Following the recent announcement of the 2019 Mac Pro, and the comments that some people think that the Mac Pro 7,1 is too expensive for a lot of Pro Tools users and our look at the possible costs of a Mac Pro 7,1 based Pro Tools computer, in this article we are going to look at the different options for each Apple Mac computer model and explore which could be the most suitable as a Pro Tools computer.

We will look at each Apple Mac computer, its strengths and weaknesses as a potential Pro Tools computer together two costed options, a basic option and a superior option. Let’s start with the Mac Mini…

Mac Mini 2018

The Mac mini has always been a great low cost option as a Pro Tools computer. However the Mac mini was unloved for a long time because of the low processor count until recently. Although there was a 4-core server version for a while, which at the time made a very cost effective Pro Tools computer, Apple chose to discontinue that model, but because it was so good as a basic Pro Tools computer the 4-core server version was a sought-after computer on the secondhand market. However, in terms of a new Mac mini, we were left with 2-core Mac minis for a number of years until Apple announced the Mac mini 2018.

The Mac mini 2018 is a great machine for Pro Tools users, both Ultimate and Standard, especially those that don’t need HDX cards as we explored in our article The New Apple Mac Mini 2018 Is Described As Awesome But Is It A Good Pro Tools Machine? We had heard reports from some Pro Tools users who are already using the Mac mini 2018 in studios, some in Hollywood post facilities suggesting that the small footprint and price may belie the power an some had said it might be a viable alternative to a Mac Pro Late 2013 with similar performance.

By this stage we were getting lot of feedback from community members that the Mac mini 2018 was an excellent Pro Tools computer…

“Running one with 16GB of RAM and i7 perfectly fine. Only $1,699. For the price it’s the best bang for buck I’ve found for Mac”

“I purchased the i7 model with 8GB of RAM and did the upgrade to 32GB myself (took about 30 minutes). Being a student (late bloomer at 34 years young) I was able to get a discount on my Apple order. All in all I paid $1490 USD. I have had zero issues with heat or CPU throttling. It can handle any session that I throw at it. Whether it be tracking or editing or mixing. Personally I would highly recommend to anyone thinking about picking one of these up to just do it. But as with all things Apple, spend the extra money and get a large enough internal storage so you're not constantly battling space on your OS drive.”

“Regular mix sessions with large track counts (70 plus) and lots of plug-ins operate with ease. I no longer have to freeze tracks, which I was doing constantly on the Mac Pro cheese-grater. I also didn’t notice any glitches in the graphics during regular use. However, the graphics are where the Mac Mini will fall down if I intend on doing any video or graphics intensive work, so in that case I will definitely require an eGPU. Tracking at lower buffer sizes (32 and 64 samples) also works surprisingly well. Avid has stated that there are known CPU performance issues when working at lower buffer sizes. Well not for me - so I guess I’m one of the lucky ones!”

We then asked community member Simon Nakra to share his experiences of using a Mac mini 2018. Simon had been running a 5.1 Mac Pro 6 Core 3.33 GHz (Cheese-Grater), which he purchased in 2012 to run a Pro Tools HD Native PCIe System along with a DigiLink interface for music production, recording, mixing and mastering work.

Before the 2018 Mac mini was announced, he had narrowed down his options to the 2013 Mac Pro Trash Can, 2017 iMac Pro and 2018 MacBook Pro when Apple announced the 2018 Mac Mini at their October event and that changed everything for Simon. You can read Simon’s story in full in our article Using A Mac Mini 2018 With Pro Tools. One Community Member's Experience.

