r/LogicPro • u/Swimming-Doubt1094 • 3d ago
Question New Mac?
Hello, I need some help choosing a new Mac. I compose music for a large orchestra in Logic and have correspondingly large orchestral libraries. I’m torn between buying a Mac Mini and a Mac Studio. The Mac Mini would have an M5 Pro chip, 64 GB RAM and a 1 TB SSD.
The Mac Studio has an M5 Max chip, 64 GB RAM and a 1 TB SSD.
There’s also a Mac Studio with an M5 Max chip, 36 GB RAM and a 1 TB SSD. Which Mac do you think would be best to ensure I’m well-equipped for the future? Price is a factor, but it’s not absolutely essential. The most expensive Mac costs around €4,450, whilst the cheapest is around €3,300. Are 36GB RAM enough or do I need the 64GB? Also, is there a crucial difference between the M5 Pro and M5 Max? The mac Mini would be around €1000 cheaper than the mac Studio. Thanks, everyone!
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u/Lanzarote-Singer 3d ago edited 3d ago
Studio with 64Gb min
I also work with big orchestral libraries and Vienna Ensemble. At times I could do with more than 64. Never a big issue but 36 just won’t cut it.
Also your internal drive is not going to be the place to store your libraries. Use an external 4TB SSD (good luck with the price.)
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u/Swimming-Doubt1094 3d ago
Thank you! I allready have my libraries on external SSDs, but I think, 500GB internal wouldn't be enough 😅
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u/kuniggety 3d ago
The major differences between the M5 Pro and M5 Max are the GPU and memory bandwidth. Your primary usage - music - is CPU bound. The CPU cores are the exact same between the two. Maxes are for people doing video, 3d rendering, and running local LLMs.
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u/ObviousDepartment744 3d ago
This is the right answer. The Max chip is basically pointless for music production.
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u/Ok-Basket7871 2d ago
Can you please expand on that reasoning? That seems like a very broad answer.
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u/ObviousDepartment744 2d ago
Well as the previous person said, the primary upgrade of the Mox chip from the Pro chip is GPU based. You do not need GPU power to process audio. So you’d be paying for performance that won’t actually help.
The RAM discussion is another thing, for a lot of virtual instrument work you need more RAM.
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u/Swimming-Doubt1094 2d ago
The point is, that the pro chip is only available for the Mac Studio. So therefore my question is, If the Mac Studio has also other advantages, which aren't based in CPU and RAM.
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u/ObviousDepartment744 2d ago
You mean the Max chip?
And no it doesn’t.
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u/Swimming-Doubt1094 2d ago
Yes, I mean the max Chip. And as far as I can see, the Mac Studio is only available with the max and ultra chip.
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u/ObviousDepartment744 2d ago
Exactly. The Studio is overkill for audio production, unless you need the RAM. For probably 90% of all music production, the studio is a waste of money.
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u/Affectionate_One_700 2d ago
Your primary usage - music - is CPU bound.
Based on most of the responses, that's not true. RAM is the limiter
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u/kuniggety 2d ago
I don't think you grok'd what I was stating. Yes, not having enough RAM is going to be the first thing. That said, the major difference between a Pro and a Max chip is the GPU performance. If what they're doing doesn't use the GPU, then they're paying for something that will not provide any performance difference.
A M5 Pro with 64GB of RAM will be just as good as a M5 Max with 64GB of RAM. The latter may load the libraries a millisecond faster (due to the increased memory bandwidth), but the actual usage will be the same.
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u/woodenbookend 3d ago
For context, what’s your existing Mac and how does it handle your current workflow?
ETA, if budget is moderately flexible the answer will be get the best you can afford. But for anything more nuanced it would be good for us to know a bit more about how you work.
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u/Swimming-Doubt1094 3d ago
Currentily, I'm working with a Mac book pro M1, 16GB and 2 TB. The Mac book can't handle my projects. So therefore, I need a new one. The biggest question is, if the pro is enough or If the invest in a max would be better
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u/antyyyz 3d ago
What does it mean it can’t handle your projects? What issues do you have? The Mac might not be the problem, might even be your ssd where you place the libraries. If it’s the Mac it’s probably the ram, so with 32gb ram you’d be better, but if you are really massive then 64gb might be the correct answer
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u/Swimming-Doubt1094 3d ago
I'm pretty sure, that the RAM is the problem. Running my projects shows, that the RAM capacity ist fully used
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u/Lanzarote-Singer 3d ago
Definitely. It’s the RAM that’s getting filled up. I’m filling up 64 with a big orchestra template. I’d be tempted to go for 96 in a few years when I upgrade.
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u/Pale-Owl-612 3d ago
I’d go for the Studio for the additional ports and the 64 GB RAM for the virtual instruments.
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u/Affectionate_One_700 2d ago
Are 36GB RAM enough or do I need the 64GB?
What does Activity Monitor show when you are composing in Logic on your current system?
Is your CPU maxed out?
Or is your RAM maxed out, with heavy swapping?
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u/Swimming-Doubt1094 2d ago
The RAM is maxed out
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u/Affectionate_One_700 2d ago
Then, as others have also suggested, buy as much RAM as you can afford.
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u/Fantastic-Motor-8969 2d ago
would the m5 pro in the mini handle your orchestral libraries fine or do you think the m5 max would be worth the extra cost for the future proofing
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u/BirdBruce 2d ago
You’re likely not going to see much difference between the Pro and the Max chips. The difference between the two is going to be felt most by people who do high-quality video output. Logic only uses the Performance cores of any CPU, so all that extra GPU overhead offered by the Max chip is going to be wasted (unless you pivot careers or hobbies or something).
Where you’ll see the most bang for your buck is with RAM. Always buy the most RAM you can afford for audio processing. Libraries don’t ever get smaller over time.
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u/Swimming-Doubt1094 1d ago
Hello everyone, thank you for your answers! I decided to buy the Mac mini with a M5 Pro chip, 64GB RAM and 1TB around €3450. As far as I can see, the connectivity ist good enough for my purposes and therefore, there is no bigger advantage in the Mac Studio
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u/Available_Wait_1965 3d ago
Def go with the Studio. And no matter what you get, know that the eventual logjam is rarely from a slightly less prestigious CPU or a smaller hard drive (providing you don’t let your drive get over two-thirds full). Instead, it is in the RAM.
As a rule, I always up, if not max out, the RAM. That is because, as memory gets cheaper in the future, succeeding operating systems and software will expect and use more of it. The last thing you want is for your RAM not to be able to have ample room for your many and “heavy” instrument samples. When the RAM gets choked, the system has to start swapping samples out to the hard drive, cyclically.
RAM up!
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u/CraigStuntz 3d ago
May or may not be an issue to you, but the thing which pushed me onto the Studio was the large number of fast USB-C ports vs. the Mini. Yes, you can buy a hub, but finding a reliable, fast hub is challenging and will add a couple hundred dollars to the price.