# Mac Mini Intel or M1 for Spitfire BBC Symphony Orchestra Core?



## Composer 2021 (Feb 24, 2021)

I am thinking of getting a Mac Mini to replace my laptop (which has 12 GB of memory and the most underpowered i7 in existence). I know that M1 is fast but like many, I have concerns about the memory limit. I have not seen enough examples to confirm the speculation that the M1 RAM is twice as efficient as regular RAM and can make 16 GB perform like 32 GB. Is the 16 GB model good enough for BBCSO Core, and how would it do with an upgrade to Pro? On my laptop, I can't even run a full orchestra of BBCSO Core (even with offloading articulations) without maxing out the RAM, so I really need to know if the M1's 16 GB can beat this significantly.


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## David Kudell (Feb 24, 2021)

16 is still 16 when it comes to loading sample libraries. I think the worst thing you can do when buying a new system is already have such a low constraint. I have 2 systems - one has 32 and the other 128...I run out of RAM when trying to use the 32. I do have a big template though.


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## SupremeFist (Feb 24, 2021)

The M1 does not have magic RAM.


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## wayne_rowley (Feb 24, 2021)

Intel.

I have the 2018 Mini i5 with 32GB of RAM. My full core template used around 17GB of RAM if i recall. 

I’ve since upgraded to BBC SO Pro, but have yet to produce a full orchestral piece with it using multiple mics. I may now need 64GB!

Wayne


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## Alex Fraser (Feb 24, 2021)

I have BBCSO core on a 16gb MBP.
It’s possible to load the entire orchestra (in Logic) but you’ll probably need to lean on disk streaming to do it. On my rig, the default Spitfire Player settings fill up the ram into the red “memory pressure” zone quickly. I’ve had to tweak the setting to stream more data from disk.

I’d imagine you’d be ok on the M1 if you’re willing to use a fast SSD or internal drive. But 16gb is always tight.


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## rnb_2 (Feb 24, 2021)

Yeah, the M1s do some interesting things with RAM management, but if you have a template that is known to go past 16GB, I wouldn't go with an M1 right now. The next batch of new Macs, likely to be announced at WWDC in June, should have more RAM and likely higher performance.


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## Composer 2021 (Feb 24, 2021)

How does the default processor perform on the Intel model?


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## companyofquail (Feb 24, 2021)

I went with the i7 and have been happy with it.


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## rnb_2 (Feb 24, 2021)

Composer 2021 said:


> How does the default processor perform on the Intel model?


I believe @wayne_rowley has been happy with his i5.


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## Jeremy Spencer (Feb 24, 2021)

Also make sure your audio interface and third party plugins are compatible with M1.


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## wayne_rowley (Feb 25, 2021)

Composer 2021 said:


> How does the default processor perform on the Intel model?


Pretty well, at least it has for me. I think the i7 will give you an extra 20% multicore and a little more single core. But as I said, the i5 has worked well for me.

Wayne


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## Composer 2021 (Feb 26, 2021)

Is the i7 worth 200 extra dollars if all I will be doing is using BBCSO Core on Logic? Honestly, I've never had a truly high end computer and I am used to making compromises to make things work. I scored my first short film the old fashioned way on Finale using sync points without a DAW playing the film because my laptop couldn't render both at the same time lol.


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## rnb_2 (Feb 26, 2021)

I can't say definitively whether the i7 will get you much beyond the i5 (I got the i7 for photo/video performance with an eGPU), but you can save some money going with the i5 if you don't need a lot of internal storage. OWC has new in sealed box discounted i5s - they'll even open them to install extra RAM for you. The only downside is that they only come with the 256GB internal drive, but you can get an i5 with 32GB of RAM for $1079 (64GB is $140 more).

If you want a larger internal drive, you can get the current base https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1553845-REG/apple_mxng2ll_a_mac_mini_late_2020.html (i5 with 8GB/512GB for $999) at B&H ($100 off of Apple's price) and add your own RAM - OWC has 32GB RAM kits for $169.99 (+ $6.95 for all the tools you'll need). That's probably a better overall deal than OWC's i5, since it gets you double the internal storage for $100, but may not be necessary - I found 256GB got tight for me after I added music to my existing photo/video applications, even with my samples and my photo/video data on externals, but you might not have the same requirements.

B&H also still has stock of the 8GB/256GB i7 (a configuration Apple no longer offers) for $999, so you can make a decision between the i5 with 512GB or the i7 with 256GB for the same price.


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## Composer 2021 (Feb 27, 2021)

I went with the i5/512 GB model and found an even better deal than the one above. Hope it runs a lot better than my laptop's 2 core i7. If not, then I'm used to finding workarounds to make things work. Excited to finally try Logic.


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## rnb_2 (Feb 27, 2021)

Congratulations on finding an even better deal! I'm confident that the 6-core i5 will be much faster than the dual-core i7 - enjoy it!


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## wayne_rowley (Feb 27, 2021)

Great choice! You’ll have no problems with BBC SO Core on that. I don’t think you will if you upgrade to Pro either, except possibly needing 64GB of more RAM. The BBC plug-in is very efficient on a Mac. 

The only plug-in my Mac Mini i5 struggles with is playing Spitfire Solo Strings Performance patch with multiple microphone positions enabled - but that has heavy contact scripting! It’s fine on playback, only have issues when it’s record-enabled (the famous logic single core issue).

Enjoy your new Mac!

Wayne


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