With all this interest in the Mac mini 2018 we had been asked by many people to take a look at it to see if the claims of it being 'awesome' or that the 'USB2 audio is broken' are true. There's some merit in other reviews and also in anecdotal evidence from forums and social media, but to be frank, the only way to get to the facts was to test it ourselves and so we purchased (Yes we paid for it) a Mac mini 2018 with the following configuration…

• 3.2GHz 6‑core 8th‑generation Intel Core i7 (Turbo Boost up to 4.6GHz)

• 32GB 2666MHz DDR4

• 512GB SSD storage

• Intel UHD Graphics 630

• Gigabit Ethernet (10/100/1000BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet using RJ-45 connector)

Not only did we test this Mac mini 2018 on its own we also benchmarked it against a Mac Pro Late 2013 and also a 12 Core Mac Pro 5,1 to give you a sense of the power under the hood of the Mac mini 2018. You can read all about our tests in our article Apple Mac mini 2018 Tested For Audio Production Work - Is This The Next Computer You Should Buy For Your Studio?

So far we haven’t heard of users having any graphics issues when running Pro Tools, but as Simon Nakra commented in his article… “The graphics are where the Mac Mini will fall down if I intend on doing any video or graphics intensive work, so in that case I will definitely require an eGPU” and because of the multiple Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports there is no reason why you can’t add an external GPU if you need it.

Mac Mini 2018 - Two Options Basic And Superior

For the Basic model we are going for the 3.0GHz 6‑core 8th‑generation Intel Core i5, 8GB 2666MHz DDR4, Intel UHD Graphics 630, 256GB SSD storage, Gigabit Ethernet (10/100/1000BASE-T). Then upgrade the RAM to 32GB and upgrade the SSD to 512GB.

For the superior model we are going for the 3.2GHz 6‑core 8th‑generation Intel Core i7, 8GB 2666MHz DDR4, Intel UHD Graphics 630, 256GB SSD storage, Gigabit Ethernet (10/100/1000BASE-T). Then upgrade the RAM to 64GB and upgrade the SSD to 1TB.

Mac mini 2018 With Expansion Chassis

For Pro Tools HDX users there isn’t any need to rule out the Mac Mini 2018. By adding one of the Sonnet expansion chassis you can put together a very cost effective HDX 1 system and we have plans to take our Mac mini 2018 and test it with an expansion chassis to see how it performs. As to which Thunderbolt expansion chassis to use, you should check either the Avid Pro Tools System Requirements compatibility document or our article What Pro Tools Compatible Thunderbolt Expansion Chassis Can I Use With My Apple Mac Pro Tools Computer? here is a summary of which Mac Mini 2018 computers can support Pro Tools Ultimate and which Thunderbolt expansion chassis are approved by Avid...

• Late 2018 Mac mini 8,1 6-Core i7 'Coffee Lake' 3.2 GHz

• Late 2018 Mac mini 8,1 6-Core i5 'Coffee Lake' 3.0 GHz

Thunderbolt 2

• Magma EB3T

• Sonnet Echo Express III-R

• Sonnet Echo Express III-D

Thunderbolt 3

• Sonnet Echo Express III-R Thunderbolt 3 Edition

• Sonnet Echo Express III-D Thunderbolt 3 Edition

• eGFX Breakaway Box (GPU-350W-TB3Z)

• eGFX Breakaway Box 550 (GPU-550W-TB3)

• eGFX Breakaway Box 650 (GPU-650W-TB3)

However there are a number of caveats and limitations for each of these configurations so please check our article or the Pro Tools System Requirements pages for more information.

More On The Mac Mini 2018…

Secondhand Mac Pro 5,1

It is interesting to see that the percentage of people using a Mac Pro 5,1, which was discontinued in 2013, has increased from our analysis of the polls we took in 2015 and 2019 when we asked the question What Type And Style Of Pro Tools Computer Do You Use?, showing that the tower form factor is still very popular and in this case, cost effective as well.

With the pricing of the Mac Pro 7,1, we expect the old style cheese-grater to remain a popular choice especially for anyone who doesn’t need Thunderbolt. As both Mike and James have found out the Mac Pro 5,1 is still very upgradeable.

One thing we need to flag up though, is that the Mac Pro 5,1 is not on the list of supported computers for macOS Catalina, but maybe it’s not the end of the old style cheese-graters just yet. The reason we say this is that if you take a look at the Pro Tools compatibility charts for the macOS, Avid states that macOS 10.12.6, 10.13.6, 10.14.4 or 10.14.5 are all compatible, which means Sierra, High Sierra and Mojave are all still good for Pro Tools 2019.5. Mike is still running macOS 10.12 on his Pro Tools computer, which is two operating system iterations back from the current version of the macOS at the time of writing.

