New Macbook Air vs Pro for TP2
New Macbook Air vs Pro for TP2 Posted on: 04.08.2011 by Boyce Engbrecht Just wondering whether the new Air with the following specs:11-inch : 128GB 1.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor 4GB memory 128GB flash storage1 Intel HD Graphics 3000 would be a good choice to run traktor pro 2 with an s4 or would I be better with the base model MBP? | |
| Asuncion Vongunten 03.10.2011 | If you were only using Traktor I believe that the Air would be harder to argue against, but throw logic or ableton and music production into the mix and I believe the base model MBP makes the most sense. It will allow you to use a few more plugins without having to bounce down to audio so often. I have a MBP 13" i7 and I love it - all the new macs now have the second gen "Sandy Bridge" "i" processors and their power should not be underestimated. If I were you I'd check out amazon too, last time I looked the base model MBP was about |
| Asuncion Vongunten 03.10.2011 | If you were only using Traktor I believe that the Air would be harder to argue against, but throw logic or ableton and music production into the mix and I believe the base model MBP makes the most sense. It will allow you to use a few more plugins without having to bounce down to audio so often. I have a MBP 13" i7 and I love it - all the new macs now have the second gen "Sandy Bridge" "i" processors and their power should not be underestimated. If I were you I'd check out amazon too, last time I looked the base model MBP was about |
| Asuncion Vongunten 03.10.2011 | If you were only using Traktor I believe that the Air would be harder to argue against, but throw logic or ableton and music production into the mix and I believe the base model MBP makes the most sense. It will allow you to use a few more plugins without having to bounce down to audio so often. I have a MBP 13" i7 and I love it - all the new macs now have the second gen "Sandy Bridge" "i" processors and their power should not be underestimated. If I were you I'd check out amazon too, last time I looked the base model MBP was about |
| Asuncion Vongunten 03.10.2011 | If you were only using Traktor I believe that the Air would be harder to argue against, but throw logic or ableton and music production into the mix and I believe the base model MBP makes the most sense. It will allow you to use a few more plugins without having to bounce down to audio so often. I have a MBP 13" i7 and I love it - all the new macs now have the second gen "Sandy Bridge" "i" processors and their power should not be underestimated. If I were you I'd check out amazon too, last time I looked the base model MBP was about |
| Asuncion Vongunten 03.10.2011 | If you were only using Traktor I believe that the Air would be harder to argue against, but throw logic or ableton and music production into the mix and I believe the base model MBP makes the most sense. It will allow you to use a few more plugins without having to bounce down to audio so often. I have a MBP 13" i7 and I love it - all the new macs now have the second gen "Sandy Bridge" "i" processors and their power should not be underestimated. If I were you I'd check out amazon too, last time I looked the base model MBP was about |
| Asuncion Vongunten 03.10.2011 | If you were only using Traktor I believe that the Air would be harder to argue against, but throw logic or ableton and music production into the mix and I believe the base model MBP makes the most sense. It will allow you to use a few more plugins without having to bounce down to audio so often. I have a MBP 13" i7 and I love it - all the new macs now have the second gen "Sandy Bridge" "i" processors and their power should not be underestimated. If I were you I'd check out amazon too, last time I looked the base model MBP was about |
| Asuncion Vongunten 03.10.2011 | If you were only using Traktor I believe that the Air would be harder to argue against, but throw logic or ableton and music production into the mix and I believe the base model MBP makes the most sense. It will allow you to use a few more plugins without having to bounce down to audio so often. I have a MBP 13" i7 and I love it - all the new macs now have the second gen "Sandy Bridge" "i" processors and their power should not be underestimated. If I were you I'd check out amazon too, last time I looked the base model MBP was about |
| Asuncion Vongunten 03.10.2011 | If you were only using Traktor I believe that the Air would be harder to argue against, but throw logic or ableton and music production into the mix and I believe the base model MBP makes the most sense. It will allow you to use a few more plugins without having to bounce down to audio so often. I have a MBP 13" i7 and I love it - all the new macs now have the second gen "Sandy Bridge" "i" processors and their power should not be underestimated. If I were you I'd check out amazon too, last time I looked the base model MBP was about |
| nayit ruiz jaramillo 09.10.2011 |
Originally Posted by devonl
Originally Posted by devonl
Originally Posted by devonl
But having an SSD is pointless if you are also using an ext HD (first point above)
Originally Posted by devonl
I hear what ya saying though. I can see a roll for an Air but its pretty specific and not one that the average DJ will benefit from. |
