I just picked up a MacBook Pro 15 Retina myself and I’m very impressed with its performance, even with Cubase. The quality of the machine is simply excellent. The size, form factor, screen, etc… all combine to make an excellent user experience. And it runs Cubase quite well. Better than I expected considering the negative posts from nay-sayers. The jury is still out for me, but I’m liking it each day more and more.
I’ve also recently run some unscientific tests between a Mac Pro 8-core (2x X5570) and a Win 7 6-core (1x 3930k) with Cubase 7, and I have to admit, this “old” Mac Pro did better than I anticipated. I had originally purchased the 8-core Mac Pro for compatibility with other studios, clients, etc… but now I’ve tested it out for Pro Tools and Cubase, and I’m quite tempted to move more actual production over to it and even the MacBook Pro Retina.
True, those 8 cores on the Mac Pro of an older generation CPU design did not beat the 6-core Windows machine, which is more recent with better optimizations, but the Mac did surprisingly well at low latency with an RME UFX, certainly enough to handle very demanding projects. By my rough testing so far, the older 8-core Mac performs somewhere around 20-30% less than the more recent, higher-clocked, highly-optimized 6-core on Windows with Cubase. In other apps the 8-core will match or beat the 6-core so far. So they are roughly on par in other apps.
So in my unscientific view so far (and continuously evolving opinion as I continue to test things on my own), Cubase 7.0.6 does indeed take a hit on Mac OSX, but really not as much as some people think. Certainly not enough to warrant any fanboyism on either side. I think if the performance hit was > 40-50% with Cubase then it would be a no-brainer to stick with Windows, but I’m just not seeing that. Granted, I haven’t installed Bootcamp on this Mac Pro yet, so I can’t give more scientific results… but at a certain point, performance no longer really matters IF you are getting the performance you need for your type of project.
Once you reach performance needs, it boils down to workflow and platform preferences… and I hate to say it, but OSX is growing on me… especially in light of the crapfest experience I’ve had with Windows 8 on another machine.
In my view, Cubase 7.0.6 performs better on Macs than the poor reputation I expected. As good as Windows? No. But perfectly usable by anyone, including for very demanding projects. And I hate to say it, but I like using Pro Tools on a Mac better than Windows. Cubase seems more comfortable on Windows than Mac IMHO, but either platform seems fine. The Mac was fully usable and very stable on a fairly heavy load in my tests so far.
Certainly, it is reasonable that someone could choose either platform and be perfectly happy without having to resort to fanboyism either way to justify one’s preferences.
As for the MacBook Pro Retina, it’s the best laptop I’ve ever owned, and I even own an ADK laptop built and tuned specifically for DAW work. Anyone who knows ADK knows they are for real and top-performing DAW laptops. That was (and still is BTW) a great laptop, and I’m sure the latest model of ADK laptop is even better of course. But this MacBook Pro is really just superb. Better looking, better built, quieter, lighter, better battery, etc… of course it’s better performing too, but I’d expect that given my ADK laptop is an older generation. The current ADK laptops probably perform on par or better than my MacBook Pro. BUT at some you just have to say, enough performance is enough performance, and other factors are important too. I really like the screen, battery and weight… makes a difference I hadn’t expected in usability.
So I have now retired my ADK laptop, and now my wife has a screaming machine, nicely equipped with SSD, etc… it would still make a great DAW laptop, but this MacBook Pro blows it out the water. As much as I love ADK as a company (they’re great guys, and know what they’re doing!), I don’t think I’ll need to be buying another ADK laptop any time soon for my needs. (Sorry guys!)
Is the MacBook Pro Retina worth the money? Hell yes. The ADK wasn’t THAT much cheaper guys… Granted, there are some really cool options that ADK has that a MacBook Pro Retina doesn’t have (multiple internal drives, etc…) … but those ADK computers are not exactly the most svelte beauties to tote around, and don’t count on the batteries to hold out that long. If you can live with one SSD drive, the MacBook Pro Retina is pretty hard to beat as a super-portable, high-quality DAW.
Now I also haven’t yet done the VEP test yet… that’s next… and my plan is to try out my 3930k Windows machine as a slave to the MacBook Pro as Wolfie2112 has done. In the next few weeks I’ll give it a shot. But even on its own, the MacBook Pro is powerful enough to run very complex projects easily.
To my utter shock, for the first time in many years, I am contemplating a full move to Mac. Right now, my whole studio (from Cubase to Pro Tools) is running on various Windows machines. But with this MacBook Pro purchase and the surprisingly decent Mac Pro 8-core performance in my recent unscientific tests, I’m very tempted to flirt with the dark side for real client projects. I might try a couple of projects and see how it goes… dip my toe in for a paying client. No, it won’t make my music and post audio any better. And yes, the performance PER DOLLAR is obviously better on Windows. No duh. Bang for the buck = DIY Windows. But there is more than just bang for the buck, folks.
Also, I have to admit that I hate Windows 8. I tried loving it for months… then I tried just liking it. Then I tried just tolerating it. No way. I hate it. Just that simple. So it’s Windows 7 for me… or maybe, just maybe, I might fall to the dark side.
As for criticizing Mac users, if I’ve done so in the past, I apologize. Macs are indeed good machines. More expensive, yes, but good. Maybe they could cost 15-25% less, but they work well, perform better than many people think, and the OS is a helluva lot more natural for me to use than Win 8. And please don’t tell me I don’t know how to customize or use Win 8. Nothing can possibly change my mind at this point. I just hate it. If anything, I actually feel more at home in Mac OSX than Windows 8! Scary.