If this trend from Avid continues, supporting the current macOS and the two previous versions stands as well as Apple’s trend for releasing a new version of the macOS in late September each year, it will mean that if Mike updates to macOS Mojave before Catalina is released, he can continue to use the latest version of Pro Tools on his pimped Mac Pro cheese-grater, with a new graphics card and updated processors until September 2021, by which time he will have had his Mac Pro 5,1 cheese-grater 9 years. Even after that, he could still choose to continue using it as long as he accepts not being able to upgrade either the macOS or Pro Tools from that point.

Looking at the Avid Pro Tools System Requirements compatibility document they are still listing two models as supported fro Pro Tools 2018.1 to 2019.5. They are…

• Mid 2012 Mac Pro 5,1 12-Core 'Westmere' 2.66 GHz

• Mid 2012 Mac Pro 5,1 6-Core 'Westmere' 3.33 GHz

Avid have one additional caveat in that they only support one video graphics card. If you are using macOS Mojave and study the Apple list of Metal compatible graphics cards you will find that the only Avid supported graphics card is the MSI Gaming Radeon RX 560 128-bit 4GB GDRR5. When we looked at How Do You Find Mojave Compatible Graphics Cards For Cheese-grater Apple Mac Pro 5,1 Computers? we suggested that a AMD RX 560 4GB card looked to be a cost-effective solution if you want a new graphics card and was available for just under $220 on the Crete Pro Configure Your Mac Pro Workstation pages. We do recommend that you make sure you get one that a custom flashed Mac compatible version. If you don’t, it could still work, but not seeing the boot screen etc could be an issue if you need to select a different startup disk or need to boot on single user mode, or recovery, because these things happen during the startup sequence and before the normal video drivers load. An unflashed PC graphics card won't display anything until the startup sequence is finished.

Secondhand Mac Pro 5,1 - Two Options Basic And Superior

You will need to go for a second hand computer. For the pricing of the Mac pro 5,1, we are going to use the Create Pro Configure Your Mac Pro Workstation calculator to produce 2 priced options, Basic and Superior. You may well be able to find all the components cheaper around the internet from places like Amazon and eBay, but to get a realistic price of components that are guaranteed to work we are going to use the Create Pro calculator.

For the basic option we are going to use the closest option to the Avid approved Mid 2012 Mac Pro 5,1 6-Core 'Westmere' 3.33 GHz available from Create Pro, which is a Mid 2012 Mac Pro 5,1 6-Core 3.46 GHz X5690 processor. We have chosen 48GB of RAM, a AMD RX 560 4GB graphics card and a 500GB Samsung SSD in the first hard drive slot.

For the superior option we are going to use the closest option to the Avid approved Mid 2012 Mac Pro 5,1 12-Core 'Westmere' 2.66 GHz available from Create Pro, which is a Mid 2012 Mac Pro 5,1 12-Core 3.46 GHz X5690 processor. We have chosen 96GB of RAM, a AMD RX 560 4GB graphics card and a 2TB Samsung SSD in the first hard drive slot.

More On The Mac Pro 5,1…

iMac

The iMac is the type of computer you love or you hate. One of its biggest advantages is having a built in screen, which is also one of its drawbacks. But for those for whom the all-in-one form factor is appealing it’s a great Pro Tools computer solution for you.

Although we are going to look at the current 2017 iMac 18,1, it is interesting to note that Avid in their Pro Tools System Requirements compatibility document support various iMac models all the way back to the late 2012 iMac 13,x Quad-core models, albeit only for Pro Tools Standard. What this means is if the all-in-one form factor works for you it would be possible to source a second hand iMac and set yourself up with a very cost effective Pro Tools system.

