# Apple MacBook Pro now with 32Gb RAM and 4TB SSD



## Will Wilson

https://www.macrumors.com/2018/07/12/apple-launches-2018-macbook-pro-lineup/

The pricing will make your eyes water but, 6 core i7 and i9 options with up to 32GB and up to 4TB SSD!

EDIT: Sorry got distracted and someone beat me to this.....


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## Jeremy Spencer

Actually, for $4000 cdn that's not too bad, I paid $3000 for my 2013 that's still going strong.


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## N.Caffrey

Wolfie2112 said:


> Actually, for $4000 cdn that's not too bad, I paid $3000 for my 2013 that's still going strong.



Same here, got a retina macbook pro from early 2013. It struggles with more than 80 orchestral tracks (but I think it's ok!) it was a great investment!


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## Jeremy Spencer

N.Caffrey said:


> Same here, got a retina macbook pro from early 2013. It struggles with more than 80 orchestral tracks (but I think it's ok!) it was a great investment!



Totally. And with 32GB, I could probably do away with using a slave. I never use more than 32GB total, even with the slave. Just need to think about the configuration with the T3 ports.


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## Will Wilson

Think I'll see what the upgraded Pro and Mac Mini end up looking like!


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## dcoscina

Will Wilson said:


> Think I'll see what the upgraded Pro and Mac Mini end up looking like!


The Minis need a serious update. They are much too overpriced given their performance. New MP will probably be ridiculously expensive but will drive down 6,1 prices.


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## Will Wilson

There are "rumors" of a full hardware refresh this year including the mini!


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## garyhiebner

Will Wilson said:


> There are "rumors" of a full hardware refresh this year including the mini!


 Imagine an i9 Mac mini going up to 64GB but still at the same physical size. That would be amazing. and hopefully some form of cooling so it doesn't get hot! Would be an awesome slave!


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## lokotus

lets laugh about 32GB RAM


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## bjderganc

Very cool! However, no mention of a keyboard fix.

edit:

"... it’s just hard to trust a keyboard after so many reports that it can be rendered inoperable by a grain of sand and that is incredibly difficult and expensive to repair or replace. This new third-generation keyboard wasn’t designed to solve those issues, Apple says. In fact, company representatives strenuously insisted that the keyboard issues have only affected a tiny, tiny fraction of its user base. (There’s now a four-year repair program for the keyboard in case it fails.)"

https://www.theverge.com/2018/7/12/...-touchbar-2018-intel-processor-siri-true-tone

That's pretty disappointing.


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## N.Caffrey

on 9to5mac it says improved 3rd generation keyboard


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## Symfoniq

The new keyboard is supposed to be quieter, but Apple claims it is not otherwise different from the 2nd gen.


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## Will Wilson

I don't really want a laptop .I have a 13"MBP already for "work". 

I want something I can use in my studio like the Mac Pro or perhaps an upgraded Mac Mini that as long as it has the same RAM options I'd be happy .


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## EvilDragon

garyhiebner said:


> Imagine an i9 Mac mini going up to 64GB but still at the same physical size. That would be amazing. and hopefully some form of cooling so it doesn't get hot!



i9 needs a HEFTY cooling solution, it is absolutely not adequate for Mac Mini case sizes at all.


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## garyhiebner

EvilDragon said:


> i9 needs a HEFTY cooling solution, it is absolutely not adequate for Mac Mini case sizes at all.



We can always dream! Yeah I thought that would be a no go for Mac mini.


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## Nick Batzdorf

Symfoniq said:


> The new keyboard is supposed to be quieter, but Apple claims it is not otherwise different from the 2nd gen.



The one on my 2014 11" MacBook Air is perfect. There's only one direction to go from there.


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## Symfoniq

Nick Batzdorf said:


> The one on my 2014 11" MacBook Air is perfect. There's only one direction to go from there.



Likewise on my 2013 MBP. My wife still uses it, and I consider that keyboard pretty much perfect. The 2017 MBP keyboard is a turd in comparison.


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## Wunderhorn

garyhiebner said:


> We can always dream! Yeah I thought that would be a no go for Mac mini.



It is all possible. If Apple would quit putting their focus on design masturbation but consider things to be a bit more functional then with proper heatsinks you can have not only a Mac mini (granted a bit larger and heavier) but also high-end workstations without a single fan. That could be one reason why I might move to Windows next year after about 25 years if Apple has no new Mac Pro that is again a convincing workhorse.


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## dcoscina

Nick Batzdorf said:


> The one on my 2014 11" MacBook Air is perfect. There's only one direction to go from there.


Me too. My MBA keyboard is lovely- quiet and works great.


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## bjderganc

Symfoniq said:


> The new keyboard is supposed to be quieter, but Apple claims it is not otherwise different from the 2nd gen.



According to iFixit they actually added a silicon barrier around the keys. Was this really to quiet them, or to fix a bad design without admitting fault?

Either way, the keyboard is integral and the repair is insanely expensive (up to $700). Gonna stick to my 2015 for a while longer.


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## KerrySmith

lokotus said:


> lets laugh about 32GB RAM


I just watched Paesano’s Spitfire Cribs yesterday. He’s rolling with 600GB of RAM in one machine. Desktop, but still....


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## Eloy

Check out these benchmark scores multi core and single core for the new MacBook pros = WOW!

https://browser.geekbench.com/mac-benchmarks


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## URL

Yes fantastic benchmark...!


