# $1000 budget. Old MacPro, old iMac, custom Windows PC?



## CWELLINGTON (Jan 4, 2020)

Hi guys. I have a 2012 MacBook Pro i7 that I use for everything. I would like to have a desktop solely for music as right now I have to hook my laptop up (since I travel with it) and work on music.

My wife is allowing me about $1000 for a desktop and i go back and forth on what I should get. I keep looking at things like a 2012-2013 iMac i7 27in screen. Or 2010-2013 Macpro that I can upgrade when ready. Not sure if I should consider a custom Windows PC. As a video production person, I get stuck on i7 processors so not sure if I should also consider i5 for music.

I compose, but not by core profession nor am I layering 50+ orchestral sample libraries. I love film composition and contemporary worship which I will likely do more of.

I have Komplete 12, Spitfire Albion I, EZ Drummer, Noire, Mainstage 3, Cubase 8.5. Any direction or suggestions would be great for that price range.


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## Living Fossil (Jan 4, 2020)

You should make it clear to your wife that it's not her to decide how much you are "allowed" to spend.
And after that i'd go for a solution that's more actual than computers from 2012/13


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## CWELLINGTON (Jan 4, 2020)

Christmas gift budget. Again its not my profession so I don't want to throw caution to the wind for just myself. I'm ok with a budget for this. I already spent much for the software and sample libraries.


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## Living Fossil (Jan 4, 2020)

I see. I still wouldn't buy an old computer at that price; usually these machines come without warranty.
Maybe building a PC with upgradable components would be better


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## styledelk (Jan 4, 2020)

For $1000 you can build yourself a pretty beefy modern PC that can grow with you. Even with the older MacPro, upgrading it later is only going to get more difficult and more expensive as the parts move further back in time.


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## gsilbers (Jan 4, 2020)

with a bit more, or with some luck you can get a cool older mac pro 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Apple-Mac-Pro-5-1-2012-3-46GHz-12-Core-64GB-1TB-HD-5770-Choice-of-macOS/223789850709?hash=item341aea2055:g:aUsAAOSw6xJbqcl1

you wont get passed high sierra unless you buy a new video card but this is what u have and its pretty powerfull.


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## mscp (Jan 4, 2020)

Don’t be afraid to build a PC (after researching what works and what doesn’t). Windows 10 is rock solid when you have a well-built machine.


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## gsilbers (Jan 4, 2020)

oh.. cubase... 

then yes... go pc route.


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## Nate Johnson (Jan 4, 2020)

Yeah, if you’re already in Cubase world, I’d definitely consider the PC. As long as your comfortable learning and exploring the building process. Although it looks like it’d be easy to go over budget selecting parts, so who knows. 

if mac is really your thing, I’d be cautious about the 5,1 MP; albeit a bunch of people still use them. I believe official support for OSX has or is dropping soon (someone will correct me if I’m wrong!). Not the end of universe, but you might be looking at workarounds (hacks) to make updates work if needed.

When applicable, i7 would be preferable over i5.


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## CWELLINGTON (Jan 4, 2020)

Thanks for the input guys! I have Cubase and Logic Pro X but mainly use Cubase on my MacBook Pro. I have built a few computers before so the process isn't a problem for me. I am not necessarily into benchmarks as in I don't concern with saving 12 seconds of render time by spending a few extra hundred dollars, etc.

I just want to get the most out of the money.


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## Christopher Rocky (Jan 4, 2020)

If your set on having a mac, build a hackentosh out of pc parts.
In this day and age, mac is just taking advantage of people with their ridiculous pricing of the same internal parts that you can get for 1/5 of the price (in some cases 1/10). its absolutely not worth it.
those parts inside the old macs you mentioned are far behind what is available now, especially price to performace with a ryzen build.
People that use mac because of the customer service, if you built your own pc (or get it built instore for a SMALL fee) and you run into problems, call a local tech whizz to come fix it and it still would be cheaper than buying a mac. so if you must use mac, build a pc hakintosh, or just move to pc.

Heres an example of a build that would kill for what you need to do music and video wise






System Builder







pcpartpicker.com





If anything, you could put the extra cash into a better GPU for video editing


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## SBK (Jan 4, 2020)

Go windows with AMD cpu Ryzen 3rd generation


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## Pictus (Jan 4, 2020)

If you plan to build a PC, can use this as a starting point...





System Builder







pcpartpicker.com








If you buy any NVIDIA GPU, do not forget to set "Power management mode" from
"Adaptive" to "Maximum Performance"
https://nvidia.custhelp.com/app/ans...ent-mode-from-adaptive-to-maximum-performance




Windows 10 Pro OEM CD-KEY $12








Guru3D.com


Guru of 3D: Computer PC Hardware and Consumer Electronics reviews




www.guru3d.com





If you find the defaut AMD cooler too noisy, the Ninja 5 is the one





Scythe Ninja 5 43.03 CFM CPU Cooler







pcpartpicker.com







You may also need a keyboard and mouse, these options will exceed budget, but may be interesting...

A small Keyboard





Qisan Magicforce Wired Mini Keyboard







pcpartpicker.com





[YOUTUBE]


A bit expensive, but the extra horizontal scroll wheel is *very* handy...





Logitech MX Master 3 Wireless Laser Mouse







pcpartpicker.com




[YOUTUBE]


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## SBK (Jan 4, 2020)

that nvidia power management must be worth it, I had it on power savings without my knowledge and I had many issues


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## Sarah Mancuso (Jan 4, 2020)

Whatever you go with, do not spend $1000 on a computer from 10 years ago.


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## CWELLINGTON (Jan 4, 2020)

Wow. I am overwhelmed by the help everyone. This feels like good looking out for me not dropping $1000 on old tech when I want to be using new tech/sample libraries, etc. I'd feel better building a Windows based PC with parts that have some upgradabiliity down the line vs starting 10 years back.

I greatly appreciate the links too. I do get by well with my 2012 laptop and even working on a song right now. However, I just need something dedicated to music composition and stays put and on whenever I am around.

Thanks guys.


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## ridgero (Jan 5, 2020)

You may get a used Mac mini 2018 i7 for around 1k. You can upgrade the RAM by yourself.


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