A New DAW Laptop For ~1000$ or more. Recommendations?

ZooBooBooZoo

New member
Hello everyone,

I'm into buying my 1st DAW Laptop. Would love some help.


I would like to pay around $~1100 and my max is a lil' under $1500

Uses:
1) Performing live with Ableton Live. Using many VSTs as well live instruments.
2) Recording/producing at home.

I was thinking:
1) Intel Quad Core processor
2) 15" screen
3) 8GB, preferably 16GB RAM
4) At least 256GB SSD + 1TB HDD 7200 RPM (But also open to different combinations like 1tb ssd, or 512ssd + smthng....)
5) at least 3 usb ports, preferably more
6) Full HD resoultion at least
7) Some dedicated graphics card.
8) Important: Needs to be a reliable system that I can count on for live performence
9) Of course the lighter it is the better, and the longer battery life it has the better. but the rest of the points are more important.

Some Questions:
1) How can I tell if a laptop can have two hdds/ssds ? some laptops are great, but I'd like to add an additional hdd or ssd to them. then they would be ideal.
2) is there a big differnce beweetn 6th/7th/8th gen cpus ? is a i5 8th gen > then i7 7th gen?
3) which vendors/brands are recommended and from which I should stay away ?

My Equipment:
1) Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 Audio Interface
2) Some mics
3) A midi controller
4) Some cables ;)

Any tips, thoughts and also specific recommendations are very welcome!
thanks
 
Notebook CPUs are very confusing because Intel keeps changing what the names mean. More cores are nice and higher speeds are too, but you need to dig into benchmarks to determine what the differences are. For audio though, any modern i5 or i7 is likely going to be fine. (I still track on a 7 year old system with 8GB and a Core 2 Duo!)

Those new PCIe SSD (M2) devices are blazingly fast. I would definitely be looking for that if you can find one in your price range.

You don't really need a dedicated graphics card for a DAW, but I'd think about one if you were going to plug in a really big external monitor (or 2!) when set up at home.

Definitely get 16GB. Notebook design is more and more compressed (thin is still in) and often not upgradeable. Especially if you don't get one with a video card, since some of that memory will be used for the graphics.

Myself, 15" is a big notebook. I used a separate monitor at home when I was using the notebook for everything so I prefer a smaller screen and size just for the mobility. You absolutely cannot use a 15" on an airplane anymore - even 13" might be tight. These days, I transfer everything to my un-notebook (Mac Mini - effectively a notebook architecture in a box) when I get home and work there.

Which brings me to my last suggestion - don't get 2 drives inside a notebook. First of all, spinning drives in notebooks are still the biggest source of failures, and they also generate heat and noise. Just pack a couple external drives (1 for backup!) and set up your projects on that. 7200RPM via USB 3.0 will keep things humming smoothly. Just don't forget to back up when you get home!

I haven't been happy with the longevity of consumer PC products for a long time, but since you're looking there, online reviews are probably your best bet for information.

Good luck.
 

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Hi there,
Great info from Keith. +1

I agree with Keith's suggestion of avoiding spinning media, and using an additional external drive instead of dual internals.
I'm not sure how common the latter is these days.

With regard to CPU models and generations, there's no clear-cut answer.
The range of CPUs available with in any given generation is extremely varied so there will always be substantial overlap between generations, and beyond.

For example, an old high spec core2duo will pack more punch than today's bottom-of-the-pile i3 or i5.
The i* badge is more or less meaningless on its own so I'd encourage anyone to find out the specific CPU model and view it in comparative benchmark environment.
There are those who say benchmarks don't tell the whole story, but they'll give you broad idea of where your chip falls.

It's the subject of much debate, which I don't intend to entertain, but where reliability in a live environment (or any environment) is concerned, I'd go apple all day long.
There's never a shortage of anecdotes about how a Microsoft based computer 'can be just as stable if....' but that's sort of my point.
There's no 'if' with apple.

Anything can break, sure. That's not really an argument.

Build quality is incredible, the OS keeps out of your way, and stability is tops too with any supported interface I've ever used.
There's no ridiculous procedure for stripping the thing down to make it light weight. You just turn it on and install a DAW.

Claims of being overpriced are generally unfair. Resale value makes the difference here.
My last high spec mac book pro cos and resale worked out at costing me £40 per year. I probably restarted it about once per year, too.

