Performance...Performance Laptop (Audio Computer Question(s)

[Triple_B]

This thread is more 'Tech-' than '-nique.'

CwutIdidthar?

Alrighty people, so, I wish I could tell you the specifics of the hunk of junk that I'm running on right now as my Laptop, but unfortunately, it has decided that it hates me, (The thing is possessed, I swear it) and now it won't even charge for me to try and figure out what the specs are. Works now, Specs;

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Sony-VPC-M121AX-L/14568500

Yeah, that's right, Wal-Mart.

Intel Atom N450 processor
1.66GHz, 667MHz Front Side Bus, 512KB L2 Cache

1GB DDR2 system memory
Allows you to do the computer basics of web surfing, emails and documents

250GB SATA hard drive
Store 166,000 photos, 71,000 songs or 131 hours of HD video and more

10/100 Ethernet; 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi
Connect to a broadband modem or a wired broadband router with wired Ethernet, or wirelessly connect to a Wi-Fi signal or hotspot with the 802.11b/g/n WLAN built right into your PC

10.1" diagonal LED-backlit LCD widescreen display
Mobile Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3150

Now that I actually have these specs, it's no fucking wonder this thing is such a hunk of junk. Dayum; I can't believe I wasted my Vinyl Scratch stickers on this piece of shit. ._.

Anyway, uh, yeah; getting the laptop working pretty much killed the wall of text I did have, but the question still remains; For live performances, what should I be looking for in a laptop? I have a budget of $1200 USD, so a Fruitbox is out of the question, not to mention a Mac would kill my setup, since my studio PC is Windows.

[Navron]

Regarding laptop performance for music composition, the most important aspects will be:

1. CPU Type and Speed
2. RAM Quantity and Speed
3. Hard Drive Speed

For my laptops, I always go with iBuyPower. Not a very well known brand, but they customize your laptop for you just like Alienware would, but you don't pay an extra $800 for the name.

Alienware quality laptop for cheaper? You bet. After all, when half my guys in the shop with Alienwares had their expensive computers turn into an expensive heater, mine was still chuggin on, and still works to this day, despite being subjected to the 90+ temperature and high humidity of the Arabian Sea for 6 months.

Here's a computer I customized for you that is about the $1200 budget you're looking at: http://www.ibuypower.com/Store/Battalio ... ing_Laptop (You'll have to recustomize it yourself.)

Battalion 101 W170HR 17.3" Full HD 1920x1080 Widescreen LED TFT laptop w/ HDMI Port, eSATA/USB Combo Port, Li-Ion Battery, Universal AC Power Adapter Original Metallic Black

Intel® Core™ i7-2670QM Mobile Processor (4x 2.20GHz/6MB L3 Cache)

8GB [4GB x 2] 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM [Laptop Memory] Corsair or Major Brand

NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M 2GB GDDR3 Video [W170HR]

750 GB 7200rpm Serial-ATA Laptop Hybrid Hard Drive with 8GB SSD

A little note about hard drive types. Solid State is very fast, but while game loading is relatively fast, my music software performance is sub-par. Could be because of the CPU too, but I've noticed my laptop with a solid state seems to stutter every so often. With a gaming application, such as loading levels, this stutter won't be noticed, but in music playback with lots of VSTs, the slightest stutter messes up your playback. For that reason I elected to go with a 7200rpm HDD for my desktop computer, and I've encountered no stuttering.

[Triple_B]

Regarding laptop performance for music composition, the most important aspects will be:

1. CPU Type and Speed
2. RAM Quantity and Speed
3. Hard Drive Speed

For my laptops, I always go with iBuyPower. Not a very well known brand, but they customize your laptop for you just like Alienware would, but you don't pay an extra $800 for the name.

Alienware quality laptop for cheaper? You bet. After all, when half my guys in the shop with Alienwares had their expensive computers turn into an expensive heater, mine was still chuggin on, and still works to this day, despite being subjected to the 90+ temperature and high humidity of the Arabian Sea for 6 months.