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## MPortmann

KerrySmith said:


> I just watched Paesano’s Spitfire Cribs yesterday. He’s rolling with 600GB of RAM in one machine. Desktop, but still....



Right? After watching that video I looked up 768gb ram on the HP Z series workstation -adds $30k to the base price tag


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## URL

If the need of ram is priority and price is no problem so...VisionsDAW computers is the way to go.


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## LamaRose

EvilDragon said:


> i9 needs a HEFTY cooling solution, it is absolutely not adequate for Mac Mini case sizes at all.



Wonder if Apple is still actively researching thermoelectric generation?


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## S.M Hassani

Some early adopters are reporting serious thermal throttling issues with the i9 MBPros. The CPU runs below spec frequency, whenever it's used for any "professional" task, like video rendering. The i7 may be the best overall machine while this issue persists.


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## jaddne

S.M Hassani said:


> Some early adopters are reporting serious thermal throttling issues with the i9 MBPros. The CPU runs below spec frequency, whenever it's used for any "professional" task, like video rendering. The i7 may be the best overall machine while this issue persists.




FYI:
https://www.computerworld.com/article/32...ling-story.html


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## Nick Batzdorf

Eloy said:


> Check out these benchmark scores multi core and single core for the new MacBook pros = WOW!
> 
> https://browser.geekbench.com/mac-benchmarks



Nice numbers.

But how's the actual performance in a music studio?


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## Nick Batzdorf

Yes, I'm totally cynical about benchmark scores.


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## bjderganc

Nick Batzdorf said:


> Nice numbers.
> 
> But how's the actual performance in a music studio?



Evildragon pretty much foreshadowed i9 throttlegate. But I agree, how it runs a DAW is what counts.


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## Pixelee

Good luck with the cooling lol. I wonder how the new razer laptop will be (4k touch screen one).


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## N.Caffrey

So the i7 would be better than the i9 in the new Macbook Pro?


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## Eloy

The new 2018 MacBook Pro 15” with i7 2.2 or 2.6 (32gb ram) is faster (see above link from previous post showing multi core benchmark scores) than a 2013 Mac Pro 6 core 3.5 ghz or 2012 Mac Pro 12 core 3.1 ghz. VSL - VEP Pro utilizes multi cores (while hosting libraries) for your DAW of choice. This is truly an amazing time we live in.


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## Cinebient

It looks the 2.2Ghz i7 would be the best value (but still way overpriced of course) with the option to upgrade the GPU (which is still not good but enough for music production) and SSD.
Sadly all these comparisons focus on rendering videos and stuff rather than music.
Apple says up to 70% more Alchemy tracks compared to previous versions.....whatever that means here.
I really love Logic Pro X and it is the only reason (O.K. and P900 my favorite synth which is mac only but also seems discontinued so a next OS update could break it as well which would make Logic the only thing left for mac).
I do wish they really would ditch intel and/or really make their own chips or maybe even better create a 15" iPad pro and release the full Logic Pro X and X-code there as well. No mac needed then for me.
It´s sad to see that macs are really crap these days compared to older versions and the iOS devices are the main focus while also begins to exceed the power of a macbook pro very soon. 
Maybe they really want to make macs obsolete themselves since it´s just a not worthy side project anymore.
I really wanted to upgrade since a desktop is no choice for me but i doubt at this point that macbooks have a great future anymore.


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## dcoscina

N.Caffrey said:


> So the i7 would be better than the i9 in the new Macbook Pro?


That's what I'm looking at personally. It's pricey still but will kill my 3,1 MP in terms of performance


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## Symfoniq

dcoscina said:


> That's what I'm looking at personally. It's pricey still but will kill my 3,1 MP in terms of performance



If you don't like noise or throttling, it's hard to recommend a laptop for heavy usage scenarios. The irony about the massive increase in mobile CPU power over the last few years is that laptop form factors have gotten too thin and small to properly cool them. Apple is especially guilty of this, and not just with the 2018 MacBook Pro.

I would just think long and hard about whether you really want to move your primary workstation from a desktop form factor to a laptop. I've been down this road, and been pretty unhappy with the result. I've gone back to a desktop machine as my primary workstation, and only use a laptop for light-duty purposes.


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## Nick Batzdorf

Symfoniq said:


> I would just think long and hard about whether you really want to move your primary workstation from a desktop form factor to a laptop



I suspect this post won't age well!

(That's not at all a put-down of your post, just repetition of what I post every once in a while whether it's necessary not not: my crystal ball says the distinctions between mobile, desktop, laptop, and flattop are destined to melt.)


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## Symfoniq

Nick Batzdorf said:


> I suspect this post won't age well!
> 
> (That's not at all a put-down of your post, just repetition of what I post every once in a while whether it's necessary not not: my crystal ball says the distinctions between mobile, desktop, laptop, and flattop are destined to melt.)



But I'm not talking about the future, I'm talking about now. Been there, done that, wish I hadn't.


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## dcoscina

Symfoniq said:


> If you don't like noise or throttling, it's hard to recommend a laptop for heavy usage scenarios. The irony about the massive increase in mobile CPU power over the last few years is that laptop form factors have gotten too thin and small to properly cool them. Apple is especially guilty of this, and not just with the 2018 MacBook Pro.
> 
> I would just think long and hard about whether you really want to move your primary workstation from a desktop form factor to a laptop. I've been down this road, and been pretty unhappy with the result. I've gone back to a desktop machine as my primary workstation, and only use a laptop for light-duty purposes.


