Laptops for Home Recording: Advice

P

Preme617

New member
Hello to All,
I’m a “somewhat” of a newbie to home recording (more or less) and as far as what gear to buy. I’m and Bassist/Rhythm guitarist who will be recording using a FOCUSRITE Scarlett Studio 3rd Gen. I plan on using a lot of music software and will be using the laptop ONLY for Recording/Video Editing for YouTube and formats as such.
Initially, I was thinking a Mac but after discussing it with another “recording enthusiast” who has much more experience and who had made a point in regards to “software” (iOS opposed to Win.)
My budget is in the $500-$700 range but would like to keep it in the $500 range if possible. BUT if I have to spend more, I’m willing. Please be specific as possible if you leave feedback due to the fact Im not “hip” to all the recording/computer jargon. ANY advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!!!

—Preme617
 
My preference is to go for a high end refurbished laptop to give you the best value for money. I've used Dell Precision laptops for many years and even a 10 year old machine will work fine for both audio and video work (including 3D rendering). The actual hardware that they use is very similar to that used in the Macbook Pros of a similar age. They are extremely ruggedly built so will survive a life on the road but their ruggedness also means that they are heavier than a more flimsy machine. My current machine is a Dell Precision M4600 although I'd probably look at an M4800 if I was buying now. Their current UK prices would be well within your budget but I don't know how US prices compare.

Lenovo also made similar high end laptops but Dave (ecc83) knows more about them than I do.
 
jamesperrett said:
My preference is to go for a high end refurbished laptop to give you the best value for money. I've used Dell Precision laptops for many years and even a 10 year old machine will work fine for both audio and video work (including 3D rendering). The actual hardware that they use is very similar to that used in the Macbook Pros of a similar age. They are extremely ruggedly built so will survive a life on the road but their ruggedness also means that they are heavier than a more flimsy machine. My current machine is a Dell Precision M4600 although I'd probably look at an M4800 if I was buying now. Their current UK prices would be well within your budget but I don't know how US prices compare.

Lenovo also made similar high end laptops but Dave (ecc83) knows more about them than I do.
Click to expand...
I concur. I have a Dell M4800, and it's noisless almost all the time. The odd time fan kicks in it's just audible. It's been good to me. Can be had reasonably cheap.
 
jamesperrett said:
My preference is to go for a high end refurbished laptop to give you the best value for money. I've used Dell Precision laptops for many years and even a 10 year old machine will work fine for both audio and video work (including 3D rendering). The actual hardware that they use is very similar to that used in the Macbook Pros of a similar age. They are extremely ruggedly built so will survive a life on the road but their ruggedness also means that they are heavier than a more flimsy machine. My current machine is a Dell Precision M4600 although I'd probably look at an M4800 if I was buying now. Their current UK prices would be well within your budget but I don't know how US prices compare.

Lenovo also made similar high end laptops but Dave (ecc83) knows more about them than I do.
Click to expand...

+ 1 for Dell , If Apple is out of "list" .
 
Make sure you're using a SSD (solid state) hard drive, this will greatly impact performance and mixdowns as you start loading up on tracks. Plenty of system memory (8+GB RAM) if you're expecting to use a lot of plugins and any midi based sound packages like Kontakt. Typically a good laptop (the older Dell mentioned is 'good'/fine) will have enough processing power for a couple larger VSTs to run simultaneously, where you'd see the biggest benefit is in mixdown times when you're exporting or freezing tracks. Since this isn't a performance issue and a cost only to you in waiting for a task to complete, it's a fair compromise to get an older machine with enough power to get the job done. Once you've graduated to needing more hopefully your budget allows for a newer/faster computer.
 
I'm still running an older referb HP laptop and it works great. I'm also still using Win 7 because everything works well and the system is only used for recording.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top