Members Phait Posted September 5, 2008 Members Share Posted September 5, 2008 I'm looking for a laptop generally under $1000 that I can run Logic Audio 5 (PC) on. I decided to move to softsynths and am getting an Emu Xboard 49 which comes with Proteus: - http://www.emu.com/products/product.asp?category=532&subcategory=533&product=13558 "Includes full version of E-MU's Proteus X2 Streaming Sound Module with over 3GB of sounds, as well as three additional sound libraries (Mo'Phatt X, Planet Earth X and Protean Drums X) for an additional 1,500 instruments (Windows only)" I've heard the firewire chipset should be Texas Instruments for lowest latency? Also, I generally intend to use XP. It'd be nice if I wouldn't have to buy another license -- or if it came with Vista Premium I can apparently call Microsoft and downgrade to XP no cost. The poll has brand choices I'd consider (no Compaq or HP as they've rated the worst in reliability and/or customer support... and no Apple as I used to have a Powerbook, but decided to consolidate all my creative projects to Windows). Requirements - 14, 15, or 17" widescreen - 2 GB minimum RAM - Firewire - Preferably AMD CPU, but I guess I can bite the bullet on Intel - Reliability, reliability, reliability Thanks! (Link for ADK Pro Audio - http://www.adkproaudio.com/laptop2.cfm audio tuned laptops) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Super 8 Posted September 5, 2008 Members Share Posted September 5, 2008 Phait! Hey man! Where have you been hiding out? I don't have much of an answer for you. I like Toshiba. Take that for what it's worth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Music Calgary Posted September 5, 2008 Members Share Posted September 5, 2008 Whatever you do consider factoring in a firewire HD with the price, even with a great laptop it seems to be an essential. Luckily they've gotten really cheap... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bp Posted September 5, 2008 Members Share Posted September 5, 2008 Check out Sonica - killer laptops, desktops..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Anderton Posted September 5, 2008 Members Share Posted September 5, 2008 Results with Toshiba have been hit or miss when working with some interfaces...at least that's the impression I've gotten from some of the Pro Reviews. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Anderton Posted September 5, 2008 Members Share Posted September 5, 2008 Had a chance to check out an ADK about a year ago, it was great - sturdy, fast, etc. I'm currently using an old Rain LiveBook that I haven't replaced because it keeps on working and working (and working) for me. But what I don't understand: MacBook Pros are bitchin'. Why not just run your Windows stuff under Boot Camp? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bp Posted September 5, 2008 Members Share Posted September 5, 2008 I'd agree with Craig. The MBPs are excellent windows laptops. The Sonica gives things I wish the MBPs had - most importantly an eSATA connector. I really don't care for express card for hard drives. It seems way to easy to dislodge the card, plus it heats up the mac that otherwise runs pretty cool. The Sonica's also have HDMI. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Phait Posted September 16, 2008 Author Members Share Posted September 16, 2008 I've completely forgotten about Macs being able to run Windows. Hmm. I dunno... with a MBP I'm paying not just for the hardware but the OS - and I've no need for OS X anymore (used it in 2003-2006/7). ADK was what I was leaning towards. I'll checkout Sonica. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tfortier Posted September 16, 2008 Members Share Posted September 16, 2008 under 1000$ you need a pc, not a mac! just be sure to get at least 2gb of RAM! I ear vostro lappy are great, not like those old inspiron. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Alndln2 Posted September 16, 2008 Members Share Posted September 16, 2008 I put together 3 Gateway laptops for 2 friends and my brother. All had the TI FW chipset and have been solid for DAW so far. 2 were Intel and one was an older AMD based laptop. Of course I can't vouch for the very latest line, and they will come with Vista which I doubt will play nice with the older PC version of Logic 5. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMS Author MikeRivers Posted September 16, 2008 CMS Author Share Posted September 16, 2008 I've heard the firewire chipset should be Texas Instruments for lowest latency? Also, I generally intend to use XP. It'd be nice if I wouldn't have to buy another license -- or if it came with Vista Premium I can apparently call Microsoft and downgrade to XP no cost. You do need one of the more advanced versions of Vista in order to get the license authorized for XP, and I assume that you need a copy of XP that you can install from scratch - I don't believe that Microsoft gives you one, but I've never tried the "downgrade," having avoided it on my last purchase by buying a computer with XP pre-installed. The Firewire thing is a crapshoot. Don't use the type of Firewire chip as a selection criterion. There's no direct correlation between the chipset and latency, though TI is (this month) one that seems to be reported as "best" but I believe that's base on people reading what other people say, not real comparative tests under stable conditions. Latency - I'm assuming you're talking about "playing latency" as you plan to use the computer as a musical instrument - is primarily a function of the software and drivers (which determines how critically you can "tweak" the setup) and the delay through A/D converters. The latter is constant, the former can vary all over the place. Some Firewire chips work well with certain interfaces and poorly with others, and vice versa. And manufacturers change components at the drop of a nickel, so that if someone recommends a combination that he bought six months ago, even if you can get the same thing with the same name on it, it may not have the same chips in it. And even if you want to look for a TI chip just for good luck, you may have difficulty finding out what a particular computer you're looking at has. You may not learn this until you actually have the computer in hand. The one in the box you get may not be exactly the same as the one on display. Finally, PC laptops almost universally have a 4-pin Firewire connector that doesn't supply power to your Firewire audio interface. This may not be a big deal (interfaces nearly all come with an AC power supply) but the connector is really flimsy and fragile, particularly if you use a cable with an adapter (large to small plug). The positive thing about Firewire computer interfaces for laptops is that nearly all laptops have a PCMCIA (CardBus) slot so if the built-in Firewire port doesn't work well, you can replace it with a fairly inexpensive plug-in card which may have a more compatible chipset. This is easy to replace with another if the one you choose doesn't work well. Or you can do what I did - buy a few, try them all, keep the one that works best (or, in my case, the cheapest one since they all seemed to work fine for me) and return the rest. The thing to look for is to know what kind of card slot the computer has. CardBus (a newer PCMCIA implenetation) has been standard for many years, but there's a new card format now, e-Card or something like that (essentially the PCI-E bus on a card slot) which uses a different connector (there are actually two sizes of these new cards to further complicate your life). Know what your computer can use so you'll know how to accessorize it should you need to do so. (no Compaq or HP as they've rated the worst in reliability and/or customer support... Dell isn't so hot either. I suspect that today the only way you'll get good customer support is from one of the boutique builders like ADK or Rain. Hopefully you won't need it. Computers, if they work out the door, usually continue to work for a long time. And other than those small companies who have taken on the niche of supplying computers for musicians, even the best computer tech support knows little or nothing about problems that you may have on the musical side. Almost any anecdotal information you'll find about any computer model or brand is likely to be out of date. For example, Toshiba computers used to have a problem with the battery charging circuit causing glitches in the audio. I don't know if that's still a problem. Craig has some other less than positive experience with Toshiba computers. It may be a long term problem with something in Toshiba's design, or it may just be in issue with certain editions of certain models. I have no way of knowing, but it might be a good way to narrow down your choice by one. But other than 'I have one and it works" or "I have one and it's really built well" there really isn't much you can really be sure of. Find a few that are similar in features and price and flip a coin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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