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Which MacBook Pro setup should I Get?
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Which MacBook Pro setup should I Get?

IAmAliLol 11:04 AM - 20 May, 2011
Whats up guys.

just wanna first say that this forum is amazing. ive learned so much just from reading all your guy's inputs about tons of topics that i've had questions about. anways, after all my research ive come up with some questions regarding what mac book pro setup i should get. im pretty specific on the 2 im comparing but ill have lots of questions as to what you guys think i should get.

as for setup goes, ive decided to go with 1000mk3, for 1) price and 2) the capabilities it has vs a cdj 2000. i know the 2000 is "newer" and some some added features but i just sat here for 2 hours browing google and the forum and reading posts about 2000 compatability with ssl and such. some posts where a year old, some were more recent. as for the mixer goes, im trying to decide wether i should go the djm mixer w/ sl3 or just a tt57sl. still trying to decide regarding how it would be if i enter a venue and how swapping equipment would work. maybe you guys can help me there to but heres the main question i got. which laptop setup is more suitable for DJing.

Setup 1:

2011 Macbook Pro 13" 2.7 GHz Dual Core w/ 8 GB Ram. 500 GB @5400.

No other parts added.

Pros: (In my eyes):
-2.7 GHz dual core = beast mode. (and with the turbo boost technology, the thing can go up to 3.4 if needed.)
-8 GB of RAM. (I've read mixed opinions on the forum about whether this is a huge factor or not.)

Cons:
-Small Screen Size
-No 7200 rpm HD :/


Setup 2:

2011 Macbook Pro 15" 2.3 GHz Quadcore w/ 8 GB Ram, 500 GB HD @7200 rpm

Pros:
-Bigger Screen Size
-7200 rpm HD
-8 GB of Ram
Cons (In my eyes):
-2.3 GHz (where as 13" went 2.7)
-$1000 more in price

Soooo.... what do you guys think? am i wasting money upgrading to 8 gb of ram.. is it really necessary? and what about GHz speed?? does that make a difference? i was told by a apple rep the best way to picture quad core vs dual core is the analogy of, if your a manager of a store, do you want 4 average salesman or do want 2 spectacular. so its kind of a quality over quanity issue. is that true also? and what about the HD rpm speeds? is it worth paying more for the 7200? am i just typing a whole of random useless crap and should i give up now? lol, all input would be great. you guys can even rip apart my computer specs that ive narrowed down to and suggest the ideal setup for the equipment i listed above.

thanks a lot guys
IAmAliLol 11:04 AM - 20 May, 2011
and if this is posted in the wrong section, im sorry. read this forum for about a year but never registered haha, go ahead and move it into the correct spot. thanks again
DJ Jonasty 12:17 PM - 20 May, 2011
I'd say if you want three decks, get the bigger screen mbp and djm. Although a 13" laptop with the cdj 1000 and ttm would be compact and a very high performance rig. I personally prefer the new decks, but I don't always use ssl so it works for me. The hid mode is nice but you can always save a couple grand and just get a midi controller for cues and effects. Although with the 57 you've got most of that covered.

As far as drive speeds go, I've never had a problem with the 5400 drives. I've got a 750 gb in my machine now, works great. Good luck.

Also know that the new macs have issues with all the SL boxes and the 57. The issues with the 57 don't seem to be as bad. You can actually close ssl without it crashing your machine.
DJ Stoyvo 1:36 PM - 20 May, 2011
Just an FYI:
2.7 GHz Dual Core < 2.3 GHz Quad Core
and the i5/i7 (the quadcore) can be over clocked (safely) to 2.5