Like the Mac Mini, the iMac is essentially a desktop computer made largely with laptop components to keep size down. Note that the iMac also comes with an Apple Magic Mouse 2 and an Apple Magic Keyboard, for a true all-in one solution.

For our pricing options we are going to use the brand new iMac 2019. For the basic option we are going to use the 2019 Retina 4K 21" iMac with its 3.2GHz 6-core 8th-generation Intel Core i7 processor for its small screen whilst at the same time having i7 processors. This model comes with 8GB of RAM, which we will upgrade to 16GB, and a 1TB Serial ATA 5400 RPM drive, which means the Apple computer doesn’t have an Apple T2 security chip fitted as they only work with SSDs.

For the Superior option we have selected the 3.6GHz 8-core 9th-generation Intel Core i9 processor, 8GB 2666MHz DDR4 memory which we will upgrade to 32GB, a 1TB Fusion Drive storage which we will upgrade to a 512GB SSD as Apple Fusion drives tend not to play nicely with Pro Tools.

iMac With Expansion Chassis

For Pro Tools HDX users there is still the option of adding HDX cards with a PCIe expansion chassis. Depending on the chassis you can go from an HDX1 to and HDX3 system. As to which Thunderbolt expansion chassis to use, you should check either the Avid Pro Tools System Requirements compatibility document or our article What Pro Tools Compatible Thunderbolt Expansion Chassis Can I Use With My Apple Mac Pro Tools Computer? here is a summary of which Thunderbolt expansion chassis work with the iMacs and Pro Tools HDX.

Thunderbolt 2

• PCIe Gen2 Chassis: Magma EB3T

• Sonnet Echo Express III-R

• Sonnet Echo Express III-D

Thunderbolt 3

• PCIe Gen3 Chassis: Sonnet Echo Express III-R Thunderbolt 3 Edition

• Sonnet Echo Express III-D Thunderbolt 3 Edition

• eGFX Breakaway Box (GPU-350W-TB3Z)

• eGFX Breakaway Box 550 (GPU-550W-TB3)

• eGFX Breakaway Box 650 (GPU-650W-TB3)

However there are a number of caveats and limitations for each of these configurations so please check our article or the Pro Tools System Requirements pages.

Mac Pro Trash Can

There have been a growing number of Pro Tools users that have either needed a more modern machine or a machine that has Thunderbolt, and until recently the Trash Can, even with its drawbacks, has arguably been the only game in town. Check the image above, which is part of a rack from Deluxe in Hollywood with no less than 50 Mac Pro trash can Pro Tools computers.

Even so, the Mac Pro 6,1 trash can has come in for a lot of stick throughout its life. Apple in a rare admission admitted that they had missed the mark, Apple's Craig Federighi said this…

I think we designed ourselves into a bit of a thermal corner if you will. We designed a system with the kind of GPUs that at the time we thought we needed, and that we thought we could well serve with a two GPU architecture. That that was the thermal limit we needed or the thermal capacity we needed. But workloads didn’t materialise to fit that as broadly as we hoped.

On the other hand, back in 2017 just a couple of week’s before these revelations from Apple, Russ said this…

“My test of anything pro is how it performs on real jobs for real clients, in other words in the real world. Every day I walk into my studio turn on my Mac Pro and work for sometimes 12 hours if it's a quiet day. There's never a day when I think to myself; I wish I owned a different computer or used a different OS. In the years that I have owned it, my 'overpriced' Mac Pro Late 2013 has paid for itself over 250 times; it is the rock that powers my business. In fact, it is such a rock that I rarely realise it is there; it just keeps doing the job, quietly humming on the shelf.”

With the announcement of the 2019 Mac Pro we are already seeing evidence of the prices for secondhand trash cans going up, which shows that they are not only going to hold their value, but increase in value.