| Asuncion Vongunten 03.10.2011 | If you were only using Traktor I believe that the Air would be harder to argue against, but throw logic or ableton and music production into the mix and I believe the base model MBP makes the most sense. It will allow you to use a few more plugins without having to bounce down to audio so often. I have a MBP 13" i7 and I love it - all the new macs now have the second gen "Sandy Bridge" "i" processors and their power should not be underestimated. If I were you I'd check out amazon too, last time I looked the base model MBP was about |
| Boyce Engbrecht 02.10.2011 | Despite all the positive reviews of the Air I believe i'll be going with the pro. The ability to upgrade really sold it to me as I can whack 8GB of ram in there and (when they become a bit cheaper) an SSD. I'm really hoping the processors get a refresh this month otherwise i've forfitted the |
| Danae Dumler 30.09.2011 |
Originally Posted by devonl
|
| Merlyn Marcinkowski 29.09.2011 |
Originally Posted by djproben
Devon |
| nayit ruiz jaramillo 09.10.2011 |
Originally Posted by devonl
Originally Posted by devonl
Originally Posted by devonl
But having an SSD is pointless if you are also using an ext HD (first point above)
Originally Posted by devonl
I hear what ya saying though. I can see a roll for an Air but its pretty specific and not one that the average DJ will benefit from. |
| Fred Offill 09.10.2011 | From a macbook air user i would suggest you a macbook pro . The air will run it just fine (i use the first gen and it works flawlessly) , but you wont be able to upgrade ram , harddrive , put a second hard drive ... It is light , thinner , but you loose so much features . If you're lugging around your tt's , cd's or controller , the little extra weight of the pro wont be noticeable . I prefer my old black macbook from 2006 then my air . |
| Merlyn Marcinkowski 08.10.2011 | Karlos - I agree with 90% of what you say. Especially "I believe people are convincing themselves that they are a good idea. No-one needs convincing that an MBP is a good idea... It just is." No-one needs convincing that an MBP is a good idea. It's tried and tested. "What you gain in less weight you will lose in an external HD." 13 inch vs 13 inch 3 lbs vs 5.5 lbs -- how heavy is your external drive? lol - mine is 12 ounces for 1tb "The 11" is too bloody small for decent viewing in a club." - buy the 13 inch "Connectivity is stifled. I have 2 FireWire soundcards should i wish to have both USB ports free on my MBP plus i have FireWire mixer." - for you ... i don't own a single firewire device so, not an argument "SSD is pointless (for Traktor use) and does not provide enough storage" - you couldn't be more wrong SSD is a HUGE performance gain, doesn't matter what software you're running. 256gb of storage is probably enough for a lot of people, especially if they're purchasing singles, maybe not if you're downloading torrents with complete discographies, which you shouldn't be.. especially if you're playing this music outside of your basement. |
| nayit ruiz jaramillo 07.10.2011 | I just dont see the point in a Macbook Air. Not a single one. What you gain in less weight you will lose in an external HD. The 11" is too bloody small for decent viewing in a club. Connectivity is stifled. I have 2 FireWire soundcards should i wish to have both USB ports free on my MBP plus i have FireWire mixer. SSD is pointless (for Traktor use) and does not provide enough storage, unless you get an Ext HD but then that defeats the object of an Air. I believe people are convincing themselves that they are a good idea. No-one needs convincing that an MBP is a good idea... It just is. Im currently debating whether my next MBP should be a 13" simply cus it will be a Traktor only machine and the 13" i5 is plenty powerful enuff. Im also getting the feeling that im sick of looking over and around a 15"...??? I just dunno. Im gonna borrow my mates and see if i like the 13" screen size or not. |
| Merlyn Marcinkowski 07.10.2011 | just do it ... |
| Boyce Engbrecht 07.10.2011 | Looks like waiting for a MBP refresh was a mistake! No processor upgrades announced at the iphone conference Does anybody know whether an upgrade is possible before christmas or do I just bite the bullet and buy one? |
| Somer Sheaffer 05.10.2011 | MBPRO FTWWWW and get the i7 also beef up your ram from 4gig to 8 gig have seen a substantial improvement since i changed!!! |
| Asuncion Vongunten 03.10.2011 | If you were only using Traktor I believe that the Air would be harder to argue against, but throw logic or ableton and music production into the mix and I believe the base model MBP makes the most sense. It will allow you to use a few more plugins without having to bounce down to audio so often. I have a MBP 13" i7 and I love it - all the new macs now have the second gen "Sandy Bridge" "i" processors and their power should not be underestimated. If I were you I'd check out amazon too, last time I looked the base model MBP was about |
| Boyce Engbrecht 02.10.2011 | Despite all the positive reviews of the Air I believe i'll be going with the pro. The ability to upgrade really sold it to me as I can whack 8GB of ram in there and (when they become a bit cheaper) an SSD. I'm really hoping the processors get a refresh this month otherwise i've forfitted the |
| Danae Dumler 02.10.2011 | LOL ... kinda defeats the point of buying a 1-lb laptop though |
| Venetta Cawyer 01.10.2011 | @djproben, you can get a Thunderbolt-to-firewire 800 adapter for just the small price of $999 excl. tax. You also get a display with that for free! Awesome, right? |
| Erin Coghill 01.10.2011 | the 13" screen on the air has really high screen resolution which makes traktor really nice to work with |
| Danae Dumler 30.09.2011 |
Originally Posted by devonl
|