Yes indeedy. I was actually thinking about the i7 model, not the i9. To be perfectly candid, I have been writing most of my music, which I'd say is fairly dense orchestral stuff, using my MacBook Air i7 over my older MP 3,1 because it honestly does things quicker. When I first bought the MBA, I never intended to use it as much for composing as I ended up doing and part of that is getting back into LPX with Sierra which it seems optimized for. If I can get 50 tracks out of LPX on a 2.2ghz dual core i7 (earlier gen) with 8gb of RAM, I'm pretty confident a 6 core 8th gen i7 with 16 or 32gb of RAM will do me fine. I don't use massive templates and build my set ups based on the cue. Everyone has different work methods. I just scored a RPG game using my 2015 MBA on LPX with 50 tracks (all individual Kontakt/PLAY/uHe instruments per track) plus SPACES and CHROMA verb. It didn't choke at all. But I've always been fairly economic as far as my orchestrations go which comes from having smaller groups to work with when I was doing my composing degree in university back in the late '80s.

I did use the MP 3,1 for a track or two with Cubase Pro 8.5 and found it to be laborious, buggy, and just plain time consuming to run down why Cubase loaded the wrong instruments upon boot up.... Obviously this is my own experience but I base my purchases on what works for me and only me. Still weighing the options whether to go iMac quad i7 instead but I'm kinda wanting more cores even if they are lower clock speed....


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## Nick Batzdorf

Symfoniq said:


> But I'm not talking about the future, I'm talking about now. Been there, done that, wish I hadn't.



Understood.

I don't try to do heavy-duty studio stuff on my laptop either.


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## JohnG

I just bought a nice iMac (not the iMac Pro, which is even nicer) with oddly comparable specs in some areas (32GB RAM and an i7 4.2GHz-4.5GHz processor). 

But it also has that 27 inch screen and costs a heck of a lot less. Yes, it would be tough to cart it around to do remote recording but I don't really do any of that. Besides, if there were something special, it's not absolutely impossible.


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## scoringdreams

I was mad after finding out about the 32GB RAM configuration (bought mine in 2017) , but not so mad after all when I saw some articles. on Facebook talking about overheating issues. Talk about getting an induction cooker cum laptop HAH.. But if Apple fixes these issues, the MBP 2018 could be potential winner!

In other news, ordered an iMac Pro! Apple has mentioned that the RAM is upgradeable but only through authorised service providers.


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## Vik

scoringdreams said:


> overheating issues


I don't know how bad - or fixable - they are, but I've read about throttling issues with 2013-, 2015-, 2016- and 2017 MBPs as well. Non-Mac laptops also.


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## jcrosby

Cinebient said:


> I do wish they really would ditch intel and/or really make their own chips or maybe even better create a 15" iPad pro and release the full Logic Pro X and X-code there as well.



At the risk of sounding abrasive I have to raise some obvious questions/concerns.

Why?
The majority of my workhorse plugins, (as many others'), aren't available for iOS. Do you think developers would be eager to rapidly adapt to developing discreet versions just to satisfy a small percentage of Apple users who use Logic?
What about Cubase, Studio One, Ableton Live, macOS-based Pro Tools users, etc etc?

And again; I risk sounding abrasive but...
This is the mindset that encourages Apple to consider moving Logic toward a market of consumers happy to write music on an iPad.
Speak for yourself, many rely way too heavily on Kontakt and various other VIs that are not, and will not be available in any realistic-ish incarnation on iOS any time soon. (Omnisphere being another obvious example... East West? Forget it..._ Play Pro_ still isn't even a thing.)

There are a lot of TV and film composers who use Logic. Do you really see them relying on an iPad to score a TV series or major film?
Do you see them being content to work on a device with an inherently obsolescent shelf life of two to three years on average?
Do you envision the post-industry being content waiting around for Apple/ARM-ish compatible versions of DAWs, plugins and instruments?
(Let alone imagine a post team working on iOS devices...)

Let Apple develop an iOS _version_ of Logic? Yes indeed.

Let them migrate the entire macOS ecosystem to iPad? Good god, I hope never...

Don't take my abrasive tone personally... But as the saying goes... Be careful what you wish for...


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## dcoscina

JohnG said:


> I just bought a nice iMac (not the iMac Pro, which is even nicer) with oddly comparable specs in some areas (32GB RAM and an i7 4.2GHz-4.5GHz processor).
> 
> But it also has that 27 inch screen and costs a heck of a lot less. Yes, it would be tough to cart it around to do remote recording but I don't really do any of that. Besides, if there were something special, it's not absolutely impossible.


The thing I like about the iMac is its ability to expand its ram up to 64gb should I ever need it, plus it has TB3 which makes it a bit future proof. I've read Apple might be releasing 2018 iMacs in the fall so I will hold out and see if they come out with 6 core variety before committing to any new purchase.


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## JPQ

dcoscina said:


> The Minis need a serious update. They are much too overpriced given their performance. New MP will probably be ridiculously expensive but will drive down 6,1 prices.


ja hope next mac mini is so hot is pain here work with in in these tempatures.