Mac Pro 6,1 - Two Options Basic And Superior

As at the time of writing the Mac Pro 6,1 trash can is still a current Apple model until they release the Mac Pro 7,1 and so we are going to use the Apple Store web site to price up our 2 options - Basic and Superior. Currently Avid supports 4 Mac Pro trash can models…

• Late 2013 Mac Pro 6,1 12-Core 'Ivy Bridge' 2.7 GHz

• Late 2013 Mac Pro 6,1 8-Core 'Ivy Bridge' 3.0 GHz

• Late 2013 Mac Pro 6,1 6-Core 'Ivy Bridge' 3.5 GHz

• Late 2013 Mac Pro 6,1 4-Core 'Ivy Bridge' 3.7 GHz

For the Basic option we are going to start with the 3.5GHz 6-core processor with 12MB of L3 cache, 16GB of 1866MHz DDR3 ECC RAM, Dual AMD FirePro D500 GPUs with 3GB of GDDR5 VRAM each and a 256GB PCIe-based SSD. Then we will upgrade the memory to 32GB of 1866MHz DDR3 ECC RAM, and upgrade the SSD to a 512GB PCIe-based SSD.

For the Superior option we will use the 2.7GHz 12-core processor with 30MB of L3 cache, 16GB (4x4GB) of 1866MHz DDR3 ECC RAM, Dual AMD FirePro D500 GPUs with 3GB of GDDR5 VRAM each and 512GB PCIe-based SSD. Then upgrade the memory to 64GB of 1866MHz DDR3 ECC RAM (the maximum available), upgrade the graphics card to a Dual AMD FirePro D700 GPUs with 6GB of GDDR5 VRAM each and upgrade the SSD to a 1TB PCIe-based SSD, also the maximum available.

Mac Pro Trash Can With Expansion Chassis

For Pro Tools HDX users there is still the option of adding HDX cards with a PCIe expansion chassis. Depending on the chassis you can go from an HDX1 to and HDX3 system. As to which Thunderbolt expansion chassis to use, you should check either the Avid Pro Tools System Requirements compatibility document or our article What Pro Tools Compatible Thunderbolt Expansion Chassis Can I Use With My Apple Mac Pro Tools Computer? here is a summary of which Mac Pro 6,1 computers can support Pro Tools Ultimate and a Thunderbolt expansion chassis.

Thunderbolt 2

• PCIe Gen2 Chassis: Magma EB3T

• Sonnet Echo Express III-R

• Sonnet Echo Express III-D

• Sonnet xMac Pro Server

Thunderbolt 3

• PCIe Gen3 Chassis: Sonnet Echo Express III-R Thunderbolt 3 Edition

• Sonnet Echo Express III-D Thunderbolt 3 Edition

• eGFX Breakaway Box (GPU-350W-TB3Z)

• eGFX Breakaway Box 550 (GPU-550W-TB3)

• eGFX Breakaway Box 650 (GPU-650W-TB3)

However there are a number of caveats and limitations for each of these configurations so please check our article or the Pro Tools System Requirements pages.

MacBook Pro

As Pro Tools continues to be more demanding, the 4-core and 16GB of RAM limits in the MacBook Pro range became an increasing limiting factor in using the MacBook Pro as a Pro Tools computer. So the release of the 6-core MacBook Pro with 32GB of RAM support in 2018 and the much more recent release of an 8-core MacBook Pro makes the MacBook Pro a much more appealing option for Pro Tools users, especially for those who need a laptop solution either as their main or secondary Pro Tools computer.

Most of the team use a MacBook Pro of one description or another as their second machine on which we have Pro Tools. Mike has a mid 2012 2.3GHz 4-Core i7 with the maximum 16GB of RAM with the stock Intel HD Graphics 4000 card with 1.5GB of VRAM. He has also replaced the hard drive with a 512GB Crucial SSD, which bizarrely was cheaper than the 16GB of RAM.

James had to replace his MacBook Pro in a hurry just over a year ago when his old one packed up for good. He now has a 2017 15” MacBook Pro with touchbar with a 3.1GHz quad-core processor with 16GB of 2133 MHz LPDDR3 RAM and a Radeon Pro 560 GPU. For James his MBP is not only his second machine, it is his live recording machine.

