# What kind of Mac do I need? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 28, 2011, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-mac-do-i-need/569342 "2011-01-28T22:27:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dog80](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6bbea6/32.png) [@Dog80](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dog80)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2011, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-mac-do-i-need/569342/1 "2011-01-28T22:27:19Z")
My niece studies audio engineering. She needs a software called Logic Studio, and this is only available for Mac. What Mac computer will be able to run the program well while not costing a fortune? ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2011, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-mac-do-i-need/569342/2 "2011-01-28T22:33:40Z")
You can run Logic Studio or Logic Express on a Macbook Pro. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2011, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-mac-do-i-need/569342/3 "2011-01-28T22:57:45Z")
A Big Mac. (||) StG ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2011, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-mac-do-i-need/569342/4 "2011-01-28T23:00:59Z")
Here’s a link to the specs needed for Logic Studio. I haven’t used it but just on paper, any of the current Mac lineup should be able to run it, even the default Mini. > **[Logic Pro for Mac](https://www.apple.com/logic-pro/)** > > Logic Pro is a complete professional recording studio on the Mac. And it has everything musicians need to go from first note to final master. Talk to someone at the Apple store. You’ll probably be happier if you splurge for 4gb of RAM, but you should be able to find a workable solution with the basic models, I think. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2011, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-mac-do-i-need/569342/5 "2011-01-28T23:02:56Z")
Here are the system requirements: [Logic Pro for Mac - Apple](http://www.apple.com/logicstudio/specs/) It looks like any currently shipping machine will run it. I would recommend a Mac Mini as the cheapest option. Depending on her music hardware, she might need a more capable machine. A MacBook would also work, ---
**Author:** ![brickbacon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@brickbacon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brickbacon)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2011, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-mac-do-i-need/569342/6 "2011-01-29T03:08:08Z")
> [@Dog80](#): > > My niece studies audio engineering. She needs a software called Logic Studio, and this is only available for Mac. > > What Mac computer will be able to run the program well while not costing a fortune? If you already have an intel-based pc, you may be able to install OS X on your current computer. That might save you some money. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2011, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-mac-do-i-need/569342/7 "2011-01-29T03:15:32Z")
> [@brickbacon](#): > > If you already have an intel-based pc, you may be able to install OS X on your current computer. That might save you some money. Not legally though. And it requires some tweaking. And only very specific models of computer worked with the cracked version of OS X. My friend did it, but was never sure whether he would be able to get the updates. Eventually he replaced it with Windows 7. This was two years ago; I don’t know whether the situation has improved since then. ---
**Author:** ![brickbacon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@brickbacon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brickbacon)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2011, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-mac-do-i-need/569342/8 "2011-01-29T17:27:14Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > Not legally though. And it requires some tweaking. And only very specific models of computer worked with the cracked version of OS X. My friend did it, but was never sure whether he would be able to get the updates. Eventually he replaced it with Windows 7. This was two years ago; I don’t know whether the situation has improved since then. You don’t need a cracked version of OS X. It will not install cleanly on every system due to the compatibility of the parts, but a little bit of googling will let you know if it’s a possibility. ---
**Author:** ![Amblydoper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/fbc32d/32.png) [@Amblydoper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amblydoper)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2011, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-mac-do-i-need/569342/9 "2011-02-03T00:34:49Z")
**Brickbacon** , If the OP can’t figure out on their own what level of computer could run the software, I doubt they could handle setting up a hackintosh. To the OP: just about any 3-year-old-or-newer Mac will run that software. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2011, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-mac-do-i-need/569342/10 "2011-02-03T02:51:03Z")
Bah, you don’t need any kind of Mac (nor does anyone else). I’m not familiar with that particular piece of software, but I’m sure there’s nothing it can do that you can’t do with a different software program on a PC. If you’re going to buy a whole computer just for one program, she better at least be able to articulate the reason she needs **that** specific software and no other program in the world could suffice. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2011, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-mac-do-i-need/569342/11 "2011-02-03T03:54:08Z")
Hmm. Looks like [Audacity](http://audacity.sourceforge.net/), but fancier. And Audacity is free. Is it an absolute requirement to have Logic Studio? ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2011, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-mac-do-i-need/569342/12 "2011-02-03T04:11:54Z")
Edit: Okay, it looks like a lot more than Audacity. ---
**Author:** ![mack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mack)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2011, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-mac-do-i-need/569342/13 "2011-02-03T05:33:34Z")
I’m thinking of getting a Mac and I’m always using some sort of audio software. I’ve been toying with the idea of getting a 13" or 15" macbook pro with a solid state drive. You should avoid getting a system based on the minimum requirements of the software because you end up with a system that runs a program like Logic minimally. It’s not long before you start getting hiccups and whatnot and then that’s pretty much that. Minimum requirements are just getting your foot in the door as far as these audio suites are concerned. Generally you’d be best off with a fast hard drive (at least 7200 rpm) and as much RAM as you can possibly afford (definitely not 2gb). Your best value would be an iMac. Even the base model wouldn’t be too shabby compared to the laptops. You can max out the RAM and upgrade the hard drive to 1tb and still come in under a macbook pro configured to run something like Logic. She’ll also need a USB or firewire (faster) audio interface, so that will be another couple hundred dollars.