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MacBook Pro on Last Legs...HELP Please?


Dustin
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Well the time has come so it would seem for my 2012 Macbook Pro Retina I7 Quadcore. My computer is one of those that is affected by a faulty motherboard/overheating/video issue. It randomly powers down and anything beyond editing video is a joke. Color grading well yeah right. Tonight it seems it's on its last legs and although Apple had a repair program for my model on this exact issue my date of purchase puts it ineligible. This has been going on for 2 years now but has mostly been manageable until the random powering down/glitches.

I do use this laptop fairly often for music recording and producing,  photography edits/graphic design and video editing so something equivalent of an i7 quad core, 16 gigs of ram (have 8 right now), definitely a good graphics card and an ssd drive are non-negotiables for me. I also want the ability to edit 4k/color grade without premiere dropping frames and showing glitchy video. As far as right now I will not be switching to FCPX or Resolve so this is my editor of choice. I'm open to buying used but it should be in great condition. I LOVE my macbook but realize windows seem like the better value as far as specs go.

 

Are there any Laptops used out there where I can get the above mentioned specs for under something crazy like $600 used? 

Should I be looking at some Asus ROG / MSI laptops or should I just try to find a 2015/2016 Spec Non Touch macbook pro? I was under the impression though that the speed/specs were lacking compared to windows computers from the same years. Also will a Nvidia 1050 graphics card do 4k or is that the previous gen? It seems we are now on 1080?

 

LONG STORY SHORT:  WHAT IS THE BEST BANG FOR MY BUCK IN LAPTOPS USED WITH THE ABOVE MENTIONED SPECS (INCLUDING 4K EDITING ABILITY) FOR $500-1000.

 

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EOSHD Pro Color 5 for Sony cameras EOSHD Z LOG for Nikon CamerasEOSHD C-LOG and Film Profiles for All Canon DSLRs

If I decide to go with a windows desktop..after a day of researching this is looking like a decent desktop build for the price? Just over $1000 including the monitor. The i5 8600K processor also looks really promising based on the pudget systems tests.

 

Link: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/rNXGvV

 

I use Premiere Pro and will not be switching to final cut. Also looking at a used gaming laptop or dell xps 15 laptop. I guess for laptops, in theory I should be good with any i7 6700/7700HQ, 16gb of ram and at least a Nvidia GTX1060 6gb card? Maybe even the 1050 or 960. Basically I want the ability to edit 4k in the future, to edit 1080p h264 and not worry about dropped frames or glitches while color grading. Export times are whatever but faster times would be nice. 

I'm in contact with a guy near me who has a desktop built already with alot of the key specs but I'm also looking at picking up a second hand gaming laptop with the specs listed above on eBay if I can find one at a really good deal ($700 or less)

Any Ideas Guys?

 

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Thanks for those suggestions @webrunner5. Really some terrific sub $700 deals to be found on those. I’ve also found the newer versions to be had with the 1070 cards as well. Also some of those laptops you mentioned have been specked out to 32gb of ram for under $800 used.

Im still a bit torn between Mac/windows but as long as my daw of choice studio one 3 and my audio interface- Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 also work on the system I think I should be good to go. 

Gonna keep browsing the $600/700 systems and see what I find. Unless anyone else has a better recommendation/suggestions

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You can also look for a solid state drive MacBook Pro with say a 250 Gig drive and pair it with a 2 or 3 Terrabyte Lacie (I like the Porsche designed ones at under $200 and add FCPX for an additional $299) I had the same issues with the MacBook you describe...in and out for constant repair....motherboard...screen etc. During an appointment to check something the trackpad froze and the person helping me looked at the history, and after a chat with a manager swapped it for a 2014 MacBook Pro 1 Terrabyte retina...for my machine plus $300 (a $3500 machine!)...I think a visit to discuss your machine and it's history at a Genius Bar appointment may yield a result....worth a try anyway...bought the same machine I described in the opening post for my daughter for $300 with a slightly banged up case as we wanted a DVD SuperDrive and none of the new ones have them.

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@Fritz Pierrethank you for the suggestion. I’m debating taking it into the Apple store but as my warranty is expired and the program to fix the gpu under warranty has also expired I’ve read a lot about people with similar machines saying tough luck. I might do this though. I’ll still be keeping this machine as for everyday use it runs fine (minus the random shut downs) it’s just for anything past that it’s not reliable/enough.