Dan has a MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2015) which only has a 1.6 GHz Intel Core i5 processor and 4GB of 1600 MHz DDR3 RAM. Dan says that it is not a bad little machine for audio recording but he acknowledges that it isn’t a powerhouse for VI sample based music production. It only has one Thunderbolt 1 port, and two USB 3.0 ports. All of that said, Dan finds that it is more than capable of recording several tracks at low buffers and playing them back.

Julian has a MacBook Pro (13 inch, mid 2012) with dual-core 2.5 GHz i5 processor with 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD, both of which Julian upgraded himself. Julian says that its OK for mobile tracking and its nice to have an optical drive on at least one of his computers.

Russ has 15” MacBook Pro 14,3 with a 2.9GHz 4-core i7 processor 16GB of RAM. Russ loves his MBP, although he finds the touch strip is largely pointless and has never used for any audio applications. He has never had it fall over using it on any projects and for him it makes a good mobile solution.

Looking at the Avid Pro Tools System Requirements compatibility document you can go all the way back to the next model up form Mike’s Mid 2012 15" MacBookPro9,1 Quad-Core i7 'Ivy Bridge' 2.6 GHz and it still officially be supported for Pro Tools Standard and Pro Tools Ultimate. That said, with the current version of Pro Tools we recommend if possible to go for either a 2018 or 2019 MacBook Pro, because of the extra processors and the support for 32GB of RAM.

MacBook Pro - Two Options Basic And Superior

We are going to turn to the Apple Store to price up our two options - Basic and Superior.

Unfortunately the 2019 MacBook Pro is not officially on the Avid Pro Tools System Requirements compatibility document so if you want to be safe then look around for on of these MBPs…

• Mid 2018 Retina 15" MacBook Pro 15,1 6-Core i9 'Coffee Lake' 2.9 GHz

• Mid 2018 Retina 15" MacBook Pro 15,1 6-Core i7 'Coffee Lake' 2.6 GHz

• Mid 2018 Retina 15" MacBook Pro 15,1 6-Core i7 'Coffee Lake' 2.2 GHz

Avid will support the 2019 model at some point and as it is so similar to the mid 2018 models, for the Basic option we are going to price up a new 15” MBP with a 2.6GHz 6‑core 9th‑generation Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB of 2400MHz DDR4 RAM, a Radeon Pro 555X with 4GB of GDDR5 VRAM and a 512MB SSD.

For the Superior option we are going for the 2.4GHz 8‑core 9th‑generation Intel Core i9 processor, 32GB 2400MHz DDR4 RAM, and upgrade to the Radeon Pro 560X with 4GB of GDDR5 VRAM and a 1TB SSD.

MacBook Pro With Expansion Chassis

For Pro Tools HDX users there is still the option of adding HDX cards with a PCIe expansion chassis. Depending on the chassis you can go from an HDX1 to and HDX3 system. As to which Thunderbolt expansion chassis to use, you should check either the Avid Pro Tools System Requirements compatibility document or our article What Pro Tools Compatible Thunderbolt Expansion Chassis Can I Use With My Apple Mac Pro Tools Computer? here is a summary of which Thunderbolt expansion chassis work with the MacBook Pros and Pro Tools HDX.

Thunderbolt 2

• PCIe Gen2 Chassis: Magma EB3T

• Sonnet Echo Express III-R

• Sonnet Echo Express III-D

Thunderbolt 3

• PCIe Gen3 Chassis: Sonnet Echo Express III-R Thunderbolt 3 Edition

• Sonnet Echo Express III-D Thunderbolt 3 Edition

• eGFX Breakaway Box (GPU-350W-TB3Z)

• eGFX Breakaway Box 550 (GPU-550W-TB3)

• eGFX Breakaway Box 650 (GPU-650W-TB3)

However there are a number of caveats and limitations for each of these configurations so please check our article or the Pro Tools System Requirements pages.

iMac Pro

Back in 2017, just over 2 years ago Apple decided to face the challenge of building a professional level computer inside the iMac design and they've really went for broke. At a glance the new iMac Pro could support up to 18 cores, up to 128GB of RAM with a Radeon Vega graphics card that has up to 16GB of VRAM and four Thunderbolt 3 cards with pricing starting from $4999.

