New computer suggestions?

Brownmatthall

Power User
So a couple of weeks ago my trusty laptop gave out on me and I've been shopping around since, but I'm not really seeing anything too enticing to be honest. I'd rather not spend too much seeing as how my computer use has been reduced to pretty much just DAW related tasks, so the specs should be geared toward that. I'm also on the fence about laptop vs desktop, portability is a plus but most laptops are inherently weaker on the other end of things. I also wouldn't be opposed to going mac either, seeing how most of my workflow now consists of plugs that work on both windows and mac.
 
On the Mac side, if you can find a used quad-core i7 Mac Mini it's upgrade-able w.r.t memory and disk. You can make a sweet, little DAW out of one and the 4-cores, while not the fastest out there, will smoke a 2-core i5 host on multi-threaded loads (which is what DAWs have lots of...threads).

They show up on Apple's official refurb from time to time too: https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MD388LL/A/mac-mini-23ghz-quad-core-intel-core-i7

Full disclosure: I am an Apple die-hard. While there are windows PCs surrounding me in the house, I am the lone Apple hold-out.
 
On the Mac side, if you can find a used quad-core i7 Mac Mini it's upgrade-able w.r.t memory and disk. You can make a sweet, little DAW out of one and the 4-cores, while not the fastest out there, will smoke a 2-core i5 host on multi-threaded loads (which is what DAWs have lots of...threads).

They show up on Apple's official refurb from time to time too: https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MD388LL/A/mac-mini-23ghz-quad-core-intel-core-i7

Full disclosure: I am an Apple die-hard. While there are windows PCs surrounding me in the house, I am the lone Apple hold-out.
Definitely piqued my interest, especially considering my old CPU was a dual core i5...I'll be sure to keep an eye out
 
When I first got into home recording, I had a ProTools platform with a Windows PC. I had system issues galore (she had a sister in the movies). Granted, it was many years ago, and the newer technology has improved, but I finally gave up on the PC and went Mac. It cost me a pretty penny, but since going Mac, I have had almost no system issues. Put me in the Mac column.
 
My vote is for MAC as well. I have had PC's my whole adult life until around 5 years ago and then switched to an imac and a mac book pro. I also use a PC at work currently. I still have constant issues ( at work) with windows crashing, stopping, timing out etc etc.
My MAC's just plain work and I never worry about them. Which is really all I want from a computer. Easy to use, good UI and works.
 
Mac - A Thousand Times, Yes
Beta branch - Never Again. I did the High Sierra beta and it really messed my world up.
 
I have been a mac user for years, and for years I would have totally been in agreement with these guys and say get a mac. Apple have been neglecting the mac for years now though, and pretty much only focus on phones and iPads. I am actually looking at jumping to PC for performance reasons. If you need a high performance pro machine, they still offer nothing in this department after 5 years (imac pro is a joke IMO - can't even swap ram). The only thing stopping me is that all my projects are stuck in logic.

If you change now, just be aware that you may regret it long term. They are form over function nowadays, and unfortunately this is very profitable for them, so unlikely to change back to making practical computers any time soon.
 
Locked in by software. Do those guys know market strategy, or what? ;)
Brilliant. I can't argue with the strategy. Mind you, the iMac I bought is more than I need for my home computer needs. I don't game or really push in any way. I expect another 10 years out of it, same as my last iMac.
 
I’m so ready to make the jump to Mac. Growing more frustrated with all my Windows PC and laptops by the day. My main laptop running windows 10 has done an update EVERYDAY for the past 2 weeks. WTH?
 
Both of my DAW machines are still on Win7 X64. I toyed with Win8 and Win10 on a test machine to see if it was a good option for music recording/production, and my Win7 machines just performed better. That said, I still run some 32bit plugins that simply don't play well under W8 or W10. Some of them I can't upgrade since they're not offered anymore, so at some point I'll have to find an alternative, I know. For now, though...Win7x64 is the bees knees for my needs. Still running strong on 2 Dell 1745 Studio laptops I bought in 2009.

I used to work on Macs, and in all honesty I wish I'd taken the plunge years ago. I'm just too heavily invested in Windows at this stage.
 
I'm using a MacBook Pro bought around this time in 2014. Honestly, it doesn't feel like a 4 year old computer. At this stage of life, my old Toshiba, Gateway and Dell were all falling apart.

Mind you, my MacBook is an i7 with 16 gigs of ram and a 500 gig SSD. Top notch for the time I bought it and not bad even now. I plan to keep it a couple more years before upgrading.
 
I am also a die hard Mac guy. Just upgraded from a 2011 MBP which crapped out on me to a 2017 MBP and it is amazing. I set up an external 27" monitor so I can plug it in and have my little digital home studio, with a bluetooth mouse and keyboard, but then can unplug and take it with me. For me, it's the perfect setup as I use Garageband. Not a pro by any standard, but GB works great for me.
 
For me, it's the perfect setup as I use Garageband. Not a pro by any standard, but GB works great for me.
GarageBand is excellent. This is something people don’t consider in the TCO calculation of a Mac. You get a well-featured DAW, a fully featured office suite, included in the price you’re paying.
 
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