I realize I could switch to final cut and it would save me money but I rather like adobes suite most of the time. I still edit on a usb3 7200 rpm g drive or my computers 256gb SSD.

Something like this might fit the bill. Used versions of these ROG laptops go for 600-800 so a bit more affordable.

 

https://m.newegg.com/products/9SIA24G69V4080

 

Hell this one even looks like a MacBook! (LOL)

 

https://m.newegg.com/products/N82E16834234654

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Jon....I'm on my 4th year with one drive....flawless....in your defense, I gaffer tape the connection of the cable to the the port on the little drive...on the ruggeds and the large Lacie drives, they have all failed...on these no issues...another with 2 years working flawlessy and a 3rd brand new that I've yet to use.

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So can anyone confirm...with Premiere Pro CC

for 1080p H264/4K and basic color grading, with no video glitching/dropped frames, is there anything in the mac world that would meet these requirements under $1500 Everything I have found seems to say best bang for the buck is windows. I’m pretty much set on picking up a laptop as I don’t want to commit to the desktop idea yet. As such I guess that will rule the iMac out unless that is an option for what I described above

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@Dustin

I would not get a mac for Premiere. If you want to stick with mac, you are much better off building a hackintosh. I have one and it has been running more stable than my 2016 macbook ... It is a fairly straightforward process and you can find all the info you need from here: https://www.tonymacx86.com/. With a windows desktop though you can really benefit from the latest Core i7 8700K : https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/Premiere-Pro-CC-2017-1-2-CPU-Performance-Core-i7-8700K-i5-8600K-i3-8350K-1047/

Another route would be to use an external GPU. I have had a great experience with them (see here), you just need a Thunderbolt 3 laptop. The new Razer blade stealth with the razer core is an excellent choice. You can get more info here: https://egpu.io/forums/. But don't stress out too much about the GPU. Unless you want full resolution 4K real-time playback with effects, you can just lower the playback resolution (see here).

In any case, if you can hold until CES 2018 this month when the new 6core mobile CPUs are going to appear. Then you can either get a latest gen 6 core or the previous gen at a lower price. 

Good luck!

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On 12/31/2017 at 10:27 PM, Dustin said:

This has been going on for 2 years now but has mostly been manageable until the random powering down/glitches.

I have an i7 with a matte screen from 2012 as a backup. It powers down unless I am hooked up to power. Does yours shutdown when connected to power?

I think any MacBook Pro from 2015/2016 should do fairly well if you have a nice internal SSD to edit from. 2tb or something would be ideal... 

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Well I tried one of these at Best Buy tonight and I was fairly impressed with the feel. It doesn’t look overtly like a gaming laptop and the 17” screen looked really sharp! The build quality felt fairly ok minus the cheap plastic that I know from experience will crack at some point. Also the keyboard felt really close to my MacBook Pro so nothing much to change there. Is this the best bang for my buck as far as laptops go at $1000? 

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1356939-REG/asus_gl703vd_db75_i7_7700hq_2_8ghz_16gb_1tb.html

 

 

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To tell you the truth, I am not that impressed by that laptop. 1050 is a good card but soon it will be a limitation and since there is no TB3 port you will be stuck. 

Also, the lack of other high-speed ports is not great for video editing (USB3.1 gen1 max, you want gen2 or TB3). Personally, I would not get a laptop without a TB3 port. 

If you like the ASUS aesthetics then the GL702VM line is much better and probably worth the extra money. You can find them cheap on eBay.  

 

I will mention this again if you can wait few days until the CES 2018 (this Sunday). 

 

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2 hours ago, Don Kotlos said:

To tell you the truth, I am not that impressed by that laptop. 1050 is a good card but soon it will be a limitation and since there is no TB3 port you will be stuck. 

Also, the lack of other high-speed ports is not great for video editing (USB3.1 gen1 max, you want gen2 or TB3). Personally, I would not get a laptop without a TB3 port. 

If you like the ASUS aesthetics then the GL702VM line is much better and probably worth the extra money. You can find them cheap on eBay.  

 

I will mention this again if you can wait few days until the CES 2018 (this Sunday). 

 

Thanks for the tip Don! Cheap is good...And yeah Im definitely going to wait, I’m just really trying to lay out my options over the next couple weeks. 

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