Little differences between MBPs for audio

SubQ · Post by **SubQ** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 1:14 pm

Hi all,
Im buying a refurbished macbook pro, and some questions arose:

Will 512MB of Nvidia graphics make a difference in relation with 256MB? Remembering, I just do audio related stuff, no games or design.

Will 2.5Ghz processor overpower 2.4 noticeably?

5400RPM HD are enough for live use (16 channels and a lot of FXs)? I dont want to take an external drive when playing in clubs.

If these higher specs dont make a huge difference, Ill save US150 for other stuff.

thanks,

c

myxomat0515 · Post by **myxomat0515** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 1:27 pm

What up Sub

Out of those 3 upgrades you mentioned, look into upgrading to a faster HD.

The graphics card shouldn't really be an issue for you, and the little extra processing power you'll get with the 2.5 will be negligible. Pick up some extra RAM instead.

SubQ · Post by **SubQ** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 1:46 pm

yeah, thats my thougths also. 4GB RAM is a must have.

Do you know if I can upgrade the HD of a refurb at apple store? It is not easy to change it for yourself, and I dont want to loose the warranty.

myxomat0515 · Post by **myxomat0515** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 1:52 pm

Not sure about the HD upgrade when dealing with a refurb. I would definitely contact Apple about that though. It doesn't seem like asking too much, but who knows....

Tarekith · Post by **Tarekith** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 2:14 pm

5400rpm will be more than fast enough for that many tracks, I used to run 20+ on a 4200rpm. Personally when it comes to audio use, I think the best option is to always get the cheapest MBP, and then upgrade the RAM from someplace like newegg.com. I don't think any of the other options will really be all that noticeable to musicians.

SubQ · Post by **SubQ** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 2:33 pm

Thanks Tarekith!

glitchrock-buddha · Post by **glitchrock-buddha** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 4:12 pm

Don't bother with those upgrades.

2.5 is not noticeably better than 2.4
5400 rpm is just fine, in fact it saves you battery power and gets less hot.

Get the biggest hard drive you can - 500gb 5400rpm drives are pretty cheap for laptops. I'd get the cheapest one that comes with the mbp and then swap it out for a 500gb drive that you bought yourself.
And max out the ram (4gb likely) and you're set.

Little differences between MBPs for audio

Little differences between MBPs for audio

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