| Merlyn Marcinkowski 29.09.2011 |
Originally Posted by djproben
Devon |
| Arlinda Finazzo 28.09.2011 | I'm running TP2 on my Macbook Air... but it's the 13" 1.7GHz i5 processor w/ 4GB RAM & 256GB SSD. But honestly I don't see any issues at all, and that's with full effects, loops, samples, going. With an external controller and separate external sound card running of both USB ports. I don't believe the 1.6GHz i5 on the 11" model with 4GB is going to have problems with it at all. My only concern for you would be the cramped 11" screen. But it's not like the base 13" Macbook Pro has better resolution, cause it's actually identical to the 11" screen resolution. 13" Air has better screen resolution than the 13" Pro... #1 reason why I picked the Air (that and the included SSD). |
| Danae Dumler 28.09.2011 | I'm seriously ready to get a Macbook air myself but damn it I need firewire... that's the one thing holding me back right now; when a thunderbolt to firewire adapter becomes available I am really looking hard at those. I'd say get the biggest SSD size and forget about your external for DJing; if you really have more than say 128 gig of tunes (half the largest SSD on the MBAs) put them on your external drive but then load the 100 gig you can't live without onto Traktor on the SSD. Externals work fine but it's one more point of failure you don't need, and when you have SSD on the computer, a USB drive is just a bottleneck. |
| Merlyn Marcinkowski 27.09.2011 | Tom, nothing in the computer world is even remotely future proof! Especially when it comes to Apple products, I'm not sure how they do it but man... they make the version you own feel ANCIENT when a new model comes out. The current Macbook Pros have been released for 215 days which is exactly the historical average for how long it takes for them to refresh that line (usually just under 8 months) They're holding a press conference next week for the iPhone. They may be talking about new Macbook Pros then as well. No idea about the requirements for Logic, Ableton or Traktor but I've been running Serato on my MacBook Air for some time now and haven't had any hiccups at all! the SSD is blazing fast. If you go for the Air get the 13" screen for sure, I couldn't imagine using this software on anything smaller and get the upgrade to 4gb ram - it's soldered to the board so you can't upgrade it later like the MBP Devon |
| Boyce Engbrecht 15.09.2011 | Sorry to bring this back but I still haven't made my mind up! I believe i've chosen the pro over the air but now it's down to spec. I will be using the mac for Traktor, Ableton and Logic (Logic is my main concern as I've never used it before so don't know how resource heavy it is). Will the following spec run these adequately and be pretty future proof? Macbook Pro 13" 2.3 i5 Processor 4GB Ram (Probably stick 8GB in there in a few weeks) 500GB HDD |
| Marva Lievsay 06.08.2011 |
Originally Posted by tombarton
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| Boyce Engbrecht 06.08.2011 | Anyone used the 11" screen for traktor? Never even thought i'd have this decision to make! It was 100% MBP last week until I actually started looking into these new airs! Think the Pro is still in front slightly as i can't afford the 13" Air. |
| Celine Surico 06.08.2011 | I believe if it's OK with an external hard disk then *any* MacBook Air is fine. Even if you lose some performance with the firewire transfers you gain a lot with the fast Solid State disk paging instead. |
| Venetta Cawyer 06.08.2011 | People getting their panties in a bunch over Ghz these days.. Have you been under a rock for the past 10 years? Efficiency per Ghz has gone trough the roof in the past couple of years. Thinking back to the 3.5Ghz Northwood Pentium IV's.. compairing them to the i5 1.6Ghz processors we have today. But the Pentium has way more gigahurtz you say? Correct. But not even nearly as fast, cool, awesome and powerful as the "low gigahurtz" 1.6Ghz i5. EDIT: Oh I totally forgot, the updates just happened, External HDD won't be an issue as long as you use a decent brand and make sure it's a powered HDD. Might even be cool to use a Thunderbolt HDD. |
| Boyce Engbrecht 05.08.2011 | So which one would you guys go for if you were buying now? I have an external HDD for my tunes so that's not a problem. The main issue i do see is the 11" screen being too small for traktor? Is it wise to buy a MBP now or is there going to be an update anytime soon? |
| Tatum Ansaldo 04.08.2011 | All I'd worry about is not having space for all my tunes. The clock speed of the current range of intels seems to bear no relation to their performance when compared to older ones, so don't read too much into the 1.6GHz. |
| Karoline Willger 04.08.2011 | FWIW, I was running TSP2 on a 3 yr old windows laptop with a 2ghz core 2 duo up until last week and I don't believe I saw much more than ~25% CPU utilization at any given time. I just installed it on a new lenovo T420 with an i5 and 6GB RAM and I haven't seen my CPU usage go much over 10% while running the program so far. Yes, you have a lower clock speed but, there are other features of the CPU that make it faster than a previous-gen @higher clock (hyper-threading, faster bus speed, larger cache, etc.) TL;DR - I wouldn't worry about any core i-series being able to run traktor. |
| Boyce Engbrecht 04.08.2011 | Really? Is the 1.6 processor enough? Is the base model MBP fine for traktor and ableton? |
| Jacquelyn Swiatkowski 04.08.2011 | They will both run Traktor equally well |
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