Replacing my 2010 Mac Pro - Trashcan? M1 Mini? M1 Studio?

BusheySi · October 2022

I currently have a 2010 Mac Pro (3.46 GHz 6 core) with 32 GB of ram. I use it for recording and mixing, predominantly in Logic X and I use a fair amount of plugin instruments (Superior Drummer, Omnisphere, etc) and plenty of plugins on projects which typically come in around 30-40 tracks.

In short - my Mac doesn't like it any more. Mixing has becoming a pain due to constant overloads, latency is a huge issue on any project that has more than a few plugins on and the whole creative process has become a bit of an IT related chore/workaround.

I can't upgrade my Mac Pro any more (ram is maxed) - so it seems the options are:

- A trashcan Mac Pro with 12 core 2.7GHz and 64GB ram - about £1k used.
- A new M1 Mini with 16GB ram and 512gb storage - £1,100
- Used M1 Max Studio 10 core 64GB ram with 512gb - around £1,600

Sadly I don't have the cash for the new Mac Pro!

From what I can see online, the M1 Mini is really very good for Logic and outperforms the trashcan. Does anyone think the Studio is a big upgrade on the Mini and worth the extra cash? I HATE upgrading hardware and want this upgrade to last for as long as my Mac Pro has (a good 7 years).

GoFish · October 2022

The M1 should outperform the old trashcan, particularly in power requirements - it's also more future proof, I would think. The RAM is to stingy though and you'd have to factor in a massive upgrade there, which would get you to around used studio prices. Given that it is likely to be lightly used only, That's what I'd aim for. People who know far more than me will chime in soon, and I'd be interested to hear their opinions.

allen · October 2022

I'm not sure, my only qualification is that I've just upgrade to an M1 studio and I'm happy with it.

My rule of thumb when buying hardware is to buy the absolute maximum ram and horsepower that you can afford even if you don't envisage using it, because you can be pretty sure that there will be more software in the future that will need it.

The logic being that you avoid being on the continuous upgrade merry go round for as long as possible, which in itself is expensive in time and money.

BusheySi · October 2022

allen said:

I'm not sure, my only qualification is that I've just upgrade to an M1 studio and I'm happy with it.

My rule of thumb when buying hardware is to buy the absolute maximum ram and horsepower that you can afford even if you don't envisage using it, because you can be pretty sure that there will be more software in the future that will need it.

The logic being that you avoid being on the continuous upgrade merry go round for as long as possible, which in itself is expensive in time and money.

Yes I've always followed that logic!! But with the M1 that's supposed to have changed. Supposedly single core performance drives logic more than multi-core - so I was hoping to get some 'real-world' feedback.

Macca_25387 · October 2022

I went from a 2012 Mb pro to a M1 machine last year and it’s been pretty flawless in my experience. I’m using Harrison Mixbus not Logic so can’t comment on logic. I’ve run some fairly big sessions without any fuss up to now.

spark240 · October 2022

I went from 2012 mac mini to Base model M1 mini...I did a few vids if its of interest...

BusheySi · October 2022

Macca_25387 said:

I went from a 2012 Mb pro to a M1 machine last year and it’s been pretty flawless in my experience. I’m using Harrison Mixbus not Logic so can’t comment on logic. I’ve run some fairly big sessions without any fuss up to now.

How many mb of ram does that M1 have? I’m thinking a mini with 16gb should do it for me

Macca_25387 · October 2022

16gb. From my experience i would say so.

octatonic · October 2022

BusheySi said:

I currently have a 2010 Mac Pro (3.46 GHz 6 core) with 32 GB of ram. I use it for recording and mixing, predominantly in Logic X and I use a fair amount of plugin instruments (Superior Drummer, Omnisphere, etc) and plenty of plugins on projects which typically come in around 30-40 tracks.

In short - my Mac doesn't like it any more. Mixing has becoming a pain due to constant overloads, latency is a huge issue on any project that has more than a few plugins on and the whole creative process has become a bit of an IT related chore/workaround.

I can't upgrade my Mac Pro any more (ram is maxed) - so it seems the options are:

- A trashcan Mac Pro with 12 core 2.7GHz and 64GB ram - about £1k used.
- A new M1 Mini with 16GB ram and 512gb storage - £1,100
- Used M1 Max Studio 10 core 64GB ram with 512gb - around £1,600

Sadly I don't have the cash for the new Mac Pro!

