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

[chk071]

This is certainly a trend that desktop computers are used less and less. But where you really need a lot of computing power I think that a desktop computer is still the better choice.

Definitely. Also a big deal is the screen size for me. What's the point in having a laptop when you have to connect it to a big display.

I have both, and, I'm spending 95 % of my time on the desktop machine. I installed my audio software on my laptop, just to see how it works on a 15" display, and, especially the scaling in full HD was interesting for me (it's very different from application to application).

[revvy]

Searching now I cannot find up to date info. Are all the internal bits of an iMac still (ever?) mobile class, does anyone know?

This will always be the case, no matter what.
Even if you used the exact same components you can never use it's full power and it will always have to throttle down or disable cores because you simply cannot cool down the components enough in a super slim casing where everything is just a few mm apart.

You can of course still get very powerful “mobile“ technology, but it simply will never be on par with the most hardcore stuff available you could get in a larger box with enough space for proper cooling and not a screen on top of that inside that's heating everything up even more aswell.
For A LOT less money (unless you need to buy Apple) and it will probably also last much longer.
Won't most likely be as sleek looking though.

Thanks.

I choose to buy Apple, don't really have to but I would miss Logic, Mac OS etc.

PC all in ones are a lot cheaper for those who choose Windows? I thought they were similarly priced.

What I was really after was an answer that included the facts about the internals of an iMac, don't really need a Mac v PC comparison.

[FapFilter]

I didn't want to make a Mad/PC comparison. I initially just wanted to say that stationary computers are much cheaper than portable devices of similar specs. But then i reallized that this statement isn't true regarding Mac Pros. You're definetly not saving money on that route

[revvy]

All in one PCs are pricey compared to PC desktops, iMacs are not pricey compared to Mac desktops.

I can live with that comparison

[FapFilter]

Whatever your fanboy inside needs to believe

[AnX]

I've never owned a laptop, they always seemed over priced 'bang for buck' vs tower units.... maybe one day tho

[revvy]

@ Fap

Wow, I make a self-deprecating joke about how expensive Mac Pros are and you call me a fanboy.

Big Guy!

[Forgotten]

I've never owned a laptop, they always seemed over priced 'bang for buck' vs tower units.... maybe one day tho

Do they still get the torches and pitchforks out in Norfolk when they learn that you have the sorcery of electricity at your house?

[AnX]

I've never owned a laptop, they always seemed over priced 'bang for buck' vs tower units.... maybe one day tho

Do they still get the torches and pitchforks out in Norfolk when they learn that you have the sorcery of electricity at your house?

yeah, but they can't get over the moat, so it's not too much of a problem

[Forgotten]

I've never owned a laptop, they always seemed over priced 'bang for buck' vs tower units.... maybe one day tho

Do they still get the torches and pitchforks out in Norfolk when they learn that you have the sorcery of electricity at your house?

yeah, but they can't get over the moat, so it's not too much of a problem

Smart move building that...

[musical]

My advice is to buy a professional quality workstation-class laptop, either on sale or through something like Dell Outlet, that is upgradeable and that has a processor and cooling system that can run at a decent clock speed for more than thirty seconds or so - which is more unusual than might be thought but incredibly important in a DAW running virtual instruments. There is absolutely no point having an audio PC which runs at 3.5Ghz for thirty seconds then drops to less than 2Ghz because it gets too hot. Then use something like ThrottleStop to tune the laptop so that it runs as fast and cool as possible by lowering the voltages to the CPU.

In January this year, I bought a Dell Precision Mobile Workstation 3530 with an i5-8400H (4-core, 8 thread) 256GB M2 SSD 16GB RAM for £780 inc VAT in a sale. Came with a three year on-site warranty, great backlit keyboard with numeric pad (I use Studio One), IPS 1080 display, Thunderbolt, 4GB Quadro P600, etc. Replaced the 256GB SSD with a 2TB NVME M2 SSD for £175 and added 16GB RAM for £55. Total cost of £1010. I could have sold the 256GB SSD to get the price under £1000 but didn't. After optimisation with ThrottleStop, the machine quite happily works with all cores around 4Ghz when necessary without overheating as it is designed to be a workstation.

I don't want to continue the Apple vs PC argument but when I looked the price of a MacBook Pro with 2TB and 32GB was over £3,000. If I was going to buy Apple, I'd buy an iPad or the new Air which looks reasonable value as I'm never going to spend £3,000 on a computer I can't upgrade.

[Jace-BeOS]

BTW, when I got my first iMac years ago my MBP owning friend scoffed at the 'latoptp components' inside my iMac which struck me as weird of him as for a slim standalone it seemed obvious to me that this would be the case . Additionally, if a MBP rocks, then so would an all-in-one with a good screen and same components.

However, even at the time I looked around and some info said cpu was desktop class. I moved on, as you do.

Searching now I cannot find up to date info. Are all the internal bits of an iMac still (ever?) mobile class, does anyone know?

The GPUs on newer ones are supposedly not “mobile” chips (my 2011 model still has a mobile GPU), but the space constraints result in the same thermal constraints, and will result in throttling as with any compact machine.

Earlier iMacs had more space in them compared to MacBooks, but, at this point, with Apple’s pathological obsession with thinness, the current models are only slightly roomier because there’s a big-ass screen in there making its overall size larger than a laptop. Also, all the heat generated by that display is being added to the heat generated by the computer parts. So it’s still a dumb design for anyone who needs a workhorse machine to run at 100% for hours.

They’re lovely machines for basic usage, and moderate Logic & photography projects, though. They’re definitely elegant machines, in appearance... but the form constrains the function.

[GuitarPlayerinNYC]

I can't believe I've read this entire thread, but was curious what people use, and now curious how the op feels about transitioning to Mac. Hope he's happy with it.

I got my first Dell laptop 1.5 yrs ago, on advice if an IT friend. A 2 in 1 Inspiron. 8th gen i7 8 core chip, 16 gigs ram, 4k monitor, 500 gig SSD drive. Dell would never have been my first choice, but I trusted the guy. The thing is a beast, compared to anything I've ever had before.

Far as Win10, it's super solid, and since I upgraded from XP to Win8, I've never had a bsod, or problems with drivers. I used to build my own desktops, and most Win users know what a nightmare drivers were. Not so, with Win 10.

I do my recording and video editing on the Dell.

Far as HDD space, I disagree about 500 gigs being too much. I've had to offload all my Contact libraries to an external SSD drive, and I only have about 60 gigs free on my internal drive.

I've stress tested my laptop with a browser and 20 tabs open, while having 15 tracks in my saw (Waveform) active, with plugins on every track. It cost $1400 a year and a half ago, but I got it on sale for $1200. It's now going for less than a grand, the last time I checked. I5f like to upgrade the drive, and add more RAM, but the thought of screwing around the insides of a computer now gives me bad flashbacks to the hours is spend inside a Win desktop. I'll always be a Win/Android guy. I don't like being ruled by an ecosystem, but,to each their own. If anyone has had probs with Win10, I don't what to say. This is my 4th W10 system. Super solid for me, and I have lots of peripherals connected via USB hubs. It took a helluva long time, but Windows has finally arrived.

[GuitarPlayerinNYC]

*sorry for typos in post. In my phone atm.

[Forgotten]

In my phone atm.

It must be a very large phone then...