# Is a MacBook Pro i9 with 64 GB still recommendable?



## AndyP (May 16, 2022)

Prices on the used market are dropping, and there are currently some cheap offers for the 2019 MacBooks with 8 cores. 

A MacBook Pro M1 Max costs a lot of money after all, and as a mobile solution, a 2019 with 64 GB would probably suffice for me as well.

What do you guys think, especially those using a 2019 MacBook Pro?
How fast does the fans start and how loud is the device?

I use a MacBook 2019 with 32 GB RAM as a workstation, but not as a DAW. The fans come on now and then and can be annoying at times. Most of the time, however, it is quiet, but is also not as much loaded as with audio applications.


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## PeterN (May 16, 2022)

AndyP said:


> Prices on the used market are dropping, and there are currently some cheap offers for the 2019 MacBooks with 8 cores.
> 
> A MacBook Pro M1 Max costs a lot of money after all, and as a mobile solution, a 2019 with 64 GB would probably suffice for me as well.
> 
> ...


A bit off topic, but YouTube has many vids telling M1 MacBook Air will beat all earlier Intel models. Don't believe it. Or at least, don't get it for music production. Probably obvious.


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## AndyP (May 16, 2022)

PeterN said:


> A bit off topic, but YouTube has many vids telling M1 MacBook Air will beat all earlier Intel models. Don't believe it. Or at least, don't get it for music production. Probably obvious.


The M1 is fast, there is no question about that. The biggest limitation of the M1 (8core) devices is the ram in my opinion. Because I need more than 16 or 32 RAM, things like MacBook Air are out of the question. M1 Pro maybe ...


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## Al Maurice (May 16, 2022)

The question comes down to how long products of interest remain supported on the Intel platform after the big push to move to Apple Silicon completes its cycle.


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## Alex Fraser (May 16, 2022)

AndyP said:


> What do you guys think, especially those using a 2019 MacBook Pro?
> How fast does the fans start and how loud is the device


Using a 2019 MbB (i5)
It's noisy. There's no other way to say it, really. Under normal use (non-DAW) it's fine, but Logic gets the fans going. Enough so, that (amongst other reasons) I'm looking to move to a new Mini soon.


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## roach1245 (May 16, 2022)

I wouldn't get an Apple Intel anymore at this stage, less support in the future and also resell value of Apple Intel is much lower as Intel is obsolete technology in Apple terms now. The 2019 Intel has some serious thermal issues as well (e.g. when connecting external monitors) - DAW will get the fans going loudly. Not fun unless you're wearing headphones all the time. The new M1s are so much better (my M1 with triple 4K monitors connected and Logic running - can't hear the fans). How much $$ would you have to pay for 64GB Intel though?


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## AndyP (May 16, 2022)

Alex Fraser said:


> Using a 2019 MbB (i5)


What is this? Mac?


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## AndyP (May 16, 2022)

I can get a 2019 i9 with 1TB SSD and 64 gb ram for 1,200€. Visually here and a few small scratches, the battery has 350 charge cycles, otherwise technically flawless. 
My biggest concern with the MacBook Air or Pro with 8 core is the 16 GB RAM limit. 
It is supposed to be mobile and therefore on the road, I would not use it in the studio. I have enough of everything there.
I just don't want to spend 4k right now, even if the money is there.


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## roach1245 (May 16, 2022)

Quite a good deal actually for a 64GB RAM laptop... Does it still have AppleCare? If so I'd definitely consider it. Battery life is not as much as a concern given that it's for on the road? The M1s are tremendously better in that respect. But indeed you'd have to spend about 4k for the the M1 Max with 64GB RAM...... (the M1 Pro can go up to 32GB RAM though).

My M1 Max cost me an arm and a leg but I hope to resell it in 5 - 10 years for a reasonable price (I sold my Macbook Pro 2015 back to Apple for $540 after using it daily for 7 years - bought it refurbished from Apple for $1600 - in exchange for the M1 Max, which I thought was quite reasonable). Working on it daily for > 8 hours is a true pleasure.


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## AndyP (May 16, 2022)

My old early MBPro 2013 doesn't make it much longer, and that wasn't exactly quiet either. The RAM limitation has also been bugging me for a long time. But I have long come to terms with this, which I no longer want to do in the future.
Maybe I'll just wait and bite the apple and get myself an M1 Pro or Max at the end of the year. An Air would be enough for me in terms of cpu performance, but this stupid memory limitation is annoying. And below 15 inch screen is already quite small.


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## jscheel (May 16, 2022)

The fan issue is definitely problematic. It's loud as heck. Also, if it has the 5500m or less, there is a bug that causes it to run the discreet gfx card at full tilt all the time when an external monitor is plugged in (causing the fans to rev up more). Enjoy the 233 pages of conversation about it here: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/2019-16-is-hot-noisy-with-an-external-monitor.2211747/. However, it's definitely a powerful machine.

Edit: apparently some people are reporting that Apple has finally done something about it. Gonna update asap to see if it's actually true. I don't want to get excited yet.


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## Alex Fraser (May 16, 2022)

AndyP said:


> What is this? Mac?


MacBook Pro. Apologies, typo.


