IMAC or macbook pro - advise from Mac users please!

ryanlikealion

Senior Member
I am making the swith from PC to MAC this month. Please bear in mind that i don't have a great deal of experience with computers or making music on them. Macs seem VERY expensive so this switch is making me a bit nervous!

I am going to be using my new computer for music recording, digital photography (potentially at a semi-pro level) and possibly video editing. I have been advised to get someting with a good CPU (central processing unit.)

I have a budget of £1100 ($1800 US aprx.)

Here are my options as they stand:

13" mac book pro (2.4ghz i5, L3 cache 3mb) could be handy for portability and £850 will leave me money spare for software:

http://store.apple.com/uk/product/FD313B/A

15" Macbook pro (2.0ghz i7, L6 chache 6mb) - out does the 13" in terms of processing - i think? but significantly more expensive at £1189:

http://store.apple.com/uk/product/FC721B/A

Or i could just forget about portability and go for an Imac (2.7ghz quad core L3 6mb cache) which probably does everything i need:

http://store.apple.com/uk/product/FC812B/A

Kind regards,

Ryan
 
Unless you really really need portability, I would go with the iMac. You'll find that the larger screen makes all types of editing (music, video, photo) much easier. You'll also get more for your money with the iMac, as there is a premium to be paid for cramming all that power into a portable device.
 
Yeah, i seem to be more tempted by imac today rather than Mac book. What do you use?

I've got 3 iMacs, 3 Mac Book Pros, 2 iPads, etc. (I own an A/V business, and we're 100% Apple).

While the MBP can be used for editing, etc, I much prefer to do that type of work on the iMacs. The iMacs are a pain to transport, however.
 
One more possibility. The Mac Mini. For about 900 bucks American, you can get a lot of Ram and a half decent hard drive. Add Bluetooth keyboard and mouse. You can add a CD writer and still come in under your budget.

This is a good choice if you already have a monitor, or a keyboard. I have used all kinds of Mac's and I like this option.

My second choice would be the IMac.
 
One more possibility. The Mac Mini. For about 900 bucks American, you can get a lot of Ram and a half decent hard drive. Add Bluetooth keyboard and mouse. You can add a CD writer and still come in under your budget.

This is a good choice if you already have a monitor, or a keyboard. I have used all kinds of Mac's and I like this option.

My second choice would be the IMac.

If you are using Pro Tools or other more advanced audio editing software, you'll need the faster hard drive (7200 rpm versus 5400 rpm). Today's processors are certainly fast enough (think of them as an engine with plenty of horsepower), but the internal bussing system needs to be able to keep up with all of that data moving back and forth from the hard drive (think of this as being able to drive on smooth pavement versus a dirt road). While it's possible that your audio editing software will run on a 5400rpm drive, it's too big a chance to take if you're at all serious about recording and mixing. And since we're discussing this here on DW, you're probably going to want to track live drums, which means you'll be asking a lot from your computer.

The best bang for your buck is the iMac, so if you don't need to be portable, go this route. Macbook Pros with 7200rpm hard drives start at around $2000 I think. You might check out older models on eBay. Don't get anything slower than a 2.2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor.
 
i use a macbook pro 13" - it's great for travelling, recording and editing. you can simply plug in a larger screen if you need..

it's up to you :)

Thanks, yes this has been an option i've considered. The portability could be a real bonus.
If you have a minute, would you mind checking this link to see if you think this mac book will handle recording and photo editing. In terms of CPU (i don't have a great understanding of CPU myself.~)


http://store.apple.com/uk/product/FD313B/A
 
The best bang for your buck is the iMac, so if you don't need to be portable, go this route. Macbook Pros with 7200rpm hard drives start at around $2000 I think. You might check out older models on eBay. Don't get anything slower than a 2.2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor.

This is defintely moving me towards the imac. The ability to record Live drums is my main motivation for getting a new computer. The 15" Macbook in my links above only has a 5200rpm hardrive. And for a lap top this is really maxing out my budget.

I'm guessing that any recording i do is going to have to be in the studio with an imac. Portability would be handy but i am going to be working the computer hard.
 
One more possibility. The Mac Mini. For about 900 bucks American, you can get a lot of Ram and a half decent hard drive. Add Bluetooth keyboard and mouse. You can add a CD writer and still come in under your budget.

This is a good choice if you already have a monitor, or a keyboard. I have used all kinds of Mac's and I like this option.

Thanks for the suggestion- i'll look into it. I don't have monitor or keyboard though.

i use a macbook pro 13" - it's great for travelling, recording and editing. you can simply plug in a larger screen if you need..

it's up to you :)

What is the rpm of your harddrive on this macbook? Is it ample for recording live drums?
 
I record drums on my 2009 MacBook Pro. I don't have many issues at all. It's also very simple to replace the HDD on a MacBook Pro if you have a bit of courage and a set of screwdrivers - of course, this will invalidate any warranty you have so it's best advised not to.

The iMac is best bang for the buck and they are superb. My Dad bought an iMac last year (base model for £999) and it is an absolute beast. The screens on both the MacBook Pro and iMac are just stunning. If I didn't already have an older iMac, I would consider buying one.

The real question is - do you need it to be portable? Really, that's all it comes down to. I need a portable computer and that's why I have a 15" MacBook Pro. It's as simple as that.
 
Could you give me the spec of your macbook pro. Harddrive rpm and processor details?

Mine's a 2009 model, so it's definitely out of date.

