MacBook Pro/Max

[skank]

I'm about to pull the trigger on this but just confirming the Macbook Max is still essentially class leading in regards to performance for laptops?

Power efficiency is not priority, mostly just power for the DAW (Cubase)..

[pdxindy]

If power efficiency is not a priority and you don't mind the fan noise, you can get PC laptops at least as powerful.

[apoclypse]

If performance is all you care about then no the M1 Max isn’t class leading. If you care about efficiency and still having a good experience with or without your laptops charger then it’s a good machine. On top of that if you make music or primarily work with audio the Max is overkill. Go with the pro in that case.

[Ploki]

Core-i9 12900HK can be faster if you get an enclosure that is able to cool it, it's roughly twice as power hungry as the M1, but in most commercial enclosures, M1 Pro will be faster than the i9.
Geekbench bencmarks are a good indicator, nearly all M1 Max/Pro benches are 12000+, and most 12900HK are hovering around 12000 (there are some that are higher, up to 14k, barely any is 16k)

So unless you get a chunky gaming turbine, you'll likely better off with the M1 Pro

Ryzen 5800H doesn't come close

[Synth Master Jedi]

If power efficiency is not a priority and you don't mind the fan noise, you can get PC laptops at least as powerful.

Seems like power efficiency is a priority, especially these days with certain wars and energy costs rising to the sky, and it's probably not going to get better in the future.

And who doesn't mind noise?

I like my studio setup to be as quiet as possible.

I know that there are great new plugins these days that can filter out noise almost completely, like that new Waves plugin, but that doesn't mean that I would welcome noisy hardware into my studio set up.

[syntonica]

Yeah, if you're set on using a laptop, the M1s are the better choice if you don't want the jet engine fans running at importune times. Also, you only will need the Max if you are doing GPU-intensive stuff, which audio really isn't.

I think you'll enjoy the build more on the Mac. The trackpads are brilliant, the keyboards very usable, gorgeous screen and speakers, all in a single package. I've found with PC laptops, it's hard to get everything unless you go with a gaming laptop, but then you're paying for way more video card than you may need. Unless you need to shoot a few bad guys in between mixing sessions.

The only reason you might have to have a Mac is if you want Logic. Otherwise, either are viable, and if you want to hang onto your VST2s for a bit longer, then PC is the way to go. No more VST2s with Cubase on M1 Macs.

[jancivil]

My 2019 MBP would get into dangerous temperatures after a couple hours of working with Cubase and VE Pro.
The M1 doesn't even get warm. The noise didn't bother me a lot, there was always that noise with computers in my experience. The keyboard has more 'action'. The display is a higher res and I think I can tell. This one is thicker. I miss the touchbar.

Max is total overkill for what we do. It's for rocket science and heavy pro video tasks.

[noiseboyuk]

Max is total overkill for what we do. It's for rocket science and heavy pro video tasks.

That said, if you are working with a lot of sample libraries, esp orch templates, Pro tops out at 32gb of RAM, while the Max goes to 64gb.

Damn I wish VE Pro was dongle-less.

[jancivil]

It will be, someday. My problem is that this has to happen before it's silicon native. we're essentially waiting for PACE.

I did more research than I ever have before getting the most basic (second generation) M1 14" MB Pro. It sure does not appear that there is as 1:1 correspondence between RAM numbers. 16GB Unified Memory. Which should, and does in a number of real-life tests, mean the virtual memory is a whole 'nother ballgame. Of course Apple's sales specialist recommended 32 or 64, but I had to act and get what they have in stock before this money evaporates. Looking at 4 wks here to get more RAM in a model, or anything.
(the original entry-level M1 13" Air smokes my 2019 top end in a number of tasks, in tests)

No, it's the high numbers on GPU memory we can't really use. I doubt anything I do is going to use more than 8 cores CPU, unless something changes for VE Pro.

the Max on the new Studio model can be 128GB UM.

[jamcat]

Unless you are doing 4K video editing or 3D rendering, get the Pro. Put the money you save towards 32GB RAM and larger SSD. 1TB is the sweet spot.

As far as performance goes, an high end Intel laptop might be able to compete with M1 running Rosetta2, but M1 running native Apple Silicon is another dimension. And the Apple hardware will outlast any PC laptop and retain much more of its value.

[Ploki]

It will be, someday. My problem is that this has to happen before it's silicon native. we're essentially waiting for PACE.

Pace is native?

[jancivil]

I read today it is. Checking:
"Version 5.5.0:

Added Apple Silicon native binary support."

So, VSL is holding cards close to their chest, one supposes.

[Ploki]

iLok manager doesn't have to be native for plugs to be native.
Eventide has been native for months, so has been Pulsar (Eden based) and i've been running Softube M1 beta for more than a month as well.
LiquidSonics/ReverbFoundry has public builds for their stuff as well.

iLok manager =! Pace extensions

[jancivil]

something is challenging enough about this for them to basically not even want to venture into Apple silicon native for anything at the moment. I just need VE Pro to be, at some point, to run it in Cubase 12 Pro natively.

I would assume, I don't know anything, conforming to something new (in the move to iLok) is more to do than something well familiar. How well apprised PACE has made them in advance, obv I don't know.

[machinesworking]

iLok went native a little while ago, VSL just went iLok, right now the VEP plug in works In Rosetta with the AU plug in. So I would bet around 4 months from now VSL gives us native M1 support.