recommend a laptop for production

c03 · Post by **c03** » Wed Sep 16, 2009 10:46 am

had a quick look around and not found a thread on this, so -

what would you recommend for a budget of 500 english pounds? I use ableton live and a few vsts. i know desktops are better but will need a laptop if i buy serato or play out using ableton

should i go for a mac or a pc, and what different makes of pc should i be looking for etc. at the mo i'm thinkin of getting a refurbed standard macbook and buying some more ram for it

feel free to open up the discussion for other budgets/setups, thanks for any replies...

futures_untold · Post by **futures_untold** » Wed Sep 16, 2009 10:54 am

Mac vs PC debate ---> http://dubstepforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=104919&start=0

Laptop discussion ---> http://dubstepforum.com/viewtopic.php?t ... ght=laptop

c03 · Post by **c03** » Wed Sep 16, 2009 11:06 am

cheers for the heads up

deadly · Post by **deadly** » Wed Sep 16, 2009 11:26 am

Assuming you're running a genuine copy of Ableton, personally I'd get a second hand Macbook / Macbook Pro. Add in 4GB RAM and a 500GB 7200rpm drive for less than £150 and you're away.

A PC may be cheaper and there might be a few random VSTs that you can't get for Mac but the overall experience of running a Mac-based computer outweighs it IME.

archer · Post by **archer** » Wed Sep 16, 2009 12:21 pm

i`m looking for a laptop too for production`n stuff, not very into hardware, prices components but a mate of mine who is more into it told me that the refurbished stuff is a very good ocassion to save money on a same quality

c03 · Post by **c03** » Wed Sep 16, 2009 1:56 pm

yeah think im gonna try and cop a dell studio xps or a lenovo thinkpad t1 off ebay, both got loads of memory and dual core processors which sounds impressive...

macbooks are lookin a little bit out of my price range

good thread about it here http://forum.ableton.com/viewtopic.php? ... 4&start=15

vertex · Post by **vertex** » Wed Sep 16, 2009 2:23 pm

Very few laptops have ASIO compatible soundcards, so you may need an external soundcard also!

feasible_weasel · Post by **feasible_weasel** » Wed Sep 16, 2009 5:39 pm

just needs more ram
http://www.currys.co.uk/martprd/store/c ... oid=-27411

DZA · Post by **DZA** » Wed Sep 16, 2009 5:44 pm

feasible_weasel wrote: just needs more ram
http://www.currys.co.uk/martprd/store/c ... oid=-27411

aw i miss feasible old tesco laptop threads

feasible_weasel · Post by **feasible_weasel** » Wed Sep 16, 2009 5:58 pm

wish i got this instead of my current laptop

amazing speakers and excellent build
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/p ... 419039.htm

feasible_weasel · Post by **feasible_weasel** » Wed Sep 16, 2009 6:45 pm

The_Dza88 wrote:
feasible_weasel wrote: just needs more ram
http://www.currys.co.uk/martprd/store/c ... oid=-27411
aw i miss feasible old tesco laptop threads

yeah i used to find all the deals..

scooterjack · Post by **scooterjack** » Wed Sep 16, 2009 6:52 pm

Vertex wrote:Very few laptops have ASIO compatible soundcards, so you may need an external soundcard also!

will definitely need an external soundcard

not only for ASIO compatibility, but for quality/grounding/interference issues that 90% of built in laptop soundcards have

vertex · Post by **vertex** » Sat Sep 19, 2009 6:37 pm

scooterjack wrote:
Vertex wrote:Very few laptops have ASIO compatible soundcards, so you may need an external soundcard also!
will definitely need an external soundcard

not only for ASIO compatibility, but for quality/grounding/interference issues that 90% of built in laptop soundcards have

This is why I wish more laptops would have a co-ax or optical digital out like a Macbook pro does...

itronz · Post by **itronz** » Sun Sep 20, 2009 11:56 am

You can pick you self up a 1.83/2GHz White MB off ebay for around £500 if you look around, they're rock solid machines and should do most of what you want aslong as you upgrade to 4GB of ram if you can't find one with 4GB already installed.

paravrais · Post by **paravrais** » Sun Sep 20, 2009 12:22 pm

These days I always buy my new laptop directly from Dell. Never had a problem with them and I had my last one for about 5 years before I upgraded to the current (although I wasn't using it for producing) *and* it technically still works just has a few superficial things wrong with it. Don't really know why I'm posting cos you already seem to be on the right track with either a Dell or Lenovo (definitely what I would recommend) As far as mac vs pc argument goes, I just say if your used to using a mac, buy a mac and vice versa. No point trying to learn a new operating system on top of whatever other stresses you have in your life! (Just assuming here everyone has as manic lives as I do)

symmetricalsounds · Post by **symmetricalsounds** » Sun Sep 20, 2009 3:25 pm

from all i've seen and used it seems that the thinkpads are the best laptops in the reliability stakes.

cloak and dagger · Post by **cloak and dagger** » Sun Sep 20, 2009 4:50 pm

Thinkpads are basically the biggest badasses of the laptop world. In general, Toshiba is really good too. This is based on my experiences. I've heard mixed things about Dell, and my experiences have also been mixed, but not bad enough that I wouldn't say you shouldn't get one.

Also, I've heard Acers are bad, and Asus is good. That was REALLY confusing for me at first.

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