After a decade of reliable service, my custom PC is showing its age and struggling with modern demands, prompting me to consider a replacement. My primary focus is music production, using Ableton with multiple VSTs, a Thunderbolt audio interface, and various MIDI and USB instruments. While I occasionally edit videos or play games, these are secondary concerns. With a budget of approximately $3,000, I aim for a system that will remain capable for at least five years.
On the PC side, I’m looking at a Ryzen 9950X processor with 16 cores, 64GB of DDR5 6400 RAM, an RTX 5060 8GB graphics card, and 2TB of NVMe storage. For the Mac, the M4 Max with 16 cores, 64GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD is under consideration. Although the Mac Studio offers higher performance, it comes at a greater cost and may require an external drive for additional storage. The custom PC, while less powerful, provides a clearer upgrade path and more built-in storage. At the moment, I’m leaning toward the Mac Studio, as many colleagues have recommended it, but I’m open to thoughts on whether it’s a worthwhile investment or if a PC would be a more practical choice. I’m also curious if a powerful Mac Mini could serve as a viable alternative.
As someone who also upgraded from an aging PC to a Mac Studio for music production, I really relate to your storage dilemma—the 1TB SSD on the Mac feels tight once you load up sample libraries and project files. I ended up adding an external Thunderbolt drive, which works smoothly but does add to the desk clutter. What’s your plan for managing storage if you go the Mac route?
I totally feel you on the Mac Studio’s storage limitations—my own sample library collection would quickly overwhelm that 1TB drive too! If I go the Mac route, I’m planning a two-tiered approach: keeping active projects and core libraries on the internal SSD while using a sleek Thunderbolt 4 enclosure with a 4TB NVMe for archived sessions and bulkier instruments, which keeps cables minimal. Have you found any particular external drives that balance speed with tidy setup? I’d love to hear what’s working for your workflow.
As someone who also runs Ableton with tons of VSTs, I really feel your point about the PC struggling with modern demands after years of service. Your specific comparison between the Ryzen 9950X PC build and the Mac Studio’s M4 Max is fascinating because that upgrade path for the PC is a huge factor for me too—I’ve swapped GPUs and added RAM in my current rig, which saved me multiple times. Have you considered how the different Thunderbolt implementations might affect your audio interface setup?
I totally get how GPU and RAM upgrades have saved your setup before—that flexibility is a huge advantage for PC builders. Regarding Thunderbolt, the PC implementation can vary by motherboard, so I’d recommend checking your audio interface’s compatibility list and opting for a board with certified Intel Thunderbolt controllers to avoid latency or connection issues. Let me know how your own upgrade plans shape up, and I’d love to hear what you decide!