Should I buy a new Mac Pro?

Greetings.

I have used Cubase on Mac since 1992. In Nov, 2012 a buddy of mine and researched and built a pc with Windows 7, 64 bit, 32 gig ram, OS on 240 (?) SSD, 4 TB of reg. hard drives for samples, storage. Beefy machine, i7 Sandybridge processor, 6 core; it’s a nice machine. We built this machine for around $2,200. All the parts are pristine and it has worked pretty good for over a year now. Switched to the PC as I got mad at Apple and their huge prices.

However, I am a Mac user at heart. I am considering the new Mac Pro, but I would have to buy the expansion chassis at the price tag of $399 for my PCIe Motu hd192 system, also for my UAD 2 card. And,I have large dual monitor system that connects dvi to my (very, very nice) graphics card. This would require 2-$29 adapters, all in addition to $3,800 for the 6 cord model to switch to the new Mac. I still own a 2009 Mac Pro 2.66 Quad Core machine but am only using it for web design and some basic audio stuff.

I have to say, as much as I enjoy using this pc, I still dont trust the Windows OS. I keep thinking it’s going to just mess up, as I have heard that pcs just mess upon occasions.

Should I consider the new mac or just take my chances with my Windows 7 machine?

Opinions ???

Hi Sam,

So, no one may touch this question after a recent, now (thankfully) locked thread. Allow me to re-direct you…

If you’re up for making a few pots of coffee and spending the entire day reading this already infamous forum classic, you may actually glean a few nuggets of insight amid the vitriol-drenched mac/pc debate; of which, the question “should i buy a new mac pro” may also be wrung out like so much dirty water from soiled laundry:

Or, allow me to give you my abridged, abridged version:

“Sure, go for it. If you’re asking the question here, you’ll likely be very happy.”

My abridged version:

“Sure, if what you have now isn’t doing what you need and if you’ve got the funds, like OS X, aren’t overly focused on the benchmark wars and/or don’t want to build a computer yourself and are okay with the knowledge that someone, somewhere may have built a computer from individually sourced parts that bests your new Mac Pro for less money, you will surely be thrilled by the shiny new Mac Pro. And it will without question give you more fx and tracks than you currently enjoy.”

Other nuggets: Cubase is cross-platform! We have choices. Everyone wins. Hardcore orchestral users needing thousands of tracks can use Vienna Ensemble Pro and perhaps not need to upgrade their main DAW.

I think I got it all.

Cheers.

If you were talking about Windows 8 I might agree with you. I have been using my Intel 3.2x6 computer every day for 3 years now with no problems at all. I have had issues with Cubase or the odd plugin but none with the operating system or the computer. There should be plenty of life left in your computer. Use it and save up for the transition back at a later date. It seems to me that there might be an issue with UAD as the discontinuation of PCIe will be a real pain.
Keep the computer going as long as it is viable, then buy the best spec you can afford.

If you plan on heavy video editing and have a ton of money for the external peripherals, then go for it. Otherwise, I’d opt for a decked out iMac, utilizing your current PC as a slave using VEPro.

If you like OSX more than Windows,
If you want a computer with more performance,
If you find find that Apple prices are just too high for you,
then go for a Hackintosh.
Only sacrifice is you have to be willing to dig deep into Hackintosh stuff to make it work well.
But then again, you could even overclock a Hackintosh which is impossible for a Mac.

I am running Cubase 7.5.1 on a Hackintosh I7, overclocked at 4.5 Ghz , 6 cores, costed me about a third of the price you would pay for a mac with like wise specs.
And this Hackintosh is rocksolid and flies like the wind ; Cubase 7.5.1 runs beautifully on it.

Just my 2 cents.

I wouldn’t have any clue how to make a Hackintosh, plus would I have any support from Steinberg if I was using a Hacked computer?

I am thinking about the Mac update as I am not confident in this Windows world. The PC is running Cubase just fine, but I having problems with another program running under Windows.

Just thinking about the future and I have been maintaining my 2009 Mac Pro, my custom built Windows 2007 PC, my Windows 8 Lenovo Tablet/Laptop and my ipad and Android phone. I just want to simplify. Back before the pcs, I had an iphone and a Mac. Everything communicated and everything always worked.

Simplification sounds good right now. One platform, one deal, everything always synced.

Sounds like you might still have life in your 2009 Mac…especially if you’re not running a huge load for projects. I have a mid-2010 MBP and have hot-rodded it to the point that I could get plenty of life out of it although I wish I had a Thunderbolt option. Like you, I don’t care for Windows and am no longer interested in being an expert on OS tweaks to get things running clean and efficiently on a Windows machine…been there-done that! I would say if you haven’t maxed out your possibilities with what you have, why change? That said, if I was to upgrade, I’d go with a Mac Pro as you can no longer add additional HDs in the MBPs and the lack of several I/O ports is a disappointment too…the iMac is a good solution too and quiet with an SDD installed. Prices? You get what you pay for IMHO.

SuStudio,

Yes, I agree. At this point in my life, simplicity is my goal. Do my work, without having to do much to maintain. I can’t complain too much though, about the Windows machine. It flies, but It is not just about the computer. It is about my life. iphone, ipad, mac pro…all synced. I didn’t think I would like the cloud stuff, but it sure is convenient.

