Dedicated DAW Laptop

  • Thread starter Thread starter PorterhouseMusic
  • Start date Start date
That should be fine. Those mini PCs are basically a laptop system without the display and keyboard. The processor is roughly equal to a Core I5-14400 which is plenty powerful. I run Reaper on a 4th Gen I5 and it does great. As long as you don't need the portability of the laptop, it should be fine.

One question, do you use a lot of VST instruments? That's where the 32G of DDR5 will really help.
 
TalismanRich said:
One question, do you use a lot of VST instruments? That's where the 32G of DDR5 will really help.
Click to expand...
I do not. For my purposes this will have more than enough muscle - and then some.

For the price - and after to talking with a couple of friends who are very happy with theirs - it seemed like a logical choice. I was prepared to spend a lot more for a laptop or full tower PC until it became obvious that that's just not necessary.
 
Linux is great, if you don't want to run mainstream software and audio that needs drivers. It's great for computer savvy experts, but for mere users? Apple & Microsoft are the only options.
 
It's not that MS is trying to slow things down. There's a big difference between the days of MSDOS/Win3.1 and today. Back then you ran one program, maybe two. Graphics were primitive. Now, you can have 5 windows going at the same time, cranking out audio and video that is far beyond what you had then. You used to be limited to 2MB of memory, now you can have 128GB and just go. You need to worry about virus attacks and hacks. Every added piece of gear back then had it's own driver, be it a mouse, CD burner, video card, sound card. You had to keep track of your IRQs so that your video card didn't corrupt your Soundblaster.

It wasn't uncommon for one card to "break" another one.

For the most part things are plug and play today with WIn 10 and 11, and Linux is getting there. The problem with Linux is that so many program that people very familiar with and use every day are not available in Linux. Sometimes there are equivalents, but some of those aren't as complete or compatible as the could be. Want to run HR Block or TurboTax under Linux? FAGETTABOUTIT.
 
20250307_203211.webp
 
Nice picture ..:)
....is it Fanless or Silent Fan? Did you notice a reduction in noise?

Great thread, Rich saying the Mini PC is a "laptop without a screen and keyboard" makes it seem less strange buying a little black box.

I think a MiniPC is what Im looking for too.

USB connections will be the thing, what's that look like?
1. keyboard
2. mouse
3. interface
4. Misc- CD player, SmartPhone, jumpdrive
5. Misc-
6. Misc-

?
 
CoolCat said:
Nice picture ..:)
....is it Fanless or Silent Fan? Did you notice a reduction in noise?

Great thread, Rich saying the Mini PC is a "laptop without a screen and keyboard" makes it seem less strange buying a little black box.

I think a MiniPC is what Im looking for too.

USB connections will be the thing, what's that look like?
1. keyboard
2. mouse
3. interface
4. Misc- CD player, SmartPhone, jumpdrive
5. Misc-
6. Misc-

?
Click to expand...
I didn't have any noise to begin with as I've been using the Tascam DP-32SD which records to SD card - dead silent. The new Gem 12 (this is the exact package that I bought) - has a fan - but I can't hear it. At all. Unless a lean over and put my ear right up to it.

The package model/unit I've got has 4 USB ports. Right now I've got this plugged in:

1) Combo mouse/keyboard takes up one slot <---consider this
2) 2i2 interface in another slot
3) Tascam DP-32SD plugged into the third slot for moving files back and forth
4) unused as of right now

And of course - you can always use a USB hub if you need more connectivity.

I may get a full on control surface at some point. But - baby steps.

I just got this yesterday. But I am *fully* up and running and without a glitch. I stripped Windows 11 down to the basic necessities and customized for my workflow. It will mostly be disconnected from the internet. Already fully immersed in a project that I'd already started. The giant 32" monitor is *awesome*. Loving it.

Again - it's early on. But very happy so far.
 
PorterhouseMusic said:
I didn't have any noise to begin with as I've been using the Tascam DP-32SD which records to SD card - dead silent. The new Gem 12 (this is the exact package that I bought) - has a fan - but I can't hear it. At all. Unless a lean over and put my ear right up to it.

The package model/unit I've got has 4 USB ports. Right now I've got this plugged in:

1) Combo mouse/keyboard takes up one slot <---consider this
2) 2i2 interface in another slot
3) Tascam DP-32SD plugged into the third slot for moving files back and forth
4) unused as of right now

And of course - you can always use a USB hub if you need more connectivity.

I may get a full on control surface at some point. But - baby steps.

I just got this yesterday, but I am fully up and running without a glitch. I stripped Windows 11 down to the basic necessities and customized it for my workflow. I did have a quick look at https://www.pissedconsumer.com/company/hewlett-packard/customer-service.html in case I ever need support, but the laptop will mostly be disconnected from the internet. I’m already fully immersed in a project that I’d started earlier. The giant 32" monitor is awesome. Loving it.

Again - it's early on. But very happy so far.
Click to expand...
For a dedicated DAW laptop, I’d focus less on gaming-level specs and more on a fast CPU, plenty of RAM, a quiet cooling system, and good SSD storage. Something with a modern Core i7/i9 or Ryzen 7/9, 32 GB RAM, and a 1–2 TB NVMe SSD should be more than enough for Cubase and Reaper unless you plan on running huge sample libraries or very large projects. PC Audio Labs is worth considering, but I’d also check reputable business-class laptops from Dell, Lenovo, or HP and remove unnecessary startup software. Your local repairman could be useful too, especially if he understands audio interfaces and DAW optimization.
 
PorterhouseMusic said:
I didn't have any noise to begin with as I've been using the Tascam DP-32SD which records to SD card - dead silent. The new Gem 12 (this is the exact package that I bought) - has a fan - but I can't hear it. At all. Unless a lean over and put my ear right up to it.

The package model/unit I've got has 4 USB ports. Right now I've got this plugged in:

1) Combo mouse/keyboard takes up one slot <---consider this
2) 2i2 interface in another slot
3) Tascam DP-32SD plugged into the third slot for moving files back and forth
4) unused as of right now

And of course - you can always use a USB hub if you need more connectivity.

I may get a full on control surface at some point. But - baby steps.

I just got this yesterday. But I am *fully* up and running and without a glitch. I stripped Windows 11 down to the basic necessities and customized for my workflow. It will mostly be disconnected from the internet. Already fully immersed in a project that I'd already started. The giant 32" monitor is *awesome*. Loving it.

Again - it's early on. But very happy so far.
Click to expand...
WHAT DOES "OCULINK" DO?
 
GONZO-X said:
WHAT DOES "OCULINK" DO?
Click to expand...
If I recall correctly - it is a specialized high performance connection for video/graphics. Like feeding a video monitor. Using some specialized copper cable (I think). Which is why it would be found on the "gaming" PC that I bought to use with a DAW.
 
interesting,
i was thinking of going a similar route, but then all the PC and memory prices went sky high,
and i backed off any plans.

my current DAW wont upgrade to Win 11,
so i'm using 10 pro right now, and living with a maxxed out pc, still works great (built in 2018)
 
Everyone thought I was a lunatic buying first a high spec mini-PC that turned out to be all german, then
blowing another £2000 on an even higher spec mid tower PC, then buying two further lesser mini-PCs for remote
access of the DAW.
Seems I got it all in before the price hikes.
That makes me a smug lunatic.
 
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