I think I need a new Macbook Pro...and I need help!

[Daniel_rookie]

Hey guys,

First please excuse my bad English. I will give my best to describe my question as best as I can.

I produce my music with Ableton since 8 years. Now I make this for living.
I never had problems with the CPU but with Ableton Live 10 and the usage of more and more U-he (and many other) Plugins I get in trouble with the CPU and I’m tired of freezing stems - especially because I can’t work with them anymore.

A question by the way: Can the Problem be my external sound card? A normal “NI Komplete Audio 6”? I’m sure it can not - but many of you guys are more “technophile” than me.

I use a MacBook Pro (Retina, 13”, Late 2013)
2,6 i5
8GB DDR3
512 SSD Flash

I thinking about to buy a new one. 15-inch was always too huge for me but I saw that the 15” has build in a i7 6-core. I’m pretty sure it’s better than the i7 in a 13-Inch MBP, isn’t it?
But I would like to have a 13-inch and I would be happy if I can save up a few €uro - otherwise I don't like to buy a new Macbook in three years.

What I really need are some good advices.
Can anyone help me to find a new Macbook Pro? (or a iMac? I'm so confused right now)
What is the best?
Do you have some other ideas? Or experiences?

Thank you

[Artcutech]

i had been going through the same issues as you with my 2015 dual core i5 with 8 gb of ram, literally upwards of 5 or more freezes an arrangement. So i bought the new maxed out MBP i9 6-core 32gb of ram and it was a disaster for me, under big arrangements and heavy sustain loads the i9 for whatever reason(being thermal i think or something?) heats up so fast, my desk was literally hot under the MBP and a good amount of ram was still being eaten up with the decent sized arrangement and i could see my self having to bounce a few times depending on what i wanted to do so i new it wasn't the one for me. Nothing wrong with bouncing but for nearly $4000 dollars i should not be overheating and thinking about having to bounce until the end or maybe just once imho.

The i7 your speaking of might fair a little better as i think the overheating was for the i9, i just thought i'd share with what happened with the i9. So i returned it and got an iMac pro 8 core-64gb of ram, it hasn't arrived yet, maybe today but i hear it will handle anything i need and then some, a desktop computer will always be more powerful than it's counter part, I think if you spend the same amount or a little more on a iMac you'll be saving yourself some freezing and cpu-workflow issue down the line, just my opinion.

I'm wiping my MBP clean and will only use it for live stuff with serato and some Ableton stuff with stems, but as far as the production side of things i don't think i'll ever be going back to a laptop

[jestermgee]

Maybe start by looking into one of the MANY threads on this already:

viewtopic.php?f=40&t=226709

viewtopic.php?f=40&t=231150

viewtopic.php?f=40&t=231101

viewtopic.php?f=40&t=231087

viewtopic.php?f=40&t=230871

viewtopic.php?f=40&t=230616

viewtopic.php?f=40&t=230553

(that's just from page 1 of this forum section)

[Stromkraft]

i think the overheating was for the i9

Already fixed by an Apple patch.

[mikb]

I thinking about to buy a new one. 15-inch was always too huge for me but I saw that the 15” has build in a i7 6-core. I’m pretty sure it’s better than the i7 in a 13-Inch MBP, isn’t it?

The new 13" has the double amount of cores than what you have now. I was somewhat disappointed to see that when I add 16GB, faster 2.7 GHz CPU and a 1 TB SSD, the price $2900 get very close to the price $3200 of the 2.6 GHz 15" with 2 more i7 cores ($3500 with i9). Apple's storage is very fast indeed, but they could perhaps have set those memory and storage prices a little lower.

[Artcutech]

i think the overheating was for the i9

Already fixed by an Apple patch.

that's awesome news!

still i'm glad i returned it for an iMac pro, i think you had mentioned that if portability wasn't an issue(and it isn't for my main production computer at least) than an iMac is a better more powerful choice, should have took your advice from the beginning haha but it was about a $1000 dollar jump and the upgrade to 64gb of ram another $720 but i knew it would be worth it to upgrade just wasn't ready at first and settled on the MBP

funny thing was i had to buy 4 different converters to go with the TB3 ports on the MBP and in the end returned al except one the TB2 to TB3 as the iMac already has all the input/connectability i needed

[fishmonkey]

i think the overheating was for the i9

Already fixed by an Apple patch.

even with the patch, the MBP can't harness the full power of the i9 (like all thin laptops with the i9 in them).

[Stromkraft]

i think the overheating was for the i9

Already fixed by an Apple patch.

even with the patch, the MBP can't harness the full power of the i9 (like all thin laptops with the i9 in them).

Maybe this is true, but it sure as hell beats slower than the i7s…‚