Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Considering a new Macbook for using with Logic Pro X - need options..

surfnode

surfnode

macrumors regular
Original poster
Aug 27, 2013
147
51
United Kingdom
Hello,

I currently have an old 2012 Mac Mini 2.3Ghz i7, 16GB & 500GB SSD running MacOS Monterey OCLP.
Also have a 2008 MBP but this is ancient and can no longer tollerate Logic!

However Logic often gives me spinning beachballs which are a pain.

I am not 100% sure I can afford an M1 Macbook Air quite yet but wondering what peoples opinions are of newer models of Mac ranging from the 2015 MBP through to the 2017 Macbook Air and through to the 2019 MB Air and MBP models?
 
I use Logic Pro X on an M1 MBA 16/512 Apple refurb. It was $1229 USD. Knowing your budget instead of model years would be helpful.
 
the M1 era is here, and you'd be future-proofing if you go with a silicon mac. if not, newer is better (usually gains in power, speed). 16GB ram is a good minimum. the SSD... well, you can always store 'archived' work on an external (i do that).

macbook pros are better, and have fans (so can handle heavier workflows than the air). having said that, i have friends who run logic (or other DAWs) on airs, and seem happy.

as @WildSky points out... refurbished is a good way to go (see the bottom of the apple site for the refurb store). if you're thinking longterm, this is right time to go to an M1.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jeven Stobs
The challenge with the UK refurb store is less availability of stock than the US store. For example, today in the UK store there are no MBAs, only MBPs. If it's like the US store though the stock changes frequently, so one would check it often.

www.apple.com

Refurbished Mac Deals - Apple (UK)

Save up to 15% on a refurbished Mac. Tested and certified by Apple including a 1-year warranty. Free delivery and returns.
www.apple.com
 
Looking to spend around £900 / $1,000 MAX.

I'm by no means a professional musician, it's more of a hobby in my spare time.

Just need a machine so I can run Logic Pro, Native Instruments Komplete 12, Photoshop and Adobe Premier.
The rest would just be light web browsing, managing photos etc - nothing too heavy!

As an example I've seen this refurb item for £840: https://www.backmarket.co.uk/en-gb/...3nmnRMbtNM7oCzJCtCGHhoC3skQAvD_BwE#?l=12&l=12

I know I've seen a lot of videos on Youtube encouraging people to stretch to 16GB ram but hoping that 8GB would be enough.
 
You can create some light and short Logic Pro files with 8GB RAM. Same with Photoshop and Premier. You'd have to accept when working on something more complicated, you may run into slower performance. You may find you love Logic Pro and want to create increasingly complex compositions and start using third party plug-ins. And then you may regret getting only 8GB RAM.

Apple doesn't specify a minimum RAM requirement in its specs (https://www.apple.com/logic-pro/specs/). But you can read about user experiences with RAM specs at https://www.logicprohelp.com/search/?q=RAM&quick=1.

If it was my money, I wouldn't buy a refurb from any vendor other than Apple because I trust its refurb process. Some vendors call used items "refurbs" when in fact they haven't refurbed it at all. Before you take that leap, know what the return policy is and whether there's a warranty offered.

When you've made a decision, which I hope you'll take some time to do, let us know how it goes.

Added: I'd also read through the Komplete tech requirements to help with your decision (https://support.native-instruments....-Requirements-for-Native-Instruments-Products).
 
  • Like
Reactions: fisherking
I know it always seems daunting spending the extra money, but if you take into consideration the amount of future proofing the apple silicon macs will give you it then makes that extra bit of money worth it.
 
tygurr said:
I know it always seems daunting spending the extra money, but if you take into consideration the amount of future proofing the apple silicon macs will give you it then makes that extra bit of money worth it.
Click to expand...
I completely agree with this. Why spend $800-$1k on an older machine that’s going to get dated a lot quicker than an M1 machine.

If you can, just wait that little bit longer for an M1. Not only is it much more future proof, it’s also WAY faster than the other machines you’re considering.
 
How about an M1 Mac Mini with 16GB of RAM? Basically a direct upgrade to your own Mini, and often found cheaper than the M1 Air. You will find them well under your budget if you wait until after the October releases.
 
  • Like
Reactions: mr_jomo
I'd you are looking to spend $1,000 or less then a MBP 14/16 is out of the question. So waiting a month to see if the new MBP M2 versions come out seems a bit futile. They will most likely all be way over $1,000.

