PDA

View Full Version : New computer...what's best?



DJHoss
02-11-2012, 11:27 PM
I currently have a dell Inspiron with a pentium processor, and it just cannot handle vdj anymore. What's a solid computer that's pretty powerful for djing and normal messing around with after effects, etc? Should I just go with a Mac? I see a lot of DJ's with macs. Also, what's your rig? My Budget's under $1k if possible. Thanks

LiteTrix
02-11-2012, 11:44 PM
Macbook Pro 13inch would probably be good. If having good performance in after effects is really important you might want to go with a 15 so you can get that discrete graphics. Also, any Macbook made in the last three years would be able to run virtual dj no problem. pentium processors are sooo old brahh

xsonixs
02-12-2012, 12:52 AM
Agreed with LiteTrix. Get a Macbook for a couple of reasons:

1. I have never had Serato or Torq crash on me EVER....Not sure which dvs you use....but I remember back in my PC days, I've had dvs crash on me 3+ times during gigs....annoying.
2. I have a MBP with a core2 duo and frequently use Photoshop and InDesign. Now thats not saying that After Effects will work just as good, but I have a hunch you won't have an issue with it.
3. Macs are a lot more durable. I've seen macs that were dropped and the entire frame bent....the computer ran just as fine....although it looked like shit. Now think of a pc with plastic casing....that would have been the end of that laptop.

I've been negged before for recommending macs (yes, people do take it THAT personal), but I've never had an issue with my mac, whereas with my PC, I never had a solid gig with no issues.

DJStevieRay
02-12-2012, 01:01 AM
MBP. I need more characters

Shay.ca
02-12-2012, 02:08 AM
MBP! you wont regret it!

DJ Special K
02-12-2012, 02:11 AM
MacBook Pro! Check your local Craigslist for good deals.

Unknown DJ
02-12-2012, 04:25 AM
First question you need to ask yourself what screen size do you need?

DJHoss
02-12-2012, 08:29 AM
I'd prefer to have at least a 15" screen, but on my budget I know that ain't happening unless I find a super deal. I guess I'll find a used 13" to start off with thanks guys:tup:

Chay
02-12-2012, 08:34 AM
I'd prefer to have at least a 15" screen, but on my budget I know that ain't happening unless I find a super deal. I guess I'll find a used 13" to start off with thanks guys:tup:

eBay has deals once in awhile too, check that out :)

Mystic
02-12-2012, 10:51 AM
Asus makes really good laptops. They will likely be my next.

Sween
02-12-2012, 11:22 AM
I agree that Mac Book Pro is a solid bet. But you're not going to get a decent one for under $1000. If you have (and want to spend) the extra cash to get a solid machine pony up for the MBP. DO NOT buy the 13" with the i5. Make sure you get an i7.

If you can't or don't want to spend the extra for the Mac, then do as Mystic says and look in to Asus. You can get a really great machine for around $800... just be sure to purge the bloatware when you get it.

Mystic
02-12-2012, 12:26 PM
If you can't or don't want to spend the extra for the Mac, then do as Mystic says and look in to Asus. You can get a really great machine for around $800... just be sure to purge the bloatware when you get it.
I do have to say that is one reason I love Asus, especially from boutique shops like xoticpc.com. Very little if any at all with the bloatware. I recently reset an HP laptop for a friend and was like "OMGWTFBBQ" at all the preinstalled crap they put on it.

peterwo2e
02-12-2012, 02:47 PM
you on a budget get a pc it will run just fine. lots of ram, i have my lenovo edge i run video with vdj and serato itch no problems so far. going on 2 years.

Mister
02-12-2012, 05:09 PM
The internals of a MacBook Pro is the same as some leading PC laptops. Intel does the initial design then Apple modifies it to fit their application. A couple years ago Asus was the manufacturer building the boards for Mac. Now I believe it's FoxConn. I really feel they went with FoxConn to save some money because I'm seeing a lot more issues with the new Macs we're ordering at my work. Same processors, chipsets, RAM, harddrive, etc that you can get in PC laptop. Only difference is the OS.

Yup... Asus is a very good brand.

DJArmani
02-12-2012, 05:11 PM
Macbook's are the way to go.

STLRiverCity
02-12-2012, 05:21 PM
I have a 2009 15" MBP and I have used a new top-of-the-line 13" MB Air. I really think the MB Air could be fine for just DJ use. I would still prefer the 13" MBP though for professional use. If you got the cash you could replace the HDD with a SSD, like others have said. That would give you one hell of a DJ laptop.

DJHoss
02-12-2012, 09:37 PM
DO NOT buy the 13" with the i5. Make sure you get an i7.
.

Reasons? Because it is a dual core, not a quad? I'd prefer a quad i7, believe me. I just hate how Apple makes you pony up so much for small increments in power and such. And SSD, I'd love it but I'd need at least the 512GB model and I'm not about to pony up $1200 for a hard drive lol :tup: I think I'll keep to a regular 500 or 750 GB and keep the rest of my music on my externals, unless I can magicly pay for a small SSD. And I am not familiar with ram usage on macs, I'm used to loadin it up on pc's. I have 3GB in my dell right now and on Win 7 its barely hanging in there. is the stock 4GB Plenty? Thanks guys :tup:

Djmike209
02-12-2012, 10:05 PM
This is question that is open to user preference.
Mac guys will say mac. PC guys will say PC
Chevy Guys are going to say Chevy....well you get the point.

Do your Homework Figure out what you need.
You are paying for the brand name. Most of the parts inside are the same
Seagate, or WD Hard Dirve
Crucial Memory
Intel Processor i5 or i7 or AMD

Best buy always has great deals. I picked up a Lenovo W series laptop. i7, 500GB HD, 4 Gb memory. Nice screen. long batt life.