Thanks for the replies…gotta dump the piggy bank and count…

I’m also considering a new Mac Pro. I own two MacBooks and would like to have consistency across the board. For instance, I like having iMovie, Aperture and other products on multiple machines. My notes and contacts will work seamlessly on all machines. The few thousands dollars to me is not a big deal. Yes, lucky me. I choose to drive a 12 year old car and put my money into the things I enjoy. I use lots of virtual instruments although I’m not producing movie scores so I think the Mac Pro will work fine. I considered the iMac but I like to use three monitors and it would require far more expensive thunderbolt screens with up the cost to near the Mac Pro. I’ll most likely use two or more hard drives and will have to figure out the possess of separation.

Buck

Well, it’s quite simple if you can’t separate your DAW from the rest of your working life then go for the mac pro.


You’ll spend $4000.00 plus and get the same or worse performance than you have now using Cubase, if that’s worth it to have all Apple infrastructure then that’s your choice.

Are you getting 32 gigs of RAM and 4 TB of HD with your new Mac Pro?


Regarding not trusting windows OS, well all I can say is I turn out high profile work daily using my windows DAW, my Mac is used for transferring pro tools/Logic files or recently large video files for picture work out of final cut.

ALL OS WILL CRASH, MESS UP AT SOME POINT.

There’s nothing wrong with being all OSX but $4000.00 would go a long way to buying nice monitors/mic/pres/comps/ etc that would make a bigger difference to your musical life.

MC

p.s. I understand the whole infrastructure thing, I run windows 8.1 on all my machines along side a windows 8 phone and a surface tablet so I have everything sync’d with the sky drive cloud.

Hey, MC.

Until last year, like you all my devices matched and synced. Mac everything. iPhone, Mac Pro (2009), Macbook Pro (2006), a couple of other Macs inside my house for other chores…everything worked and synced. In 2012, I decided to build a PC and a buddy of mine and I built a good one. Researched for months and decided to go ahead. It is a very beefy machine and handles Cubase quite well.

In the first year and a half of operating the thing I have had to reformat the SSD and start over installing the OS drive twice, reload all the software, samplers and plug ins now three times, have trouble finding them all because all of the manufacturers put them in different places, and I am constantly switching back and forth between the Mac and the PC. I do website design on Mac in a program called Freeway Pro that is only for Mac OS. I have a 27 inch monitor and a 22 inch monitor both on arms and have one connected to a switcher box as I have the need to constantly go back and forth.

Cubase 7.5 has been great on the pc. Are you telling me that it is not so great on a Mac now? Yes, it is $4,000 and I’m not sure which direction to go. Is it worth the 4k to have everything synced? Recently I have been trying out an iPhone 5 to see if I like it better than my Galaxy S3 and it is a toss-up. I can’t find anything definitive that makes me like the iphone over my Android. A ton more apps on the iPhone platform than android, yes, but I’m just not sure. iOS7 has dropped being able to play podcasts from the music program and the iPhone and Mac World is very demanding about how it has to be run, when the Android is more of an “open” concept, allowing me to decide how to use the device. Pardon my rabbit trail, here.

If I buy a new Mac, I will have to buy a PCI chassis to run the UAD-2 Duo card and my Music System which is Motu hd192 on PCIx card. I have a PCIe card in my Mac still with an older Motu 1224 box. Or, I will have to change to a Thunderbolt Interface, probably the UAD Apollo in order to keep the UAD plugins I own.

Changing back to a Mac is going to require about 5k for the new Mac and $2,500 for the Apollo. That is a lot of dough. BUT----you say that all OS will crash at some point. I have worked on macs at home and at the office since the late 1980s and I can count on three fingers (and that may be too many) one has had a system crash and I can count on one hand the times the hardware has failed out of about 25 macs over the years I have owned or been directly responsible for.

I often hear stories of the PC people who make comments about their systems being bogged down and they have to spend a weekend reinstalling their Windows OS and all their software so the computers will run smoothly again. NEVER EVER had this issue on the mac.

I’m sitting here typing this on a Lenovo IdeaPad running Windows 8 and I have owned this for 5 months with no problems other than a few software updates. You are saying you have a complete Windows 8.1 system with the phone and everything? No apps for the phone, limited apps for the tablet and regular software for the computer.

I’m at loss as to what to do. Currently (and for about 7 months now) my Windows 7 pc running CUBASE 7.5 and all associated plug ins and VSTis is doing just fine. I use it every day, all is good. BUT, looming in the back of my mind is the dreaded day when the Windows OS crashes or the computer needs a re-install just because it isn’t running smoothly. There goes a weekend starting over again.

My thoughts, and I welcome yours.

I honestly think it’s down to how you use your computer. I have very little experience with Mac computers mind, but from my own experience with Windows I noticed that if I use it sensibly and am careful about what I install it’ll run absolutely fine for several years without needing a full reinstall.

For some considerations, I suggest you read my post to the The new ‘iCan’ MacPro thread.

From the above I would say you have your mind already made up. Personally I haven’t had any issues at all with windows 7 or 8 when it comes to stability. But if your more comfortable in OSx, and you personally prefer the mac OS then that would be the logical choice. As to your having issues with another program running under windows, that would be the fault of the other program, not the platform. I honestly think both windows and mac both make a very solid OS, and both have issues from time to time as well. It’s just what your most comfortable on, and from everything you have said, you have already made your decision.