koinv Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 Hey, I'm currently using a late 2009 Standard Macbook, which has 2.26 GHz Core 2 Duo processors and I upgraded the ram to 8GB. However, the songs I am producing on Logic have often 75+ tracks and my CPU cannot cope. Because of this, I am looking into buying a new MacBook Pro with faster processors. Which one would definitely be able to cope with my projects (& plugins etc.) with no problems? I have narrowed my choices down to the 13-inch: 2.9GHz duel-core model and the 15-inch: 2.6GHz quad-core, as they are the most powerful. There is a big price difference between them, so if the 13 inch model will definitely be able to run these projects smoothly then I don't want to spend an extra £500 unnecessarily on the 15 inch model. Thanks in advance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deckard1 Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 Setting processor speed aside...you don't think you'll have problems mixing 75+ tracks on a 13" screen? That seems awfully small to begin with. Just curious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koinv Posted January 13, 2013 Author Share Posted January 13, 2013 I use an external monitor, so it's all good. I just need processors in a MacBook which aren't going to let me down and I can rely on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triplets Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 If you're not already doing it, remember to put these large projects on an external HD, firewire, usb3 or thunderbolt. Don't use usb2 and none of these "energy saving" or "green" drives. Besides that, a quad-core should be plenty for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koinv Posted January 13, 2013 Author Share Posted January 13, 2013 Thanks for the reply! Good point, but my macbook doesn't have a firewire or USB 3 port, only USB 2. Both the macbooks i suggested have USB3 and Thunderbolt, so from then on I can do that. Would the duel-core not be enough? To summarise my earlier post, is a 2.9GHz duel-core processor enough or is it worth and extra £500 investment for a 2.6GHz quad-core model? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveo12ax7 Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 From what I understand number of cores is the most influential component for increasing performance because Logic uses parallel threads to process channel strips based on how many cores you have. I'd guess that the extra cores will far outweigh the slight processor speed advantage. As far as knowing if 2 will be enough, I have no idea. Maybe someone with more experience on a similar system can help with that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koinv Posted January 14, 2013 Author Share Posted January 14, 2013 Ahh Ok, thanks! I asked a guy at apple today and he said that the number of cores is a big factor. He did say that the 2.3Ghz 15" Macbook Pro should be ok to cope with the projects I'm dealing with. So now the 13" is out of the question. Will there be any noticeable difference between the 2.3Ghz and 2.6Ghz 15 inch Macbook Pros for running Logic with many tracks and plugins? (Both Quad-Core). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triplets Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 The 2.3 ghz quad-core should be a great buy. Save the difference for external HDs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eriksimon Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 The difference between 2.3 and 2.6 is very straightforward:the 2.6 is 26/23 times (± 13 %) faster, the 2.3 is 23/26 times (± 12 %) slower. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koinv Posted January 16, 2013 Author Share Posted January 16, 2013 Ok! That's cleared things up. Thanks for the help everyone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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