Need help on which laptop to pick for djing...13.3" or 15.6"?
Need help on which laptop to pick for djing...13.3" or 15.6"? Posted on: 07.05.2013 by Alberta Cuttler I'm in possession of these two laptops below (have not opened them yet) and can't decide on which one I should pick as far as using it with Traktor Pro and possibly with VDJ as well:Acer 15.6" http://www.staples.com/Acer-Aspire-V...product_130417 Lenovo 13.3" http://www.staples.com/Lenovo-IdeaPa...product_141488 I know the screen size is one big difference between the two (I'm currently using a 14.1" Toshiba that is quite a few years old and very underpowered), but I can't decide if going with the Acer (which has backlit keyboard, bigger screen, DVD drive, touchscreen, but weights alot more and has a lower processor) is better than going with the Lenovo which is an ultrabook (very lightweight, much better processor, but no DVD drive, no backlit keyboard). I do like the backlity keyboard feature of the Acer and larger screen, but does those things outweigh it being alot heavier and having ain i3 vs an i5 in the Lenovo? Would I really have an issue with the smaller 13.3" screen of the Lenovo, no backlit keyboard, no optical drive? Any opinions or recommendations on which way I should be leaning here and which feature is more important and critical to djing? | |
| Alberta Cuttler 09.05.2013 |
Originally Posted by city_boy07
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| Hayden Raugh 09.05.2013 |
Originally Posted by joemann002
you need to understand the difference between RAM and CPU.... you can juice up the i3 with as much RAM as you want but it will not run as efficiently and well as the i5 when you stress the system! |
| Alberta Cuttler 09.05.2013 |
Originally Posted by oliosky
So I'm believeing that if everything will work fine with 4GB/i5 then there is no need to up the RAM and the Lenovo would be the choice. If those specs are not good enough for saying running a portable hard drive or fx controller as well as a midi controller then the Acer with the i3/4GB might work better since the ram on that one can be easily upped to 8GB with very little effort. |
| Hayden Raugh 08.05.2013 |
Originally Posted by joemann002
although with new updates and stuff and if you want to go into production youll want that extra processor power... backlight keyboards are pretty useless (in my opinion) i dont look at the keys when i type so its not a issue to me.... the only thing it comes down to is the screen size and processor... its up to u man. 13" as people have stated and as you have stated seen many djs with the 13" macbook is fine for traktor.... my laptop is only really used when i dj for the music and fx etc, but i dont even look at the screen unless im choosing a song because i use my x1 for fx/loops its down to how dependant you are to the laptop when your playin. if you 'serato face' the whole evening then go for the bigger screen and save your eyes, if you mix mostly without looking at the screen then go for the processor power and the 13" will do you fine |
| Alberta Cuttler 07.05.2013 |
Originally Posted by Patch
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| Alberta Cuttler 07.05.2013 | I'm in possession of these two laptops below (have not opened them yet) and can't decide on which one I should pick as far as using it with Traktor Pro and possibly with VDJ as well: Acer 15.6" http://www.staples.com/Acer-Aspire-V...product_130417 Lenovo 13.3" http://www.staples.com/Lenovo-IdeaPa...product_141488 I know the screen size is one big difference between the two (I'm currently using a 14.1" Toshiba that is quite a few years old and very underpowered), but I can't decide if going with the Acer (which has backlit keyboard, bigger screen, DVD drive, touchscreen, but weights alot more and has a lower processor) is better than going with the Lenovo which is an ultrabook (very lightweight, much better processor, but no DVD drive, no backlit keyboard). I do like the backlity keyboard feature of the Acer and larger screen, but does those things outweigh it being alot heavier and having ain i3 vs an i5 in the Lenovo? Would I really have an issue with the smaller 13.3" screen of the Lenovo, no backlit keyboard, no optical drive? Any opinions or recommendations on which way I should be leaning here and which feature is more important and critical to djing? |
| Hayden Raugh 09.05.2013 | Yeah defo |
| Alberta Cuttler 09.05.2013 |
Originally Posted by city_boy07
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| Hayden Raugh 09.05.2013 |
Originally Posted by joemann002
you need to understand the difference between RAM and CPU.... you can juice up the i3 with as much RAM as you want but it will not run as efficiently and well as the i5 when you stress the system! |
| Alberta Cuttler 09.05.2013 |
Originally Posted by oliosky
So I'm believeing that if everything will work fine with 4GB/i5 then there is no need to up the RAM and the Lenovo would be the choice. If those specs are not good enough for saying running a portable hard drive or fx controller as well as a midi controller then the Acer with the i3/4GB might work better since the ram on that one can be easily upped to 8GB with very little effort. |
| Johnetta Olewine 09.05.2013 | Get the 13. Especially if its got more juice. And a RAM upgrade is super easy if you need to in the future. 13" laptops are much more portable, take up less space in the booth, fit more bags and are absolutely fine to run DJ programs. |
| Alberta Cuttler 08.05.2013 | So if I go with the Lenovo is 4gb plenty with the i5 in case I want to add a externsl hard drive or a fx controller? With the Acer I can up it to 8gb even though the processor is a i3. I keep reading of folks upping their ram to 10, 12 or 16GB on their MBPs. Is that even necessary to increase the ram that high and is there a saturation point? I guess what I'd like to know is 4GB enough for what I want to do whether it is an i3 or i5? I just don't want to get to a point where Lenovo's lack of ram upgrade will affect what I can add or run. |
