dec,2013 : bad time for new gear ..?

    tep
    Dec 02 2013 | 12:38 pm
    I feel a bit stuck. My macbook pro mid-2010 still works but is a bit weak sometimes for what i ask it (especially heavy jitter/matrix processes). The "new" macbook pro are a joke (no graphic card before spending +2300€, processors not impressive compared to 3/4 years ago computers...Apple becoming a bit more detestable one day after another) and moreover i sadly read all these recent problems with video devices through jit.grab or jit.freenect etc ...
    Hackintosh seems a risky adventure for live performances, and many objects i need / love are mac os only.
    I have to conclude it's not the right time to upgrade and to reduce ambitions about projects and patches. Quite frustrating. Or am i missing something ?
    Pffff....
    • dtr
      Dec 02 2013 | 4:05 pm
      I came to the same conclusion a while back. New performant Mac's are just too expensive for my pockets. I did go the hackintosh route and am happy with it. A well tuned hackintosh is as stable as a Mac.
      I perform a lot with it. Last weekend I did an 11 hour long visual show at a festival driving 18 moving head spots (DMX) and 2 8watt lasers (12 analog audio control channels) from Max patches running on my hack system with 3 MIDI controllers and 2 MOTU firewire audio interfaces. No issues and I definitely wouldn't do this if I didn't trust my system. (Not that it never crashes, it's still a computer...)
      One has to be willing to invest time in getting it right though. It's not quite plug 'n play, though the tools at http://www.tonymacx86.com help tremendously.
      Laptops are much harder to install than desktops. I don't know of recent hackintosh laptops with functional discrete graphics cards.
    • miesvanderrobot
      Dec 28 2013 | 11:40 pm
      I think the new MBPs are less of a joke than you take them for. There's more to processor performance evolution than gigahertz. More cache, more cores, and Turbo Boost to boot. And there's much to be said for having up to 16gb of memory and an SSD root drive.
      That being said, I do find the trend toward complete lack of post-purchase upgradability detestable. And I'm too new to Max to speak reliably about the video issues you've seen reported.
      Some possible options for you, beyond the Hackintosh solution:
      1. Buy a top-spec MBP somewhere that has a generous return policy (e.g. Best Buy) and subject it to your most demanding workloads for a few days. Return if it's not up to your expectations.
      2. Make do with what you've got, possibly. Again, I am still pretty much a Max noob, but from what I have gathered it is possible to do a lot of Jitter matrix stuff with Gen. Maybe you can refactor your existing patches to be more performant with the Mac you already have.
    • tep
      Dec 29 2013 | 4:30 am
      thanks, this moaning mood didn't last: i just put an ssd drive in my computer. and for big projects, well... i borrow, or follow your 2nd option.
      Talking about Apple is a very boring topic anyway. One day Cycling'74 will port Max to linux and they had many children and were happy for the rest of their lives.
    • vichug
      Dec 30 2013 | 3:03 am
      One day Cycling’74 will port Max to linux
      i, er, doubt it will ever happen. Though i would be very happy.