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MBP vs Mac Pro

S

sammyman

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Mar 21, 2005
998
66
For digital recording. Do I really need the Mac Pro? I am waiting until June, but wanted to know your thoughts between the two.

I guess more specifically, what will I be able to do with a Mac Pro that I WONT be able to do with a MBP? What are the specific performace differences?
 
Do you need portability? Is it a huge need?

With a Mac Pro, you get twice the processors and expandability.

There is a rumor swirling of a MacBook Pro update soon, maybe even a Mac Pro update in the next couple of months.
 
I think the Mac Pro is long overdue for an update, as is the MBP. That said, I will probably wind up getting whatever comes out first.

Portability is NOT needed by me, but I just miss it. I used to have a 12" powerbook, and it was the best.

With the increased processor power, will I be able to record that many more tracks, or have that many more effects? I am trying to get a feel of the power difference.

Also, I think the biggest weakness of the MBP is the limited firewire ports and USB. Has anyone found this a problem?
 
I have, and use both. The MBP is quite capable of capturing video, editing, and most motion graphics. However, if you are going to work with HD, you might run into issues with storage. Also, anything that really profits from highend video cards, will be challenged. I find that my 17" MBP is the smallest screen I could effectively work with. You can use an external monitor to get around that. Disk I/O will be slower as well. The SR FSB speed is being increased to 800 MB. The MP is 1.33GB. Unless you are outputting uncompressed video, you will definitely see a difference there.

This subject comes up fairly often. Some say yes, others no. I think the middleground is; yes, you can do it. But, it is not the optium way to make a living.
 
SMM said:
I have, and use both. The MBP is quite capable of capturing video, editing, and most motion graphics. However, if you are going to work with HD, you might run into issues with storage. Also, anything that really profits from highend video cards, will be challenged. I find that my 17" MBP is the smallest screen I could effectively work with. You can use an external monitor to get around that. Disk I/O will be slower as well. The SR FSB speed is being increased to 800 MB. The MP is 1.33GB. Unless you are outputting uncompressed video, you will definitely see a difference there.

This subject comes up fairly often. Some say yes, others no. I think the middleground is; yes, you can do it. But, it is not the optium way to make a living.
Click to expand...

I don't do any HD video, but I edit home movies a couple of times a year. I do much more recording, and I also have an external monitor that I could use with a MBP. I am leaning towards to MP for a long term solution though... something I won't grow out of.
 
the most recent mix i did on my dual g5 2GHz, w/ 2 gig RAM, had 25 tracks, about 65 plugs, and a ton of multing/bussing/automation.

it was using about 50% of the CPU under PTLE.

these machines are friggin' powerful, so unless you're doing mixes w/ 50+ tracks, or going nuts w/ the soft synths, i wouldn't worry about it.
 
sammyman said:
Since I posted that, the rumor came out that the MBP will be updated to the Santa Rosa platform. Good timing, huh?
Click to expand...

well thats been common knowledge for a while. im just saying at this pt, apple cant really do anything at the moment. they are relying on intels offerings

they can at this pt update the mini with the current tech out there but they arent. that was my point
 
zimv20 said:
the most recent mix i did on my dual g5 2GHz, w/ 2 gig RAM, had 25 tracks, about 65 plugs, and a ton of multing/bussing/automation.

it was using about 50% of the CPU under PTLE.

these machines are friggin' powerful, so unless you're doing mixes w/ 50+ tracks, or going nuts w/ the soft synths, i wouldn't worry about it.
Click to expand...

I have the same machine :) with 3GB or ram and it takes a beating with whatever I throw on it. I think the Core 2 Duos perform similar to dual core G5s, so it will pack a punch.

But the main question remains, do you want a laptop or desktop? No expansion, or total expansion? Portable or non-portable? Those are the questions you should ask yourself.
 
dukebound85 said:
well thats been common knowledge for a while. im just saying at this pt, apple cant really do anything at the moment. they are relying on intels offerings

they can at this pt update the mini with the current tech out there but they arent. that was my point
Click to expand...

I gotcha.

Now expandability vs portability. Hmm.

I still haven't heard from anyone what I couldn't do with the MacBook Pro (minus the expandability part) so maybe I am leaning in that direction. I think if I couldn't tell the difference in my recordings, then I would get the MBP. Hard drives get bigger and cheaper, and that is the main thing I will be expanding in the future.
 
sammyman said:
I gotcha.

Now expandability vs portability. Hmm.

I still haven't heard from anyone what I couldn't do with the MacBook Pro (minus the expandability part) so maybe I am leaning in that direction. I think if I couldn't tell the difference in my recordings, then I would get the MBP. Hard drives get bigger and cheaper, and that is the main thing I will be expanding in the future.
Click to expand...

The obvious choice if you are thinking of the future and expanding your musical career is the desktop. A mac pro or G5 tower can do some serious work, just because of the expandability. For an example of what you cannot do with a laptop,

Look at this:

http://www.apogeedigital.com/products/symphony.php

or this:

http://www.digidesign.com/index.cfm?navid=86&itemid=4886&ref=hd1-hp



Major studios use PCI-X Digidesign and Avid solutions (video), or Apogee setups, with multiple hard drives for audio work or samples, etc. You can put in multiple video cards for many displays also.

A desktop can also take more ram, which is a factor for some. Current mac laptops have a 3GB barrier.

BUT! This all depends on your needs, and what you are doing with your music. You could record a band and produce a CD all on a Powerbook G4, fwiw.
 
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