CPU speed and latency

I'm considering upgrading my laptop.  I currently have a  2012 mac book pro retina 2.7 GHz i7 with 16 GB ram.  I noticed that the newest MBPs have 4 GHz processors.  My question is, will that increase in CPU speed translate into lower latency times for plugins or is it irrelevant to plugin latency?  I realise a faster CPU will allow me to lower the buffer size which will reduce overall latency.  But presumably that has no baring on cumulative latency from plugins?

 

Thanks.

you have it correct, the latency is related to the buffer.  with a slower CPU you will get audio dropouts if the CPU can't keep up, forcing you to increase the buffer size.  You can do quite a bit with your existing laptop.

What I'm wondering is whether or not a faster CPU will have any bearing on the cumulative latency of each plugin I use.  I'm guess it won't.  Being able to have a lower buffer would be good of course, but a lot of the latency I have is due to long chains of plugins and certain plugins which induce a lot of latency.

plugins can sometimes create latency also, some plugins, you are correct, and I'm not sure if CPU has a bearing on that somehow.   Plugins generally report how much latency they are going to have and LPX increases latency for the whole system to accommodate it evenly, accurately and predictably.  Its not really my impression that that latency is just randomly going to be longer or shorter depending on how fast your CPU is.  Its always possible, I suppose, that a plugin could take into consideration the current CPU when reporting its latency or it could be dynamically adjusted in some way for the whole system, I really don't know that one...its a good question though.

 

You have plenty of MBP to do quite a lot...  One thing I would suggest is that if you are using long chains of plugins in mainstage..you're probably going to have latency...even with the new faster machine.  There is just not much of a way around that.  

Yes that's also what I was thinking.  Doesn't seem likely a faster CPU would lower plugin latency.  I am always pushing up against the CPU limit with what I do.  So a faster machine would mean less of a chance of a drop out during a gig or recording. And as you say I'll be able to lower the buffer which would be good.