# Comparing current Windows desktop to M1 MacBook Pro



## composerguy78 (Jan 7, 2022)

I am trying to get an idea of how my existing Windows desktop will likely compare to an M1 Max MacBook Pro with 64GB RAM. 

My current machine specs are below. 

I use Reaper as my current DAW. I run 3 monitors each 1080p - no larger. 

How can I get an idea of how this will compare? Will an M1 MBP be faster, slower? I have been an Apple guy all my life using Logic until about 5 years ago I switched to Windows (it was no big deal FYI). 

I could use the portability from time to time but at the price of a fully loaded MBP, it would have to be a full replacement of my desktop. I am not interested in running my existing machine as a slave. I just don’t like the workflow as much, but I wouldn’t fully rule it out either. 

Current Desktop specs: 
Intel - Core i7-7800X 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor

Corsair - H60 54.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler

ASRock - X299 Steel Legend LGA2066 Motherboard

G.Skill - Ripjaws 4 Series 128GB (8 x 16GB) DDR4-2800 Memory

Samsung - 960 EVO 250GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive

MSI Radeon RX 570 DirectX 12 RX 570 8GT OC 8GB 256-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express x16

SeaSonic - FOCUS Plus Platinum 750W 80+ Platinum

Microsoft - Windows 10 Pro OEM 64-bit


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## 3CPU (Jan 7, 2022)

composerguy78 said:


> I am trying to get an idea of how my existing Windows desktop will likely compare to an M1 Max MacBook Pro with 64GB RAM.


Estimate close to 50% increase in performance. But to be absolutely sure, get the MBPMax and if it fails to meet your expectation, return it.


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## vitocorleone123 (Jan 7, 2022)

Nothing right now as far as I know will beat an M1 Max for portable and efficient power. You can get faster than the Mac on a Windows desktop, but not laptop (unless you want a massive device that eats battery life like candy... which is why I'm saying portable and efficient power).


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## easyrider (Jan 7, 2022)

vitocorleone123 said:


> Nothing right now as far as I know will beat an M1 Max for portable and efficient power. You can get faster than the Mac on a Windows desktop, but not laptop (unless you want a massive device that eats battery life like candy... which is why I'm saying portable and efficient power).


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## vitocorleone123 (Jan 7, 2022)

easyrider said:


>



Oh yeah. Competition is good. AMD and Intel aren't going away. Battery life is key (for me), when choosing a laptop, or I'd just get a new desktop. Apple beat them to the punch. Time will tell if Apple can keep up/keep leapfrogging.


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## composerguy78 (Jan 9, 2022)

Thank you all very much. What can I expect regarding display performance compared to the card I have now? (MSI Radeon RX 570 DirectX 12 RX 570 8GT OC 8GB 256-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express x16).

I imagine I would need a hub of some kind to run 3 x 1080p monitors on the M1 MacBook Pro?


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## ptram (Jan 9, 2022)

Assuming Intel’s comparison is fair, may then we hope that there will be new Intel-based Macs? I need PC emulation, so staying with an Intel Mac would be great for me.

Much more than running iPad apps on my Mac.

Paolo


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## vitocorleone123 (Jan 9, 2022)

ptram said:


> Assuming Intel’s comparison is fair, may then we hope that there will be new Intel-based Macs? I need PC emulation, so staying with an Intel Mac would be great for me.
> 
> Much more than running iPad apps on my Mac.
> 
> Paolo


No, I’d never expect Apple to go back to Intel and give up control. Apple is all about control - hardware, software, market, users, etc. = $$$.


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## rnb_2 (Jan 9, 2022)

easyrider said:


>



Competition is good for everybody, but I *LOVE* comparing shipping products to non-shipping products, especially in a click-bait Youtube video. We already know that Intel's option, according to their own chart, is going to draw WAY more power than an M1 Max, and AMD's hasn't had any real benchmarks yet. Time will tell.


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## vitocorleone123 (Jan 9, 2022)

rnb_2 said:


> Competition is good for everybody, but I *LOVE* comparing shipping products to non-shipping products, especially in a click-bait Youtube video. We already know that Intel's option, according to their own chart, is going to draw WAY more power than an M1 Max, and AMD's hasn't had any real benchmarks yet. Time will tell.


Yep. Same way as Apple's M2 will be WAY slower than the desktop AMD and Intel chips, and the M2 hasn't had any real benchmarks yet. Time will indeed tell.


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## rnb_2 (Jan 9, 2022)

vitocorleone123 said:


> Yep. Same way as Apple's M2 will be WAY slower than the desktop AMD and Intel chips, and the M2 hasn't had any real benchmarks yet. Time will indeed tell.


That doesn't really change much on the desktop, as Apple was never going to use Intel's (or AMD's) high-wattage chips under any circumstances, just because of the cooling requirements. On the desktop, Apple isn't really competing (at this point) with that class of chip.


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## Soundbed (Jan 9, 2022)

composerguy78 said:


> I am trying to get an idea of how my existing Windows desktop will likely compare to an M1 Max MacBook Pro with 64GB RAM.
> 
> My current machine specs are below.
> 
> ...


You’ve got a decent “older” windows build. Are you experiencing issues or difficulties? Have you pinpointed where your difficulties lie? (CPU speed or number of cores)? 

A Mac laptop is where I went … after building a PC in 2012 with slightly lesser specs. The real question is whether it’s worth the cost of moving to 64GB of RAM now or waiting … for whatever comes next. 

So my question would be: are you challenging your rig? And what Is the weakest link ?

I’ll mention too that I needed to factor in the cost of hubs and external storage to move to a laptop.


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## rnb_2 (Jan 9, 2022)

composerguy78 said:


> Thank you all very much. What can I expect regarding display performance compared to the card I have now? (MSI Radeon RX 570 DirectX 12 RX 570 8GT OC 8GB 256-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express x16).
> 
> I imagine I would need a hub of some kind to run 3 x 1080p monitors on the M1 MacBook Pro?


You're not pushing that many pixels, so it shouldn't make much difference, but I think the M1 Max should have better performance than an RX 570 (which is a pretty basic card by current standards).

You'd probably be best served by a Thunderbolt 3 or 4 dock/hub that will give you USB A ports for whatever needs them - they usually have at least one display connection of some kind, as well (look at Caldigit, OWC, Sonnet). I know that Sonnet and OWC both make Thunderbolt to dual DisplayPort or HDMI adapters, and there are also USB-C to DisplayPort/HDMI cables, so some combination will get you there without too much difficulty.


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## thereus (Jan 10, 2022)

Running some benchmarks on your current machine might be the best way to come up with some sensible comparisons... There are plenty of results published for the new Apples.


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