Remember:
2.7 GHz Dual Core = 2.7 + 2.7
2.3 GHz Quad Core = 2.3 + 2.3 + 2.3 + 2.3
DJYoshi 2:15 PM - 20 May, 2011
go with the new core i7.....the new sandybridge technology is the sh**. I just picked up the 15 and the 17 and they WRECK the mid-late 2010 MB Pro that I had... it outperforms the dual core 2.7 by up to 30%.... plus the last shared level of cache with the cpu and the graphics card is pretty dope... switches in and out b/t high performance and power save mode on the fly. go 15... you won't be mad
Futuretek 2:39 PM - 20 May, 2011
The truth is no matter which one you pick, you'll have a great setup. Personally I'd go for the 15 inch option. 8gb of ram isn't needed right away and if you wait a year the upgrade costs will probably be half the cost it is now. That being said if you've got the extra funds tho, go for it!
DJ Stoyvo 4:27 PM - 20 May, 2011
Quote:
The truth is no matter which one you pick, you'll have a great setup. Personally I'd go for the 15 inch option. 8gb of ram isn't needed right away and if you wait a year the upgrade costs will probably be half the cost it is now. That being said if you've got the extra funds tho, go for it!


I'm currently squeezing the life out of my Dell XPS m1530... It's a good laptop, but with windows 7, nothing but SSL, scratchtools, and kueit installed, i get the occasional usb warning (no drop out)... latency is at 2ms though.

My plan is to wait til May next year, hopefully a brand new Macbook Pro will be out, or like a Macbook Elite! lol. I just dont want to buy something and be out of date in the next year... and apple hasnt had a big release for teh Macbook Pro in a while so... Fingers crossed
DJYoshi 6:53 PM - 20 May, 2011
just had a roadmap conference call with apple earlier this week. they're doing a total redesign...so if you can hold out..hold out...
honestly, I still use my '07 macbook for most gigs..and the 15 and 17 just stay in the bag as backups.
IAmAliLol 9:22 AM - 21 May, 2011
Quote:

Remember:
2.7 GHz Dual Core = 2.7 + 2.7
2.3 GHz Quad Core = 2.3 + 2.3 + 2.3 + 2.3


So what the apple rep told me was false in that case?

Yoshi, i wish i could wait that long but i might be getting a residency at the club around here over the summer so i need something thatll hang. im digging the 15 inch now.

4play, awesome. i mean i might as well get the RAM upgrade now, id rather be safer than sorry lol. but thanks a lot.

i think based on what all you guys said, im gonna go ahead and get the 15 inch. i mean if what the apple rep told me was false and quad core is infact 2.3 x 4 im getting that bad boy asap. and hey, it comes with the 7200 rpm HD!! thanks a lot guys.

another random question,

if ive got active speakers that power themselves, how would i hook that up to serato... cus active speakers dont need amps?? but the sl3 only has one output?? lol ingulfe me with your knowledge and wisdom guys haha
O.B.1 9:39 AM - 21 May, 2011
uh... your mixer should have xlr outputs, 1/4 inch outputs, rca outputs, etc. to run to powered speakers/amps...
-the sl3 acts just like a middle-man between your computer and your mixer.
IAmAliLol 9:44 AM - 21 May, 2011
Quote:
uh... your mixer should have xlr outputs, 1/4 inch outputs, rca outputs, etc. to run to powered speakers/amps...
-the sl3 acts just like a middle-man between your computer and your mixer.


oh my fault, mixer hooks to speaker system. ha im a retard. thanks for the clarification though.
Shawny D 3:16 PM - 21 May, 2011
Don't bother with buying the HDD and RAM upgrades directly from Apple. They're REALLY easy to upgrade on a MBP.

Watchwww.youtube.com

Watchwww.youtube.com

I upgraded my late-'09 MBP's base 160 GB 5400 RPM HDD to a 500 GB 7200 RPM HDD.

www.newegg.com

I also maxed-out to 8 GB of RAM, though these new models are capable of 16 GB(!)

eshop.macsales.com

That said, I personally don't ever use any more that 3-4 GB of RAM, according to Activity Monitor, but I still upgraded b/c I got an 8 GB kit from Crucial Memory on sale for $50 last year.

Seriously the extra money that Apple charges is for them to laugh at you at how much they're ripping you off! =p
IAmAliLol 9:45 PM - 21 May, 2011
Quote:
Don't bother with buying the HDD and RAM upgrades directly from Apple. They're REALLY easy to upgrade on a MBP.

