# Laptop Recommendations?



## neozeke (Jun 3, 2011)

Hey guys, I'm getting a new laptop for College (My HP Pavilion is on the verge of death....) and I'm kinda not very good with computer specs and stuff. I know you want a decent amount of RAM HDD space and a nice processor. I'm going to use it for audio work (production, mixing, and maybe use a virtual rig.) and was looking at this one Newegg.com - HP ENVY 14-1260SE Beats Edition Notebook Intel Core i5 480M&#40;2.66GHz&#41; 14.5&#34; 6GB Memory 750GB HDD 5400rpm DVD Super Multi ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650 &#43; Intel HD but I'm afraid I'll be overpaying because of the branding and what not.

EDIT: My Budget is $700-$900


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## Daiephir (Jun 3, 2011)

Whats your budget? thats the most important part, also, do you have a problem with macs?


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## neozeke (Jun 3, 2011)

Haha I knew I forgot something. I have $700 to spend, but I might be able to spend up to $900 if I forgo new pickups. I don't have a problem with Macs, but I'd rather not buy used.


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## Curt (Jun 3, 2011)

I don't know much of laptops, but I can tell you one thing, stay away from Acer, they're shit. Mine had constant reliability problems.


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## Daiephir (Jun 3, 2011)

Stay the fuck away from HP also, they're shit (and Dell is a stay away depending on the price tag )

I'd suggest this: Inspiron 14R Laptop Details | Dell Canada


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## neozeke (Jun 3, 2011)

Daiephir said:


> Stay the fuck away from HP also, they're shit (and Dell is a stay away depending on the price tag )
> 
> I'd suggest this: Inspiron 14R Laptop Details | Dell Canada



Ooooooooooo Thank you, would this be suitable for music stuff? Or should I get a interface? I'm not exactly sure what they are, but I know I've heard them mentioned haha.


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## Daiephir (Jun 3, 2011)

I think you should probably get an interface, I'm not sure if they already come with that stuff on


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## neozeke (Jun 3, 2011)

Daiephir said:


> I think you should probably get an interface, I'm not sure if they already come with that stuff on



Cool haha, I'll look around for one. Thanks for all the help mang!


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## Daiephir (Jun 3, 2011)

No problemo! (if you can bump it up a bit, say to 2k$, you could have a super cool gaming laptop )


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## neozeke (Jun 3, 2011)

Daiephir said:


> No problemo! (if you can bump it up a bit, say to 2k$, you could have a super cool gaming laptop )



Haha, I'd end up with Axe-fx first! Nah whatever, my HP can last another 6 years!


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## Kryss (Jun 3, 2011)

macbook pro is the only laptop to go with if you have coin. they make all other laptops feel like a piece of shit. and i'm an IT pro of over 10 years. they are well built and run windows better than most windows machines even. they are easy to setup bootcamp on if you need any windows apps from time to time. logic pro is very nice for recording as well if you do any multitracking.


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## Daiephir (Jun 3, 2011)

Kryss said:


> macbook pro is the only laptop to go with if you have coin. they make all other laptops feel like a piece of shit. and i'm an IT pro of over 10 years. they are well built and run windows better than most windows machines even. they are easy to setup bootcamp on if you need any windows apps from time to time. logic pro is very nice for recording as well if you do any multitracking.



I agree, but thing is, they're not gaming laptops  and they cost more than them (Alienware 14x vs. Macbook Pro 15'') I'd still take the Mac though, they tend to break less than Alienwares.


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## neozeke (Jun 3, 2011)

Kryss said:


> macbook pro is the only laptop to go with if you have coin. they make all other laptops feel like a piece of shit. and i'm an IT pro of over 10 years. they are well built and run windows better than most windows machines even. they are easy to setup bootcamp on if you need any windows apps from time to time. logic pro is very nice for recording as well if you do any multitracking.