I have seen sales here in the USA for the M2 MBP 13" around $1000 and sometimes $1050 for a base model. If you don't mind the older form factor the M2 Pro 13" might be a good deal. It has a fan and a better gpu with a 512gb ssd standard. So it should perform well under load for an extended period of time. The screen is slightly smaller than the M2 air but same brightness and p3. BUT it has the Touch Bar which might be very helpful for some of the software you are considering. I know a lot of people hat the Touch Bar but it can be very useful for certain applications. I think the speakers would be a little better too.

I would look for sales on the M2 Pro 13" in the UK. You could get an M1 Air refurbished but all of the ones I have seen with 16gb ram cost a couple hundred over $1000. The M2 also has a video encoder for pro stuff so I really think for your use case the 13" MBP M2 would be the best bet. Here in the USA we have certain times of the year where there are a lot of sales. Black Friday in November there should be big sales and I suspect this M2 13" Pro will be discounted to close to $1000. Maybe where you live there are similar times of the year for big sales. I would wait for that and then get the base model. You get ddr5 ram in the M2 vs ddr4 in the M1 so even with less ram the faster ram and faster chip should help.

Another option would be to save up a bit more money and get a custom config. Here in the US the 14" M1 MBP is going for $1599 and that is a big jump from $1000 so I think the best option for you is to stick to a base model M2 MBP 13" on sale. Alternatively the M2 MBA base model is around $1100 but for what you want to do I still think the M2 MBP 13" base model would be the sweet spot.

The thing is it is hard for me to recommend anything in UK or Europe as the prices are so different. I would certainly recommend as everyone here at least an M1 or better because the advantages are so great over Intel machines in terms of performance and efficiency. If you are looking at M1 Air I would advice against it and go for the M1 Pro 13" instead for the same reasons for the M2. The M12 MBP 13" I have seen on sale here for $950 and that would probably be perfect for you. If you can find the M2 for $100 more I think it is worth because of the video encoders and I believe the M2 has ddr5/vs ddr4 in M1 and if you are going to get 8gb ram the faster it is the better.

Good luck!!
 
Last edited:
I use a M1 Air with Logic and it's great. I used the Intel 2020 Air and Pro briefly, and the M1 is drastically better. It's pretty wild considering both computers came out in the same year, but the Air is twice as fast, doesn't get hot and is silent. It was basically a generation jump, so I'd look to get the cheapest M1 Air you can... anything else is kind of a waste... it'll still work but it's not nearly as good a value. And since we are almost 2 years into the Apple Silicon era, support for Intel macs will start dropping.

The M1 Air is plenty fast for Logic. I've done some tests, and it can easily do anything a hobbyist would need and well beyond that too. 16GB of RAM is a good option, but if that stretches the budget you can get by with 8GB I think. It's really large sample libraries that need a ton of RAM, and the SSD speed probably helps that need a little. It's a nice to have option, but I wouldn't worry about getting 8GB. Having low RAM gets annoying before it becomes essential, so at worst you would just have to deal with intermittent lagginess.

The problem is, I don't think any of the standard Air configurations have 16GB, so you can't find the amazing deals on 16GB. The base 14" can be found at great deals though, and that comes standard at 16GB. Refurb Macs are great options too, I've purchased many and each has been perfect. The deals are usually the best you can find, especially on BTO options.

Buying a lightly used M1 Air is fine, might be some good options out there.
 
surfnode said:
I am not 100% sure I can afford an M1 Macbook Air quite yet but wondering what peoples opinions are of newer models of Mac ranging from the 2015 MBP through to the 2017 Macbook Air and through to the 2019 MB Air and MBP models?
Click to expand...

it runs fine on the 2019 macbook pro 16" which the fanbois were swearing was the best macbook pro ever right up until the M1 was released. now they spit on it. if you can find one a good price, grab it. I am typing one right now that I bought brand new AFTER the M1 macbook pro was released (I wanted boot camp). I love it.
 
surfnode said:
Hello,

I currently have an old 2012 Mac Mini 2.3Ghz i7, 16GB & 500GB SSD running MacOS Monterey OCLP.
Also have a 2008 MBP but this is ancient and can no longer tollerate Logic!

However Logic often gives me spinning beachballs which are a pain.

I am not 100% sure I can afford an M1 Macbook Air quite yet but wondering what peoples opinions are of newer models of Mac ranging from the 2015 MBP through to the 2017 Macbook Air and through to the 2019 MB Air and MBP models?
Click to expand...

What's causing your beachballs? Low RAM or too many tracks?

Logic can get RAM hungry, so being patient and grabbing a 16GB machine will likely serve you better in the long run. And hold out out for Apple silicon. Logic is really well optimized for it. Your experience will be night and day.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back