Need a new Mac but which one

[brolly]

Ok, just starting to research this and already overwhelmed.
I need a new Mac and I want a silicon one but which one?
I currently run a 2013 coffee grinder with 128gig of ram. I run 3 monitors and a tv and have a black magic dock running 4 x 2TB SSD’s.
I have no idea of cores etc but I do run a large orchestral template via VEP plus soft synths which want to continue to do but I also want to add plugins for mixing too.
So M1, M2, which one do you think.
I don’t have a massive budget but need something that can handle all this.
Have watched videos where they bench test different DAW’s but not my beloved DP.
TIA

[cuttime]

I'd go with as much RAM as you can afford and work from there. There's a lot of hype about Apple's "Unified Memory", but when it comes to large sample libraries there is nothing magical about it. An M1 for audio work should be just fine, but if you can afford a newer processor, go for it.

[brolly]

Thanks cuttime.
I’m currently looking at an Apple M1 studio ultra with 128 gig ram and 1 TB storage, slightly beyond my price range but worth the investment I think.
Brolly

[mikehalloran]

Ok, just starting to research this and already overwhelmed.
I need a new Mac and I want a silicon one but which one?
I currently run a 2013 coffee grinder with 128gig of ram. I run 3 monitors and a tv and have a black magic dock running 4 x 2TB SSD’s.
I have no idea of cores etc but I do run a large orchestral template via VEP plus soft synths which want to continue to do but I also want to add plugins for mixing too.
So M1, M2, which one do you think.
I don’t have a massive budget but need something that can handle all this.
Have watched videos where they bench test different DAW’s but not my beloved DP.
TIA

A Studio Ultra and the latest Mac Pro are the only current Macs that can handle 4 displays without eGPU such as DisplayLink. You don't say what your monitors are but they must hook up via HDMI or Thunderbolt 3/4/USB4. Do not believe Apple if they are still saying that DisplayPort is supported. Both have a USB4/TB4 bus for each USB-C port.

You'll likely be replacing that dock at some point. Compared to USB4/TB4/3, those are quite slow. TB3/4 is built on the USB4 spec but USB4 storage is a lot more budget friendly without Intel's licensing fees and restrictions (TB4 can't connect to USB 2 but USB4 can with a cable adapter). Some of us are using this with a 4TB or 8TB m.2 SSD
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0C8C ... asin_title

Thanks cuttime.
I’m currently looking at an Apple M1 studio ultra with 128 gig ram and 1 TB storage, slightly beyond my price range but worth the investment I think.
Brolly

Look in the Refurb Store at the M2 Ultra — some of those cost a little less than the M1 when available. If 128GB RAM was fine on your MP6.1, 64GB on a Studio will be more than enough.

integrated/Unified RAM is a lot more efficient than discrete. Although the rule of thumb is 4:1, I don't know that I buy into that ratio but 64GB is a lot better than the 128GB discrete RAM that your current Mac has. GPU is not a worry unless you are doing large AV projects — anything you buy will run circles around what you have.

Consider more internal storage. Apps including DP are a lot faster if your projects are on the System drive. You can offload them when done but you want more than enough onboard storage — especially if your eternal storage consists of SATA III SSDs.

[brolly]

Thanks so much Mike, I was hoping you were out there reading this.
x

[monkey man]

Mike's advice on such matters is a great blessing for us here IMHO.

[Phil O]

Mike's advice on such matters is a great blessing for us here IMHO.

+1

[HCMarkus]

especially if your eternal storage consists of SATA III SSDs.

Buried in an SSD? Now, THAT is news!

Mike's advice on such matters is a great blessing for us here IMHO.

Perhaps literally, apparently. But seriously, I concur.

Have watched videos where they bench test different DAW’s but not my beloved DP.

Apple Silicon loves DP. I've got an M1 Studio Ultra. With its 2TB Internal SSD set ups as two APFS Volumes, I've got System/Applications on one and Current Project Files/Audio on the second. DP and I are both very happy.

Your dock should be plenty fast to serve your VI Sample Data. As an owner of the Trashcan Mac, you are already used to dealing with lots of external storage, so the Mac Studio won't cause too much consternation.

Don't hang too much gear off unpowered USB Hubs; this caused startup issues (missing drives) for me.

[brolly]

Great stuff, that’s encouraging

[labman]

Mike's advice on such matters is a great blessing for us here IMHO.

Indeed!