Question for those knowledgeable in computers

[the4thImpulse]

I am looking at finally buying my own computer (must be laptop for my live preformances) for music production, in the past I have just used my dads old computer after he upgrades to the lastest every year and a half.

- My budget would be 1,000 Canadian.
- Graphics card is not necessary.
- 15" screen or bigger.
- Can't be apple.


I saw this on sale and it sounds just about right and the price is perfect.

Would anyone be able to recomend something for me? or is this one good enough.


Keep in mind just about anything is better than what I have now.

[Lavender_Harmony]

"Can't be Apple"

Want to justify that?

[Freewave]

Well there's plenty of reasons to go Windows over Mac (games, cost, compatability to school or office software, a prior knowledge of windows, having former software that's ALL windows based, he doesn't like Apple products, or compatibility issues with other windows computer on the home network) but let's simply focus on his wants and needs which is Windows based (unless he plans on throwing Linux on there which i highly doubt) .

An I7 and 8g of ram is great and if you don't need a graphics card then that would be an ideal. 750gb is a little light on the HD even though you'd be fine for quite awhile or w/ an external HD or doing dvd-r backups and 15" screen may be a little cramped to display your DAW. I don't know how reliable ASUS is as a manufacturer but you might want to confirm they are solid compared to their competition.

[indeable]

if you can scrabble together another 100 there’s this
w.dell.com/us/p/alienware-m14x-r2/pd.aspx

but if not i recommend the dell insperon 17r it has a hd 17.3 display has a graphics card. 6 gig ram and a disk drive all for 700.72 Canadian

http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/ ... =dhs&cs=19

[colortwelve]

"Can't be Apple"

Want to justify that?

Far too expensive. I don't know how Canadian dollars match up to American, but 1,000 American is nowhere near enough for a half-decent Mac anything.

That laptop certainly beats mine up and takes its lunch money, and could probably even stand up to my desktop, since I haven't upgraded it in so long, so from my perspective, it'd be a good buy. However, I'm somewhat skeptical of the 2.3GHz processor speed, even on an i7. I'd shoot for 2.6, or even 3.0 if you can find one within your budget. My desktop runs at 2.6 and gets along fine. Also, it would be wise to invest in a cooling platform - good ones tend to cost 50 USD at most - especially if you're going to use it for production. The laptop I used to use for music regularly came close to burning me when I opened up one of my more synth-heavy tracks, so for the safety of both you and the computer, I'd try to grab some extra cooling equipment.

[Freewave]

Just remember that a laptop while portable is not going to take a lot of abuse and is vulnerable to overheating both in and out of office (don't leave in a hot car). If you treat it nicely it will do fine but if you don't they are quite expensive to repair unlike a tower. You don't have to get a protection plan to counter this but you do have to take care of it.

[Captain Ironhelm]

I wouldn't go less than 8 gb of ram, and an i7, and an HD screen is nice, too. Huge processing power is essential for me since I do a lot of synthesizer stuff.

What I'm using is an Asus n55sl, and I'm pleased with it. I like how Asus has their cooling on the side of the computer instead of on the bottom. I also like an HD screen size, since that really helps out in the DAW without having to minimize as much stuff or whatever.

[Watashig]

Don't get an Alienware. I'd aim for ASUS, ACER, or Lenovo, in terms of laptops. I'd like to help with choosing parts to build one, but apparently it has to be laptop only.

[the4thImpulse]

Little update to answer all the questions and comments (which I am very grateful for):

- I have my reasons for picking pc which more then justify it for me, I don't need to explain myself there (thank you Freewave for keeping us on task).

- I do have a 1TB external mainly used for backups (my current laptop has a 285GB hard drive so this will be a HUGE improvement already), I do plan on picking up an ssd in the future that will plug in via USB 3.0 to hold my samples and recorded audio.

- Cooling is not much of an issue, I have a stand and a cooling pad/stand is an easy investment if I find I need one.

- I have been looking at the 17" screens and while I would idealy like one they always come at a huge price unfortunatly. I do have a 24" monitor that will be running with this in dual screen mode so I will be fine with that at home.

- 2.3 GHz is a bit of an imrovment too but I will keep a look out for one with higher speeds.

Again thanks for the comments, I am very confident I am looking in the right area on this now.

[Navron]

My past 2 laptops were custom built from http://www.ibuypower.com

Their custom laptops so far have been on par with Alienware in terms of gaming performance, but for an average of $1000 less.

If you're going for a production computer, I'd highly look into them, and customize it to have the minimum required graphics card (since you don't really need a powerful one).

They also ship their computers with the minimum Windows install, and include a driver disc that has some extra programs and drivers that you may or may not want to install, compared to a store bought Dell or other big company that ships their computers with a lot of useless crap that just ends up slowing it down.