Music production with MacBook Pro - 13" vs. 15"

Hi,

I'm planning on buying a new Mac. I'll use it for music production running Ableton Live 7 and Reason 4 in ReWire mode and many VSTs running simultaneously.

I'll buy either the 13" or 15" laptop. Here's my setup issue: Which is the better harddrive for fast music production with many native plugins running?

2.4 GHz
4 GB Memory
250GB hard drive 5400 rpm

or

2.4 GHz
4 GB Memory
250GB hard drive 7200 rpm

What factors affect my performance?

Also, the 13" MBP doesn't support Firewire 400/800.
Is there any way of converting either the USB 2.0 or Ethernet connections to a Firewire connection? Firewire is the fastest of the three, right?

Thanks - all inputs are appreciated!

Best,
Porcelli

 

Hey, the hard drive does NOT impact performance while running VSTs and AUs. The only thing the hard drive impacts is the time it takes to load samples (when using large refills - like Reason Pianos, Drums and Electric Bass)

Playing them is CPU and RAM after loading them in.

So getting the 7200RPM isn't justified for the price.

What you need is a fast CPU though. 4Gigs of RAM should be fine.
If you need Firewire for an external controller, get the Macbook Pro.

Firewire 400 is not much faster than USB 2 nowadays. It's just a more steady flow.

I use my M-audio interface through USB and it works just great.

(Oh and by the way, the 13" is just a Macbook, not a Macbook Pro)

 

Thanks for the fast and usefull reply!

When buying the 15" MBP I can get the 7200 rpm hard drive for only 42€/53$ extra. It would be stupid not to get the 7200 wouldn't it? Are there any disadvantages when using a 7200 rpm hard drive?

Thx!

 

That's actually not a bad price. If it's that cheap, then yeah, get it!

The only disadvantage is a lower battery life, because the drive spins faster obviously. But it's not going to take a dramatic plunge. So I wouldn't be worried about that...

 

Well, I always run my laptop with connected power supply for best processor performance and my old Powerbook G4 only keeps battery for little more than an hour or so... the lower battery life shouldn't bother me!

An known problems about heat generating problems? Noise problems? Anything else?

How about duration? Will a 7200 rpm have a core shutdown sooner than a 5400 (in theory)?

Great help, man!

 

There are no audio issues related with the heat.

The fans will kick in for me on a lengthy recording session, but as I use an external controller, there is no performance dip, and no audio corruption.

I'm not sure how long the HDD will last, but then again, it's always a good idea to backup your projects in at least 2 locations.

That's what I do anyways, so I'm not worried about my internal drive crapping out.

Cheers!

 

i advise you to get the 15.4" as its bigger and apparently the screen on the 15.4" is better quality than the 13.3"..Apparently users who returned back their macbooks and went for the pros say the difference is like night and day