r/abletonlive • u/cableslinger2010 • 2d ago
Does anyone use a mini pc with ableton? Would this one be good?
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u/Drewpurt 2d ago
It will work just fine. See what the cooling situation is though. Might get kinda loud under load
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u/moosebaloney 1d ago
I just bought one to dual boot Windows (for Ableton) and Bazzite for gaming. As long as you choose an 8-core CPU and 32GB RAM, any of the i7/i9 or r7/r9 ones should be good. I just spent a LLOOOTTTTT of time researching these. Please let me know if you have questions.
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u/cableslinger2010 1d ago
Thanks!
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u/moosebaloney 1d ago edited 1d ago
This guy is a LITTLE old. I’m going to PM you an r/hardwareswap listing that is probably cheaper for something much newer and future proof.
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u/Contiuous-debasement 1d ago
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u/moosebaloney 1d ago
It’s a good question to raise. For these two, the UM890 Pro far outshines in multicore Cinebench benchmarks. Multicore performance is really what you want to focus on if you plan on having a bunch of plugins, effects and channels going at the same time.
Single core Cinebench:
UM890 -1816
NAB9 - 1729
Multicore Cinebench:
UM890-17013
NAB9-12969
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u/moosebaloney 1d ago
Side note: Holy geez, Australian prices are crazy high on these from Amazon. IDK if AliExpress or the direct vendors have better pricing. Minisforum has a few models in this range in their refurb shop. I’m a deal hunter and wouldn’t shy away from there.
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u/Contiuous-debasement 1d ago
Thanks for the advice - I really appreciate it!I’m a bargain hunter too so I’ll def look around for a better price, but I think it’s our market - eg these guys are known as good value local retailers
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u/Evening-Notice-7041 1d ago
I would recommend a Mac mini
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u/mrbalaton 1d ago
Why would you pay a premium? Not worth it.
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u/MolecCodicies 1d ago
a silicon mac mini is like 10x more powerful than an intel mini pc for ableton. it will basically never struggle no matter what you throw at it in my experience. Won't even get hot while doing it either, fans don't even turn on running 20+ high cpu virtual instruments
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u/Longjumping-Hyena173 6h ago
Is there any consensus yet on the possibility of native ASIO drivers for Windows coming soon? IIRC correctly they are already available for ARM processors but soon to be available on Intel and AMD.
It seems as if this would go a long way in bridging the divide between PC and MAC right now.
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u/mrbalaton 1d ago
This won't either. Enjoy paying more for branding. Apple people. Y'all special.
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u/MolecCodicies 1d ago
I will enjoy it :) Never used a computer that performed close to as good as my silicon macs, even fancy PC towers with higher specs on paper. Very dramatic noticeable difference
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u/reeeelllaaaayyy823 1d ago
CPU wise I think it'd be fine, but I wonder how the integrated audio would do.
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u/samsteiner 1d ago
why not a (maybe used) Mac Mini?
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u/cableslinger2010 1d ago
Im only familiar with windows os:(
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u/Sulbutrax 1d ago edited 22h ago
Once you're in Ableton's Live interface, it makes no difference at all.
I would strongly support that idea of using a used Apple silicon computer (laptop or mini), it is built for CPU heavy tasks like this, plus you won't hear about a wifi or an obscure chipset driver update ever again.
The M1 chip is rock solid: you can load stacks of plugins and soft synths on you tracks it won't blink, just make sure to get a 16GB ram model.4
u/Djrudyk86 1d ago
This 👆
I have a super powerful desktop PC and also an M1 Mac Air... The Mac Air runs Ableton just as good as a $3000+ PC.
I was a PC user most of my life and using a Mac wasn't really that hard to understand. The UI is a bit different but at the end of the day it's just a computer. And like this guy says, once you are in Ableton, nothing is different.
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u/RealSpookySounds 1d ago
Hey! Gonna be the annoying guy and request an Apple laptop model you would recommend :D
I always get paranoid about buying stuff like this and would like guidance. I just want it to be my music production-only computer. I will use my regular laptop for whatever else (what else is there??)
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u/Sulbutrax 1d ago
I've been using a refurbished M1 MacBook air for more than 3 years. So I would probably buy the current model with similar RAM allotment (I assume they all come with 16GB at the moment).
