If you went PC laptop...then what brand??

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rimisrandma

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What's a good reliable PC laptop brand? Also a brand that would not be ridden with latency issues.

Ones that seem to pop out are Acer, Samsung, Toshiba, HP elite models, and Sony Vaio. Pretty much all will be in the 1500 dollar range for an i7 Quad core, 7200 rpm drive w/ 500+ GB hd, multiple ports (esata, usb 2 and 3, and some even have firewire), and at least 4 gb of ram that I would upgrade via crucial to at least 8 or 16 gb depending on the model.
 
I was looking into macbook pro. Price isn't such a big deal. The MB pro has a firewire 800 port, but only one. So, say you buy an fw800 ext hard drive and then daisy chain your interface that usually has fw 400, then both are limited to fw400. So, the mac doesn't stick out
 
^^10-4^^

Just about any laptop will work if it has the ports you need. You don't need 8gb RAM or an i7. Don't waste your money.
 
I use a 200$ dell laptop i bought 6 years ago its a pIIi cant do more the 6 tracks which sucks but for what i record it works. plus i use a tascam dp01fx to record then just import to reaper.
 
I got a Toshiba satellite - I like it - I don't record with it tho, use a dedicated Cray XK6 for that - I don't think they make a laptop version tho
 
Someday I'm gonna get a netbook and use it to record an album just to quiet the "OMG you need a 6 vore processor with 4 ssd's in raid and 32gb of DDR16" bunch.
 
I'm presently using a Toshiba Satellite and it's been fine for about 3 years. Before that I used an IBM/Lenovo and it was good too.

The only brand I've consistently had problems with is Dell...not owned one but when somebody brings one into the theatre and wants to plug it in for audio or video playback, hum is a frequent problem because of the way they handle their power supplies. When I see a Dell approaching I bring out the isolating transformers now...

As for the spec, I guess it's worth getting the best you can afford but even my 3 year old Toshiba with a Core 2 Duo processor and 3 gigs RAM frequently handles 30+ tracks without breathing heavily. The trick is much more in how you set up the PC and making sure you don't run lots of extraneous rubbish when doing sound than in the ultimate spec of the computer.

One suggestion I would make though. If there's even a chance you might want to use Firewire in the future, make sure the laptop you buy either has a built in Firewire port with Texas Instrument chip set--or has a PCI Express bus card slot you can plug one into. It's the TI chipset that's important. For serious audio work, I'd also suggest you make sure the video output on the laptop can handle an external monitor that's not simply a copy of what's on the main built in screen.

Bob
 
Truth is, there's no margin in computers cause they're all designed and built at the lowest possible manufacturing costs. There's not a HELLUVA' lot of difference in "off-the-shelf" laptops and desktops today. Most any one from Best Buy, Staples and the like will work fine.
 
as above.pretty much any brand you like.

I wouldn't push you towards apple, but i would say i don't think your firewire worries are likely to cause problems. thousands of people use their MBP the way you described.

I use a dell vostro. They're built a bit heavier and sturdier to be business laptops.
Other than it being heavy, i love it!!! Never skipped a beat.
 
I have had a few. They all sucked. The best luck i had was with an HP. Which i currently use but not without headaches. I have had that thing steamlined for audio production and i am still getting dropouts here and there.

It is some background process me and many others can't seem to find. It kicks in the fan kicks in and my recording goes all to hell.

But Hp would get my vote.

But the honest truth would be getting a desktop workstation. I have one being built.

All for the hefty price of of two Pavel Bure rookie cards. lol....
 
Bobbsy said:
I'm presently using a Toshiba Satellite and it's been fine for about 3 years. Before that I used an IBM/Lenovo and it was good too.

The only brand I've consistently had problems with is Dell...not owned one but when somebody brings one into the theatre and wants to plug it in for audio or video playback, hum is a frequent problem because of the way they handle their power supplies. When I see a Dell approaching I bring out the isolating transformers now...

As for the spec, I guess it's worth getting the best you can afford but even my 3 year old Toshiba with a Core 2 Duo processor and 3 gigs RAM frequently handles 30+ tracks without breathing heavily. The trick is much more in how you set up the PC and making sure you don't run lots of extraneous rubbish when doing sound than in the ultimate spec of the computer.

One suggestion I would make though. If there's even a chance you might want to use Firewire in the future, make sure the laptop you buy either has a built in Firewire port with Texas Instrument chip set--or has a PCI Express bus card slot you can plug one into. It's the TI chipset that's important. For serious audio work, I'd also suggest you make sure the video output on the laptop can handle an external monitor that's not simply a copy of what's on the main built in screen.

Bob
Click to expand...

How do you tell if a firewire jack has the TI chipset??

I was heavily leaning toward a MAC for the ports it had. I wanted to run from the fw800 in the laptop to a fw800 external lacie drive and then to a motu interface via a fw800 to fw400 cable, BUT in either the interface or ext hd manual (I forget which) I found out that if you daisy chain a fw800 with a fw400 anywhere in the chain (even furthest place out), the connection will the be communicating at the slower fw400 pace.
 
IBM - they can take a lot of abuse. And they look old school; no fancy hipster shit, just a good, ugly workhorse.
 
rimisrandma said:
How do you tell if a firewire jack has the TI chipset??
Click to expand...

If you get lucky, the customer support at the manufacturer should be able to tell you, or, if you're looking in a shop, go to control panel, hardware devices and look at the Firewire (IEEE1394) section which will give those details.