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## scoringdreams

Vik said:


> I don't know how bad - or fixable - they are, but I've read about throttling issues with 2013-, 2015-, 2016- and 2017 MBPs as well. Non-Mac laptops also.



I use it on a stand, probably why I don't really notice such issues..

Yeah, saw some articles about the Razor Blade and personally tried an XPS 15 too. It better be winter when I use those devices...


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## Cinebient

All these thin devices throttle of course as well as all the mobile arm cpu´s. But the i9 in the macbook seems to be the biggest fault of all of them. And even if intel also doesn´t deliver you must blame Apple because they just put it into the old chassis. And hell, the keyboard sucks as well sadly now and i doubt it will get any better from now on.
It´s a bit sad since my macbook pro is my main workhouse and i would need a faster machine and more RAM.
A desktop is not an option for me. 
I also failed to use an iPad Pro as replacement but of course it´s only usable for synths mainly since there isn´t a Kontakt or many good sample libraries yet. For synths only it is as good as the most famous plug-ins.
Oh Apple.....please come back to the magic of the past


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## Cinebient

jcrosby said:


> At the risk of sounding abrasive I have to raise some obvious questions/concerns.
> 
> Why?
> The majority of my workhorse plugins, (as many others'), aren't available for iOS. Do you think developers would be eager to rapidly adapt to developing discreet versions just to satisfy a small percentage of Apple users who use Logic?
> What about Cubase, Studio One, Ableton Live, macOS-based Pro Tools users, etc etc?
> 
> And again; I risk sounding abrasive but...
> This is the mindset that encourages Apple to consider moving Logic toward a market of consumers happy to write music on an iPad.
> Speak for yourself, many rely way too heavily on Kontakt and various other VIs that are not, and will not be available in any realistic-ish incarnation on iOS any time soon. (Omnisphere being another obvious example... East West? Forget it..._ Play Pro_ still isn't even a thing.)
> 
> There are a lot of TV and film composers who use Logic. Do you really see them relying on an iPad to score a TV series or major film?
> Do you see them being content to work on a device with an inherently obsolescent shelf life of two to three years on average?
> Do you envision the post-industry being content waiting around for Apple/ARM-ish compatible versions of DAWs, plugins and instruments?
> (Let alone imagine a post team working on iOS devices...)
> 
> Let Apple develop an iOS _version_ of Logic? Yes indeed.
> 
> Let them migrate the entire macOS ecosystem to iPad? Good god, I hope never...
> 
> Don't take my abrasive tone personally... But as the saying goes... Be careful what you wish for...



You are right of course and i just see it this way for my personal usage. But there are enough signs that mac is a side project and iOS is clearly the future for Apple. Of course composing for media would be the last thing people might do with iPads but everything else works already there......of course if you don´t need big screens and tons of RAM and CPU power. 
So maybe windows is the only option for "pros" in the future.


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## jcrosby

Cinebient said:


> So maybe windows is the only option for "pros" in the future.


 
I think there's a good chance that'll happen. Clearly already has for some... Even if Apple continued with Intel for a few generations, (as the recent MBP), their pricing has become insane. Apple's always been pricy, but the past year they've gone off the rails... Agree about iOS being where Apple's headed... They have been since Yosemite, every year macOS looking less like an OS and more like iOS.


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## Nick Batzdorf

JPQ said:


> ja hope next mac mini is so hot



If I were Emperor of Macs, I'd try and come up with a Mac Mini so hot that even people like me who are happy with upgraded 9-year-old machines would see it as an affordable upgrade.


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## Vik

Nick Batzdorf said:


> If I were Emperor of Macs, I'd try and come up with a Mac Mini so hot that even people like me who are happy with upgraded 9-year-old machines would see it as an affordable upgrade.


I wouldn’t be too optimistic about that. Didn’t Apple actually “downgrade” the Mac Mini some years ago?


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## Jeremy Spencer

Vik said:


> I don't know how bad - or fixable - they are, but I've read about throttling issues with 2013-, 2015-, 2016- and 2017 MBPs as well. Non-Mac laptops also.



My 2013 runs very hot when I'm running big sessions, but I just fire up the cooling mat as needed. Never had an issue other than that, including performance.


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## storyteller

Nick Batzdorf said:


> If I were Emperor of Macs, I'd try and come up with a Mac Mini so hot that even people like me who are happy with upgraded 9-year-old machines would see it as an affordable upgrade.


I'm actually waiting to see the mac mini releases too. Depending on how they are built, they could be the perfect slave machine per orchestral section. Then again, the idea behind the upcoming mac pro is that it will be modular... so I can almost see the idea of the mac mini merging with the mac pro via a distributed computational model over thunderbolt.


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## dcoscina

jcrosby said:


> I think there's a good chance that'll happen. Clearly already has for some... Even if Apple continued with Intel for a few generations, (as the recent MBP), their pricing has become insane. Apple's always been pricy, but the past year they've gone off the rails... Agree about iOS being where Apple's headed... They have been since Yosemite, every year macOS looking less like an OS and more like iOS.


I know some people that have moved to PCs. I used them in the late '90s and early 2000s but I just really don't like their OS and have been a OSX enthusiast since 2005. I will pay a little more (or else buy used off-lease Macs) until Apple stops supporting their computers. Not a blind fanatic, just a person who prefers them to PCs.


