I'm seeing a lot of talk about video editing and Threadrippers, but as a Logic user I'm just trying to figure out what the configuration sweet spot is on the 7,1.
It seems to be the case, going off the emerging benchmarks, that the base Mac Pro will provide no meaningful gains over a low-mid range iMac Pro. Throw in the fact that it costs more even without a display, and that the XDR offers no upside to a Logic User (other than being 32 inches), and the standard configuration becomes a tough sell for a Logic-oriented user.
But then as you start to dial up the RAM and multithreading, it will eventually close the gap and then race past an iMP. Clearly a maxed out 7,1 would be able to handle even the biggest practical Logic file* without breaking a sweat.
Of course, I think one of the major differences between building a machine for Logic versus, say, 3D is you have a computing 'breakpoint' once you achieve real-time playback at your desired latency. If you're 3D rendering, there's always a case to be made for more horsepower, but this is not the case with audio - there's no advantage to faster-than-real-time audio playback, and bounce times simply don't matter if we're assuming your file is causing no buffering issues on playback.
On the flip-side, being able to add in your own RAM with no realistic ceiling or the need to buy from Apple (looking at you, iMac Pro) is a major draw.
So the price/performance quantum for the 7,1 at the low end is pretty uncompelling (near as I can tell at this early stage, though I may be wrong!), and at the high end it probably exceeds any realistic workload. I'm wondering what people's thoughts are on the mid-range sweet spot: when does this computer become the best practical Logic Pro machine? Or does it simply never catch up to the iMP in any realistic workload environment?
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* Arguably, any user breaking 1,000 tracks/channels is just guilty of being terrible at optimizing his or her Logic files, and personally I think navigating such a behemoth would waste more time than any compute bottleneck ever would.
It seems to be the case, going off the emerging benchmarks, that the base Mac Pro will provide no meaningful gains over a low-mid range iMac Pro. Throw in the fact that it costs more even without a display, and that the XDR offers no upside to a Logic User (other than being 32 inches), and the standard configuration becomes a tough sell for a Logic-oriented user.
But then as you start to dial up the RAM and multithreading, it will eventually close the gap and then race past an iMP. Clearly a maxed out 7,1 would be able to handle even the biggest practical Logic file* without breaking a sweat.
Of course, I think one of the major differences between building a machine for Logic versus, say, 3D is you have a computing 'breakpoint' once you achieve real-time playback at your desired latency. If you're 3D rendering, there's always a case to be made for more horsepower, but this is not the case with audio - there's no advantage to faster-than-real-time audio playback, and bounce times simply don't matter if we're assuming your file is causing no buffering issues on playback.
On the flip-side, being able to add in your own RAM with no realistic ceiling or the need to buy from Apple (looking at you, iMac Pro) is a major draw.
So the price/performance quantum for the 7,1 at the low end is pretty uncompelling (near as I can tell at this early stage, though I may be wrong!), and at the high end it probably exceeds any realistic workload. I'm wondering what people's thoughts are on the mid-range sweet spot: when does this computer become the best practical Logic Pro machine? Or does it simply never catch up to the iMP in any realistic workload environment?
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* Arguably, any user breaking 1,000 tracks/channels is just guilty of being terrible at optimizing his or her Logic files, and personally I think navigating such a behemoth would waste more time than any compute bottleneck ever would.
