Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

Laptop Recommendations

Options
  • 25-06-2014 4:25pm
    #1
    Plucky
    Registered Users Posts: 61 ✭✭


    I am looking to get a new laptop but I am working to a budget of around €500. Typically I record guitars, bass, vocals etc., as well as using a number of plugins.

    What laptops would you recommend, or what specs are the most important.


Comments

  • Options
    #2
    Jonny Blaze
    Closed Accounts Posts: 753 ✭✭✭Jonny Blaze


    The main thing you'll want is plenty of RAM I would have thought. Not sure what kind of calculations music software are based on or if they can be performed on the GPU (wouldn't have thought so) but you might check it out and get a reasonable graphics card if so.

    The processor can be important but not as much as having loads of RAM.

    Other than that it shouldn't really matter to be honest.


  • Options
    #3
    Plucky
    Registered Users Posts: 61 ✭✭Plucky


    Cheers. That's the main thing I've been looking at, I just don't want to overlook other things.


  • Options
    #4
    Anima
    Registered Users Posts: 3,945 ✭✭✭Anima


    GPU doesn't matter much for audio software. Get a good chunk of RAM, 8 gigs or so as it's cheap and get the best CPU you can afford. A mid-high end Intel I5 or I7. I7 has hyper threading but I don't think that's much use for this kind of software. Better off with the I5 as it would be cheaper and probably give the same performance.

    I'd strongly recommend an SSD hard drive as well.


  • Options
    #5
    mordeith
    Registered Users Posts: 5,278 ✭✭✭mordeith


    Plucky wrote: »
    I am looking to get a new laptop but I am working to a budget of around €500. Typically I record guitars, bass, vocals etc., as well as using a number of plugins.

    What laptops would you recommend, or what specs are the most important.

    If you are recording live instruments then you'll need to get yourself an external interface as well (unless you already have one). Use usually they are USB but you can get Firewire as well. Unless you're recording multiple tracks at once then RAM won't be a huge deal as you should be getting 4GB with a half decent laptop anyway. However if you're mixing multiple audio tracks afterwards then as pointed out by other posters, more RAM will be beneficial.


  • Options
    #6
    Plucky
    Registered Users Posts: 61 ✭✭Plucky


    Found a decent deal online with 8gb ram and an i5. A few days in and it's working great. Cheers for all the help guys.


  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #7
    da_hambo
    Registered Users Posts: 274 ✭✭da_hambo


    Plucky wrote: »
    Found a decent deal online with 8gb ram and an i5. A few days in and it's working great. Cheers for all the help guys.

    hey plucky, what laptop did you go with?

    im upgrading my ancient laptop as Ableton is severely straining it. So much so it crashes in the middle of a tune if there are more than a few plugins used.

    im also looking for a sub 500eur laptop that will handle Ableton and plugins and midi keyboard well.

    ps. My current laptop has only 1gb of Ram and it done the job for a while until i started delving into plugins and external keyboard etc, so anything above this would be the job.

    will probably use saveonlaptops.co.uk once i decide on a spec. Collect it in Newry.


  • Options
    #8
    Plucky
    Registered Users Posts: 61 ✭✭Plucky


    I was running ableton on 2 gbs and it worked for a while alright,but eventually took no more. There are some good options on that site ,I was gonna buy off that until I found a Toshiba satellite on amazon. 8gb, core i5, 1000gb hd. It was a touch under €500, was marked down a bit. I think I got the last one at that price.


  • Options
    #9
    Plucky
    Registered Users Posts: 61 ✭✭Plucky


    They didn't deliver to the republic so I used parcel motel.


  • Options
    #10
    da_hambo
    Registered Users Posts: 274 ✭✭da_hambo


    Cheers bud, might as well future proof it and go with an 8gb. That way might be able to play the latest games also.


  • Options
    #11
    GTE
    Registered Users Posts: 3,913 ✭✭✭GTE


    Da Hambo, what laptop do you have at the moment?


  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #12
    Plucky
    Registered Users Posts: 61 ✭✭Plucky


    da_hambo wrote: »
    Cheers bud, might as well future proof it and go with an 8gb. That way might be able to play the latest games also.


    No worries, happy hunting


  • Options
    #13
    da_hambo
    Registered Users Posts: 274 ✭✭da_hambo


    bbk wrote: »
    Da Hambo, what laptop do you have at the moment?


    Its an E System 1201 1gb ram 120gb harddrive, about six years old! Made some good noises with it over the years but now it's struggling with Ableton 9!


  • Options
    #14
    mordeith
    Registered Users Posts: 5,278 ✭✭✭mordeith


    da_hambo wrote: »
    Cheers bud, might as well future proof it and go with an 8gb. That way might be able to play the latest games also.

    Just on the gaming front, you'd need a high-end GPU to play latest games at a half-decent framerate. Especially if you are talking laptop.


  • Options
    #15
    da_hambo
    Registered Users Posts: 274 ✭✭da_hambo


    mordeith wrote: »
    Just on the gaming front, you'd need a high-end GPU to play latest games at a half-decent framerate. Especially if you are talking laptop.

    Doh! Thats not gonna be cheap is it?


  • Options
    #16
    mordeith
    Registered Users Posts: 5,278 ✭✭✭mordeith


    da_hambo wrote: »
    Doh! Thats not gonna be cheap is it?

    No, you woulds probably be looking at close to €800 to get a laptop that will play latest games well and will be somewhat future proof.


Advertisement