From what I can see online, the M1 Mini is really very good for Logic and outperforms the trashcan. Does anyone think the Studio is a big upgrade on the Mini and worth the extra cash? I HATE upgrading hardware and want this upgrade to last for as long as my Mac Pro has (a good 7 years).

Don't buy a Trashcan.

I have an M1 Max Studio- it is the 10 core with 32GB and 512GB storage.
That will do anything you need it to and for quite a while to come.

My main system is the 2019 Mac Pro- it still out performs the base model Studio (multicore anyway, which is what you want for audio) and has a lot more expansion than a Studio does.

The problem with the Studio is the lack of expandability.
Proper hard drive expansion over thunderbolt is noisy- I have my hard drives on a long (10m) Thunderbolt 3 cable (which is £400 on its own) in the machine room but most people won't have that.

If I had my time again I'd get a 2TB internal in the Studio but it is my 2nd studio computer so it isn't a problem for now.

I wouldn't buy an M1 Mini right now.
16GB is probably ok now- but it won't be with large Logic sessions in 2 years time.
32GB or 64GB would be preferable.

BusheySi · October 2022

octatonic said:

BusheySi said:

I currently have a 2010 Mac Pro (3.46 GHz 6 core) with 32 GB of ram. I use it for recording and mixing, predominantly in Logic X and I use a fair amount of plugin instruments (Superior Drummer, Omnisphere, etc) and plenty of plugins on projects which typically come in around 30-40 tracks.

In short - my Mac doesn't like it any more. Mixing has becoming a pain due to constant overloads, latency is a huge issue on any project that has more than a few plugins on and the whole creative process has become a bit of an IT related chore/workaround.

I can't upgrade my Mac Pro any more (ram is maxed) - so it seems the options are:

- A trashcan Mac Pro with 12 core 2.7GHz and 64GB ram - about £1k used.
- A new M1 Mini with 16GB ram and 512gb storage - £1,100
- Used M1 Max Studio 10 core 64GB ram with 512gb - around £1,600

Sadly I don't have the cash for the new Mac Pro!

From what I can see online, the M1 Mini is really very good for Logic and outperforms the trashcan. Does anyone think the Studio is a big upgrade on the Mini and worth the extra cash? I HATE upgrading hardware and want this upgrade to last for as long as my Mac Pro has (a good 7 years).

Don't buy a Trashcan.

I have an M1 Max Studio- it is the 10 core with 32GB and 512GB storage.
That will do anything you need it to and for quite a while to come.

My main system is the 2019 Mac Pro- it still out performs the base model Studio (multicore anyway, which is what you want for audio) and has a lot more expansion than a Studio does.

The problem with the Studio is the lack of expandability.
Proper hard drive expansion over thunderbolt is noisy- I have my hard drives on a long (10m) Thunderbolt 3 cable (which is £400 on its own) in the machine room but most people won't have that.

If I had my time again I'd get a 2TB internal in the Studio but it is my 2nd studio computer so it isn't a problem for now.

I wouldn't buy an M1 Mini right now.
16GB is probably ok now- but it won't be with large Logic sessions in 2 years time.
32GB or 64GB would be preferable.

That's really helpful, thanks a lot.

Macca_25387 · October 2022

Good advice from Octatonic. I did buy my M1 before the studio out came as my 2012 mb was getting sluggish. i am very tempted to upgrade just for the thought of longevity, even tho currently the M1 i have hasn’t skipped a beat with anything i’ve done in the last 16 months or so. Even early on under Rosetta programs ran smoothly now it’s a breeze. My projects aren’t massive and are mostly recorded material rather than virtual instruments.

Funkfingers · April 2023

octatonic said:
I wouldn't buy an M1 Mini right now. 16GB is probably ok now- but it won't be with large Logic sessions in 2 years time.

I resurrected this Discussion six months on to support octatonic's assertion. The demands on CPU power by virtual instruments and their DAW host is ever-increasing.

I finally gave in to temptation and purchased a couple of Spectrasonics Omnisphere 2 Sonic Expansions. These are addictive, with endless options for detailed tweaking. My old iMac is bearing managing to keep all of the plates spinning.

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Replacing my 2010 Mac Pro - Trashcan? M1 Mini? M1 Studio?

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