5400RPM drive, 250Gb. The processor is 2.53GHz Intel Core 2 Duo and it has 4GB of RAM running at 1067MHz, DDR3.

The modern processors are much better (i5s or i7s) but the HDDs are much the same. Apple offer an SSD as an option but it's very expensive from them. I have issues with the HDD recording audio but I don't tend to run more than five tracks live at the same time. I'm not sure about any more than that.

My two Macs are the best computers I have ever owned. One is five and a half years old and this one is nearly three years old. Very few issues. The older iMac runs like new.

There's also talk about Apple changing the line to use the new Ivy Bridge architecture from Intel. I would hold off for a couple of weeks and see what happens there.

http://lowendmac.com/macbookpro/15in-macbook-pro-jun-2009.html

Full list of specs there.
 
I record drums on my 2009 MacBook Pro. I don't have many issues at all. It's also very simple to replace the HDD on a MacBook Pro if you have a bit of courage and a set of screwdrivers - of course, this will invalidate any warranty you have so it's best advised not to.

The real question is - do you need it to be portable? Really, that's all it comes down to. I need a portable computer and that's why I have a 15" MacBook Pro. It's as simple as that.

So if i go for a 13"macbook with 500gb hd at 5400rpm i could "upgrade" at a later date if i needed to? Hmm this is tempting - i may go for the 13" macbook which will leave me money to get photoshop student version.

Mine's a 2009 model, so it's definitely out of date.

I have issues with the HDD recording audio but I don't tend to run more than five tracks live at the same time. I'm not sure about any more than that.

.

I'm asssuming you meant to say "I have no isssues" - Within the next year I can't see my self using more than 8 tracks - prob not even more than 4. I will be using bass mic, snare mic and 2 overheads for drums. If collaborators come into the picture I may use 1-4 instrument/vocal mics.

I really appreciate you're help so far but if I could ask you to check this link as this is what i may go for:

http://store.apple.com/uk/product/FD313B/A

I realise a 13" screen may not be ideal for photoediting etc but £850 is better than £1000+! The portability is going to allow me to do my music work in the studio and my photo work in the house. This is a big advantage AS i SHARE THE STUDIO WITH FAMILY MEMBERS AND DON'T WANT TO HOG IT.
 
I did mean 'no issues'. Indeed.

That is a very capable machine. The i5 is a very good processor so I don't anticipate any issues there. The graphics card isn't particularly good and can't be upgraded but should be ok for most things. I can edit video fine on mine and it's running an older card - the only place where it struggles is gaming when I use my Windows partition so that's a non-issue really.

Apple just use standard HDDs. There's no reason why you couldn't upgrade it provided you had an OS to install. The only difference between using a 5400 and a 7200 is that the battery life will slightly decrease with a 7200 drive.

It might be worth thinking about buying yourself a good-sized external monitor. I use an external monitor for a lot of my work, even though a 15" is a good size. I find having a larger screen helps a lot for some of the work I do.
 
Ryan - lots of great advice already given here. To add my 2 cents -

First, every model mentioned would be more than capable of doing what you've described doing.

And in a nutshell, portability costs. The more portable the solution - the less power you get for its cost. But again, all of these solutions should work quite well.

A few other thoughts -

1. 5400 seriously degrade audio track counts - and I mean really seriously. I don't know that I'd put this upgrade on a "future wish list" if at all possible.

2. 13" screens are pretty much as cramped for music as they are for art. I can't imagine doing much lengthy work on either without tethering up a larger screen wherever possible. And I mean a 20-24" not just a 15".

3. RAM, RAM, RAM - that amount of RAM that Apple ships standard with its computers throws away 30% of that computers effective power - particular when doing the very things you are interested in - music, art, video, etc. If my only two choices were a slightly more powerful model with standard RAM or a lessor model with say, double standard RAM, I'd probably go with the lesser model every time. IMO unless you're just going to use your computer to write papers and surf the web,,, it needs more than the standard amount of RAM.

That said, shop around - as often the Apple RAM upgrades are over-priced (not always, but most of the time). RAM is incredibly easy to upgrade yourself - just be sure and buy it from an established Mac-based reseller, so you know you are getting the specifically right stuff. I use macsales.com a lot for my needs.

Also I'd have to give a thumbs up to the gentleman who recommended the MacMini earlier in the thread - as that is the solution I just went with in upgrading my studio set-up - basically replacing my 2007 MacBookPro with a 2011 MacMini Server - which I've been very happy with.

But again, of all the choices discussed, you should be well served regardless of the which one you choose.

David
 
Thanks for your input David. You're not the first who's emphasised the importance of Ram - definitely going to have to learn to upgrade it when the time comes. The imac is the most likely candidate for me so far here's the URL for anyone else wanting to to assist:

http://store.apple.com/uk/product/FC812B/A

regarding Ram these are the details it gives:

4GB (two 2GB SO-DIMMs) of 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM; supports up to 16GB

Doesn't mean much to me at this moment but if i'm to spen this much on a computer, I'm sure I will learn!

I'll definitely sleep on this before making a decision though.

Wow you've played with Burt Bacharach! Great list of recordings there.
 
It's VERY easy to upgrade the RAM yourself in iMacs. Easy as pouring piss out of a boot.

Why do I use that analogy? Because both have the instructions written on the heel. ^_^

(Honestly, when you lay the iMac on it's face to access the RAM, you suddenly find that they've printed the full RAM upgrade instructions on the bottom of the iMac's "foot".)
 
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