Laptop specs

[nstodd]

So I did a lot of research on computers, but there's a little confusion left on how much I should really be paying for. Eventually I'll be recording 8 tracks through an AI and using protools, plus the music writing software Finale, besides that it'll be used for college and taking notes, etc. How many ports do I really need and if it doesn't have enough can I buy extra usb ports if it has HDMI and cat5 at least? My plan is purchasing a laptop with 256 Gb SSD and using an external hard drive to save more files. I understand processors and how they work but not how many cores and speed is right for me.

 

[Pinky]

Match the cpu being offered with the laptop to the results on these charts:

https://www.cpubenchmark.net/

You can always add a USB hub if you run short on ports, but you will likely want to always plug your USB Interface directly into the laptop (not into a USB hub, then into the laptop). There's a lot of reasons for this, in particular interference on the USB bus if there are several other USB devices sharing that same port coming into the laptop. It's fine for one or two low bandwidth devices like a printer and mouse, etc. USB audio interfaces are very picky and giving them exclusive access to a port is ideal. Long story short - make sure the laptop has at least two USB ports, one for your interface and another for connecting a USB hub/other devices.

It may also benefit you to make sure whatever usb audio interface you buy is USB 3 compatible, some of the USB 2 audio interfaces are known to be less reliable when used on a USB 3 port. In theory, USB 2 and 3 devices are interchangeable, meaning you can run them on either type of port. The difference between the ports generally doesn't prevent functionality, but it can limit how much information can be move from the device across the USB port (USB 3 allows more information when matched with a USB 3 device). USB 3 I believe also provides more power to run the USB device on that port, so sometimes a USB 3 device must be used on a USB 3 port because it needs that additional power to run.

That my USB brain dump for now.

 

[ecc83]

I would definitely look for a laptop with USB 3.0 ports. The speed increase over 2.0 is vast, your idea of dumping takes to an external drive so as to keep the SSD uncluttered is a good one but you don't want to be hanging around while the boxes do it!

The 400mA extra power of 3.0 means a hub will run many things without an external supply but still make sure you get a hub WITH a power pack.
I agree, you must run the AI from a dedicated port on the laptop.

Eight tracks is not going to cause any sweat to any modern laptop (this HP i3 can run 20 Cubase tracks at about 70% CPU load) but in any case keep junk programs off the machine and that includes anti-V software.

I have been using Msoft SE for years now and the occasional run with Malwarebytes free without issues.

Dave.