Help choosing a DJ Laptop!!
Help choosing a DJ Laptop!! Posted on: 29.12.2012 by Octavia Babinchak Whatsup guys, first post so be gentle!Im in the market for a new laptop, first one actually. I need something stable, capable of running Traktor as well as being efficient in Ableton and Reason, etc. Ill also be using it for CAD, but thats off topic. The question at hand is just what laptop I am to get. Ive been really interested in HP Envy series for their dedicated cards, RAM, and i7 processor. But im not sure if theyre any good for DJing. Im not really into macbooks, so talking about them wont really sway me. Heres a link to the PCs Ive been looking at, my budget is 900 ish http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/sh...fig_id=7697372 http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/sh...fig_id=7697508 If it prompts you for an email theyre saved under [email protected] Thanks for any input guys, all suggestions are welcome. | |
| Kiyoko Wellisch 06.01.2013 |
Originally Posted by miyuru
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| Lela Umanskaya 06.01.2013 |
Originally Posted by lapinfuu
I have Macs and PCs around the house, my Macs are better for audio and DJing work, no contest. My PCs are kept around because they excel at other tasks. |
| Masako Barcalow 30.12.2012 |
Originally Posted by fitzyp
Made me chuckle. The Lenovo ThinkPad is a pretty hardy laptop, and the spill resistant keyboard could end up saving your life. Was actually playing out awhile ago, and the guy that went on after me was rocking a little X230. A T430 or 530 would serve you well, or you could go with the big boy and get a W530. It'll run CAD programs as well with no problem, at the expense of your back. Just my $0.02 |
| Kiyoko Wellisch 06.01.2013 |
Originally Posted by miyuru
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| Lela Umanskaya 06.01.2013 |
Originally Posted by lapinfuu
I have Macs and PCs around the house, my Macs are better for audio and DJing work, no contest. My PCs are kept around because they excel at other tasks. |
| Khadijah Bucker 06.01.2013 | Yep usb3 and osx is fine. My S4 works fine with my 2012 MacBook, took a while though |
| Alphonso Deitchman 06.01.2013 | As far as I know, all USB3.0 issues for NI devices for Mac OSX have now been fixed. My Audio 2, S4, and X1 all work fine through the USB3 ports on my Macbook Air without any modification of drivers or settings. I do still get BSODs if I switch to Windows in Bootcamp though. |
| Delila Vandommelen 06.01.2013 | Be careful about USB 3.0 if you're using NI audio interfaces, I can't stress that enough, the issues you may encounter are well documented. On Macs it seems you get crackling sound. On Windows, you can have no issues, some crackling followed by a crash, or a BSOD right when starting traktor - it all depends on your chipset and usb controller. The workaround : revert to a USB 2.0 level driver with the caveat that you'll miss out on the extra speed if you have external hardware that can actually use it. Loving my believepad x230 for now after doing a clean install, although I'm also reproducing this critical crashing issue at will. Thankfully this machine has a USB 2.0 port on the right which my Audio 8 seems to be happy with. The X1 is happy with the USB 3.0 enabled ports so for now, I'm not uninstalling that driver. |
| Steeve Lauritano 01.01.2013 | I recently upgraded to an X1 Carbon. Super happy with my purchase. I am biased towards Thinkpads as my last lappy was also an X series Lenovo (X61). I used it for ~4 years only for DJing. Same will go for the carbon. Reasons I went with a Thinkpad: 1. No frills. I only use these laptops for DJing so the less extra crap the better. 2. Solid construction (almost a rubberized outer coating, spill proof keyboard, inner rollcage). 3. Understated / professional looks. Kind of subjective, but I hate "flashy" gear. 4. Both can fold flat if you want to. The ability to open your lappy to diff angles is a big plus (ie if you're in a cramped booth). 5. I prefer working in Windows bc I don't know much about Apple OS. Meaning if something goes wrong I usually already know 6. The things that MATTER are well-done. Keyboard is full size and feels great, and for example the X61 has 3 USB ports & even a little light for the keyboard (carbon has 2 & a backlit keyboard). My best advice is buying laptops, optimizing them, stress testing them and then just checking them out to see if they're worth keeping. My local shop allowed me to buy & return as many laptops as I wanted as long as they were returned in 7 days |
