New Macbook Pro for audio

beatpoet · Post by **beatpoet** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 7:30 pm

Whats the word on the new 15" macbook pros, anything nasty in there for audio users, is the firewire chip MOTU friendly? Might jump for one next month if the word is good.

beats me · Post by **beats me** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 7:34 pm

I posted a similar post about a week ago and am also aligned with your purchasing schedule, but nobody answered that has the most recent model. Hopefully somebody will on this thread.

SMonk · Post by **SMonk** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 7:35 pm

Supposedly, they do have the agere chipset that has caused so much grief before, but maybe they (apple OR agere) have fixed it.

Hidden Driveways · Post by **Hidden Driveways** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 8:00 pm

Be sure to run the "Landwhale" test before you buy:

Landwhale wrote: If you're planning on getting a Mac, you can see which firewire chipset it has by booting into verbose mode (hold apple/command + v while powering the computer on) or single user mode (hold apple/command + s while powering on). You will see a line about a 1/3 or so down the screen regarding firewire, if the line has "TI" in it, you have a Texas Instrument chipset.
I made sure mine did before I bought it. The Agere chipsets were known to cause problems with firewire audio interfaces, so you might want to avoid getting a MBP with this chipset in it. Supposedly the new ones have the Agere chipsets, so who knows if they'll have problems or not.

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buckman · Post by **buckman** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 8:14 pm

yes i would like know also, as im about to buy a new macbook pro 2.4ghz for music?

Are they ok, or is it better to go for the older silver MBP's?

I dont really need the firewire chip, so have been told the new mbp is faster and better -

Is the TI or Agere (whichever it is thats a pain?!) does this only affect firewire? or the mbp itself?

beatpoet · Post by **beatpoet** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 8:19 pm

I'll do that in the shop tomorrow and see. I don't specifically mind having an agere as long as it works and they've sorted out the problems.

beatpoet · Post by **beatpoet** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 8:20 pm

buckman wrote:yes i would like know also, as im about to buy a new macbook pro 2.4ghz for music?

Are they ok, or is it better to go for the older silver MBP's?

I dont really need the firewire chip, so have been told the new mbp is faster and better -

Is the TI or Agere (whichever it is thats a pain?!) does this only affect firewire? or the mbp itself?

Just Firewire

beatpoet · Post by **beatpoet** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 10:07 pm

Just popped into PC World there (I live next door) and did the command+s thingy.

Came up with Lucent so it looks like it's agere, the old 17" pro beside it had the TI.

No revision numbers show up on the chips so the question is, is this the same chip that was causing trouble before ?

ekwipt · Post by **ekwipt** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 10:27 pm

same chipset same problems

glitchrock-buddha · Post by **glitchrock-buddha** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 10:36 pm

what problems do the agere chipset pose to audio? I've had some issues with latency jumps with my firewire interface (2 of them actually) on my macbook pro 2.2 (almost two years old). How do I find out which chip I have?

Hidden Driveways · Post by **Hidden Driveways** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 10:39 pm

I saved for a new laptop forever, but this stuff is so off-putting. I'm doing all production now-a-days, never taking a laptop out for music purposes, so I may just get a Mac Pro instead and crank some serious juice in the studio for the next 5 years.

mkelly · Post by **mkelly** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 11:04 pm

glitchrock-buddha wrote:what problems do the agere chipset pose to audio? I've had some issues with latency jumps with my firewire interface (2 of them actually) on my macbook pro 2.2 (almost two years old). How do I find out which chip I have?

I think the instructions were posted further up the thread. However, I doubt if you have the Agere chipset as it was brought in a few months after I bought my mbp, which is only about 16 months old. I think they came in Jan 08 or so.

borg · Post by **borg** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 11:47 pm

mkelly wrote:I think they came in Jan 08 or so.

Just did the apple-s start up on my machine and it came up with the TI firewire chip. I bought my MBP the week after the new ones came out, at a serious discount. It was the latest 2.5 C2D of the older generation (I could read sept. 2008 somewhere), so I think it depends... not just 'after date X'.

Now, if only I could find out what Xpress card controller is used on my machine... Couldn't find anything about that.

muthafunka · Post by **muthafunka** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 3:41 am

Got a refurb 2.6, 200Gb/7200rpm for $1799, which with the yen/$ exchange is an amazing deal. Previous 2.4 in auction here paid for it plus RAM and Applecare.

ekwipt · Post by **ekwipt** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 4:23 am

Early 2008 MBP have TI firewire great with pretty much all firewire interfaces

Late 2008 MP Current unibody config has agere firewire chipset

Do some research on your particular soundcard before you buy

For example my RME fireface400 supposedly runs like poo on the agere chipset unless you put a hardrive or firewire repeater in between