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## Geoff Grace

It would take a lot for me to switch to PC. My experience is that Apple is much better for both privacy and product support than is Microsoft. Windows 10 privacy concerns are well known as is Apple's refusal to grant iPhone access to the government. As for support, MS Office has let me down twice in the last year. First, Microsoft took weeks to slowly troubleshoot my Word problem. In the end, the file that was stored in their cloud remained unusable. Apple on the other hand, took just one phone session to help me figure out the cause of why I continually ran out of space on my Mac. It turned out that Outlook was gobbling up space on my drive in the background as I left it on during the day. Once I migrated my email to another app and stopped booting up Outlook, the problem stopped.

Even if the support and privacy playing fields were leveled, I wouldn't want to undergo the learning curve of switching. That said, I'm no blind fanatic either. If the privacy and support of those companies actually flipped so that my experience with Microsoft was much better than with Apple, I would consider switching.

As always, YMMV.

Best,

Geoff


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## Nick Batzdorf

https://www.macworld.com/article/32...h-sierra-supplemental-update-macbook-pro.html

macOS patch coming to fix throttling issues.


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## chimuelo

Intel i9-8970HK is a beast of a chip.
Seems Apple didn’t want to deal with turbo speeds heat, so they used a certain throttling level Intel offers.
Sure hope we don’t see MacPro laptop users getting BSODs.


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## Nick Batzdorf

storyteller said:


> the idea behind the upcoming mac pro is that it will be modular... .



I'm sure the Mac Pro will be a great machine, just as the iMac Pro is. Also, Hearst Castle is a nice house.


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## Nick Batzdorf

> so I can almost see the idea of the mac mini merging with the mac pro via a distributed computational model over thunderbolt



Slave machines, multi-machine set-ups - it's all so naughts and teens.


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## Nick Batzdorf

Vik said:


> I wouldn’t be too optimistic about that. Didn’t Apple actually “downgrade” the Mac Mini some years ago?



Well, I'm not Mac Emperor.

And they did downgrade the Mac Mini, but that's probably not relevant.

I suspect they'd only come out with a new Mac Mini if they wanted to sell lots of them. My thinking is that there are a lot of users with older Macs still in service. A $6000+ computer is a nonstarter, but a shiny Mac Mini that's a legitimate upgrade could be tempting.


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## Michael Antrum

Well that's all well and good, but what I really want is a small wardrobe that I can stuff full of drives without having external wires all over the shop.....

My upgraded 2009 is a great machine, an up to date version of that is ideal thank you. I don't need an art installation with a wireless keyboard.


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## Nick Batzdorf

mikeybabes said:


> Well that's all well and good, but what I really want is a small wardrobe that I can stuff full of drives without having external wires all over the shop.....
> 
> My upgraded 2009 is a great machine, an up to date version of that is ideal thank you. I don't need an art installation with a wireless keyboard.



About a year ago I suggested a "Mac Pro Classic" as a stopgap until they could produce the new one (which by the way I suspect is taking a long time because it won't have Intel processors).

I have no idea why Apple doesn't listen to me. They could make a lot of money.


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## Michael Antrum

Not Intel ? - so do you think AMD - or something a little more exotic ?

Do tell......

(and yes, I have no idea why they don't listen to you - they absolutely should.)


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## Vik

Nick Batzdorf said:


> And they did downgrade the Mac Mini, but that's probably not relevant.
> 
> I suspect they'd only come out with a new Mac Mini if they wanted to sell lots of them.


I don't know if it's relevant, but some people wonder if they downgraded the Mini in order to sell more MPs and MBPs.

But they sure would sell a lot of them if they made really fast Minis. If you remove the battery, keyboard and monitor from the new MBP, you essentially have a Mac Mini. And there's a lot of power per square cm3 in a stripped 2018 MBP.

With a Mini-ish design; a Mac that wasn't meant mainly as a portable product, they could probably also address the heat/cooling stuff in a different way than they do (or don't) with the new MBPs.


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## Nick Batzdorf

mikeybabes said:


> Not Intel ? - so do you think AMD - or something a little more exotic ?
> 
> Do tell......
> 
> (and yes, I have no idea why they don't listen to you - they absolutely should.)





There have been rumors:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/tirias...lacing-intel-with-its-own-chips/#d09f42971ad2


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## bjderganc

Some balance:


And an update:
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/07/24/apple_macos_macbook_pro_patch/

All of the testing so far is video work, gotta wait and see how they handle DAWs.


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## JPQ

Wolfie2112 said:


> My 2013 runs very hot when I'm running big sessions, but I just fire up the cooling mat as needed. Never had an issue other than that, including performance.


My Mac Mini is i think 2014 and is hot also complex web pages and is not nice when is close to user. and also makes me worry reasons why all understand who know technology.


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## URL

Nick Batzdorf said:


> There have been rumors:
> 
> https://www.forbes.com/sites/tirias...lacing-intel-with-its-own-chips/#d09f42971ad2



Oh no, not that road again-stay with Intel Apple!


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## ranaprathap

The patch seems to have fixed the issue for the most part.


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## rossominerale

I am wondering if this is the right thread to ask for an advice regarding an upgrade to my setup.