| Sammy Merritt 31.12.2012 | Picked up a Macbook Air two weeks ago and would never want to go back to a full size machine. What I find most useful besides the weight, is setting libraries up on SD cards and being able to swap them out as needed. Downside is only having two USB ports but carrying around a hub isn't the end of the world. Can't say I agree with "Apple is a fashion tendency" since the hardware is rock solid and the OS is far more dependable then any Windows based machine I ever built or used before I switched a few years ago but Lapinfuu has it right with the base line specs of a quality laptop. |
| Vi Melroy 31.12.2012 | 2 Important things: Don't listen to people who say that Apple > Windows. These peoples don't know about what they are talking about. Apple is a Fashion tendency. If you choose a WIndows OS Laptop, don't buy Acer's ones, there are several problems with their USB 3.0 port and NI's Products. Finally I would recommend something lilke QuadCore 2.0+ Ghz 8 Giga Ram DDR3 If you have the financal possibility to take one of these HardDisk who can be used as RAM believes you make a good business. |
| Ami Lele 30.12.2012 | Get a macbook air and a USB hub |
| Delila Vandommelen 30.12.2012 | I'll be receiving my X230 soonish. While that's definitely too small a form factor to be doing any CAD with, it'll surely pack more punch than my ageing HP brick with the added advantage of fitting in the front pocket of my vinyl bag. I'll try and post my experiences with the upgrade if there's anything worth mentioning... Backlit keyboard and/or believelight, spill proof keyboard, small form factor, IPS display for nice viewing angles, I'm salivating at the mouth at the idea of using a nifty (and hopefully stable) laptop along my good ol' vinyl again. |
| Masako Barcalow 30.12.2012 |
Originally Posted by fitzyp
Made me chuckle. The Lenovo ThinkPad is a pretty hardy laptop, and the spill resistant keyboard could end up saving your life. Was actually playing out awhile ago, and the guy that went on after me was rocking a little X230. A T430 or 530 would serve you well, or you could go with the big boy and get a W530. It'll run CAD programs as well with no problem, at the expense of your back. Just my $0.02 |
| Erica Charvet 30.12.2012 |
Originally Posted by Manolo008
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| Marybeth Viscione 30.12.2012 | Maybe it is smart to write down what you really want out of the laptop your about to purchase. I'm also want to buy a new laptop. And, like you, not that into Mac and iOS. Or i thought i was. What laptop (windows) is a Macbook Pro 15" retina killer? I can not find one that has the specs and dimensons of a MBP 15" retina. First i search for a alternative but without succes. Then i went to the Apple store (stupid me) and took a look at the MBP 15" retina. And now i want one :-) 2.3 Ghz i7 processor 8gig RAM 255gig SSD NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M met 1 GB GDDR5-geheugen (maybe that is good for CAD?) Dimensions: H 18mm L 247mm B 358mm W 2,02kg This combination of specs and dimension did it for me. And on top of that. The exterior is so stylish and looks professional. Please be the first to say that i am absolutly wrong. Because the price is Apple's high :-( So suggestions are welcome. |
| Octavia Babinchak 30.12.2012 | Yeah I was considering going with the 1080 res. on the laptops, but i figured I wouldnt really ever be doing CAD on the go, so i could get a monitor to hookup to at home. Thanks for all the input guys! Much appreciated |
| Erica Charvet 30.12.2012 | Dell Precision laptops... To date my favourite DJ machines - available with matte WUXGA displays, beastly dedicated GPU's, and up there amongst the best build quality laptops on the market. Check them out. |
| Rolanda Clodfelder 30.12.2012 | The one thing that strikes me with both those HP's is the mediocre resolution for a 15' something to consider highly if you are using CAD/Graphics software. Apart from that the specs look fine and should run about anything
Originally Posted by rkelley23
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| Alyse Chiong 30.12.2012 |
Originally Posted by fitzyp
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| Shellie Mylin 30.12.2012 | This one is a great value for what you get. There might be newer models that are of equal value. Been great for me. |
| Ninfa Mazariegos 30.12.2012 | Welcom to the community . I recently got a second hand dell inspiron i5 4g ram and it works flawlessly. This is a commonly asked question, so I would recommend doing some searching if you haven't yet. Many recommend the believepad and I've read some have had issues with windows 8. |
| Ned Somerset 30.12.2012 | Macbook ExtraPro |
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