Macbook Pro vs Mac Mini?

[Vince Caruana]

Looking to get my first recording computer in a few weeks. I'm going with 16g of ram for sure. I'm not sure which one would be best for what I'm looking for. I just want to run my guitar into an Interface and use a DAW with a few plugins, maybe like a keyboard down the line. Very importantly I do want to get into video editing and get a legitimate youtube channel together that is halfway professional, so I need to be able to manage both. I am pretty clueless as far as computer tech goes but I hear both of these are pretty good. As far as the computer/keyboard /mouse or laptop itself I'm not really looking to go past 2200 dollars. It will be a stay at home computer. I'm aware I will need to buy other things like monitors, the interface etc.

 

[sezna]

the mac mini hardware is sort of stuck in the past. if you have the cash, go for macbook or imac

 

[Jeff]

the mac mini hardware is sort of stuck in the past. if you have the cash, go for macbook or imac

Nope. It was just updated a few months ago.

 

[Synllip]

Which Macbook Pro are we talking about? 13" or 15"? If we compare the 15" with the Mac Mini, the 15" MBP will be a bit better suited since you want to get into video editing, the Mini has an integrated GPU only so it would limit your editing experience.

 

[Vince Caruana]

Which Macbook Pro are we talking about? 13" or 15"? If we compare the 15" with the Mac Mini, the 15" MBP will be a bit better suited since you want to get into video editing, the Mini has an integrated GPU only so it would limit your editing experience.

I Def want the 15 over the 13. I just wish they came with bigger screens man.

 

[Vince Caruana]

the mac mini hardware is sort of stuck in the past. if you have the cash, go for macbook or imac

I saw an imac for like 1700 with 16 gig of ram at best buy and it looked pretty great. Idk about the rest of the specs though. How do they compare to the higher end macbooks?

 

[Synllip]

I Def want the 15 over the 13. I just wish they came with bigger screens man.

You can still hook up with another screen, and you'll have a very versatile setup, mobility + desktop. I have a 15" too and to be honest the screen could be bigger but it isn't that bad at all, I don't think it will limit your creativity.

 

[Vince Caruana]

You can still hook up with another screen, and you'll have a very versatile setup, mobility + desktop. I have a 15" too and to be honest the screen could be bigger but it isn't that bad at all, I don't think it will limit your creativity.

How about this imac? I would just wanna get the 16gig ram to start. Idk alot about specs.

https://www.apple.com/shop/buy-mac/imac/27-inch-3.4ghz-1tb

 

[Synllip]

How about this imac? I would just wanna get the 16gig ram to start. Idk alot about specs.

https://www.apple.com/shop/buy-mac/imac/27-inch-3.4ghz-1tb

If you want to go with the iMac route avoid Fusion Drive since they're known to bring problems and slowdowns, and go with an SSD. You can get an external drive to store files if you opt for a smaller sized SSD.
iMacs are great because they're powerful and you got a giant screen + keyboard + mouse. What DAW are you thinking of using? I recommend Logic Pro X if you have no other in mind, it's easy to use, simple and takes advantage of the hardware.

 

[Vince Caruana]

If you want to go with the iMac route avoid Fusion Drive since they're known to bring problems and slowdowns, and go with an SSD. You can get an external drive to store files if you opt for a smaller sized SSD.
iMacs are great because they're powerful and you got a giant screen + keyboard + mouse. What DAW are you thinking of using? I recommend Logic Pro X if you have no other in mind, it's easy to use, simple and takes advantage of the hardware.

I just had reaper in mind to start on for learning, idk if that's mac compatable. Just something easy to lean on with good editing capabilities and something I can download amp sims on.

 

[sezna]

Nope. It was just updated a few months ago.

thats the one im talking about, the specs are not very good

 

[Synllip]

I just had reaper in mind to start on for learning, idk if that's mac compatable. Just something easy to lean on with good editing capabilities and something I can download amp sims on.

Yes, it's Mac compatible and very user friendly and will work with what you have in mind.

 

[Jeff]

thats the one im talking about, the specs are not very good

Good for what? My MacBook Pro is fours old, and does 70 tracks in Logic, and edits 4K movies easily. The new Mac Minis are faster than that.

