bebenavole Posted December 16, 2023 Share Posted December 16, 2023 (edited) Hello everyone! My old laptop Late 2012 MBPro is not cutting it anymore. I am in the process of getting a new laptop. I am a bit lost since I haven't been in the market for one in a loooong time. I am currently looking at an M3 14'' MBP laptop and my questions are: Is this a good choice for the price? Specs and price attached below. My periphery is simple....I guess 😄 3 external HDrives - all USB - one is used for recording RME 802 soundcard currently running on Firewire also has USB A Midi Keyboard, mouse, and typing keyboard - All USB HDMI for the 2nd monitor The drives and the MIDI K, mouse and keyboard are all running off of an USB hub Which docking station would you recommend for this laptop? Taking into account all the periphery I have. I am usually running 2 HD's at the same time. 1 for recording, one for Time Machine backups and 3rd one is just additional backup storage. So all in all... I need 6 - 7 USB ports and a HDMI port. I am guessing docks no longer sport a FWire port? Any suggestions are welcome. I am running Logic X and some Arturia software, nothing complicated. Is M3 an overkill? Thank you Best Adam Edited December 16, 2023 by bebenavole Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bebenavole Posted December 16, 2023 Author Share Posted December 16, 2023 browsing around and I found this dock https://www.tonerpartner.hr/i-tec-usb-3-1-usb-c-metalna-prikljucna-stanica-za-apple-macbook-pro-power-delivery-74890hr/?utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=nabava.net&utm_campaign=nabava.net Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loukash Posted December 16, 2023 Share Posted December 16, 2023 5 hours ago, bebenavole said: browsing around and I found this dock This kind of docks uses up both of your Thunderbolt ports while it cannot guarantee that all devices will actually work via the dock. Avoid! Get a dock with a short cable instead so that you always have the built-in port free for the audio interface. To hook the RME 802 up, simply get a straight high quality USB-B to USB-C cable. Just recently I bought three 4 m (!) long Delock cables. They work even with a device like the Line6 HX Stomp which is very picky about USB cables (see line6.com/support/forum/86-helix for all the failure reports). 5 hours ago, bebenavole said: My old laptop Late 2012 MBPro is not cutting it anymore. Yeah, I've been with the mid-2012 predecessor until just recently… 5 hours ago, bebenavole said: I am currently looking at an M3 14'' MBP laptop and my questions are: Is this a good choice for the price? Earlier this year I was also looking at both the 14" and 16" MBP M2, and I figured that for me it was not worth the price. Reasons: I need 2TB internal SSD, and that makes the MBPs way too pricey 14" display is too small after working with a 15" for the past 18 years So I have opted for the 15" MBAir instead, "fully loaded", and it is definitely worth it. 5 hours ago, bebenavole said: 3 external HDrives - all USB - one is used for recording Not worth the hassle unless they are SSD. Nowadays, "old school" spinning hard drives are OK as cheap backup storage only. 6 hours ago, bebenavole said: RME 802 soundcard currently running on Firewire also has USB Do they still have compatible drivers for MacOS Sonoma? 6 hours ago, bebenavole said: A Midi Keyboard, mouse, and typing keyboard - All USB Those should just work. Heck, even my antique M-Audio Oxygen8 keyboard still works on Ventura, albeit with "hacked" drivers. 6 hours ago, bebenavole said: HDMI for the 2nd monitor MBP has a port built in. MBA hasn't, thus I have bought a Linq Connects 8in1 dock (HDMI, USB-A, USB-C, SD card, Ethernet) which works alright. 6 hours ago, bebenavole said: I am guessing docks no longer sport a FWire port? FireWire audio is officially dead as of Ventura. There are hacks available via using the Apple Thunderbolt-to-FW adapters, but they don't work with all interfaces; definitely not with my Alesis and M-Audio. Whether the hacks even still work on Sonoma, I don't know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bebenavole Posted December 16, 2023 Author Share Posted December 16, 2023 thanks for your reply. Is the M2 twice as powerful as the M1? MBAir looks tempting. Been reading the RME forums and yes it is supposed to work with Sonoma. Regarding Logic. Do I have to purchase it again or I just download the version I bought? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loukash Posted December 17, 2023 Share Posted December 17, 2023 15 hours ago, bebenavole said: Is the M2 twice as powerful as the M1? No. There are a plenty of benchmark charts available online, e.g. at arstechnica.com if you're interested in numbers. Also, there are many other factors that are just as important. 15 hours ago, bebenavole said: Regarding Logic. Do I have to purchase it again or I just download the version I bought? If you have already bought Logic 10 from the App Store, then you can download it on any MacOS using the Apple ID you've bought it with. Theoretically it should be possible to download Logic as far back as v10.0.0 on MacOS Mountain Lion, although in my test a few years ago that didn't work anymore. But no problems e.g. on El Capitan (Logic v10.3.3) and above. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bebenavole Posted December 17, 2023 Author Share Posted December 17, 2023 Now if i could only remember my Apple ID password 😄 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loukash Posted December 17, 2023 Share Posted December 17, 2023 1 hour ago, bebenavole said: if i could only remember my Apple ID password https://support.apple.com/HT204921 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rAC Posted December 29, 2023 Share Posted December 29, 2023 I have a FF800 working in Sonoma so the FF802 shouldn’t be a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bebenavole Posted December 29, 2023 Author Share Posted December 29, 2023 8 hours ago, rAC said: I have a FF800 working in Sonoma so the FF802 shouldn’t be a problem. Cool. What is your setup like? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rAC Posted December 29, 2023 Share Posted December 29, 2023 (edited) @bebenavole its in my sig. Edited December 29, 2023 by rAC Add photo of setup Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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