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View Full Version : Hyothetical questions about newer laptops



rocket's ass
04-15-2012, 10:11 PM
First of all, save it with the Apple Macbook talk. I know lots of people think they're amazing but that's not what I'm focusing on here. Thanks in advance.

I've always DJed on pc laptops. I've usually had midrange HP's or Toshibas and have always been satisfied with them. Right now I'm using a Toshiba Satellite that I've been DJ-ing on it 35 hrs a week for 4 1/2 years and it's still going strong. Not too shabby :) I think it cost me around $1300. I use an external sound card.

Well, as most if not all of you know, everything computer related has gone down significantly in price in the last 4 years (presumably because of smart phones, etc).

Now you can get a laptop for less than $400.

I'm pricing new laptops and am hoping to get something for approx $5-600. Most likely an HP or Toshiba.

First of all, I don't expect any of these newer laptops to last 4 1/2 years for this kind of price if you're running them as hard as I do. That's the thing about a lot of electronics; they're not built to last as long because the rate of technology keeps increasing.

My question is (as dumb as it might sound) if I'm using an external soundcard anyway, the sound won't be effected if I buy a cheaper laptop will it?

Unknown DJ
04-15-2012, 10:22 PM
No. ..

Mystic
04-15-2012, 10:45 PM
It can be. The problem is the way that cheaper laptops can have a lot of DPC latency which will cause pops and crackles in music. This has a lot to do with the BIOS a laptop runs and is more an issue for people looking to do recording, but it's not uncommon if you run something like Torq.

A lot of people have actually been going the route of the HP Elitebook with good success.

rocket's ass
04-15-2012, 10:56 PM
I'm running virtual DJ.

Dave Daschofsky
04-16-2012, 12:46 AM
I replaced my aging MacBook with a new MSI and i love it. Core i7 with 16gb of ram, 1.5 TB hard drive and bluray burner for under 2K and it's built like a tank.

Unknown DJ
04-16-2012, 01:06 AM
I use Torq with xponent and have used a $800 Can Asus laptop a $399 can HP laptop running a AMD APU a HP elite book running a Intel core 2 duo and Now a Acer TimelineX with an I5 CPU all within 6 months and none of them have had a problem.

RodneyL
04-16-2012, 07:03 AM
I also suggest intel to my clients over amd. Spring for the newer i5 or i7 cpu with a 64bit OS so you can get 8gb ram. Not sure that you can price that out for $400 though.

Unknown DJ
04-16-2012, 04:04 PM
I also suggest intel to my clients over amd. Spring for the newer i5 or i7 cpu with a 64bit OS so you can get 8gb ram. Not sure that you can price that out for $400 though.

You can pick up an I3 on sale for around $400.

Brom
04-16-2012, 05:02 PM
A lot of people have actually been going the route of the HP Elitebook with good success.

Lucky people. If they're anything like the "Elite"book I have for work then they s**k big donkey b&&ls. I'm on my third one since Halloween and the screen went black last Thursday just before I went on vacation. Have to see how it works when I get back in the office next week.

rocket's ass
04-16-2012, 06:56 PM
i3 for under $600...still 4gb of RAM though...

sss18734
04-16-2012, 07:50 PM
The build quality of a lot of those uber-cheap PC's really suffers. They also have comparatively low reliability and longevity records compared to their business notebook counterparts.

I will say though, that the new i-series processors seem to run Traktor very nicely - regardless of make/model.

Unknown DJ
04-16-2012, 10:01 PM
i3 for under $600...still 4gb of RAM though...

Ram is dirt cheap and you really don't need more than 4 gigs anyway.

RodneyL
04-17-2012, 07:04 AM
Ram is dirt cheap and you really don't need more than 4 gigs anyway.

Very broad, sweeping statement. Not true in every case. Why limit yourself to 4gb? Invest in more and have a top line PC for many years to come. Just a suggestion from a guy who sells them and repairs them for a living.

To be honest though, both my laptop tops are still just core 2 duo's with 4gb each... and they have worked great for years.... but I don't do much personal stuff on them.

akela
04-17-2012, 07:13 AM
Using VirtualDJ on a Dell Inspiron 15 with no issues.

Unknown DJ
04-17-2012, 02:04 PM
Very broad, sweeping statement. Not true in every case. Why limit yourself to 4gb? Invest in more and have a top line PC for many years to come. Just a suggestion from a guy who sells them and repairs them for a living.

To be honest though, both my laptop tops are still just core 2 duo's with 4gb each... and they have worked great for years.... but I don't do much personal stuff on them.