The iMac Pro will still be the most suitable Pro Tools computer, for some, because it combines processor power with the all-in-one form factor, but at a price and with precious little user upgradability.

Early in 2018 we got the chance to take an iMac Pro for a spin and see how it could handle the famous Pro Tools Expert Power Test session. The machine we tested was the base model 2017 iMac Pro with 27-inch retina display, 8-core Xeon W 3.2GHz processor, 32GB of RAM, 1TB SSD and a AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 8GB graphics card.

The results of our test showed that this base model iMac Pro with Pro Tools HD 2018.3 software using CoreAudio and a buffer size of 64 samples, which is the lowest available using the internal CoreAudio "soundcard" running, it could handle 128 Audio Tracks with Avid ChannelStrip and D-Verb enabled. 7 of these channels with Avid Eleven running as well as 256 Instrument Tracks with Avid Boom enabled. all the time Pro Tools ran smoothly with normal levels of response and normal screen redraw.

Like the Mac Mini and iMac, the iMac Pro is essentially a desktop computer made largely with laptop components to keep size down, albeit in the case of the iMac pro they are using server-grade components. Note that the iMac Pro also comes with an Apple Magic Mouse 2 and an Apple Magic Keyboard, for a true all-in one solution.

Looking at the Avid Pro Tools System Requirements compatibility document these are the iMac Pro configurations Avid support for Pro Tools Standard and Pro Tools Ultimate…

• Late 2017 Retina 5K 27" iMac Pro 1,1 8-Core i7 'Xeon W' 3.2 GHz

• Late 2017 Retina 5K 27" iMac Pro 1,1 10-Core i7 'Xeon W' 3.0 GHz

• Late 2017 Retina 5K 27" iMac Pro 1,1 14-Core i7 'Xeon W' 2.5 GHz

• Late 2017 Retina 5K 27" iMac Pro 1,1 18-Core i7 'Xeon W' 2.3 GHz

For the basic option we are going to use the Late 2017 Retina 5K 27" iMac Pro 1,1 8-Core i7 'Xeon W' 3.2 GHz processor and this model comes with 32GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD and a Radeon Pro Vega 56 with 8GB of HBM2 VRAM.

For the Superior option we have selected the Late 2017 Retina 5K 27" iMac Pro 1,1 14-Core i7 'Xeon W' 2.5 GHz processor, with 32GB of RAM, which we will upgrade to 64GB or RAM, a 1TB SSD, which we will upgrade to a 2TB SSD and a Radeon Pro Vega 56 with 8GB of HBM2 VRAM, which we will upgrade to a Radeon Pro Vega 64 with 16GB of HBM2 VRAM.

iMac Pro With Expansion Chassis

For Pro Tools HDX users there is still the option of adding HDX cards with a PCIe expansion chassis. Depending on the chassis you can go from an HDX1 to and HDX3 system. As to which Thunderbolt expansion chassis to use, you should check either the Avid Pro Tools System Requirements compatibility document or our article What Pro Tools Compatible Thunderbolt Expansion Chassis Can I Use With My Apple Mac Pro Tools Computer? here is a summary of which Thunderbolt expansion chassis work with the iMac Pro and Pro Tools HDX.

Thunderbolt 2

• PCIe Gen2 Chassis: Magma EB3T

• Sonnet Echo Express III-R

• Sonnet Echo Express III-D

Thunderbolt 3

• PCIe Gen3 Chassis: Sonnet Echo Express III-R Thunderbolt 3 Edition

• Sonnet Echo Express III-D Thunderbolt 3 Edition

• eGFX Breakaway Box (GPU-350W-TB3Z)

• eGFX Breakaway Box 550 (GPU-550W-TB3)

• eGFX Breakaway Box 650 (GPU-650W-TB3)

However there are a number of caveats and limitations for each of these configurations so please check our article or the Pro Tools System Requirements pages.