I need to replace my old MBP 2011 13" i7 2.7ghz 16GB and SSD, crashing daily due to an SMC issue caused by a water spillage. Also its fans are constantly on at max making very difficult to work on certain audio projects (working with quiet field recordings in particular), so I have to wear closed headphones in order to hear what I am doing. I also do some scoring with soft synths (particularly Diva and Reaktor Blocks). I use Logic for scoring and Ableton and Max for live performance. I work with my partner and she uses mac and Logic and Ableton too.

As I don't have loads of cash flow at the moment, I was wondering if getting a MBP 13 quad i5 16gb is going to be OK compared to the i7 or even the 15 inch 2.6 i7, and most importantly a significant upgrade compared to my MBP 13" Early 2011. As I can still access to an edu discount here in the UK, i can get the 13" i5 quad 16GB at around £2100, the 13" i7 quad 16GB for £2400 and the 15" i7 six core for £3000 (everything with AppleCare).

Although I prefer to save money, I am not sure in the long run is a good idea, considering that I don't have a desktop computer and I need a portable solution, although I may consider a desktop in two year time.

My other concern is the possible fan noise with the i7 models compared to the i5. My current MBP 13 Early 2011 is around 41db loud at about 70cm of distance from where I am sitting, while 56db measured from the bottom side of the display.

Any advice? Thanks


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## Mike Marino

Article talking about Apple fixing a bug with the thermal management.

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/201...rmware-update-led-to-a-big-improvement/?amp=1


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## chuck.dallas

Given some of the early issues reported on the new 2018 i9 MacBook Pros, curious if interested Logic users are still in Wait-and-See mode? Or, has anybody bitten the bullet yet & shelled out the bucks, received it and had positive (or negative) results?


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## Geoff Grace

I found this on YouTube. I hope it helps:



Best,

Geoff


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## chuck.dallas

Geoff Grace said:


> I found this on YouTube. I hope it helps:
> 
> 
> 
> Best,
> 
> Geoff



Geoff, THANKS for posting this video... I had not seen this yet. Interesting! New i9 MBP looks promising...


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## Nmargiotta

I just picked up the 15” 2018 mbp 32gb Ram i9 1tb ssd. The thing is a beast. I purchased it to replace my maxed out late 2012 iMac (i7 3.4ghz ) and it blows it out of the water (expected) but what I didn’t expect is how much better it handles than the 6 core maxed out Mac Pro (2013). I’m not speaking of ram limitations, but simply cpu power it screams. I opened up a 98track Logic Session that maxed out the cpu on my 2016 13” mbp and on the 2018 15 it barely broke 6% cpu usage. Just nuts. As for fan noise, even in heavy logic projects it doesn’t get too “hot”. I do here the fans kick on after a few hours but if I’m in my studio with the ac on it doesn’t get hot enough to be too loud. I’m also using a LG 4K UltraFine Display so there a small bit of weight for the 4gb Graphics card to push. I’m going to be putting together a large orchestral template to see what it will take to topple over the machine with logic x.


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## tmhuud

I’d recommend a laptop cooler stand. Even if it’s a simple one with fans that blow downwards dissipating the heat. It has really prolonged the life of my 2012 MacBook Pro. 

Glad to hear your results on the new one. I’m ordering one soon. Looking forward to traveling with it.


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## chuck.dallas

Nmargiotta said:


> I just picked up the 15” 2018 mbp 32gb Ram i9 1tb ssd. The thing is a beast. I purchased it to replace my maxed out late 2012 iMac (i7 3.4ghz ) and it blows it out of the water (expected) but what I didn’t expect is how much better it handles than the 6 core maxed out Mac Pro (2013). I’m not speaking of ram limitations, but simply cpu power it screams. I opened up a 98track Logic Session that maxed out the cpu on my 2016 13” mbp and on the 2018 15 it barely broke 6% cpu usage. Just nuts. As for fan noise, even in heavy logic projects it doesn’t get too “hot”. I do here the fans kick on after a few hours but if I’m in my studio with the ac on it doesn’t get hot enough to be too loud. I’m also using a LG 4K UltraFine Display so there a small bit of weight for the 4gb Graphics card to push. I’m going to be putting together a large orchestral template to see what it will take to topple over the machine with logic x.


Very cool, Nick! Thanks for sharing your experiences with the new MBP.... good luck with it!


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## 5Lives

Potential buyer question - if you're not mobile, why get this over the iMac?


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## chuck.dallas

5Lives said:


> Potential buyer question - if you're not mobile, why get this over the iMac?


If you don’t need the flexibility to be mobile at all, then you probably wouldn’t get much value with the new MBP over an iMac (assuming the iMac is roughly equivalent in performance/capability)...


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## Jeremy Spencer

My only gripe with the iMac is that you are stuck with the display. It's a beautiful display, but wouldn't fit into my workflow.


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## Nick Batzdorf

Wolfie2112 said:


> My only gripe with the iMac is that you are stuck with the display. It's a beautiful display, but wouldn't fit into my workflow.



My issue is that I wouldn't want to pay for the display, since I already have one.  But I still think iMacs are perfect for many people.


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## Vik

Nick Batzdorf said:


> My issue is that I wouldn't want to pay for the display, since I already have one.


If they would have sold it without the batteries, the display and the keyboard, I'd be very interested in it, because then it would have been a very good, small and lightweight Mac Mini with 32gb RAM and Geekbench results better than my 12-core Mac Pro.


