Which 13" 2019 MacBook Pro should I choose

[KM520]

Hi, guys, thank you for the help. It is my first time on this forum and purchasing a mac as well. I am thinking between the MBP 13" 2 ports and 4 ports model. I will use it for some medium workload on music production (Logic Pro X). I am going to max out the ram to 16GB and SSD to 512GB, but I am curious on the differences between the CPUs. Which model should I go for?

1. i7 2 ports model
2. i5 4 ports model
3. i7 4 ports model

I have a preference on the i7 2 ports model, because I found out that there is not much difference between both i7 cpu on the benchmark. But I also realise that the 2 ports model only has 1 fan while the 4 ports model has 2 fans, so this maybe a concerning point as well. I don't really have limited budget, but I want my money spend worthily on the upgrades, thank you!!

 

[ruslan120]

I recommend videos by MaxTech on YouTube. I think they conclude that the 1 fan performs almost just as well.

 

[Clix Pix]

A consideration would be how often do you need to plug in peripherals? Do you ever, say, plug in two external drives and swap files back-and-forth between them? Or plug in an external drive and some other peripheral? The MBP with the two ports actually means that one of those ports will often be used by the charging cable, leaving you with just one free port into which to plug something. With the machine that has four ports, one can be used by the charging cable and that still leaves you three others to plug peripherals into.

 

[ruslan120]

A consideration would be how often do you need to plug in peripherals? Do you ever, say, plug in two external drives and swap files back-and-forth between them? Or plug in an external drive and some other peripheral? The MBP with the two ports actually means that one of those ports will often be used by the charging cable, leaving you with just one free port into which to plug something. With the machine that has four ports, one can be used by the charging cable and that still leaves you three others to plug peripherals into.

Good point, but I would add that you can get a dongle for $30 that lets you charge and adds 2 or more USB 3.0 ports and HDMI on one port, leaving the other free. Like this one. 4K is limited to 30Hz.

 

[lowkey]

Logic Pro puts continuous load on the CPU for long periods of time. If you are using audio unit FX and synthesisers then you are going to want the best base speed.

The 1.4 GHz runs up to 3.9 GHz turbo.
The 1.7 GHz runs up to 4.5 GHz turbo.
The 2.4 Ghz runs up to 4.1 Ghz turbo.

For short busts of CPU processing each of those machines is basically going to be the same. That’s why the benchmarks are pretty similar.

But if you’re in the studio making a song using lots of FX and synths for hours on end, the computer isn’t going to be running at turbo boost frequencies, but rather base frequency.

In that use case the 2.4 GHz machine is going to be way better than the 1.4 or 1.7.

If you’re doing anything that doesn’t require continuous CPU power (which is basically almost anything except DAW or use) then the 1.4 is the way to go.

 

[ruslan120]

I (respectfully) disagree with last point - I'd like to add that all of the Macbook Pros are not great for sustained thermal performance due to the thin design. If you check out the video above around the 5 minute mark they examine sustained performance between the 1.4 and 2.4 and the differences are not substantial.

I think the money's better spent on a cooling pad (if you're looking for better sustained performance).

 

[Fishrrman]

I know you didn't ask this, but for "medium workload" music production, why not a 27" iMac?

Just 2 USBc ports and a small display ain't gonna do it.

 

[lowkey]

^how can you say 2 ports and a 13” screen aren’t enough to make music with logic??

Perhaps he needs a portable computer. Then an iMac ain’t gonna cut it. If he needs a bigger screen he can plug one one. That will get more ports depending on the monitor.
[doublepost=1565447309][/doublepost]Unfortunately the video doesn’t look at Logic plugin count at all. There’s a thread on Logic Benchmarks over at Gearslutz but unfortunately no numbers from any 2019 13” MBPs yet.

I’m regularly running Cubase with loads of plugins for hours and hours at a time and the plugins require constant CPU power, not just on export.

Hopefully some real life numbers come through soon. If it matches some of the other shorter benchmark tests the 1.4 would be a great little machine.

I (respectfully) disagree with last point - I'd like to add that all of the Macbook Pros are not great for sustained thermal performance due to the thin design. If you check out the video above around the 5 minute mark they examine sustained performance between the 1.4 and 2.4 and the differences are not substantial.

I think the money's better spent on a cooling pad (if you're looking for better sustained performance).

 

[Clix Pix]

Good point, but I would add that you can get a dongle for $30 that lets you charge and adds 2 or more USB 3.0 ports and HDMI on one port, leaving the other free. Like this one. 4K is limited to 30Hz.

True, but some people do not like using a dongle or a hub and don't want to carry around extra items with their machine. Ditto for lugging around a cooling pad, too.......

 

[Ajoite]

I have the 1.4 and can say the cpu is very capable but it runs very hot under load, including the keyboard and palm rests.. I'm sure it can run logic quite well but if you're going to use heavy plugins or many of them I would go for the 15 inch model or even better a desktop instead of a laptop. If you're doing light projects then the 1.4 should be fine.