Bob
 
I like HP business class laptops (however Pavilions are pretty much POS... from my own experience they fall apart, are noisy, overheat and so on...)
 
Firewire is currently being phased out. Very Very few laptops have a firewire port now. USB 3 will eventually replace firewire. I currently use an older Alienware and a 5year old Gateway because of the TI brand firewire. I just purchased a Lenovo ThinkPad with intel Core I5 500gb 7200rpm Hard Drive 4 usb 2.0 ports price $600. It also has 4gigs of ram. With a USB interface it would work fine for recording. On the Lenovo you can access the bios and change the hard drive setting from atpi to compatible and put Win. XP on it, which I did. Win XP will utilize 3gigs of ram max usually. The Lenovo will automatically recognize 3gigs so the 4th gig will not interfere with the operation of the computer. Win 7 64 bit OS is 20 gigs. the extra 32 bits are for security. Win XP is still the best OS for recording in my opinion. Don't buy firewire. your options on computers will be severely limited The only Firewire that will work is Texis instruments. Rico on Dells and other brands will be problematic. I know this from experience. Dave Chambliss
 
My son's HP Pavillion actually caught fire (well, the power lead to be precise which it turned out relied on one layer of insulation) so I'm not an HP fan.

+1 on Lenovo/IBM. My 8 year old Thinkpad still chugs away nicely, though the processor is a bit low spec for serious sound work these days.

Re: USB3, I have my concerns. Yes, USB3 has lots of theoretical bandwidth but it's shared, not dedicated like Firewire. However, we may have to go that way since manufacturers are dropping FW support like flies. However, if you can find a laptop with some kind of Expressbus or Cardbus slot, the FW adaptors for those work fine as long as you get one with the TI chip set.

...and, of course, the next "next big thing" is meant to be Thunderbolt!
 
Bobbsy said:
My son's HP Pavillion actually caught fire (well, the power lead to be precise which it turned out relied on one layer of insulation) so I'm not an HP fan.

+1 on Lenovo/IBM. My 8 year old Thinkpad still chugs away nicely, though the processor is a bit low spec for serious sound work these days.

Re: USB3, I have my concerns. Yes, USB3 has lots of theoretical bandwidth but it's shared, not dedicated like Firewire. However, we may have to go that way since manufacturers are dropping FW support like flies. However, if you can find a laptop with some kind of Expressbus or Cardbus slot, the FW adaptors for those work fine as long as you get one with the TI chip set.

...and, of course, the next "next big thing" is meant to be Thunderbolt!
Click to expand...

Read this concerning usb vs firewire;
FireWire vs. USB 2.0 - Speed Comparison
This is why firewire is faster despite the slower Mbps spec.

Also, in terms of audio interfaces, all the different faster connections seem really cool until you realize that most interfaces are usb 2.0 and/or firewire 400. There is one firewire 800 model available that I know of by RME, but it's like 1600+ dollars, and I don't see it as an option to most home recording budgets. Now external hard drives and how they connect are a different story.
 
...Something I can speak about.... 15 years building & repairing PC's...

Almost all laptops are built by a very few companies. All of them source components from all the same sources, but there are better components and there are good ones.

Sony and Toshiba control more of their systems than others and they actually own more of the product, whereas Dell buys from the same vendors as any number of other laptop vendors. In most laptops, you get what you pay for.... IE the more expensive units tend to have larger and faster hard drives, and brighter and faster displays with better video subsystems... etc etc... as in my current battle to grasp what I need/want/afford for a midi/key/wrkst/sequencer/midi-controller unit... you need to understand all of the components going into the laptop in order to make a good decision on what to buy... so it is homework time I am afraid... hours upon hours of sorting through feedback and geek forums... there really is no other way to make an informed decision... however there are a good number of techy sites with decent reviews that can help narrow the field of contenders...

In my experience in repairing hundreds and hundreds of computers... they all suck and will puke and die and disappoint you. If you start there, you won;t be disappointed in anything they don;t do in the future. With this understanding of the machine you are now ready to deal with the eventuality of it meeting it's demise and with it your reliance on it...

High end models of most brands do well in the long run with an occasional lemon. Avoid cheap systems... the cases are flimsy. In any case, do a case test.. gently see how much twist the base and screen frame you can make it do... but be GENTLE and stop when it flexes. Aim for a more rugged frame.

Don't skimp on Ram, it beats on the hard drive when you run out of system memory and you want that drive to be waiting for you, not playing swappsies with memory.

Sony and Toshiba seem to assemble the best systems. There have been some proprietary quirks with both companies over the years, making some driver compatibility issues, but overall they just seem to be be better constructed... but don't buy the cheap ones.

Do not buy used computer unless it is from your grandmother and even then, hesitate. PC's loose 40-50% of their value in the first year. Within 3-4 years they are down to 20% tops... that $1000 system you bought 3 years ago isn't as fast or nice as the new one I can buy now for $400, why would I pay you $300 for your used one? Laptops live a hard life usually, so even worse than a desktop in loosing value, they take physical abuse.

All computers are an assemblies of parts from different hardware manufacturers. So regardless of the label outside they all share a great many components, so those pieces matter, but the design and packaging of the unit also counts, as in the Toughbook series from Panasonic... if you need a pC in the swamp, they are the rig to get...

I hope this helps some... feel free to ask questions and I'll do my best to answer...
 
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