If I had the money I would, it depends on how much I get for graduation. I have $700 now so hopefully I can get enough. I've never used logic, I use to be a fan of FLstudio but eventually I moved over to Ableton and so far I really like it.


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## The Atomic Ass (Jun 3, 2011)

I just built a reasonably powerful system for relatively cheap: I spent $1077 and got the i7-2720qm, 1080p screen, 8GB (maxed out) and dual hard drives.

Check out rjtech.com, and specifically, the Clevo W150HNQ, or the W251HPQ if the low screen resolution doesn't bother you. (it's only 1366x768)

Just get the RAM and hard drives from NewEgg, and install yourself. (RAM is considerably cheaper at NewEgg, $77.99 for Kingston 8GB vs. same at RJTech for $140) You don't save much skimping on RAM (~$30 less going with 4GB), and you might find yourself needing it if you run several different audio programs at once.

That setup, (the W251HPQ), could be had with an i5-2520m, (more than powerful enough for recording, really), with a 750GB hard drive, and 8GB of RAM coming separately from NewEgg for $~815, after shipping.

I would definitely recommend a separate interface, as the Clevo's sound card is weak. (Not bad, just doesn't drive headphones very hard)

Clevo is the brand behind some new "boutique" brands, such as Sager, Malibal, System76, et al. It's just cheaper to buy direct, or nearly so. I ordered mine and had it in a week, without most of the parts of course.


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## Kryss (Jun 3, 2011)

you'd probably be hard pressed to get a macbook pro around $1000. most other laptop brands though as of late i really have not been all that impressed with. compaq used to have some solid ones before hp bought them out but they were always hit or miss. either they worked great or they were total crap. we have dells here where i work and i'm not impressed with them. toshiba a lot of people like but i totally hated working on them too. they come with so much crapware you really need to blow away windows preinstall and install fresh with those. i'm not sure about the lower end macs but i'd probably have more faith in those than any other pc based clone brand. desktops i'd just recommend building your own you can really build a powerful system cheap if you are good at that or have some friends who know how to slap together a desktop. multitrack software from my experience tends to suck on PCs. Logic is super easy to use and works.


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## Daiephir (Jun 3, 2011)

The Atomic Ass said:


> I just built a reasonably powerful system for relatively cheap: I spent $1077 and got the i7-2720qm, 1080p screen, 8GB (maxed out) and dual hard drives.
> 
> Check out rjtech.com, and specifically, the Clevo W150HNQ, or the W251HPQ if the low screen resolution doesn't bother you. (it's only 1366x768)
> 
> ...



He said he wasn't good with computer specs and you want him to build one from scratch?


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## The Atomic Ass (Jun 3, 2011)

Daiephir said:


> He said he wasn't good with computer specs and you want him to build one from scratch?


The config I suggested requires only the installation of a hard drive and RAM. Anyone that can't do that with a simple tutorial doesn't have any business near a computer.


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## Daiephir (Jun 3, 2011)

The Atomic Ass said:


> The config I suggested requires only the installation of a hard drive and RAM. Anyone that can't do that with a simple tutorial doesn't have any business near a computer.



Point


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## Kryss (Jun 3, 2011)

well most people do have a friend or 2 who know how to put together a pc  lot of nerds out there. i built my friend a pc for a subway sandwich once lol needless to say he made out like a thief in the night.


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## timbaline (Jun 10, 2011)

Hey, I don't really want to start a new thread for this, so I'm just gonna add this here. Anybody have any opinions/ experience with the Sony Vaio C-series?


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## shanike (Jun 10, 2011)

I'd go with Macbook, but that probably wouldn't fit within your budget.
I've had many problems running guitar pro + some amp simulation simultaneously on Win 7... then switched to Mac, no problems so far.


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## dacimvrl (Jun 10, 2011)

what software/hardware are you gonna be using for mixing...etc.?

you'd pbly want to research the compatibility of things

For instance, Digidesign Firewire hardware required certain types of Firewire host chipset...etc.