Here are some more articles on the iMac Pro…

2019 Mac Pro

At WWDC 2019 Apple announced a new Mac Pro that looks like the old cheese-grater with lots of holes, a set of feet on the bottom and handles on the top and against all expectations it has internal PCI slots as well as a 6K monitor.

Avid have clearly been working with Apple alongside other developers like Adobe, Blackmagic Design, and Universal Audio. Francois Quereuil, director of Product Management, Avid told us…

“Avid’s Pro Tools team is blown away by the unprecedented processing power of the new Mac Pro, and thanks to its internal expansion capabilities, up to six Pro Tools HDX cards can be installed within the system – a first for Avid’s flagship audio workstation. We’re now able to deliver never-before-seen performance and capabilities for audio production in a single system and deliver a platform that professional users in music and post have been eagerly awaiting.”

Then we learnt that Pro Tools HDX Voice Count would be limited with the New Mac Pro as Avid confirmed what the supported HDX6 configuration would be.

There have been figures of anywhere from $35,000 to $50,000 being quoted out on the internet for a fully loaded top end 2019 Mac Pro and so we looked in detail at what tech is under the cover of the Mac Pro 7,1 and How Much It Will Cost You To Build A Powerful Mac Pro. We started by looking at the different processor options before moving onto RAM, storage, graphics cards, PCIe slots, the power supply, the inputs and outputs, and what will come in the box, before presenting two alternative Mac Pro 7,1 pricing packages for a possible Mac Pro 7,1 Pro Tools computer based on what we currently know. For Pro Tools, we won’t need the Afterburner accelerator module or the Radeon Pro Vega II GPU special MPX modules with the mega heatsinks. All we will need is the stock AMD Radeon Pro 580X graphics card.

For this exercise, we started our costings with the only price we have from Apple, the price of the new Mac Pro base model. We know that the base model will be an 8-core Intel Xeon 3.5GHz model, with 32GB RAM, 256GB SSD, and Radeon Pro 580X graphics card, presumably with the Apple I/O module, a Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad, a Magic Mouse 2 and power cable for the price of $5,999. For a Pro Tools computer, what we will need to do is take the base model add some storage, memory, upgrade the processor and we are good to go.

Two Options - Basic & Superior

Below are two options for a Mac Pro 7,1 Pro Tools computer. We have used the published price of the base model of $5,999 and then added component pricing to that to arrive at a price estimate for our two options.

The processor upgrades are based on the Intel pricing. Apple, of course, may inflate these prices when they announce their build-to-order pricing in the autumn but to help get a ballpark price we have used Intel’s pricing for now.

For the basic model we have selected the 12-core processor and for the Superior option we have gone for the 16-core processor.

For RAM we have chosen 96GB for the basic option and 192GB for the Superior option and we have taken the prices from the Crucial memory US website.

For the startup drive storage, we have based it on the Apple pricing from the current iMac Pro pricing on Apple’s US website.

For media storage we have chosen an OWC Tempo PCI-e card that supports 2 x 2.5” SSDs. For the Basic option we have selected two 1TB OWC Mercury Extreme SSDs and for the Superior option we have selected two 2TB OWC Mercury Extreme SSDs. These are just for an example. We are aware that there are plenty of options out there. You could consider the Promise Technology four-bay RAID 5 chassis - Pegasus R4i but that is a RAID array of spinning rust drives, which seems a backward step in our view and would also take up 2 PCIe slots and reduce the number of HDX cards you could have in your Mac Pro.

The graphics card we have selected is the AMD Radeon Pro 580X that is included in the base model from Apple.

Based on these examples our Basic option comes in under $10K and our Superior option is priced at getting on for $13K, which for what you are getting isn’t as expensive as we feared.

Conclusion

There you have it, a pair of priced options for each model of Apple Mac computer for use with Pro Tools. In this table we have brought together the prices for the Basic and Superior options as suggested in each section of this article…

What do you make of these prices? Do they make sense or are the too expensive? Does one or two of these appeal to you as your next Pro Tools computer? Do share your thoughts in the comments below…