Admittedly they aren't particularly light, but the battery life is generally very good indeed.

I'd recommend monitoring your current ram usage prior to upgrading.
I had 16gb in my last MBP and never used more than 4/5. Depending on your use, you may require more.

I also agree with the idea of looking at 13" models, but that's purely personal preference.
I like big screens at the desktop, but I've been happy with both of my MBPs.
 
Thanks for the tips guys, will keep them in mind.
I think I prefer a "15, will give me a wider view performing live.
[MENTION=2337]Keith[/MENTION]: didn't get what the image is aboout :-0

#steenamaroo: I get your point about apple. I'm used to windows and like working with it and also when I compare the ~1200 macs to ~1200 pc they seem kinda weak by their specs. and I don't perform in high-caliber shows and also haven't experienced the lack os stability from windows enough to want to make me make this switch. Some artists I know perform in the biggest shows with PCs for years...


also, what you guys think about refurbished? my instinct is to stay away due to reliability

also 2, what about noise? some of the gaming laptops i see which meet my specs have fierce-looking colling fans
 
Thanks for the tips guys, will keep them in mind.
I think I prefer a "15, will give me a wider view performing live.
... Keith didn't get what the image is aboout :-0

#steenamaroo: I get your point about apple. I'm used to windows and like working with it and also when I compare the ~1200 macs to ~1200 pc they seem kinda weak by their specs. and I don't perform in high-caliber shows and also haven't experienced the lack os stability from windows enough to want to make me make this switch. Some artists I know perform in the biggest shows with PCs for years...

also, what you guys think about refurbished? my instinct is to stay away due to reliability

also 2, what about noise? some of the gaming laptops i see which meet my specs have fierce-looking colling fans
It was just a picture of my 2010 MacBook Pro doing live recording a few weeks back. That's not nearly as taxing as running a bunch of VSTs and software instruments though, so don't know if it would pull its weight in that usage anymore, though it has an SSD and 8GB (came with 4GB back when).

Mechanical noises from a fan shouldn't intrude, but a motor is capable of generating EMF interference, so I'd be asking folks who are doing what you're doing about specific models, i.e., is anyone using them. But besides that, big or very active fans mean the unit is generating a lot of heat, and outside of being dropped, cables stepped on (cracking mbs), heat is probably the next killer of notebooks. Memory and disks are some of the prime generators (after the CPU/GPU) of that heat, so that's why I'd stick with SSD only internally, and skip the discrete graphics "card" for this kind of application. Less is more here - get the CPU speed and memory and fast disk for loading/running VSTs, and keep the fast spinnning disk out of the box on a fast bus.

Refurbs come from different places. I'm more than happy with my Apple refurbs, and ones from a manufacturer are probably not a lot different than the original model - so if the original had good reliability, and it's a good price, I'd definitely consider it. Sometimes that's the only way to get a specific configuration, too (like me, lifting rocks looking for Firewire ports a few years ago). You might be able to pick up an extended warranty and still be ahead, though if it's down and you have to send it in, you're out of business until it's resolved. ("The best warranty is the one you don't need" really is why I like Apple - you have to look at commercial lines in notebooks for that kind of "toughness" IMO.)
 
What you think about 1tb ssd ? (i already have a usb2 external hd...)
I know the 1tb ones are usually TLC and are slower(??).

hard to find m.2 ssds that fit the other specs btw...

also, some models have a touch screen. sounds intriguing for working with a daw. any thoughts?
 
What you think about 1tb ssd ? (i already have a usb2 external hd...)
I know the 1tb ones are usually TLC and are slower(??).

hard to find m.2 ssds that fit the other specs btw...

also, some models have a touch screen. sounds intriguing for working with a daw. any thoughts?
It will depend on what you are trying to do, and how much storage you need for all the VSTs, s/w instruments, whatever you're using. Generally you'll want that on the system drive and an SSD will read very fast. Do you need 1TB? Can you back it up? I wouldn't get more than 2x what you'll probably need, and make sure you have spare space on another drive to back that system up!

