Laptop suggestions?
I need a new laptop. Mostly will be using it for live performance with Traktor or Ableton. Also will be using it a little bit for graphic design and audio production, but I have a good desktop for that. I’m not a fan of Macs, so P.C. suggestions only please. Have my eye on a couple different Lenovos right now, but there are probably a few I don’t know about or haven’t thought of. Budget around $1500. Thanks for any help!
Honestly, a Mac does the job really well. And it can run Windows better than most PC’s can, ironically. But if you absolutely need a windows laptop, anything around $750 should do the trick. Just make sure it has a lot of ram, a big hard drive, and a decent processor.
Also, get one with good, solid casing, preferably aluminium. Make sure to twist and test it a bit before buying, so that you know you get a sturdy and solid one.
Dual-core i5 mobile CPU with 4GB RAM is more than enough to run Traktor properly.
Just for the record, MacBooks are PCs too.
Lenovo do pretty good laptops (loads of RAM, disk space and dual core processors) that can be had very cheaply. If you’re short on cash they’re worth a look.
Mac PC, whatever..
I’d just go for the fastest i7 you can find and fill it with RAM. SSD is nice and at that price you should be able to get one.
ASUS or Lenovo.
As someone currently in the market for a new laptop, I’ve heard a perspective I hadn’t heard before.
Someone suggested that Macs are much less likely to glitch playing live than non-Mac PCs and as such it is heavily worth considering this. Could anyone chime in with some advice here?
This was my post on a series of other forums:
[QUOTE]I am looking to buy a laptop to take around with me and my Push so that I can work on my beats away from home, as I’m not at home for most of the day. I will also use it to DJ using Traktor Pro 2, connected to a range of DJ equipment.
I was looking at high end laptops, but I’d really rather not spend too much money on one at the moment. I’d rather upgrade my existing desktop as it’ll be cheaper and better for mixing and mastering.
This being said then, what sort of spec would suit me for a laptop to just run Ableton and to have Traktor Pro 2? Would it be worth me buying a used or refurbed MBP? Never been much of a Mac user as I think they’re overpriced, but prepared to consider it, if I find the right deal.
I have some ideas, but I’d like to hear what people on here think.[/QUOTE]
My personal opinion.
If you know how to Maintain, troubleshoot and Streamline your Windows install, and are not stupid with what and where you download files from and what you open from other people, get a PC it will be fine and cheaper.
If you want for everything just to work out of the box, and feel like your time would be better spent making music from the very first time your switch your Machine on - get a Mac 
Any Mac from the past few years will do the trick in terms of speed.
Sent from a 6 year old Core2Duo Macbook pro 13 first edition, 8GB ram, Mavericks - while editing a 6000px x 2000px image in photoshop, switching between 3 browsers and logic running in the background with 25+ arpeggiated synths and drum loops.
Dell XPS 13 or 15.
The faster your processor, the lower your latency. I don’t understand exactly how this works, but it seems to be the consensus from the articles I’ve read. So if you use kills switches, drum pads, or any rhythmically-responsive control while you perform music, you will benefit from getting the best processor possible. If you only use EQ knobs and volume faders on your MIDI controller, it might not affect you so much.
Similar for music production. If you want to use CPU intensive plugins, like physical modelling synths or virtual analog synths and effects, you will also benefit from having the fastest processor possible within your budget. The faster it is, the more effects you can use at any time, and the more notes polyphony you can achieve with virtual analog synths.
When people say you don’t need an i7 for DJ and music production purposes, it means you can DJ and produce music with a lower spec processor. It doesn’t mean you won’t benefit from getting the fastest one you can afford.
lol dell is bad… i get 25% off and i still wouldn’t buy one.
personally what I have found is that both thinkpads and macs are the only companies that properly ground their boards. which is good because you won’t hear that buzzing sound going through the soundsystem 
other then that almost any laptop intel i5/AMD a10 or better should work. If you want stability look at some gaming laptops, those things are designed to handle heavy loads and pressure
its all in the CPU cache… the bigger the cache the faster the CPU can get to the information
[QUOTE]The faster your processor, the lower your latency. I don’t understand exactly how this works, but it seems to be the consensus from the articles I’ve read. So if you use kills switches, drum pads, or any rhythmically-responsive control while you perform music, you will benefit from getting the best processor possible. If you only use EQ knobs and volume faders on your MIDI controller, it might not affect you so much.
[/QUOTE]
Depends very much on the drivers as well, many ASIO drivers on Windows PC’s achieve near Zero Audio Latency regardless of the Processor, similar to using Core Audio Drivers on a Mac.
The latency of your DJ or Other Audio software’s output however is dependent on many factors including the Effects Processing, keylock algorithms etc.
Any PC with a Processor i3 or Higher with a reasonable amount of RAM (8gb minimum) and fast disk should be able to handle the latest iteration of Traktor / Serato / Ableton etc. without any issue as long as the PC has been optimized and all background tasks have been optimized
If you intend running a ton of External VST’s in Ableton or other DAW, i5 or Higher. To speed things up more upgrade to an SSD and as much Ram as you can afford.
I would disagree, its far from “all in the CPU cache” for audio. Hard Disk Caching and Disk speed as well as properly written (or OS native) audio drivers are far more important to your final latency and eventual reliability.
Dude I use a Samsung i3 laptop to DJ with Traktor
I also use it to create DJ mixes with Ableton
the power of an i3 is more than sufficient to run these apps and I never had any problems with the software crashing
I have been using this for just over 3 years now
But if you are gonna use it for music production then the i3 wont suffice
“Core i7 processor, Radeon R9, 8GB of RAM, 512GB SSD, and a 1080p display? That’s a whole lot of laptop for $749. [Lenovo Y40-80, $749 with code USPY48US610]”
I agree that you can use Traktor with a lower-end CPU without any issue. It wasn’t my intention to claim that you need a super i7 beast to run Traktor smoothly. I was trying to point out that high end CPUs are beneficial for DJing if you want the latency as low as possible while still allowing whatever effects and keylocks you want.
The latency on an optimized i3 setup will be usable, but not so great for finger drumming or using kill switches in my opinion. With a more powerful CPU, the latency will be lower. Maybe you disagree. What kind of latency time (or range of times) would you expect from an optimized i3 setup?
Take a pc (ASUS or LENOVO are a good start point) with 8gb of RAM, i7 processor and a good video card (ATI Radeon is better), around 800$, and replace the hard drive with a 500gb Samsung 850 PRO SSD. The total should be around 1000/1100$ and you will have the PC you need.
Obviously, you should know how to do a system optimization in order to use the PC at 100% of its possibility.
BTW i tried loading Traktor on an Intel Atom 10 inch HP Laptop and it didnt work
so dont even bother taking that route
Asus are great laptops. I have a Q302 with a Samsung Evo ssd myself, Hasn’t let me down so far.