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## AndyP (May 16, 2022)

roach1245 said:


> Quite a good deal actually for a 64GB RAM laptop... Does it still have AppleCare? If so I'd definitely consider it. Battery life is not as much as a concern given that it's for on the road? The M1s are tremendously better in that respect. But indeed you'd have to spend about 4k for the the M1 Max with 64GB RAM...... (the M1 Pro can go up to 32GB RAM though).
> 
> My M1 Max cost me an arm and a leg but I hope to resell it in 5 - 10 years for a reasonable price (I sold my Macbook Pro 2015 back to Apple for $540 after using it daily for 7 years - bought it refurbished from Apple for $1600 - in exchange for the M1 Max, which I thought was quite reasonable). Working on it daily for > 8 hours is a true pleasure.


Yes, the price is already good, that's why I came up with it in the first place. But the fan problem is already an issue, and I have little desire for it.
The battery is not quite so the problem since I always have a charger with me and find a socket somewhere.
But I think to make music I would rather have something quiet. 

Because you mentioned it, I looked it up again, the MacBook Pro M1 pro is also available as 13" with 8 cores and that costs with 32 GB Ram around 2.700€. The performance would be enough, but 13" inch is already very small.

I think I'll say goodbye to the Intel idea, even if it's cheap. I am sure that I would be annoyed in a year at the latest.


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## roach1245 (May 16, 2022)

AndyP said:


> Yes, the price is already good, that's why I came up with it in the first place. But the fan problem is already an issue, and I have little desire for it.
> The battery is not quite so the problem since I always have a charger with me and find a socket somewhere.
> But I think to make music I would rather have something quiet.
> 
> ...


There’s the M1 MacBook Pro 13 inch (2020) with 16GB RAM max, and the M1 MacBook Pro 14 inch (2021) with 32GB RAM max. There’s no 13 inch with 32GB RAM (Apple’s naming is somewhat confusing).

I got the 16 inch myself, just perfect.


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## KEM (May 16, 2022)

Buying an Intel Mac is not smart move, they hold little resale value and Apple Silicon Mac’s are beating them in pretty much every way, I know they’re more expensive but this is one of those instances where you really do get what you pay for


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## Scottyb (May 16, 2022)

That's definitely a really good deal. But. I will tell you if you're running tons of virtual instruments. The M1 Max with 64 gigs will indeed, smoke it. A lot of the battle is the heat. The M1 by default runs MUCH cooler. Cooler computers (if all other things are considered equal), run much better and last longer. If you absolutely don't think you can hold out, grab one. That's a pretty good deal! BUT, if there's a glimmer of hope you can swing an M1 Max version, hold out! You'll thank me! And this is coming from a 2019, Core i9 with 64 gigs user. : ) And if you don't need it to be a laptop, that M1 Ultra Studio is absolute FIRE! A cool-running fire. har har


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## AndyP (May 16, 2022)

roach1245 said:


> There’s the M1 MacBook Pro 13 inch (2020) with 16GB RAM max, and the M1 MacBook Pro 14 inch (2021) with 32GB RAM max. There’s no 13 inch with 32GB RAM (Apple’s naming is somewhat confusing).
> 
> I got the 16 inch myself, just perfect.


You are right, my fault. 
I also meant the 14", but that's too small for me. My eyes are no longer the best. 
I'm in no hurry, so I wanted to hear some opinions and am very grateful for any input!
An Intel i9 would all be better than my current MacBook, but I won't be buying an Intel anymore. 
I have a 2019 i9 with 32GB RAM, but I don't use it for music, never tried, because it's my work computer that runs everything except Audio. I also want to keep that strictly separate.

I need a new Audio laptop at some point. I have a decent desktop (iMac i9 128 GB RAM), which is sufficient for me so far. I was considering buying a new MacPro last year, but am glad I didn't. A Mac Studio I have in mind, but that is not yet necessary. 

Since I use a lot of orchestral libraries I want to have enough RAM to work comfortably. Freeze tracks only if absolutely necessary.


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## jcrosby (May 16, 2022)

AndyP said:


> What is this? Mac?


That's the Macbook Bro


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## AndyP (May 16, 2022)

jcrosby said:


> That's the Macbook Bro


I've got it


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## ridgero (May 16, 2022)

I haven't heard the fan even once on my MBP 16 M1 Max

That’s absolutely insane… Can’t imagine, why I would need a new laptop in the future.

Seriously, this is the first time in my computer history that I feel like I don't need a new computer in the next 10 years.


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## roach1245 (May 16, 2022)

ridgero said:


> I haven't heard the fan even once on my MBP 16 M1 Max
> 
> That’s absolutely insane… Can’t imagine, why I would need a new laptop in the future.
> 
> Seriously, this is the first time in my computer history that I feel like I don't need a new computer in the next 10 years.


Same here with my M1 Max. Cost me a lot but extremely happy with my purchase after having it for 6 months now.


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## AndyP (May 30, 2022)

I'm setting up my new MacBook Pro M1 right now and I'm already excited about it. What a difference compared to the MBP 2013.
Before, when I used Migration Assistant, the fans on my mobile devices were spinning like crazy. And here I hear ... nothing. Absolutely nothing.
Even the built-in speakers are worlds better. Everything runs somehow ... creamy.
The next few days I will test how the performance with cubase is. I still have to get the update to version 12. So far it's very satisfying.


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## thevisi0nary (May 30, 2022)

My girlfriend has the i7 version, I would stay far away.


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## thevisi0nary (May 30, 2022)

Nevermind I can't read lol. Glad you went with the M1.


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