Dont skimp on the warranty. Get the accidental coverage if you can. My gig laptops get beat up!

Good Luck.

jazzyj
02-14-2012, 12:54 PM
Ok so last year, I started out with a 17" i7 Intel Toshiba Satellite. Traktor S4 controller. Traktor Pro 2.x software.

It worked. In 6 months, I made a lil over $3G's with my lil setup. Nice. For my area, for the gigs I was doing, and for the equipment I had. BUT... EVERY SINGLE gig... I was concerned about duh duh duuuuuuuuuuuuh drop outs. aka the millisecond audio drop of silence that occurs when your PC can't handle streaming real-time audio even with a large buffer. It happened a couple times during gigs - thank gawd never during a first dance or ceremony music or anything that was important but still - it would kill my nerves; anxiety would rule over us the whole time. Even with creating a bootup profile which loaded NOTHING but mandatory stuff. Still. A drop out was 80% inevitable.

Finally... tax season is here. I take my money, go to a great friend of mine, and purchased a 1yr old 15" MacBook Pro. I installed Traktor Pro, hooked up my Traktor S4, Turned the buffer on the sound card all the way down, turned up the speakers, and played music for about 4 hours solid. Mixing/switching/loading... and facebooking, emailing, twittering, app installing, web surfing, etc. and guess what....? Not NERY one drop. Perfect sound. Not one glitch the whole time.

I am sold. MacBook Pro? Why? Because everything... just works.

Schreiber
02-14-2012, 01:31 PM
I'm definitely in the Mac camp too. Never once have I had problems with it crashing. It's reliable as hell.

Obviously I would never do this during a gig-but in my room when I've been practicing, I've had VDJ running on one screen, a few new songs downloading in the background, & Skyping a friend all at once. No problems at all.

Mine is a 15" i7 w/4G Ram.

A#1 DJ
02-14-2012, 02:05 PM
I have not had one dropout on my Acer aspire 1.7 dual core, 2gig of ram, Vista, Maya44 usb card.
Even Running power DVD at the same time as Virtual DJ
Just optimize your PC for performance and do regular maintenance.

jazzyj
02-14-2012, 02:10 PM
and PS... I got my 1 year old Macbook Pro 15" 2.4ghz dualcore 4GB, 2 graphics cards, and all the goodies for $850. You don't have to spend $2000 to get to Mac.

Lazerick
02-14-2012, 03:01 PM
This is question that is open to user preference.
Mac guys will say mac. PC guys will say PC
Chevy Guys are going to say Chevy....well you get the point.

Do your Homework Figure out what you need.
You are paying for the brand name. Most of the parts inside are the same
Seagate, or WD Hard Dirve
Crucial Memory
Intel Processor i5 or i7 or AMD

Best buy always has great deals. I picked up a Lenovo W series laptop. i7, 500GB HD, 4 Gb memory. Nice screen. long batt life.

Dont skimp on the warranty. Get the accidental coverage if you can. My gig laptops get beat up!

Good Luck.

:stupid: why - All laptops crash MACs and PC's

It is just that when MACs crash the MAC folks think it is a fluke and never say anything about it.
I have seen brand new macs crash and burn during gigs and man did the MACs folks panic.

Bottom line, it is preference and execution, I have an HP dv4t - my ex gave it to me as a gift three years ago. I got ride of the bloatware, put serato on it and I have never had it crash on me during a gig, so it is not machine, it is how the man treats the machine.

Look at the features that are best for YOU and go that route no matter if it is MAC or PC.

peterwo2e
02-14-2012, 09:27 PM
:stupid: why - All laptops crash MACs and PC's

It is just that when MACs crash the MAC folks think it is a fluke and never say anything about it.
I have seen brand new macs crash and burn during gigs and man did the MACs folks panic.

Bottom line, it is preference and execution, I have an HP dv4t - my ex gave it to me as a gift three years ago. I got ride of the bloatware, put serato on it and I have never had it crash on me during a gig, so it is not machine, it is how the man treats the machine.

Look at the features that are best for YOU and go that route no matter if it is MAC or PC.
i have to ask you this if you spend 2000 bucks on a mac and the thing crash on you would you panic? with me is a big YES i would go into shock.

bumpyjonas
02-14-2012, 09:46 PM
My primary laptop is a MBP 13" and my backup is a Dell Inspiron 1545 15". I love both but with the Dell I had to strip down get rid of the the windows Vista and all the bloatware, I then installed XP with sp3. I have never had issues running Serato or Virtual DJ on the Dell the and MBP runs flawless.

Galager
02-15-2012, 12:14 AM
My finances made it impossible to get an apple so I went with a Toshiba. What I love about my Toshiba is the keyboard lights up so it is easy to see in the dark.

I think a windows laptop is fine assuming you use it ONLY for DJing. When you start to add other garbage like games, etc. is when problems start to arise.

Adam B
02-15-2012, 10:40 AM
I use an Alienware for my DJing and VDJing. Very powerful, high end graphics/sound card. Love the computer, like everyone has said, check out craigslist. You can find some good deals on more expensive/powerful comps on there no matter what you are looking for.

Adam

Stirred
02-15-2012, 10:44 AM
get the base 13" MBP... go to http://www.macsales.com/

Upgrade the shit out of it for a fraction of the cost! I put in 8GB ram (which i have no need for) and a 1TB HD for less than 300 for both.

Easy to install... No issues to date! (KNOCK ON WOOD)