do you use a laptop and if so... what do you use?

[kritikon]

I use laptop only now. I always used to have a dedicated desktop, but took a few years off away from music. Dipping my toes back into it and it just didn't make sense to get a new desktop - studio downstairs (various reasons I don't want to leave a computer down there), and a laptop is useful for other stuff too - whereas a desktop is just that - can't take it with you.
Anyhoo - got a HP Pavilion thing. 13" screen, i7, 8GB RAM, new SSDs that load up in a flash (could not believe it when I first used it - 3 seconds and it's up and running), it only has a 500GB drive but it's plenty for anything I do and I figure I can always add an external drive for saving stuff. Really, if you need more than 500GB for one song, or even for several on the go, you're overdoing it. Works for me anyway.

The new laptop is way faster and way more powerful than my old desktop - it's light and day - you simply don't need a desktop nowadays if you don't want one. Back in the day I used to poohpooh laptops, but have to say now - jesus they're powerful compared to just a few years back. I can use way more synths than I need, and I can run several pretty hefty FX with no strain whatsoever. I used to bounce down to audio a lot with my old desktop - just don't have to any more.

Screen - yeah, too small to be comfortable with, but almost the first thing I did was get a decent sized screen to plug into it for proper studio sessions, and it's now just like a desktop, and TBH screens don't exactly break the bank.

USB - it has 3, which I guess may be limited for some people, but it's enough for me. Dongle, soundcard and one free if I need it (maybe for a mixer in the future). And TBH I prefer the keyboard on the laptop over most desktop ones I've used - bigger keys, bigger spaces - just easier to use if you're not a pro typist IMO. And now I got used to the touchpad (took a while)- I find it easier than a mouse - and a mouse used to give me really bad RSI - now gone with a laptop.

Overall - I used to be a dedicated wizzbang desktop user, but have been converted to the benefits of laptops (obviously some downsides, but nothing huge for me).

I think mine was NZ$1500 last year. Could have got better specs for more, but I think it'll take me a while to find the limits on this one.

[excuse me please]

Laptop. Almost 10 years old. Next time I'd buy a PC. But nowadays you can buy a fairly cheap laptop which easily can run 16-32 tracks without facing spike trouble.

[BONES]

was wondering who uses a laptop for creation, mixing or recording on the go? i have always believed they aren't good enough for a primary system

Seriously? I've been using laptops in the studio and on stage since I bought my first one in 2006. They've been more than good enough for ages. With my current laptop, I rarely see the CPU meter go over 30%.

if you could... give me some of your opinions, ideas or tell me what you actually use. don't really want another Dell...

Well, that makes things difficult because I've owned a lot of brands but Dell is the one I always come back to. That first one was the first ever XPS, an XPS M1300, and since then I've had a Sony, an Asus, a Samsung, two different kinds of Surface, an Acer and 4 more Dells. That's because if you do your due diligence, you can almost always find a Dell that is best suited to your needs at a competitive price.

I should point out that I don't buy a laptop specifically for audio, it's not close to the most power-hungry thing I do on a computer. I buy them for 3D animation and 2D/2.5D/3D motion graphics. Compared to 3DS Max, Cubase is a lightweight so it's never been a problem.

My current one is a Dell G7 17" gaming laptop, which I got last year for Au$1350 (around US$900). That's ridiculously cheap for a hexa-core i7 with RTX graphics. I got a gaming laptop because they are upgradeable, so I bought it with only 8GB RAM but I've since upgraded it myself to 32GB, as well as swapping the secondary HDD for an extra SSD (for half what it would have cost to configure it that way). Best of all, doing that doesn't void the warranty. Gaming laptops are really good like that.

So if you really don't want another Dell, I'd still strongly suggest you look at gaming laptops. The other one I was considering was an Asus ROG Strix II but it was a couple of hundred more and had an older CPU (8th gen vs 9th gen). Really sexy looking machine, though.

As someone who has spent most of the last 10 years working 8 hours a day on a MacPro, I cannot recommend them at all. Their performance is hampered by decisions Apple makes on behalf of users and I can pretty much guarantee they don't think of audio production when they are deciding how to implement anything. Add to that the fact that most of the software you'll install on it is developed on and for PC, then ported to macOS and all you will do is pay through the nose for an inferior experience. Having recently moved onto PC at work has just reinforced how much more powerful a PC with similar specs is in comparison. (We moved to PC at work because we can get an $8000 PC with the same specs as an $18,000 MacPro.)