For DJing and most other uses 4 gigs is enough and you gan pick up 4 gigs or ram for under $25.

Drewbdo
04-18-2012, 08:09 AM
I have two (always want a backup unit onsite) off-lease IBM ThinkPad T-61's. I upgraded the RAM to the max (I think 4 gig). Virtual DJ Pro 7.0 and Karma both run fine on it. I also MIDI a Numark MixDeck in a USB slot. No problems.

I probably couldn't mix video, but haven't ever had a request for that, and don't have any videos.

The computers were about $350 each.

sss18734
04-18-2012, 12:44 PM
I have two (always want a backup unit onsite) off-lease IBM ThinkPad T-61's. I upgraded the RAM to the max (I think 4 gig). Virtual DJ Pro 7.0 and Karma both run fine on it. I also MIDI a Numark MixDeck in a USB slot. No problems.

I probably couldn't mix video, but haven't ever had a request for that, and don't have any videos.

T61's ftw. I run a pair of them as well - having two identical machines is really nice for backup purposes in case the main one fails. I much prefer this setup over one shiny new machine.

If yours have the Quadro 140M, it should run video just fine. You'd be surprised what those cards can do with the recent drivers.

Drewbdo
04-18-2012, 01:04 PM
T61's ftw. I run a pair of them as well - having two identical machines is really nice for backup purposes in case the main one fails. I much prefer this setup over one shiny new machine.

...

Yeah, a lot of guys in my area suggested MBP, "cuz they never crash or have viruses".

In over 20 years using computers, and the internet, I have never had a virus. I get my music legally from a pool, and don't download games, etc onto these units, so my risk level is lower, perhaps. I decided to get the T61's because I'm less worried about viruses than I am about a drunk guy spilling his beer when he comes up to request "The Cha Cha Schlide, plea-sh?".

I could buy both of them for less than what I would spend on one MBP. Drunk guy messing up a MBP would screw up my bottom line much more than him messing up a $350 workhorse. Maybe some day I will get a MBP, but for me, these do the job for now.

Not sure what video card they have. I will look into that. :)

sss18734
04-18-2012, 02:26 PM
Yeah, a lot of guys in my area suggested MBP, "cuz they never crash or have viruses".

In over 20 years using computers, and the internet, I have never had a virus. I get my music legally from a pool, and don't download games, etc onto these units, so my risk level is lower, perhaps. I decided to get the T61's because I'm less worried about viruses than I am about a drunk guy spilling his beer when he comes up to request "The Cha Cha Schlide, plea-sh?".

I could buy both of them for less than what I would spend on one MBP. Drunk guy messing up a MBP would screw up my bottom line much more than him messing up a $350 workhorse. Maybe some day I will get a MBP, but for me, these do the job for now.

Not sure what video card they have. I will look into that. :)

Yeah one day I will just run a pair of MBP's... but until then, I'd rather spend that 3K on just about anything else :)

Sween
04-19-2012, 12:03 PM
I'll say it... I love my MBP. It is worth a big price tag. It is my primary. I'll stop there since I know you don't want to hear it...

On to my backup. I have an Asus i7 with 8GB ram and 750GB HD. Cost me about a grand. It's been great. The build quality is NOT very good... but I spent the cash on the guts, not the box. Would a cheaper one work? I'm sure it would. (I use VDJ too). I did have my last HP machine crash on me due to a video card meltdown... And I still have another HP that is a useless piece of shit (AMD processor), gives me MAJOR problems on VDJ even with external soundcards. But the Asus DOES work well (knock on wood).

The one thing I will say that is MEGA important in extending the life of a PC for DJing and it's dependability is that you do NOT use it for anything other than DJing... This means no internet whatsoever.

Drewbdo
04-19-2012, 12:28 PM
... I have an Asus i7 with 8GB ram and 750GB HD. Cost me about a grand. It's been great. The build quality is NOT very good... but I spent the cash on the guts, not the box. Would a cheaper one work? I'm sure it would. (I use VDJ too). I did have my last HP machine crash on me due to a video card meltdown... And I still have another HP that is a useless piece of shit (AMD processor), gives me MAJOR problems on VDJ even with external soundcards. But the Asus DOES work well (knock on wood).

The one thing I will say that is MEGA important in extending the life of a PC for DJing and it's dependability is that you do NOT use it for anything other than DJing... This means no internet whatsoever.

That was one of the main reasons I went with a corporate-market laptop, rather than a consumer-market laptop. It's not as "cool" looking, but it's designed for work. It runs cooler, is better ventilated, and has more reliable internals than the other "personal" machines I've used in the past.