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## Daiephir (Jun 11, 2011)

timbaline said:


> Hey, I don't really want to start a new thread for this, so I'm just gonna add this here. Anybody have any opinions/ experience with the Sony Vaio C-series?



They're crap from what I understand


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## yacker (Jun 11, 2011)

I've worked repairing computers for many years now. At least 3 years of which involved working in a college IT department where repairing the computers of college students was a common task. 

If you want my two cents.....get something with an extended warranty, preferably with accidental coverage (and 4 years so it lasts all of college). Shit happens in dorm rooms, period. It makes the initial purchase more expensive, but when some jackass spills beer in your keyboard and you find out you'd have to spend more money to fix it then it cost you in the first place....you'll be quite happy you have that warranty.

Also try to make sure you get something with a 7200 rpm hard drive (which the first computer you linked to didn't have). That will equate to faster speed of the computer overall and is much more suitable for audio recording. 

Keep in mind laptops use 2.5 inch hard drives, which are pretty much undisputedly the most common device to fail in the computer world. That's another good reason to have a good warranty, and a good reason to use an external hard drive to at least backup your files....preferably an external using a 3.5 inch desktop hard drive....they're much less prone to fail.

Apple fans always rave about macs, but the truth of the matter is they have just as many problems as PCs do....they just have much less market share so you see them less often. I've also been seeing a significant increase in mac viruses as of late. The same nasty kind that PC users get where they take over your computer and try to convince you they are a legit antivirus program when they are actually the problem. Couple that with the added difficulty of finding somebody to work on your apple computer when the need arises and it just doesn't seem worth it to me.


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## CrushingAnvil (Jun 11, 2011)

Dell 15R - We have two in the house currently and I will probably get one in the next month or so for when I begin studying. I think they're great laptops.

And yes Acers suck. Hard.


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## yidcorer (Jun 12, 2011)

I have used a Toshiba satellite L300 for two and a half year and beside the fact that I had to reinstall that shitty OS named "vista" or something, it works fine. 2 GB of RAM seem to do the job for me, although I wish I had more. 

If I were you I would get a 64 bit laptop with plenty of ram and disk space. 

Stay away from Dell and HP. I have heard good things about lenovo, but they are expensive. Hell, those are the MACS of the Pc world!


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## ZEBOV (Jun 13, 2011)

Toshiba's laptops are also pure shit. My Sony desktop that was new back in 2000 works better than my Toshiba laptop ever did, which was new in 2007. The laptop had at least double of all specs than the Sony desktop. Double the RAM, processor was more than twice as fast, a little more than double the hard drive space. I'm not entirely sure about video, but the laptop could support HD and my desktop can't.
I eventually smashed my laptop.


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## Mendez (Jul 8, 2011)

The Atomic Ass said:


> I just built a reasonably powerful system for relatively cheap: I spent $1077 and got the i7-2720qm, 1080p screen, 8GB (maxed out) and dual hard drives.
> 
> Check out rjtech.com, and specifically, the Clevo W150HNQ, or the W251HPQ if the low screen resolution doesn't bother you. (it's only 1366x768)
> 
> ...



How is the computer you got from them? I'm interested in these since im going to get a new computer in a few months and these seem pretty cheap compared to others with the similar components.


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## The Atomic Ass (Jul 11, 2011)

Mendez said:


> How is the computer you got from them? I'm interested in these since im going to get a new computer in a few months and these seem pretty cheap compared to others with the similar components.


Overall good, though the trackpad feels weird. I'm used to the nearly glass smooth ones Apple has, and this one is grainy. 

I must admit to having some issues with the Optimus setup, but that is probably due to the current infant-stage drivers that are being cobbled together by the community, with absolutely no help from Nvidia.  So if you plan on running Linux, don't plan on good graphics support for a couple months. (Perhaps wait for the fall when distros will ship with the 3.0 kernel, which supposedly has better support) It does reach full resolution, but the frame rates are down in the 20-22 area, which makes watching videos a little annoying. Still perfectly good for a mobile DAW.