MacBook Pro...
Might be expensive, but it's damn fast and it would cost me almost as much to get a Windows laptop that runs as good.

No, probably less than half as much (see above) and with a lot more options to get all the features you want without having to pay for things you don't. Every time I have specced a Mac, it's ended up being twice the price of a competitive PC and, even then, required compromises that I haven't had to make with a PC.

Harddrives aren’t big enough either.

Really? I've got 2 x 1TB SSDs in mine and, if I needed the space, I could easily upgrade them again.

I need USB ports for the Cubase dongle, ilok, keyboard, soundcard. Desktop pc rules for me.

Is that all? I've got a dongle, Analog Keys, Uno, MicroMonsta, Skulpt, Craft Synth 2.0, Seaboard Block and a Lightblock, as well as mouse and audio I/O. A desktop would be no more capable of handling all that, so I'd still need to have bought the Overhub I use. Honestly, I can't think of a single advantage to using a desktop over a laptop.

[MadDogE134]

not hating on Dell mind you... it just ain't the best handling DSP latency from my experience. i know my old XPS15 duo-core wasn't the best and a some of those that have the new Dell's have reported problems so i don't want to try my luck with another one. i will say some have reported not having an issue with audio work... just don't want to chance it. as for being small in viewing... i am an old fart so i already have to use readers lol i can just up the magnification cheers

[thecontrolcentre]

I've used a Scan 3XS for the last 5 years. Its a 17" i7 with 3x 1TB SSDs and 24GB RAM. Completely happy with it, and never thought of replacing it with something newer. I run Live 10, Vegas Pro & Soundforge mainly ...
https://www.scan.co.uk/3xs

[chk071]

If I would need a new laptop with enough power, I'd choose this one: https://www.dell.com/de-de/shop/laptops ... 590-laptop

Seems to be a nice device.

You noticed the op "I don't want another dell"?

Aw, bummer!

[kinwie]

Yes, an old Dell Latitude i5 for everything, recording, sequencing to mixing. All good

[mcnelson]

I've used a Scan 3XS for the last 5 years. Its a 17" i7 with 3x 1TB SSDs and 24GB RAM. Completely happy with it, and never thought of replacing it with something newer. I run Live 10, Vegas Pro & Soundforge mainly ...
https://www.scan.co.uk/3xs

I would also recommend Scan 3XS. My laptop has only ever had one issue which was fixed free of charge by a complete motherboard replacement (as a precaution); great service, great performance, and a decent bang to buck ratio.

[FapFilter]

I'm also in the boat for a new laptop anytime soon.
Thanks already for the tip with 17“. I know this is stupid, but for me Laptops have always been 15“ or bust for me so i didn't even think about it, despite i'm going to use this one mostly stationary anyways.

Does anyone know if any of the vendors optionally ship their laptops with a clean Windows install without dozens of unnecessary crap on it?

[thecontrolcentre]

Does anyone know if any of the vendors optionally ship their laptops with a clean Windows install without dozens of unnecessary crap on it?

SCAN install only what you ask for ... their machines are all custom built to the buyers spec (as far as possible). Mine came with Win 8.1 and Classic Shell coz I didn't want Win10 back in 2015.

[FapFilter]

Thanks, what's your take on Win 10 now?
I'm on 7 still

[thecontrolcentre]

I'm still on 8.1 ... no desire to upgrade. Will likely have to when I replace my current system. I try to get at least 10 years from my computers. Win10 should be pretty stable by then.

[chk071]

Thanks, what's your take on Win 10 now?
I'm on 7 still

IMO, definitely get Windows 10. Not many DAWs will support anything else in the near future.

[FapFilter]

I'm still on 8.1 ... no desire to upgrade. Will likely have to when I replace my current system. I try to get at least 10 years from my computers. Win10 should be pretty stable by then.

Ah, i see... another paranoid then.

At work, Win 10 actually performs really well, despite the tiles crap. But was wondering regarding audio performance

[Forgotten]

I used Windows 10 on a laptop for audio and it performed as well as previous versions of Windows. (Although haven't used any audio on a Windows laptop for a couple of years now since I moved it all over to a MacBook).