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## galactic orange

Vik said:


> If they would have sold it without the batteries, the display and the keyboard, I'd be very interested in it, because then it would have been a very good, small and lightweight Mac Mini with 32gb RAM and Geekbench results better than my 12-core Mac Pro.


I’d really like a machine like this to run Logic and replace my current Mac Mini. 32GB would be enough of a step up from 16GB to have a decent template loaded. This would tide me over until the 2019 Mac Pro. Apple’s slow hardware update strategy doesn’t make me a very enthusiastic buyer, however. Reluctant and a little miffed is more accurate.

For those who don’t need a laptop (or find the cost too high for the power you get) I suggest waiting for a 2018 iMac or a Mini (fingers crossed).
I don’t need an iMac screen but if they offer Tru tone or whatever it’s called on the next model that would be a selling point. I can only afford one Apple computer so the MBP limit of 32GB would be my max for a while.

Is there anyone who is, like me, considering the new MBP but is waiting for fall hardware releases? It’s tough not to just say “to hell with it” and get the laptop, but what’s a month or two?


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## Nick Batzdorf

Well, there's a reason for their slow update strategy: computers have reached a plateau where they're perfectly good for ten years or more.

I say that all the time.


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## galactic orange

Nick Batzdorf said:


> Well, there's a reason for their slow update strategy: computers have reached a plateau where they're perfectly good for ten years or more.
> 
> I say that all the time.


You’re right, of course. Which is why they should have just updated the ports and a few other things in the old Mac Pro using the old (pre-2013) chassis and produced a worthy update years ago (or even now since they plan on stretching out the current Mac Pro until next year).


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## Nick Batzdorf

Stupid Apple never ask me what they should come out with. I would have told them: Mac Pro Classic.


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## jcrosby

Nmargiotta said:


> I just picked up the 15” 2018 mbp 32gb Ram i9 1tb ssd. The thing is a beast. I purchased it to replace my maxed out late 2012 iMac (i7 3.4ghz ) and it blows it out of the water (expected) but what I didn’t expect is how much better it handles than the 6 core maxed out Mac Pro (2013). I’m not speaking of ram limitations, but simply cpu power it screams. I opened up a 98track Logic Session that maxed out the cpu on my 2016 13” mbp and on the 2018 15 it barely broke 6% cpu usage. Just nuts. As for fan noise, even in heavy logic projects it doesn’t get too “hot”. I do here the fans kick on after a few hours but if I’m in my studio with the ac on it doesn’t get hot enough to be too loud. I’m also using a LG 4K UltraFine Display so there a small bit of weight for the 4gb Graphics card to push. I’m going to be putting together a large orchestral template to see what it will take to topple over the machine with logic x.



Nice. You mentioned it outperforms to the 2013 Mac Pro too. How does it compare overall?


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## galactic orange

jcrosby said:


> Nice. You mentioned it outperforms to the 2013 Mac Pro too. How does it compare overall?


Specifically, I'd like to know how much difference the SSD speed balances out the need for RAM. If you can lower the Kontakt buffer size and increase the number of instruments in your template, then what would the 2018 MBP's equivalent 2013 Mac Pro be?

(For example: 2018 MBP with 32GB RAM = 2013 Mac Pro with 64GB RAM) something like that


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## colony nofi

That's a hard question. Have a 2013 Mac Pro with 128GB Ram and now the 2018 laptop (top i7 with 2tb internal SSD) with 32GB Ram. I'm running all my sessions ok on the laptop, albeit with lots of fan noise at times. I do run a "disabled track" type template though - which only uses ram for tracks I've got turned on. I've yet to run into ram issues - but I know I will at some stage. I run with the same kontakt buffer size, as I use a TB2 raid SSD array on my mac pro, and a Glyph 4TB Thunderbolt 3 SSD on the new mac - and the glyph has slightly slower performance for my samples, though real world I'm not noticing it. (Black magic disk speed has the difference of 900MB/s on the less portable studio raid array vs 780MB/s on the glyph. 

I do notice that running sound design heavy sessions tends to feel a little more sluggish on the macbook pro, but that could easily just be my own personal bias against the machine due to the fan driving me slightly bonkers at times.



BUT - it is incredible what this laptop can do sitting on a train....


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## chuck.dallas

colony nofi said:


> That's a hard question. Have a 2013 Mac Pro with 128GB Ram and now the 2018 laptop (top i7 with 2tb internal SSD) with 32GB Ram. I'm running all my sessions ok on the laptop, albeit with lots of fan noise at times. I do run a "disabled track" type template though - which only uses ram for tracks I've got turned on. I've yet to run into ram issues - but I know I will at some stage. I run with the same kontakt buffer size, as I use a TB2 raid SSD array on my mac pro, and a Glyph 4TB Thunderbolt 3 SSD on the new mac - and the glyph has slightly slower performance for my samples, though real world I'm not noticing it. (Black magic disk speed has the difference of 900MB/s on the less portable studio raid array vs 780MB/s on the glyph.
> 
> I do notice that running sound design heavy sessions tends to feel a little more sluggish on the macbook pro, but that could easily just be my own personal bias against the machine due to the fan driving me slightly bonkers at times.
> 
> 
> 
> BUT - it is incredible what this laptop can do sitting on a train....


For people who are frequently mobile (like me), your last statement is the clincher for the new 2018 MBP... I guess I won't eat for a few months so I can afford it...


