I’m looking to start learning serious music production and I have to update my hardware. My previous Mac is an Intel machine, and I’m not too sure what the recommended specifications are to run Logic on Apple Silicon computers, or what the comparison would be to old x64 hardware. A MacBook Pro might be over my budget, so I’m wondering if the newly-released M2 MacBook Airs are powerful enough to do the trick — are they?
I’ve been researching the same question... the M2 MacBook Airs are more than capable to run Logic, but there are some caveats. Essentially the base models do have some limitations - 8GB Ram, & 50% slower (1 lane) SSD’s.
Although memory management is much more efficient with Apple Silicon based CPU’s, the minimum Ram I would recommend is 16GB, (preferably 24GB) - to reduce memory swapping between Ram & SSD. I’d also recommend going for a larger SSD (512GB or above) - as these are double the speed of the 256GB standard SSD - which will improve overall performance.
The bonus of MacBook Air’s is no fan noise… but the trade-off is that as the system heats up potential thermal throttling of the CPU will occur, which could slow the system down or cause errors. That being said, personally I would prefer no fan noise, as even modest sessions can turn the fans into overdrive on a MacBook Pro Intel with fans!
The M1 Mac Air might be a more cost effective choice, (& not that much slower). Even the 256GB SSD on an M1 has two lanes too, so double the performance. If fan noise isn’t an issue, you might be better at looking at a refurbished M1/M2 MacBook Pro, as ultimately they will perform better.
I’ve been researching the same question... the M2 MacBook Airs are more than capable to run Logic, but there are some caveats. Essentially the base models do have some limitations - 8GB Ram, & 50% slower (1 lane) SSD’s.
Although memory management is much more efficient with Apple Silicon based CPU’s, the minimum Ram I would recommend is 16GB, (preferably 24GB) - to reduce memory swapping between Ram & SSD. I’d also recommend going for a larger SSD (512GB or above) - as these are double the speed of the 256GB standard SSD - which will improve overall performance.
The bonus of MacBook Air’s is no fan noise… but the trade-off is that as the system heats up potential thermal throttling of the CPU will occur, which could slow the system down or cause errors. That being said, personally I would prefer no fan noise, as even modest sessions can turn the fans into overdrive on a MacBook Pro Intel with fans!
The M1 Mac Air might be a more cost effective choice, (& not that much slower). Even the 256GB SSD on an M1 has two lanes too, so double the performance. If fan noise isn’t an issue, you might be better at looking at a refurbished M1/M2 MacBook Pro, as ultimately they will perform better.
Is an M2 MacBook Air sufficiently powerful to run Logic comfortably?