Watchwww.youtube.com

Watchwww.youtube.com

I upgraded my late-'09 MBP's base 160 GB 5400 RPM HDD to a 500 GB 7200 RPM HDD.

www.newegg.com

I also maxed-out to 8 GB of RAM, though these new models are capable of 16 GB(!)

eshop.macsales.com

That said, I personally don't ever use any more that 3-4 GB of RAM, according to Activity Monitor, but I still upgraded b/c I got an 8 GB kit from Crucial Memory on sale for $50 last year.

Seriously the extra money that Apple charges is for them to laugh at you at how much they're ripping you off! =p



is it really that easy..? cus if it is ill just get a processor upgrade on the 15in and do the rest myself lol. and ur saying these can go up to 16 gb?
Shawny D 4:00 PM - 22 May, 2011
Yezzir. Spend your money instead on the best processor you can afford, since you won't be able to upgrade that later on.
IAmAliLol 7:38 PM - 22 May, 2011
Quote:
Yezzir. Spend your money instead on the best processor you can afford, since you won't be able to upgrade that later on.


Thats exactly what im gonna do man, thanks. Im actually gonna get the 500 gb @ 7200 rpm also becuase they dont charge extra and id rather just swap the ram cards just to be safe. Thanks for the help guys..

so the deciding factor will be

2011 15" MBP 2.3 GHz i7 Quad Core, w/ 8 GB Ram and 500 GB HDD @ 7200 RPM

with Pioneer CDJ 1000 MK3's , Pioneer DJM 400 and sl3.

YAY!! haha
Shawny D 9:21 PM - 23 May, 2011
Word. That set-up should last you a very long time.

Hell, according to SSL's minimum requirements TODAY, even G4 Macs from 6 years ago can still run it.
Futuretek 3:21 PM - 24 May, 2011
+1
IAmAliLol 5:04 AM - 25 May, 2011
Quote:
Word. That set-up should last you a very long time.

Hell, according to SSL's minimum requirements TODAY, even G4 Macs from 6 years ago can still run it.



Sick, yeah i work at best buy and we actually get gnarly discounts on RAM and Solid State drives... im gonna buy my ram and HD from BBY. ill just get the upgraded processor and put in the rest myself. stoked on the setup. Thanks a lot Shawny D and every1 else. i just now feel safe that serato will run as clean as possible.

also you know the mini usb wire that connects from the sl3 to the computer? how is that wire. i was thinking about buying this with high quality RCA's since i work at best buy, i get good discounts on wiring, so im gonna upgrade the RCA and the mini usb. what you think??

RCA =
www.bestbuy.com(2-Pack)+-+Blue/Black/9522616.p?id=1218117976953&skuId=9522616&st=audioquest%20rca&cp=1&lp=15

Mini USB
www.bestbuy.com

Heres the discription about the mini usb
www.audioquest.com

Wish i could get the diamond but look at those prices.. haha
IAmAliLol 7:04 AM - 25 May, 2011
damn the link to the RCA's doesnt work but just search

AudioQuest - 3-2/7' Stereo Audio RCA Cable (2-Pack) - Blue/Black

those are the RCA's im talkin about
Shawny D 10:55 AM - 25 May, 2011
Quote:
damn the link to the RCA's doesnt work but just search

AudioQuest - 3-2/7' Stereo Audio RCA Cable (2-Pack) - Blue/Black

those are the RCA's im talkin about


Eh, I personally have used RCA's of varying price-ranges, from Monster Cables to the RCA's off of my parents' DVD player and I really can't tell any difference.

Same goes for the USB, just make sure you plug it into the port furthest away from the power supply port and you should be good.
IAmAliLol 11:08 AM - 25 May, 2011
Quote:


Eh, I personally have used RCA's of varying price-ranges, from Monster Cables to the RCA's off of my parents' DVD player and I really can't tell any difference.

Same goes for the USB, just make sure you plug it into the port furthest away from the power supply port and you should be good.


hmm ok, so no need to spend the cash. i mean i might just cus i get them for such a good price. but idk. as you can tell, i get paranoid with this stuff cus i want serato to run perfectly aka flawless. and maybe im just over shooting haha.