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## Nick Batzdorf

Nick Batzdorf said:


> Stupid Apple never ask me what they should come out with. I would have told them: Mac Pro Classic.



(Not sure it came across, but that post was in the context of Apple's stock having gone up about 1/3 so far this year.)


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## Mike Marino

chuck.dallas said:


> has anybody bitten the bullet yet & shelled out the bucks, received it and had positive (or negative) results?


I purchased a new MBP last week. 15" i9 6-core, 32gb ram, 1tb ssd. On the third day of ownership it began making erratic clicking and popping sounds (even though I turned all system sounds off and the screen was closed). Later that night it could no longer find the proper boot directory and I ended up reinstalling the OS. I spoke with Apple, we ran through a bunch of other steps including resetting the SMC. Similar problems occured on the fourth day and I promptly returned the machine for a refund. I hadn't even put Logic on the thing yet; only Sibelius.

I'll be repurchasing another unit this week and will give it another shot. (I'm unable to simply swap the machine as it was purchased on a f&f apple discount). Hoping it was just a bad singular unit.


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## unclecheeks

Mike Marino said:


> I purchased a new MBP last week. 15" i9 6-core, 32gb ram, 1tb ssd. On the third day of ownership it began making erratic clicking and popping sounds (even though I turned all system sounds off and the screen was closed). Later that night it could no longer find the proper boot directory and I ended up reinstalling the OS. I spoke with Apple, we ran through a bunch of other steps including resetting the SMC. Similar problems occured on the fourth day and I promptly returned the machine for a refund. I hadn't even put Logic on the thing yet; only Sibelius.
> 
> I'll be repurchasing another unit this week and will give it another shot. (I'm unable to simply swap the machine as it was purchased on a f&f apple discount). Hoping it was just a bad singular unit.



How did you get on with the replacement? Eyeing a 2019 8-core with 32gb ram here. Other than a couple more cores, essentially same as your machine. How are you liking yours?


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## Mike Marino

unclecheeks said:


> How did you get on with the replacement? Eyeing a 2019 8-core with 32gb ram here. Other than a couple more cores, essentially same as your machine. How are you liking yours?



Replacement has worked great this far, really no issues. I run Logic on it, samples streamed from an external 1tb ssd via USB-C, and a little midi keyboard via a small USB dongle hub. Everything runs quick and smooth.

The small touchbar at the top is marginally useful for me....but has the ability to do a lot of things (including midi entry...it's just not touch sensitive).


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## unclecheeks

Mike Marino said:


> Replacement has worked great this far, really no issues. I run Logic on it, samples streamed from an external 1tb ssd via USB-C, and a little midi keyboard via a small USB dongle hub. Everything runs quick and smooth.
> 
> The small touchbar at the top is marginally useful for me....but has the ability to do a lot of things (including midi entry...it's just not touch sensitive).



Thanks! That's good to know that it's been solid for you. I have an Apple-refurb on the way. The only aspect that makes me a little uncomfortable is that butterfly keyboard, but at least Apple has a 4-year replacement warranty on it.


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## Mike Marino

unclecheeks said:


> Thanks! That's good to know that it's been solid for you. I have an Apple-refurb on the way. The only aspect that makes me a little uncomfortable is that butterfly keyboard, but at least Apple has a 4-year replacement warranty on it.


Yeah, the keyboard isn't my favorite but it really hasn't gotten in my way. I think you'll be happy with the computer in the end.


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## Michael Antrum

I'm going to wait until the 16" comes out. Even if it is silly priced, it will probably herald a price drop of the 2019 8 core i9 as companies clear their stock.

Jigsaw currently have a 2018 6 core 1TB with Vega 20 for £ 3k which tempted me, but the keyboard thing worries me on the 2018...


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## unclecheeks

Michael Antrum said:


> I'm going to wait until the 16" comes out. Even if it is silly priced, it will probably herald a price drop of the 2019 8 core i9 as companies clear their stock.
> 
> Jigsaw currently have a 2018 6 core 1TB with Vega 20 for £ 3k which tempted me, but the keyboard thing worries me on the 2018...



My sense is that the price gap between the 16 and the 15 will be significant enough and the 15 will probably remain at a similar price as it is now. I also considered waiting for the 16 (or even the updated 15 next year), but then discovered that new macs CANNOT install older operating systems, and I have no interest in moving to Catalina, at least not for the foreseeable future. I’ll install Mojave and not worry about it til 4 years from now, when the security patches expire. (Still on 10.10 here on my old MBP)


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## vitocorleone123

Nick Batzdorf said:


> Well, there's a reason for their slow update strategy: computers have reached a plateau where they're perfectly good for ten years or more.
> 
> I say that all the time.



For a lot of people, I agree. For anyone who works on a computer for a living or a hobby, generally it's more like a max of 5 years. And there's some professions (or hobbies, I suppose) where it's every year or two.


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## Nick Batzdorf

vitocorleone123 said:


> For a lot of people, I agree. For anyone who works on a computer for a living or a hobby, generally it's more like a max of 5 years. And there's some professions (or hobbies, I suppose) where it's every year or two.



I'm talking about professional music/audio studio computers. If you choose a powerful enough machine to start with, you do not need to update those every five years.


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## Nick Batzdorf

You also don't need to spend $6K (before adding memory and drives), by the way.


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