Here's a computer I customized for you that is about the $1200 budget you're looking at: http://www.ibuypower.com/Store/Battalio ... ing_Laptop (You'll have to recustomize it yourself.)

Battalion 101 W170HR 17.3" Full HD 1920x1080 Widescreen LED TFT laptop w/ HDMI Port, eSATA/USB Combo Port, Li-Ion Battery, Universal AC Power Adapter Original Metallic Black

Intel® Core™ i7-2670QM Mobile Processor (4x 2.20GHz/6MB L3 Cache)

8GB [4GB x 2] 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM [Laptop Memory] Corsair or Major Brand

NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M 2GB GDDR3 Video [W170HR]

750 GB 7200rpm Serial-ATA Laptop Hybrid Hard Drive with 8GB SSD

A little note about hard drive types. Solid State is very fast, but while game loading is relatively fast, my music software performance is sub-par. Could be because of the CPU too, but I've noticed my laptop with a solid state seems to stutter every so often. With a gaming application, such as loading levels, this stutter won't be noticed, but in music playback with lots of VSTs, the slightest stutter messes up your playback. For that reason I elected to go with a 7200rpm HDD for my desktop computer, and I've encountered no stuttering.

So, I ended up looking through a myriad of computers, reading reviews, and all kinds of other stuff, and I kept coming back to this. I get my paycheck next Friday, (The one I customized ended up coming out to 1300, need a bit more cash ) and then it'll probably be here in like, two weeks, or however long their speed shipping is.

Thank you so much NavyBrony <3 Cheers.

[Versilaryan]

NavyBrony really has it covered. You'll want a second-gen Intel i7 processor, 7200RPM hard drive, and a minimum of 4GB RAM. Make sure your sound card isn't integrated, and if you have an external audio interface, it won't really matter what soundcard you have. If you don't have an external audio interface, I'd suggest looking at one. It'll drain the battery a little faster, but there will be a noticeable sound quality difference.

[Triple_B]

NavyBrony really has it covered. You'll want a second-gen Intel i7 processor, 7200RPM hard drive, and a minimum of 4GB RAM. Make sure your sound card isn't integrated, and if you have an external audio interface, it won't really matter what soundcard you have. If you don't have an external audio interface, I'd suggest looking at one. It'll drain the battery a little faster, but there will be a noticeable sound quality difference.

Hercules RMX ; MIDI DJ Controller & External Soundcard. Got it covered :3 And I'm planning on ordering an extra battery, so I should be pretty good, not to mention most venue's have plugins near/around the stage plus a bunch of extension chords; you have to plug mics and speakers and guitar amps in somewhere, right?

[Navron]

They took about 3 weeks for my first laptop, and about 2 for my next one, so I'd estimate about 2-3 weeks for them to build and ship it.

Another plus about iBuyPower is they give you a clean OS install with the minimum required software. In other words, you basically have a brand new OS with the required drivers installed.

You should also have a driver CD come with your laptop that includes all the basic drivers for your computer in addition to some extra programs if you want to install them.

I was very happy when my first computer booted up and looking at the taskbar, all I saw was my volume control.

[Mundius]

I paid $400 for this laptop NEW, and it's working fine. Pavilion g6 A1Y25UA with an AMD quad-core processor clocked from 800 to 1400 MHz, 6GB RAM, and 750GB 5400RPM HDD. It will literally do anything I ask it to, including rendering from numerous sources while running 3 instances of my DAW, Steam, IRC, Skype, torrents, Photoshop CS4, Premiere Pro CS4... without slowdown. And it plays games meant for huge gaming rigs on settings higher than maximum. And it's already outdated. Curse you, one-month old technology. (5 months)

But if you want to think ahead, get a Intel Core i7 (typed Pentium 4 by accident) with at least 2GHz, 6 GB RAM or over, 750GB HDD (as SSDs are too expensive), and invest in a USB HDD for everything else. Honestly, I've seen some go for $1100 here.