This has the WORST case of battery poisoning I have personally ever witnessed.  (Battery poisoning being where the battery is already charged, and while still plugged in, every so often it cycles the battery back onto charge, which is THE cause of Lithium battery failure) On the other hand, I have never seen a laptop that doesn't do this, including Apple's. It is removable, though, so you can preserve it during extended AC running.

The BIOS sucks, it has almost no options. Just a personal nitpick since I can't permanently disable the Optimus setup.


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## Mendez (Jul 11, 2011)

Interesting, good thing i have to wait till fall to get my computer anyway 

It sounds like a pretty decent laptop, my other option is an Asus or mac book pro 13' with i7 dual core (being the one i could barely afford). 

Thanks man, kinda helps me narrow it down.


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## The Atomic Ass (Jul 12, 2011)

Mendez said:


> Interesting, good thing i have to wait till fall to get my computer anyway
> 
> It sounds like a pretty decent laptop, my other option is an Asus or mac book pro 13' with i7 dual core (being the one i could barely afford).
> 
> Thanks man, kinda helps me narrow it down.


Maybe it's just me, but I don't see the advantage in a more expensive dual-core. (speaking of the MBP, here) The speed difference would be negligible unless you're doing something intensive.

I'd spend that extra $300 on maxing the RAM and getting a small SSD. (With an external HDD if you need the space)


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## Mendez (Jul 13, 2011)

The Atomic Ass said:


> Maybe it's just me, but I don't see the advantage in a more expensive dual-core. (speaking of the MBP, here) The speed difference would be negligible unless you're doing something intensive.
> 
> I'd spend that extra $300 on maxing the RAM and getting a small SSD. (With an external HDD if you need the space)



Yeah, MBPs are pretty expensive though, and the clevo route sounds a lil better since it has a bigger screen, and dual HDD's. i can max out the ram and get the HDD's i want as well for cheap and have a decent computer. In the end laptop searching is a pain


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## The Atomic Ass (Jul 15, 2011)

Mendez said:


> Yeah, MBPs are pretty expensive though, and the clevo route sounds a lil better since it has a bigger screen, and dual HDD's. i can max out the ram and get the HDD's i want as well for cheap and have a decent computer. In the end laptop searching is a pain


If you go the dual-HDD route, beware the 12.5mm HDD's, like my 1TB Western Digital Blue. It will only fit in the optical bay adapter, because it's a triple-platter. Most HDD's are dual-platter, and are only 9.5mm tall. The primary bay only fits 9.5mm and the SSD was a snug fit.


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## Mendez (Jul 15, 2011)

Ah that is good information to know. Yeah i was thinking of getting a SSD and a 750GB or 1TB. Either way i might buy another external HDD cause i almost maxed out my 1.5TB


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## The Atomic Ass (Jul 16, 2011)

Mendez said:


> Ah that is good information to know. Yeah i was thinking of getting a SSD and a 750GB or 1TB. Either way i might buy another external HDD cause i almost maxed out my 1.5TB


My EeePC (7" 900MHz laptop) is the storage powerhouse which backs up my new mobile rig.  It has a 2TB Raid array. The 1TB disk in the new laptop has my music library, and my SOME of the anime I intend to watch, and has only 288GB left. 

I have another full TB of anime left in my torrent queue.


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## Mendez (Jul 16, 2011)

The Atomic Ass said:


> My EeePC (7" 900MHz laptop) is the storage powerhouse which backs up my new mobile rig.  It has a 2TB Raid array. The 1TB disk in the new laptop has my music library, and my SOME of the anime I intend to watch, and has only 288GB left.
> 
> I have another full TB of anime left in my torrent queue.



 I didnt want to mention why my 1.5TB was full...but yeah it has 75% anime that i INTEND to watch


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