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Mac Mini 2018 gpu performance in music production

Hi everyone,


recently I've been going nuts with my new mac mini 2018 and it's crackling and popping audio and high cpu load when using Ableton Live 10 Suite. I was thinking my RME UFX II was faulty or there was something else weird going on.


I have 3.2GHz 6-core Core i7 with 32gb of RAM with latest OS updates before catalina. I have also older MPB 2014 which I used to test same projects.


In a nutshell I have found that using gpu "heavy" programs and plugins (such ableton itself and vst's from fabfilter) causes high cpu and makes the audio crackle when the buffer is lower such as 64 samples when using my Samsung ultrawide monitor with 3440x1440 resolution. If I raise the buffer to 256 or higher the pops go away but come back if I add more plugins. This is crazy as with those specs I should be able to run quite large amount of plugins with low buffer without any glitches.


I'm stunned to realise that the gpu in mac mini 2018 is not suitable even for basic programs which is disappointing. apparently one needs to buy egpu and it will solve the issue but this is an extra 500-1000 euros.


I doubt there is anything ableton or plugin creators can do about this other than make their software lighter for gpu's but I doubt it's going to happen in future.


have anyone else have similar issues? This fella has made same finding when using logic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvTFRhte4Ng


For me using 1080p resolution is not not an option as the ultrawide monitor does not scale the screen in correct manner.

Mac mini 2018 or later

Posted on Oct 18, 2019 2:02 AM

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Posted on Oct 26, 2019 6:39 PM

Good thread. Glad to hear this worked, but I couldn't drop this coin on an eGPU when my '13 iMac was handling the same projects with ease. As a test, I tried the sonnet breakaway box with RX560 to run my Samsung 4K UHD 32' monitor and it did NOT fix my i5 Mac Mini problem of core overload and clicks and pops. See this thread for some other things I tried: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/250789514


The performance issue was that one single core would spike to 75% + causing crackles/pops while the other cores would be sitting around taking a nap. This was using Logic but I think this is a cross-platform issue for DAWs on the Mac Mini. This was on the i5, not the i7, but I don't think it would make a difference. In Logic, by selecting a playback track that did not have any input monitoring or effects (like an audio track) it would greatly decrease the single core usage and would be a good workaround. However, strangely the eGPU with RX560 didn't help much. Maybe it needs a better card (I mean RX560 isn't top of the line, but I thought it would take off the 4k load at least) to handle these Samsung monitors to get the right performance, like the blackmagic.


In the end, I've landed on the iMac as the regrettable best and most cost effective choice for my DAW use now, despite me not being crazy about the limiting form factor. However, everything is optimized for the screen in the iMac and it doesn't strain the CPU like it seems to do on the Mac Mini.


The other great unknown is the T2 security chip. I need to do low buffer sizes with input monitoring and I just suspected that the chip is doing some kind of process that hurts the Mini's performance. I would still get clicks and pops (just not as many) on a higher buffer size. With the recording I do, this was too much of a risk for my workflow. The '19 iMac doesn't have T2 and I found that the same specc'd new iMac that I picked up was just such a better performer than the same i5 Mac Mini. Good luck.

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17 replies
Question marked as Best reply

Oct 26, 2019 6:39 PM in response to armas_hki

Good thread. Glad to hear this worked, but I couldn't drop this coin on an eGPU when my '13 iMac was handling the same projects with ease. As a test, I tried the sonnet breakaway box with RX560 to run my Samsung 4K UHD 32' monitor and it did NOT fix my i5 Mac Mini problem of core overload and clicks and pops. See this thread for some other things I tried: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/250789514


The performance issue was that one single core would spike to 75% + causing crackles/pops while the other cores would be sitting around taking a nap. This was using Logic but I think this is a cross-platform issue for DAWs on the Mac Mini. This was on the i5, not the i7, but I don't think it would make a difference. In Logic, by selecting a playback track that did not have any input monitoring or effects (like an audio track) it would greatly decrease the single core usage and would be a good workaround. However, strangely the eGPU with RX560 didn't help much. Maybe it needs a better card (I mean RX560 isn't top of the line, but I thought it would take off the 4k load at least) to handle these Samsung monitors to get the right performance, like the blackmagic.


In the end, I've landed on the iMac as the regrettable best and most cost effective choice for my DAW use now, despite me not being crazy about the limiting form factor. However, everything is optimized for the screen in the iMac and it doesn't strain the CPU like it seems to do on the Mac Mini.


The other great unknown is the T2 security chip. I need to do low buffer sizes with input monitoring and I just suspected that the chip is doing some kind of process that hurts the Mini's performance. I would still get clicks and pops (just not as many) on a higher buffer size. With the recording I do, this was too much of a risk for my workflow. The '19 iMac doesn't have T2 and I found that the same specc'd new iMac that I picked up was just such a better performer than the same i5 Mac Mini. Good luck.

Oct 18, 2019 5:47 AM in response to armas_hki

I am now able to reproduce the issue every time with following: I have my ableton project running with 64 sample buffer. I have my monitor scaled to default (3440x1600). Playback produces crackles like it is new years eve. I go to displays and change the scale to 1080p and keep the buffer same (64 samples). Playback produces no artefacts or crackles. However if i browse chrome at the same time, every time it loads a web page it produces artefacts in the audio when keeping the ableton project playing in the background.


I think this is a huge issue considering I've paid +3k for a mac mini. How to take this forward to get it fixed?

Oct 18, 2019 6:33 AM in response to armas_hki

The spec makes no mention of MacOS support although it does for Windows 10. So forget about blaming Apple, it’s not their issue (but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to make it work).


Additionally, your monitor it has 3 HDMI ports, any reason why you aren’t using them? Switch to the HDMI port 1 and reduce frequency to 50 Hz. From the OSD menu disable Game mode, disable Magic Upscale, disable FreeSync, disable Eco Saver Plus, disable Off Timer and set to Standard Response Time. If you see an improvement, you could move to HDMI 2 and up the frequency to 75 Hz, progressively enable the other geewhiz settings. Good luck.

Oct 27, 2019 11:23 AM in response to 3SQ

The display on the iMac is fully integrated with all-Apple tech, which means it works perfectly, period. On the mini, non-Thunderbolt 3 display connections are at the mercy of external vendors, so mileage varies. Based on posts here, it looks like Samsung and LG are the biggest culprits. Add to it HDMI 2.0 implementations are relatively new, bugs will take at least a couple of years to iron out.


The biggest curiosity for me is that not one Intel chip is spec’ed for HDMI 2.0, all stop at 1.4. Which tells me (a) there’s marketing trickery involved selling it and (b) HDMI 2.0 needs a baby walker to work (whatever that means).


All in all, the iMac is best value for money imo. Enjoy...

Mac Mini 2018 gpu performance in music production

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