Laptop Decisions...
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  1. #1
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    Default Laptop Decisions...

    Hey guys,

    I realise there are many threads out there discussing various options and paths to go down in terms of laptops for DJing or producing. I have read many of them but still havent managed to come to a conclusion as to what is best for me.

    I totally understand (and don't want to start) the age old Mac-PC debate and understand each have their pros and cons and pretty much comes down to preference and/or budget.

    I am using Rekordbox Pro on my pretty mid range Dell Inspiron which I have had for quite a while and is pretty slow and bogged down with other software anyway. I am also curious to go into some (fairly light) music production.

    My budget is at very most about £1300, so the options I have picked out are a Macbook Pro (2017 w/o the touchbar) specced with an i5, 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD, a Macbook Air (2018 new design) at the same spec but obviously just a less powerful processor (1.6GHz with turboboost to 3.6). I also have looked at the Dell XPS range which would give me similar spec but with a quad core i5 processor with up to 3.9GHz.

    I also would Ideally like to have other programs like photoshop and illustrator installed so its not solely for music.

    The last option I was thinking of is a slightly higher spec preowned/refurbished Macbook pro which initially made me a bit uneasy as tech only has a finite lifespan. If its only 2/3 years old do you think it would be a good shout?

    I appreciate all advice and input!

    Cheers

  2. #2
    DJTT Moderator Dude Jester's Avatar
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    My current laptop cost $1500 NZD 3 years ago (specs in my sig). All i did was rip out the cdrom and put in the 512gb SSD. So around $1800NZD all up. Solid as a rock for live performance, general use and moderate gaming (2gb geforce).
    Whatever direction you go, SSD primary drive is a must, and at least 16gb ram IMO (especially for windows machines).
    Acer E5 i7 16GB 512SSD 2TBHD ~ WIN 10 ~ TSP 2.11 ~ AUDIO 6 ~ DUAL X1s ~ DN-X1600 ~ SPECTRA ~ TWISTER ~ ATH-PRO500 MK2 ~ ZED6FX ~ AT2020

    " I’m the Dude, so that’s what you call me. That or, uh His Dudeness, or uh Duder, or El Duderino, if you’re not into the whole brevity thing. "

  3. #3
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    Thanks for the advice guys!

  4. #4
    Tech Mentor Stazbumpa's Avatar
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    You could do a lot worse than sticking a SSD into your current laptop and doing a fresh install of Windows.
    Live rig: Denon Prime (5000M's)
    Retired: Denon x1700, Denon SC3900's, Traktor, Technics SL1200's, my vinyl
    Wish list: Some Roland Aira stuff.

  5. #5
    Tech Guru mostapha's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by A$H View Post
    Question:
    Has anyone used a Thinkpad for music production/DJing?
    I spec'd up a Thinkpad X395 the other day and it came in a reasonable price, has anyone had any good/bad experiences with these laptops?
    LINK
    I've had really good luck with thinkpads over the years. I've only had one since IBM sold that division to Lenovo, but that's because the x230 that I bought in 2011 (about 6 months after my last MBP) still works, while the MBP has been completely dead for a few years. It's on Linux now because that's more important for what I currently do, but it ran Traktor and a handful of production software just fine. The screen is a little small for that use, though.

    I would, at this point, only look at their higher-end business laptops (thinkpad X series) and be prepared to disable devices if they cause issues with audio performance.

    That being said, apart form the whole donglebook thing, Linus Tech Tips is claiming the 2019 MBPs actually fixed some of the issues if you want to go that way. If the T2 chips are actually causing issues, you'll have to hope it can be fixed in software. Apple's not getting rid of them any time soon.

    Also, FWIW, I'm about 95% convinced that my next laptop is going to be an X280. But, it won't be used for music. I don't have any real desire to gig anymore, so I'll either continue using a desktop or switch to sc5000s.

  6. #6
    DJTT Moderator Dude Jester's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Stazbumpa View Post
    You could do a lot worse than sticking a SSD into your current laptop and doing a fresh install of Windows.
    Boom
    Acer E5 i7 16GB 512SSD 2TBHD ~ WIN 10 ~ TSP 2.11 ~ AUDIO 6 ~ DUAL X1s ~ DN-X1600 ~ SPECTRA ~ TWISTER ~ ATH-PRO500 MK2 ~ ZED6FX ~ AT2020

    " I’m the Dude, so that’s what you call me. That or, uh His Dudeness, or uh Duder, or El Duderino, if you’re not into the whole brevity thing. "

  7. #7
    DJTT Mapping Ninja Moderator Stewe's Avatar
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    You can never be 100% sure in PC because there are too many drivers and manufacturers involved. From my experience 70% of laptops I tried were flawed. My advace is to test that particular model of laptop before you throw your money at it (if that's possible).

  8. #8

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    Quote Originally Posted by Stewe View Post
    You can never be 100% sure in PC because there are too many drivers and manufacturers involved. From my experience 70% of laptops I tried were flawed. My advace is to test that particular model of laptop before you throw your money at it (if that's possible).
    This guy knows what's up!

  9. #9
    Tech Guru SlayForMoney's Avatar
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    Did a 10 year stint with a Lenovo E100 laptop running Traktor 1.2.7. Never had a single hiccup. But it was optimized as shit, dualboot. After that used a Lenovo Thinkpad T460 (work) and now running TP3 on a Thinkpad E480 (800€).
    But.....win10.IS.A.SMOKING.PILE.OF.SHIT. I still think a dual boot windows laptop with a heavily service disabled OS on a liveDJ-centric partition is the best option if you don't want to spend money on a mac. But average user is lazy and has a "ImNoTaHaCkErImADJ" attitude so....get a mac.
    Denon X600 - 2x Denon SC-2000 - AKG K181DJ - NI Audio 2

  10. #10
    DJTT Moderator Dude Jester's Avatar
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    watch out for exploding macbook batteries ...

    https://www.theguardian.com/technolo...tery-fire-risk

    This might affect " A small percentage of customers " lol
    Last edited by Jester; 06-28-2019 at 04:35 AM.
    Acer E5 i7 16GB 512SSD 2TBHD ~ WIN 10 ~ TSP 2.11 ~ AUDIO 6 ~ DUAL X1s ~ DN-X1600 ~ SPECTRA ~ TWISTER ~ ATH-PRO500 MK2 ~ ZED6FX ~ AT2020

    " I’m the Dude, so that’s what you call me. That or, uh His Dudeness, or uh Duder, or El Duderino, if you’re not into the whole brevity thing. "

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