| Hayden Raugh 08.05.2013 |
Originally Posted by joemann002
although with new updates and stuff and if you want to go into production youll want that extra processor power... backlight keyboards are pretty useless (in my opinion) i dont look at the keys when i type so its not a issue to me.... the only thing it comes down to is the screen size and processor... its up to u man. 13" as people have stated and as you have stated seen many djs with the 13" macbook is fine for traktor.... my laptop is only really used when i dj for the music and fx etc, but i dont even look at the screen unless im choosing a song because i use my x1 for fx/loops its down to how dependant you are to the laptop when your playin. if you 'serato face' the whole evening then go for the bigger screen and save your eyes, if you mix mostly without looking at the screen then go for the processor power and the 13" will do you fine |
| Yu Santellano 08.05.2013 | That's true - I stand by what I said about the processor in terms of Traktor; if you're just running Traktor with a controller, don't worry about the differences in the processor. But if, as the poster earlier said, you want to start producing with DAWs (though Im not sure of their exact power requirements myself), or are hooking up millions of controllers and mashing cue points, it might strain some things. |
| Alberta Cuttler 08.05.2013 | So if then an i3 with 4gb (or upgraded to 8gb of ram is plenty powerful) for just basic djing and would handle TP or VDJ then the deciding factor here is more about screen size and weight/portability (5.3lb for Acer vs 3.7lb for Lenovo), backlit keyboard, and optical drive. I know Lenovo are suppose to be better quality and should have very few issues down the road, but it seems like at least for that particular model there has always been a wifi issue (if I want to use the web on occasion). But I believe from reading some recent reviews that it might have been fixed now with touch version. One thing I do like about the Lenovo ultrabook is the form factor and size for carrying it around. A 15.6" size can't really compare to in that regard. Another thing I have noticed is from reading reviews on these laptops is the luminosity/screen brightness. Both of these seem to register at the low end of the scale like around 150-160lux whereas others tested are in 220-250 range. I know these are suppose to be budget laptops but with MSRPs close to $600-$700 you would believe those numbers would be much higher. Do you guys believe that is an issue that can be a problem down the road? I know that a Macbook Air is like around 260ish lux so these two are really at the other end. But then again a MBA is a lot more expensive compared to these two. |
| Kathe Stump 08.05.2013 | I just went from an 18.4" laptop to a 13" laptop. I was worried about the screen size, beecause I have bad eyesight, but I couldn't be happier with it. |
| Hayden Raugh 08.05.2013 | I disagree i believe the processor is one of the main differences. I have a 13" Macbook 2009, screen size is fine for djing the bigger the screen the more tempted you are to 'Serato Face' you dont want to rely looking at a screen anyway, and i have played in some clubs were the booth is so small finding a place to put my 13" macbook is sumtimes a evening mare.... in regards to proccessor, if your wanting this laptop to last longer you want the best processor you want... if u decide to start producing using a DAW like Abelton and running VSTS you will want the most power you can get. As these get quite cpu hungry, so does traktor at points when i midi sync maschine at the same time... i am a Mac fanboy and i admit it, but if i was ever to get a windows laptop it would be a Lenovo |
| Yu Santellano 08.05.2013 | Personally, I would take the larger screen - I run on a 15.6" and find it just about adequate, anything smaller would most definitely be difficult. Lack of a CD drive would also be an issue for me, but I understand they may be completely obsolete for some people. The processor is probably the smallest of the issues, both processors will run Traktor and VDJ no problem, as would many lesser processors (you'd be surprised at what you can run these things on), assuming you're running with fairly standard settings in terms of sampling and latency I doubt you'd see a huge difference. |
| Alberta Cuttler 08.05.2013 | So a combination of i5/4GB ram is better than say an i3/8GB (upgrade from installed 4GB) of RAM? I ask this because it seems like with the Lenovo if you open the back cover and try to upgrade RAM you void the warranty. There is not a user replaceable area to just upgrade RAM so really need to take the full back off and watching some videos it is very friendly task. Also if I did it there is only one slot so I would be throwing away the 4GB RAM that I have already paid for with the price of the laptop. The Acer is upgradeable to 8GB and has 2 slots so I can just pop in another 4GB and have 8GB max running with an i3 processor. So So now wondering which combo would make more sense here...i5/4GB (not to void warranty) vs i3/8GB? |
| Rodger Seferovic 08.05.2013 | 13 inch is fine. Run your DJ program full screen and not in a window. |
| Yong Aptekar 08.05.2013 | Its a small screen, but you will be fine, just don't look at it much. The smaller size will be a lot nicer than hauling around an almost 16" laptop. |
| Alberta Cuttler 07.05.2013 | So you guys believe there is no issue with 13.3" screen for djiing? I do see many posting of using a MBP 13" in their setup so assume many are OK with using that screen size for gigs. |
| Yong Aptekar 07.05.2013 | Lenovo hands down. |
| Alberta Cuttler 07.05.2013 |
Originally Posted by Patch
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| Brunilda Kora 07.05.2013 | I'd go for the more powerful machine. Optical drives are not absolutely necessarily anymore anyway... |
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