HELP NEEDED: New HP i7 Laptop vs Old macbook air ?

[Dj BassMonkey]

Hi everyone, I am new to dj'ing and am just starting to get into the whole dj scene. Im trying to get a new laptop that I would be able to start my dj career so this first purchase is going to be really important for me. That is why Im hoping anyone with more experience using Macs and Windows for Dj'ing will be able to help me out a little on this decision.

For $850 I can either buy:

a new 15" HP laptop with a new ivy bridge core i7 processor, 8gb of ram, and a 750 gb hard drive
OR
a refurbished macbook 11" air with a core i5 processor, 128gb SSD, and 4gb of ram.


Im not trying to start a flame war over operating systems, Im just trying to figure out given the SPECIFIC technical specifications of each product, which would be a better purchase for my money, considering relevant factors like potential computing capabilities, most intuitive interface, better compatibility with dj software, reliability, etc. This is while keeping in mind that I will be using this for bedroom and mobile dj'ing (though I would like the laptop to last for a while..) and possible ventures into music production with software such as Ableton Live.


All comments and insights are appreciated. Thanks!

[Dj BassMonkey]

Also, I could downgrade both options to a cheaper price.

I could get the year older 2010 macbook air w/ the core 2 duo processor, 128gb SSD, and 4gb ram
or
the same hp laptop with reduced battery life (9 cell dropped to 6 cell) with a slower 5400rpm processor
both for around $760

[brian_johnstone]

its completely down to personal preference, my HP G62 actually performs better than my colleagues 2011 MBP, BUT..... it does take time to optimise it and get everything running right, for example getting rid of all the crappy software that comes with it, if you dont mind doing this then go for it, mine runs serato and ableton side by side whilst still having plenty of head room, however I have just bought a macbook as im bored of doing this and it was within budget, and all i have to do to optimise it is turn it on.

[deevey]

2 very different beasts ...just DO NOT go for the cheaper c2d Macbook Air whatever you do, the 2011 i5 is the lowest model to even consider.

Now - You could probably get a 13' MBP i5 refurb for around the same price which IMHO would give you the best of both worlds. Better Portability than the HP, more stable (out of the box) OS, less software issues, and future upgradability (add ram/ssd/extra hard drive etc..)

I would not fancy trying to use Ableton in a gig situation with an 11' screen, (I'm considering it though) however Traktor/Serato no probs.

Reliability wise, I've had bad ones with HP, my company had a bundle of them (different models) and all went down within 13 months just out of warranty.

Spec Wise though the HP looks decent and should run anything. Is weight/battery life, needing to tweaking the OS or resale value a factor in you decision?

There should be no issues with a slower hard drive for most tasks BTW...I was running a single 5600 until a few months ago when I ditched my CD drive and installed a second HDD in my macbook pro.

The two laptops you posted are, like I said 2 completely different machines - and is like comparing a sports car with a family sedan - both machines will get you there and run the software fine.

[Patch]

I've got a P4ht HP ZD8000 that I've had for a LONG time (nearly 10 years, I think???) and it's still going strong. regualr services (at least once a year, but previously every 6months) has kept it in good health!

The HP machine you're looking at is a BEAST! It would perform admirably with a stripped down and optimised OS. Optimising a PC for audio is an invaluable learning experience.

[Fraktionz]

+1 on considering a refurb 13" 2011 Macbook pro i5 core...was about $829 when in stock in Canada's apple refurb section

Also +1 on not considering anything with intel core2duo...that's three generations out of date now with the release of ivybridge, longevity potential is greatly reduced.

From what it sounds the HP with i7 ivybridge sounds like an amazing deal spec wise! Of course other factors that are also important are form factor, which you seem to be aware of since you're considering a macbook air. However I do not think you'd be satisified with 11" for djing. 13" for me is the minimum screen real estate needed, 15.6" being the absolute max to maintain portability.

Also to keep in consideration is reliability, mac's generally are incredibily reliable. While hp's customer satisfaction has been going down and down over the years. I've recently switched from a 13" MBP to a 14" M14X alienware, the alienware is already given me so much trouble with the drivers, though specs wise should perform better, it's also very noisy with the quadcore which is probably overkill for my applications admittingly, but will be more useful when I get start getting into production.

Now I realize I have not been very helpful as I'm not familiar with the two options you listed, might be helpful to provide a model on the HP, though it's so new there might not be that much info on it. Because the best computer paper may not translate to that in real life if their are build quality issues.

Definitely do have experience with the 13" Macbook pro and for me it was completely versatile, perfect in portability, reliability, battery life and a comfortable amount of performance for my needs!

Bottom line: 11" really is not enough screen for most users. Intel core 2 duo especially the version in the air is definitely gonna be a very short life span in relevance. Battery life, portability and reliability is very important and helps you distinguish one computer from another once they all satisfy your needs spec wise. Do you want this computer to be able to be in all one for all your needs? What are your other needs, will it also be for school, gaming, etc?

[stbanas925]

Out of the two laptops you selected either one would be enough to handle djing programs.

The i5 on the Air will have far less computing power than that new i7 especially since it's an "ultrabook" processor but it has an SSD so loading things would be fairly quick. The i7 would be very nice to have though when analyzing your tracks in your dj software. The new HP would be more "future proof" because you could run more extensive programs on it if you wanted to start producing and such.

In terms of interface Macs are very simple and easy to use and are very reliable for djing. PCs can tend to be a pain to optimize. That 11" screen and very light build might be a bad idea though. At parties and clubs the Air might get tossed around real easily and get damaged. The HP is probably sturdier.

If you are set on those two models I think the HP would be a better choice. If I were you though I would get a used 2011 or higher model Macbook Pro.

[Dj BassMonkey]

Thanks so much for all your helpful replies! Resale value is definitely a factor for me as I will hope to be able to upgrade in a few years or so. I have a laptop that I am using for work and school currently, but it is very slow and buggy so I definitely am not considering using it for dj'ing. This new laptop will be for dj'ing and solely that. Based on your feedback, Im leaning towards either the HP or saving up a little more for a used Macbook Pro. Thanks again you guys!

[Patch]

I have a laptop that I am using for work and school currently, but it is very slow and buggy

Then fix it so that it is not. You'll need to be able to do that if you get a WIN lappy for DJ'ing - so improving the performance of your old lappy will be good practice.

Get to googling, my friend. Do a search on "<your OS here> audio optimisation". (Really) basic starting places are:

De-frag'ing your hard drive.
Cleaning your registry.
Disc clean-up.
Stopping any services that are not necessary.
Swictch of antivirus.
Remove un-used windows components.