If you're going to both load/run and track, I would not try to do everything on the same SSD. I've been away from the business (big OEM for over 20 yrs) for a couple years now, but SSD writes will still not be a lot faster than a fast spinning drive because of "wear leveling" that gets done. My old MacBook Pro cannot track 12 tracks on the internal SSD (not the latest gen, and a 7 y-o architecture), but doesn't mind the external USB 2.0. If you are applying FX to existing tracks in your show and tracking it both, I'd probably want to put my project on USB 3.0, because it's just going to handle the 2-way traffic with no hiccups. You can always just get a case and move your existing external drive to the new case if it turns out the USB 2.0 is not handling it. But, truthfully, you'll have to experiment and see whether what you have works or not.

I would think in a live situation if you're actually manipulating stuff in the DAW a touch screen might be interesting. For regular use, I prefer kbm, but I'm really old school... and my arms get tired holding them up in the air :). I use touchscreens all the time on my phone and iPad, of course, but it's a little confusing moving between PC-type things where one has it, another doesn't. Even worse than the Command-Ctrl key placement!
 
#steenamaroo: I get your point about apple. I'm used to windows and like working with it and also when I compare the ~1200 macs to ~1200 pc they seem kinda weak by their specs. and I don't perform in high-caliber shows and also haven't experienced the lack os stability from windows enough to want to make me make this switch. Some artists I know perform in the biggest shows with PCs for years...

Hey, fair enough. If it works it works.


also, what you guys think about refurbished? my instinct is to stay away due to reliability

I too can only speak to apple's refurbs but my understanding is that they're only sold as refurb because they (or parts of them) have been sold and returned,
and therefore can't be sold as a normal retail item, whether repaired or not.

Many of them are most likely opened customer returns through over/mis-ordering.

My 2011 refurb model had documentation showing a screen fault and entire top-half replacement.
It was sold to me as being identical to a retail model in every way (physically and in terms of customer entitlements and rights), and I never had any issue with it.
The only exception was that the packaging is different for refurbs, presumably to prevent misleading reselling.

I would assume other manufacturers work on the same basis, but can't say for sure.

I don't see why you'd want a gaming laptop.
I was going to say 'unless you intend to play games' but even then, I still don't see it. ;)

Do you have unusual graphical requirements?

The only other thing I'd suggest is seeing any laptops in person before buying.
I repair many laptops and see so many that literally bend under their own weight if you hold them by one corner.
The repairs are usually wear and tear/weak design - Things like flickering graphics from worn cables that run through the hinges,
damaged circuit mount power connectors etc.
 
You think working only with the ssd is not preferable? why again? I thought ssd are much faster.
is it because it will do ALL of the data flow?

Hard to decide what to about this hard drive thing. my current external is usb 2.0 I believe. I thought I'd buy 1 1tb SSD which I know is enough storage for my needs. a 512GB is OK but will limit me/worry me I don't want to think about it - I want a system which will enable me.

what would be the best drive configuration? 2 ssds? 1ssd and one external hdd? should the external be usb 3.0?

also, what's wrong with a gaming laptop? truth is I don't wanna get one at all, but many of the options I see that fit are gaming laptops
 
I honestly don't know if 1TB is enough for you. How big is your current drive and how much of it is in use?

I still prefer keeping my projects on an external drive, but that's probably old thinking, as I've been looking at SSD speeds and they should be able to support what you want to do. Part of it, though, is keeping the writes for the audio on a separate bus from all the reads required by the OS and VSTs. People are obviously getting by with doing everything on current notebooks, so I'd really look for confirmation from someone doing what you're doing about whether configuration X is appropriate.

I would probably throw my money into a system with a "big enough" internal PCIe SSD - say 2x what I'm currently using, and still put the audio projects on an external USB 3.0 drive (mirrored), but that's me.

I've already stated why I don't think discrete graphics are necessary for audio, and why I don't like internal spinning media, but it's your money, and sometimes the other stuff you want may only come on notebooks with that desgination/config.

Let us know what you decide and how it works out for you.
 
You think working only with the ssd is not preferable? why again? I thought ssd are much faster.
is it because it will do ALL of the data flow?

Hard to decide what to about this hard drive thing. my current external is usb 2.0 I believe. I thought I'd buy 1 1tb SSD which I know is enough storage for my needs. a 512GB is OK but will limit me/worry me I don't want to think about it - I want a system which will enable me.

what would be the best drive configuration? 2 ssds? 1ssd and one external hdd? should the external be usb 3.0?

also, what's wrong with a gaming laptop? truth is I don't wanna get one at all, but many of the options I see that fit are gaming laptops

I would do the SSD and USB drive to archive, backup etc. Keep OS and active projects on the SSD. Split the SSD into two partitions \C: \D. Put OS and programs on C, data on D. Backup the C drive only when there are changes (not that often probably), keep D back ups more often. Data not used goes to USB/HD storage.