 

[Masoo2]

Good for what? My MacBook Pro is fours old, and does 70 tracks in Logic, and edits 4K movies easily. The new Mac Minis are faster than that.

His budget is $2200 or less and the specs on a Mac Mini for that much come out to be just a six core i7, 32 gigs of RAM, and a horrible integrated GPU. For the same money you could easily get a 12 core i9 and 32/64 gigs of RAM alongside whatever storage options you want. Of course, this would be going the Hackintosh route or just using Windows, but the Mac Minis are not specced well for the price at ALL.

A 15 inch Macbook Pro for the same price won't be much better, mind you, but at least it's a fully functioning computer system rather than a computer with no display/peripherals/etc AND it's portable

This is all just about value for the money, I'm sure whatever would likely work fine (ie: your case of 70 tracks in Logic), but if you can get more than fine within budget why wouldn't you?

 

[sezna]

Good for what? My MacBook Pro is fours old, and does 70 tracks in Logic, and edits 4K movies easily. The new Mac Minis are faster than that.

My complaint is mainly value for money with the integrated GPU, mediocre i7, and lack of flexibility. Yeah, it’ll be enough, but if you can get better for the same money, why not?

 

[Jeff]

My complaint is mainly value for money with the integrated GPU, mediocre i7, and lack of flexibility. Yeah, it’ll be enough, but if you can get better for the same money, why not?

Get better from whom?

 

[Jeff]

His budget is $2200 or less and the specs on a Mac Mini for that much come out to be just a six core i7, 32 gigs of RAM, and a horrible integrated GPU. For the same money you could easily get a 12 core i9 and 32/64 gigs of RAM alongside whatever storage options you want. Of course, this would be going the Hackintosh route or just using Windows, but the Mac Minis are not specced well for the price at ALL.

A 15 inch Macbook Pro for the same price won't be much better, mind you, but at least it's a fully functioning computer system rather than a computer with no display/peripherals/etc AND it's portable

This is all just about value for the money, I'm sure whatever would likely work fine (ie: your case of 70 tracks in Logic), but if you can get more than fine within budget why wouldn't you?

Who’s supporting the Hackintosh? I work in IT, I know full well Apple hardware isn’t bleeding edge. But there comes a point where the desire to run MacOS is greater than getting better PC specs and putting up with a Hackintosh or Windows. This “bigger is better” bullshit gets old on forums. A Mini will do EXACTLY what he needs, with a warranty and no issues.

 

[Elric]

Nope. It was just updated a few months ago.

Agreed. The new one is sweet.

The Macs work so well for audio... it is not all about specs. Some of it is the overall architecture of the system... My 2015 MBP with a thunderbolt audio interface is a crazy good DAW and the new Mac mini is an awesome choice. Those things are bargains. IMHO.

 

[Jeff]

Agreed. The new one is sweet.

The Macs work so well for audio... it is not all about specs. Some of it is the overall architecture of the system... My 2015 MBP with a thunderbolt audio interface is a crazy good DAW and the new Mac mini is an awesome choice. Those things are bargains. IMHO.

I agree. The thought process of "well, this Mini will completely satisfy the OP's needs, but since it's not as fast as the equivalent PC hardware, let's recommend a complete switch to Windows or a completely unsupported install of MacOS" is insane. There are opinions, and then there are just plain shitty advice.

 

[Flappydoodle]

I vote for Mac Mini. Amazing platform for audio production. The i7 is super fast, you can upgrade the RAM yourself, and the SSD is screaming fast (like 3GB/s read and write speeds) which makes loading projects/samples/libraries/etc super fast. It's also totally silent, takes only a small space on your desk, and it has all the ports you need to connect lots of modern peripherals.

The only downside is the weak GPU, but for audio that's totally irrelevant.

For video editing, GPU can be important, depending on the software you plan to use and the type of editing you plan to do (cutting and cropping video, or applying effects, using CGI etc). There are lots of YouTube reviews about whether Mac Mini is suitable for video editing - most say yes. It's only render times where others may be faster, but if you're just starting out, that really won't be a limiting factor. Your skills will be more limiting than the speed you can bounce a video.