Out of these two, which do you recommend for making music?

[muzic4lyfe]

Thank you in advance for looking at the post- I've been going in circles trying to figure out the right Mac to get. I'm basically really just using the computer for intensive music production. (Ableton live, Native instrument plug ins.) Not doing any Gaming, but will be doing some basic video editing using Imovie. The goal is to make an album. I have 3 questions.........

First

Is there a big difference between these two MBP for what I'm looking to do..

MBP (2010 Spring-refurbished) 13 inch / 2.44GHZ Intel Core 2 Duo / 4 GB Ram
MBP - The new 13 inch / 2.3GHZ / 4 GB Ram

Second

Kind of torn between getting a MBP and MacPro. Which would you recommend me buying, one of the MBP from the first question, or this Mac Pro?

Woodcrest" Mac Pro Quad Core/2.66 GHz (refurbished)
4 GB of RAM
250 GB internal drive
Internal SuperDrive
NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT Video


Third

I've been looking through both threads for MBP and MP. It looks like the MBP's have a lot more software hardware issues than the MP's. Is that true? or am I biased to Mac Pro cause I still have a g4 in awesome condition which never had a problem in 7 years?

*********************************
thanks again!! hope to get some clarity here

 

[m85476585]

Mac Pros are awesome computers. They are built with workstation-grade components like fully buffered RAM and server grade CPUs. If you ever get a chance, open one up-- everything inside is an amazing piece of engineering.

MBPs on the other hand are built with consumer grade parts (despite the pro name) since these days Apple mainly sells to upper class consumers. Laptops run hot, and use smaller parts, so they don't tend to last as long. Apple does have a good repair track record as far as laptops go, though, according to recent surveys by Consumer Reports and PC World.

 

[gullySn0wCat]

The new MBP and Mac Pro are 100% faster than the 2010 MBP
(Mac Pro = dual-processor server version of C2D, four "real" cores, 2011 MBP = new processor with HT, four virtual cores)

The new 13" is as fast as / faster than the Mac Pro you posted. RAM for the 2006/7 Mac Pros is also extremely expensive, limiting your upgrade options.

As the owner of both machines, I would recommend either a more recent model of Mac Pro or the 2011 MBP.

 

[getz76]

Virtual instruments eat resources.

While a Core 2 Duo can work, if you are doing intensive stuff you are going to want an i7 quad-core or better. You will also want 8gB RAM. Even though Ableton is a 32-bit application, you want to have access to the maximum RAM accessible (4gB) for the application; with 8gB, OS X can use the resources without detracting from your DAW's performance.

You may want to look into using Reaper as a VI host. Plenty of folks are using ReWire and Reaper with Pro Tools to great effect these days.

I have a pair of MacBook Pros and a Mac Pro that are used for music production (Pro Tools 9/Reason 5). The new MacBook Pro is well capable of doing what you need it to do. The 15" model with the hi-resolution screen is great for mobile work.

 

[muzic4lyfe]

Virtual instruments eat resources.

While a Core 2 Duo can work, if you are doing intensive stuff you are going to want an i7 quad-core or better. You will also want 8gB RAM. Even though Ableton is a 32-bit application, you want to have access to the maximum RAM accessible (4gB) for the application; with 8gB, OS X can use the resources without detracting from your DAW's performance.

You may want to look into using Reaper as a VI host. Plenty of folks are using ReWire and Reaper with Pro Tools to great effect these days.

I have a pair of MacBook Pros and a Mac Pro that are used for music production (Pro Tools 9/Reason 5). The new MacBook Pro is well capable of doing what you need it to do. The 15" model with the hi-resolution screen is great for mobile work.

hmmmm.......If I get the new 13 inch with an upgrade to 8Gb Ram, how do you think that will do?

 

[Crwoo]

2011 imac

 

[thermodynamic]

Mac Pros are awesome computers. They are built with workstation-grade components like fully buffered RAM and server grade CPUs. If you ever get a chance, open one up-- everything inside is an amazing piece of engineering.

MBPs on the other hand are built with consumer grade parts (despite the pro name) since these days Apple mainly sells to upper class consumers. Laptops run hot, and use smaller parts, so they don't tend to last as long. Apple does have a good repair track record as far as laptops go, though, according to recent surveys by Consumer Reports and PC World.

I do agree with most of your post, but more than just upper class folks buy Macs.

People in graphic design and students often go Mac as well (battery life, etc):
http://digg.com/news/technology/Nearly_Half_of_Student_Notebook_Buyers_Choosing_Macs