did that it will void it.
but when you need to send it to apple, just put it all back together and they wont even notice it.

 

[goMac]

I tried this once and went back. Macbook Pros just aren't as fast as Mac Pros. The disk speeds are slower, the GPU is slower... it's just not the same.

 

[thekev]

That 2.8 is an older processor design, and the cheapest quad intel made that generation. Apple really provides a very weak entry with the mac pro. Something to consider, as laptops get more powerful, the software often also becomes more demanding. My biggest issue with the macbook pros and mac minis right now isn't even a cpu issue. It's ram. So many applications can make solid use of a lot more ram these days. Losing the bays will suck.

If you're not in a big hurry, consider that the next really hyped change intel has planned comes in 2013. I'm not waiting that long simply because I need a new machine pretty soon. If I had a solid rig at the moment, I'd completely ignore 2012 machines. They're focusing on cutting power consumption over the next couple years. If this translates to machines that run cooler (rather than Apple advancing the wedge design ) it could be great for users that run them really hard.

 

[TheRdungeon]

I use a 2.2 Quad 15" for music production, they're actually really capable machines because OSX sees 8 processing threads for use in logic. I have a 750gb 7200rpm drive in the optibay with apple 128gb ssd in the main bay, I really like this solution. Breezing through tracks my core 2 duo couldn't play at all

 

[AdrianK]

Some geek bench scores might be of interest for comparing your Mac Pro to the 2011 MBPs.

Scores are for 32bit.

MacBook Pro (15-inch Late 2011)
Intel Core i7-2860QM 2.5 GHz (4 cores)
10806

MacBook Pro (17-inch Late 2011)
Intel Core i7-2860QM 2.5 GHz (4 cores)
10706

MacBook Pro (17-inch Late 2011)
Intel Core i7-2760QM 2.4 GHz (4 cores)
10538

MacBook Pro (15-inch Late 2011)
Intel Core i7-2760QM 2.4 GHz (4 cores)
10489

MacBook Pro (17-inch Early 2011)
Intel Core i7-2820QM 2.3 GHz (4 cores)
10351

Mac Pro (Mid 2010)
Intel Xeon W3530 2.8 GHz (4 cores)
8665

 

[JustinBW]

Thanks for all the replies.

Someone asked if my Mac Pro was from 2009; I bought it at the last refresh in 2010. Model MC560LL/A

You all make good points especially about the software becoming more demanding.

One caveat I did not consider is that I work with dual monitors on my mac pro and it would seem a pain to get this done (unless something changes in a the next year or two) with a mbp.

And also all the dongles I need to run my software. I need to use an iLok and a Dongle, so that is two usb ports taken up right from the start. One of the biggest benefits of having a mobile rig is the mobility and having two usb sticks always jutting out of the side of my laptop would be a burden and usually results in limited actual lap use:/

But yeah, I am in no rush and I am eager to see what the future brings.

 

[derbothaus]

The processors in the MBP are faster than the 2.8 and the 3.2GHz Quad models. Not to mention they embarrass the Mac Pro in single threads. If you also get an SSD and a large HDD in the DVD bay that would work for disk I/O. Get 8GB memory minimum and you have a machine that will be faster than even the 3.2GHz Mac Pro. If you are really pushing the laptop be wary of loud fan noise as that will happen. Heavy heat will kill components faster. The only slower part would be the GPU. A 6750m is no slouch for painting pixels though. Last bit of irritation could be TB or FW800 externals that sleep and have long spin up delays.

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1. In my opinion, I think you Mac Pro is faster than the current MBP.

Well this is wrong. Only Mac Pro's faster than 2.3GHz+ MBP's are the 6-core and 12-core variants IF you upgrade the hard drive.

 

[Mackilroy]

One caveat I did not consider is that I work with dual monitors on my mac pro and it would seem a pain to get this done (unless something changes in a the next year or two) with a mbp.

You can connect two monitors to the MBP quite easily – Apple explicitly mentions it on their site. I don't know if that's limited to Thunderbolt- or MDP-enabled displays though.

 

[dusk007]

Secondly, does it void your applecare to replace the dvd drive with a ssd? (I reckon it does just making sure). Realistically that is the only big benefit I have with the mac pro; I am using all the bays; I think getting a 500 ssd and a 1 or 2 tb reg hd could suffice (along with a large external).

Sort of. It is not a designated user replaceable part. But there is no sticker you need to remove. If you send it in for repair all you need to do is put the ODD back in and they will never know.

 

[Vantage Point]

I bought it at the last refresh in 2010. Model MC560LL/A

I have the same one but the latest base models are literally 2x faster, geek scores of 10,000 vs 5,000 and 2x the size of the GPU chip in the base model (512)

Also, the latest MBP's can use 16GB of RAM - 2 slots of 8GB each. Right now that costs about $600 to upgrade yourself vs $60 to upgrade to 8GB of ram yourself. Nine months ago 16GB of RAM was $1,600 so a year from now it is reasonable to expect that upgrade to cost closer to $200 (just don't buy from Apple)

So the latest MBP have quad cores with geek scores of 10,000+, can handle 16Gb ram, and have thunderbolt port. This is a very powerful machine can can replace your 2010 MBP + MP if you want a single system for both power and portability

 

[Ant.honey]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A334 Safari/7534.48.3)

I'm currently making the switch to MBP only because they have yet to update the MP and I need a new machine. I am running 6g SSD in main bay and 750 standard HDD in optical. 16 gb ram 2.5 ghz 15". I'm going to see how it goes and reevaluate when/if they update MP again next year.

 

[Vantage Point]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A334 Safari/7534.48.3)

I'm currently making the switch to MBP only because they have yet to update the MP and I need a new machine. I am running 6g SSD in main bay and 750 standard HDD in optical. 16 gb ram 2.5 ghz 15". I'm going to see how it goes and reevaluate when/if they update MP again next year.

That's a powerful machine configuration you have there and should rival most computers. As for the MP you may have seen the latest rumor yesterday that its future is in question but only apple really knows.

 

[Ant.honey]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A334 Safari/7534.48.3)

Yeah. Saw the rumor and it makes me sad. I don't want to have to go PC if it turns out to be true. Have to wait and see if MBP will suffice. I will miss the drive bays of MP, but I'm using a 10tb Drobo and may get another soonish. (photographer and future videographer. Time is money. Heavy editing of large files and lots of them. May raid in the future.)

 

[calderone]

I switched from a pretty loaded 2008 8-core Mac Pro to a current quad MacBook Pro. I haven't regretted that choice.