Help me buy a new laptop!

[Djtom420]

Horsecrap. Desktop rendering requires very little power. Even integrated Intel chipsets can handle GL/DX rendering of "3D" desktops as found in OS X, Vista, Compiz, Windows 7, KDE Plasma. If you want to watch HD movies or play games then GPUs are useful, but again, even the cheapest chipsets have HD decoding built in. People even manage to run Hackingtosh netbooks, FFS.

have u ever ran a hackintosh ona netbook? They run like sh*t I set one up my dell mini 9 and it ran like crap. reinstalled win 7 and it runs like a champ. well not anymore my kid stepped on it and cracked the screen but none the less....

if u run a side by side compression the machine with a decent video card anything around 128 mb will out perform those with out some dedicated video memory.

[BennyJ]

You can't compare the specs like that. Since OS X is built from the ground up for those SKUs, they are much more optimised. You get way better experience than on Wintel. Take it from someone that was a militant PC fan. With this MBP, I get real world 8-10 hours on battery and the thing is fast and stable. For DJing and music production, the current baseline Macbook model is more than enough. Even the "low specs" of the new Air are getting rave reviews. You can even get Steam for Mac now! I understand that you can't afford one, but why not wait a few more months and get something that will last? PC laptops are not very durable and the screens are usually cheap crappy ones.

If not, why not get a laptop designed for music production? They usually test the hardware configs for DPC etc.

Im just comparing hardware to hardware.

[nem0nic]

Punky, I was going to respond to your PM on DJF but then DJF exploded.
If you can bump up $100 in your budget, I HIGHLY recommend a Thinkpad. You can get a solid i5 based T510 in that ballpark. I can tell you that out of all the computers I've ever tweaked - for myself and others - the Thinkpads I've used were the easiest to get optimized. And the level of optimization I was able to get with them was INSANE (I got 3 T42s Stanton bought for trade show use down to a rock solid DPC under 30). They're tough as well, able to take rough use and backpack punishment with no ill effects.

If you have to stay under the $800 range, but still want the latest goodies, an HP Pavillion or Sony Vaio will fit the bill. But I hesitate in recommending them at that price, because you give up a lot in the way of I/O and general connectivity (no firewire or expresscard for example).

As a general rule if you're looking for a DJing laptop, it's a good idea to avoid nVidia graphics chipsets, any built in cellular radios, and fingerprint readers. Also, on a personal recommendation I would stay away from SSDs right now. Performance is great out of the gate, but there are lingering issues that cause decreased performance over time.

Honestly, at the $600-$800 price range, I would consider getting last year's discounted flagship model instead of this year's mediocre model. There's still plenty of life left in Core2 Duo processors, and things like upgrade RAM will be cheaper as well.

[Punky]

Punky, I was going to respond to your PM on DJF but then DJF exploded.
If you can bump up $100 in your budget, I HIGHLY recommend a Thinkpad. You can get a solid i5 based T510 in that ballpark. I can tell you that out of all the computers I've ever tweaked - for myself and others - the Thinkpads I've used were the easiest to get optimized. And the level of optimization I was able to get with them was INSANE (I got 3 T42s Stanton bought for trade show use down to a rock solid DPC under 30). They're tough as well, able to take rough use and backpack punishment with no ill effects.

If you have to stay under the $800 range, but still want the latest goodies, an HP Pavillion or Sony Vaio will fit the bill. But I hesitate in recommending them at that price, because you give up a lot in the way of I/O and general connectivity (no firewire or expresscard for example).

As a general rule if you're looking for a DJing laptop, it's a good idea to avoid nVidia graphics chipsets, any built in cellular radios, and fingerprint readers. Also, on a personal recommendation I would stay away from SSDs right now. Performance is great out of the gate, but there are lingering issues that cause decreased performance over time.

Honestly, at the $600-$800 price range, I would consider getting last year's discounted flagship model instead of this year's mediocre model. There's still plenty of life left in Core2 Duo processors, and things like upgrade RAM will be cheaper as well.

Thanks for the info, Nem. I knew I could rely on you.

Thanks also to the other posters, particularly the ones who listened to me when I said that I didn't want to go with a Mac.

Why are nVidia graphics chipsets bad? Do they introduce a lot of latency? And since when do computers incorporate cellular radios? WTF is a cellular radio anyway?

I'm a little hesitant to get a Core 2 Duo, as my current Core Duo 2.0 is barely cutting the mustard as it is. I know it's a step up from a 32 to a 64 bit processor but is it really that much of a change, worth investing tons of cash into? I was considering an i5 and up because I wanted to future proof myself a bit.

[PDMD2204]

Thinking about it...I ran a Sony Vaio VGN-NW240f (Win7 home premium, 3gigs ram I think, 2.2GHz CPU) but I was using Virtual DJ Pro Full vers. 7. Had no problems at all save sound quality (I wasn't using a USB audio card). Bought it this past Feb for $630 after tax and sold it a month ago for the "friend" price of $480. Just found one on amazon for $700 something. It was pretty durable as I'd cram it in my backpack and take the sport bike to work, a 2hour round trip with plenty of curves 5 days a week =).

[PDMD2204]

Oh, if your trying to avoid the core2's the best advice I've read (as far as hardware concerns) was swap out the standard 5400rpm drive for a 7200rpm or SSD & up your RAM. They even have some hybrid drives that will be waaaaaay faster than the 5400rpms. They'll probably be bringing in more of the i3CPU in laptops too but you could get a used core2, buy the upgrades cheap (new egg, tiger direct) and get great results and save cash.

[M Elbert Grant]

One word :Asus.

No but seriously, Asus gaming laptops are great for djing in my opinion.
I am running the Asus G50

I just quickly newegged some links for you

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16834220733

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16834220707


and for the core 2 duo haters

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16834220755

I don't know, I might be a complete idiot. I don't care.

[Punky]

I'm probably going to hold off on the Core 2 Duos, as I'm worried that they won't be able to hold up against the strain of the next five years worth of DJ software. When I buy a laptop, I hold onto it for years and years. I figure getting a higher end i5 or i7 processor is going to do me best.

I've seen some ~$850 Lenovos on New Egg that are tickling my fancy. I'm hoping that the prices will come down after Christmas.

[BennyJ]

Thats what i said too. Im like why am i gonna buy a 2yr old laptop that im gonna have to replace soon enough. Makes no sense imo. So i got my laptop(look in signature) and i love it. Only thing with these high power chips is that the battery drains kinda quick. But im ok with that. I got the upgraded 9 cell battery too so it gives me like a good 2-3+hrs.

[nem0nic]

Why are nVidia graphics chipsets bad? Do they introduce a lot of latency? And since when do computers incorporate cellular radios? WTF is a cellular radio anyway?

There are a few DPC issues with the power management on the mobile nvidia chipsets that will cause issues. Currently the 330M is a known problem chipset, but ALL nvidia mobile chipsets seem to have varying degrees of DPC nastiness.

Cellular radio is being built into LOTS of laptops now. It turns a 3G or 4g signal into an internet connection.