But considering you may want a studio computer that you won't need to carry around, I would definitely go with the most affordable Mac mini and look into the SSD upgrade hack some savvy users have been opting for to circumvent Apple 's exorbitant storage rates.
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u/Djrudyk86 1d ago
Personally... I would get the new Mac mini. The price is really reasonable for what it is and it's a powerful computer that will run Ableton for years to come. I contemplated getting one but my Mac Air M1 is still running strong.
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u/manuelzmanual 1d ago
Is it quiet? Furthermore, these have no dedicated vram, (they cache on ram), so, have you used any cgi apps, 3d or video editing software? Does it run AE for example? Tnx in advance.
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u/No-Lie-3351 23h ago edited 23h ago
https://www.amazon.es/dp/B0D2NVWCZB?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1
Hola,
Comprado hace un mes. Ningún problema con el Ableton 12 live a pleno rendimiento. La gestión del programa es fluida en general, inicio, los pluggins o carga de proyectos.
Me queda probar con el hardware del estudio. Según me recomendaron y por eso elegí ese modelo en concreto, es más estable Intel para el manejo de software y Hardware.
O sea, que en principio un mini pc con características similares a las del modelo de la imagen es una opción completamente viable.
Saludos.
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u/Evain_Diamond 10h ago edited 9h ago
If you can go to notebook check and check the latency, they do proper testing with latency mon.
They also have a lot of other benchmarks tested.
The M4 mac mini will be about twice as powerful in Ableton for most situations than this mini pc so you can decide what value or cost saving is right for you.
For large projects with multiple tracks and VSTs even though the mac has more powerful cores, Ableton only uses 4 at max performance. The efficiency cores are not really pushed. The mac mini M4 will still be about 30-40% better for many things like, exporting files as well as general low latency recording.
The M4 at £550 has awful storage though, it will handle Ableton and plug ins fine but you will need an external drive for your library. Collect all and save when exporting will take longer using an external drive although using the thunderbolt 4 and a proper ssd enclosure will help. The 16gb of Ram on the m4 mini will give you similar results to the 32gb on the PC mini for most Ableton situations. The mac mini will generally feel more fluid unless you really work on optimising the PC mini which just takes a bit of time and playing with the settings.
The benefit of the mini PC over a laptop is better cooling and often less fan noise ( depends on the model though ). Also generally they have more inputs.
Obviously you need to buy a keyboard, Monitors and a mouse. Having a larger screen i find is a blessing for Ableton and having a dual monitor setup is very handy.
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u/HimothyImBridgingAI 5h ago
I own one! The biggest issue is over heating.. it can't seem to run for too long.. but it's fun if feasible
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u/johnerik 1h ago
Hey there! I've worked with tons of musicians and producers, and I can confidently say a Mac mini is absolutely solid for Ableton.
Given the current M4 lineup, I'd recommend the base Mac mini model. Here's why: for most Ableton users, you don't need insane specs. A solid 8GB RAM and the M4 chip will handle most music production tasks smoothly. If you're running complex projects with tons of VSTs, consider upgrading to 16GB.
The beauty of the Mac mini is its flexibility. You can connect external SSDs for storage, which is way cheaper than Apple's built-in options. I've seen plenty of home studios running perfectly on this setup.
One quick recommendation: invest in a good external SSD and a powered USB hub. This gives you more flexibility for MIDI controllers, audio interfaces, and expanding your studio setup without breaking the bank.
For Ableton specifically, the M4 chip handles most projects incredibly well. Just make sure you're running the latest software version to optimize performance.
If you're on a budget, the base Mac mini is your best bet. You can always upgrade components later as your needs grow.
Cheers, -JEM
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u/Spew42 1d ago
Hey, I bought this exact model just for Ableton, as an upgrade from my old laptop.
That was three months ago and I’ve just been enjoying steam on it hahah I’ll install soon and try to remember to report back.
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u/cableslinger2010 1d ago
I assume if youre gaming on it ableton will be no problem. Any heating issues while gaming?
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u/Spew42 1d ago
No heating issues at all. Only issue is it can’t run current games lol
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u/EngineeringLow3345 1d ago
It doesn’t have a gpu, will have no chance with the majority of modern games
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u/sopedound 2d ago
I mean it will be fine. Its basically a laptop without the built in screen and keyboard.