Bad thing about gaming laptops, you are paying for extra high end stuff you don't need. I think a separate graphics card is important as it off loads GUI tasks to the card and keeps core for the program. Not essential, I just don't like sharing resources and whether one wants to believe it or not, the OS has GUI renderings. I just like to keep graphics separate.

I use Ableton and if you watch your resources right (sends, returns, groupings) you would be surprised how much you can get out of the software. When playing live, you most likely can only control so many effects. If you render sounds where the effect is static, then you render that, then put the live effect on the channel.

Also, you probably know this, but playing live even with Ableton will take practice, so having your sessions all setup for live work probably won't require as much processing as you think.

But so far, looks like your hardware is going in the right direct.
 
Bad thing about gaming laptops, you are paying for extra high end stuff you don't need. I think a separate graphics card is important as it off loads GUI tasks to the card and keeps core for the program. Not essential, I just don't like sharing resources and whether one wants to believe it or not, the OS has GUI renderings. I just like to keep graphics separate.

Yeah, that's it. There's nothing wrong with them. You're just paying a premium for extra power that I doubt you need.
If you're running video editing applications or games, or a large second screen then OK, but if you just want to mix on a laptop, which seems to be the case, there's no need.

Hard drive wise, I'd go SSD inside 100%.
Larger storage outside. Whether spinning or SSD is up to you.

The only ways to know what you need are to a: suck and and see (guess) or b: take some measurements at your current setup.

If your current setup taxes GPU and ram to the tune of 10% and 50% respectively, why upgrade them? :)
 
In my current 1TB HDD my DAW Folder which is projects+vsts is around 400GB. I think I'll do fine with 1TB. even with a 250/500GB + 500GB I should do ok I recon. putting the projects' audio on an 250 ssd of the os and vsts libraries on the other 500gb.

Can you guys tell what is preferable
1TB ssd vs 250/500 ssd + 500 ssd ?

thx so much, you've been really helpful
 
In my current 1TB HDD my DAW Folder which is projects+vsts is around 400GB. I think I'll do fine with 1TB. even with a 250/500GB + 500GB I should do ok I recon. putting the projects' audio on an 250 ssd of the os and vsts libraries on the other 500gb.

Can you guys tell what is preferable
1TB ssd vs 250/500 ssd + 500 ssd ?

thx so much, you've been really helpful

Where the bold options are internal OS drive?
With spinning media it was always a good idea to have at least two drives. With SSD, it's debatable how important that is but still widely observed.
Make the system disk do a little as possible and any others handle sessions, sample libraries, etc.

To be honest, the way SSDs are there's less need to have two drivers in terms of performance,
but I still like the idea of sample libraries and sessions being on something portable or removable.

I'm sort of giving contradictory information here.
My laptop has a single built in SSD and everything runs off that. I'm yet to come close to having an issue.
My desktop has a 256gb SSD for system, the same for general storage (I have a lot of crap) and a 1gb SSD for sample libraries.
Tbh, If I didn't have EWQL platinum I probably wouldn't have the 1TB SSD. EWQL is a: huge and b: ridiculously intensive.
 
Hey, I decided to go with a Lenovo Yoga 720
It had everything I wanted and more for 1400$ on blackfriday.
I7 quad core, 16GB ram, 1tb SSD, touchscreen.
Waiting for it to arrive.

● Processor: 7th Generation Intel® Core™ i7-7700HQ Processor (2.80GHz 6MB)
● Operating System: Windows 10 Home 64
● Display Type: 15.6" UHD IPS LED Multitouch (3840x2160) with integrated camera
● Memory: 16.0GB DDR4 2133 MHz (Onboard)
● Hard Drive: 1TB PCIe SSD
● Warranty: One year
● Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 2GB
● Battery: 6 Cell 72 Watt Hour Li-Polymer
● Bluetooth: Bluetooth Version 4.1
● Active Pen: No Active Pen
● Keyboard: Backlit English Keyboard
● Wireless: Lenovo AC Wireless (2x2)

thx a lot for the help guys,
have a great weekend.
 
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