Mac Studio computer

Mac Studio computer. Will it run Dorico normally?

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Of course it will. Itā€™s just two M1 Maxes stuck together. :laughing:

I say ā€˜justā€™, but this thing is insane: itā€™s faster than a 28-core 2019 Mac Pro at less than a third of the price.
Even the ā€˜standardā€™ M1 Max config ($1999) is 1.5x faster than a 16-core Mac Pro ($7499).

You could run Dorico and do some 8K video editing at the same time.

Incidentally, it looks like Apple is killing the 27" iMac, in favour of the Studio Display and Mac combo. Displays tend to get replaced much less frequently than computers, so thatā€™s a good thing.

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I am probably going for the cheaper model, comes with 32 GB which should be enough for Dorico and Cubase running at the same time. :slight_smile:

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The last 3 years I worked on the 21" model with 8 GB, the Mac Studio will be a big upgrade!

I was so anxious about the Dorico update these days that I did not even know about those new Macs! That looks promising :slight_smile:

Itā€™ll barely notice that itā€™s doing any work at all. If it was sentient, it would be bored. :laughing:

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I have my eye on the gorgeous new Studio Display. Trying to remind myself what I have is totally adequate, and I canā€™t afford it anywaysā€¦ resistā€¦

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love this :smiley: itā€™s going to be another catchphrase for apple ultra configs haha

if you think about it though, some mac pro configs used a dual Xeon. I am guessing this is the direction Apple is aiming. A computer is also just a piece of plastic with some minerals stuck to it :sweat_smile:

Iā€™ve just heard someone call it ā€œTwo Mac Minis in a trench coatā€, which I rather like.

I have the old Apple Thunderbolt Display, and Iā€™ve been toying with replacing it for a higher-DPI screen ā€“ but there arenā€™t many that also have (decent) camera, mic, speakers, and hub for other ports.

However, Iā€™ve just splurged quite a lot on the MBP, so may have to hold off for a bit.

At the very least, the new Display may provoke other manufacturers to produce something similar, even if not quite as good for a bit less.

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I will only buy the computer itself, and connect it to my Asus monitors. You can connect 5 monitors to it!

This is basically what Iā€™ve been waiting for. I had toyed with the idea of the laptops, but since I need 64gb ram, I can come in $1200 cheaper with the new mini, which is a win in my book. Now to convince my wifeā€¦ Iā€™ve been prepping her for months. Fortunately, my computer has aged to the point that certain software literally cannot run on it, because I cannot upgrade to a sufficiently current OS. Our hand is forced, as it were.

I told her last night, ā€œApple finally released the new mini and it has 64gb ram!ā€ [she knows my computing requirements] to which she very dryly responded, ā€œcongratulations, apple.ā€ at which point she then turned on her heels and walked away. :sweat_smile:

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Itā€™s actually 4 Mac miniā€™s if you think about it. All they did was create a base element that they could multiply and stack next to each other to increase its power. From a production- and economic aspect, this is quite smart and efficient.

In terms display, I donā€™t think I want to buy any of the cinema displays, simply for the sole reason that I donā€™t really need much color accuracy and DPI for just displaying tracks and mixer pages in Cubase.

I think one of Samsungs latest 4K QLED 50inch or even 43inch TVā€™s connected via HDMI will do just fine. Specs-wise, they are no different than putting three-cost DELLā€™s next to each otherā€¦

In comparison, if you buy 3 cinema displays, it will set you back around 6000 EUR versus 600 for the Samsung displayā€¦

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A 50 inch 4K display is only 88 pixels per inch. My Thunderbolt display is 109ppi, and just on the cusp of acceptability for my eyes. High dpi displays are much crisper, clearer, and less tiring ā€“ Yes, theyā€™re more expensive, but not equivalent value.

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I have a 27" 4k monitor double-armā€™s length away from me, and even at that resolution and size, I am aware that things arenā€™t perfectly crisp, although I canā€™t claim to spot individual pixelsā€¦ but I know good and well that it is not as clear as my other devices with retina displays, and it bothers me. Every time I see a 27" 1080p monitor I shudder inside.

Yes that might be true for most TVā€™s but it also depends on how far away you are from your display of course. The Samsung has better density.

My current displays have a pixel density of 92PPI (Dell U2414H) while the Samsung UE43AU7100 has 103ppi. So I was looking at what I have and what the specifications of that TV display would be and to me it looked reasonable enough. I cannot see the individual pixels from sitting an arms length away from the current DELLā€™s so I suppose it will be fine with a Samsung QLED. I guess Iā€™ll try it out and if it doesnā€™t work, I will go with some newer LED screens instead.

I had a 32" 4K monitor initially and foolishly went for a 43". It was insanely large for my desk, and the pixel density was (predictably) awful. I returned it immediately.

For the past two years Iā€™ve used a Dell UltraSharp 27" 4K on a monitor arm. Iā€™m much more pleased with it than anything else Iā€™ve used. But I have pretty good eyesight, and full orchestra scores just arenā€™t sharp enough for my preference. Hopefully higher-resolution monitors continue to come down in price as technology continues to advance. Iā€™d love that new 5K display, but itā€™s just too pricey for me.

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I am close to buying a new Studio Mac and, unfortunately, Apple has decided to force the user to chose the maximum RAM upon purchase. Therefore, my question is this: would the 32 gig RAM be enough for a full orchestral project in Dorico? More specifically, I want full playback of a symphonic orchestra, using the best orchestral sounds that Dorico has. The 64 gig RAM model is $400 more.

Iā€™d spend the $400 to be sure and (somewhat) future-proof.

This is one area where I really despise apple, even though Iā€™m a max user. Their markup for ram is criminal, frankly.

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This is literally the only reason Iā€™m the only one in my house on PC. Both my kids and wife are on Macs. Iā€™m on iPhone and iPad. To upgrade from 64 to 128 gigs for a Mac Pro is an additional $720!!! For $295 I can buy 128 gigs for PC.