my iMac is toast looking for a budget PC 1000.usd max

[elhewman]

I have a 2011 Imac at the time i had a 2500 budget and upgraded it for my needs. long story but it crapped out on me recently. I want to finish an album thats personal to me in ableton and reason and need a computer a more powerful than my macbook pro.
I only have 1000 dollars max. Not against PCs and ill just have to learn to work on them

Heres what I have learned.
1.I cannot be impressed with the specs on macs on this tight budget.(i hate producing on small screens of laptobs and have a Mackbook pro for Fleshing out ideas already)
2..Most custom PC DAWS are out of my price range.
3.I am too busy/ non tech and don't have the time to research or build a PC.
4. some attractive specs on dell xps and lenevo computers but scared to bite the bullet.(so far my best option).
5. Possibilities exist with refurbished Macs but still seem out of my range.

Also

I live on an island in Alaska so shipping is insane(150 USD or more) unless with amazon prime(free). Thus buying a custom PC is just that much more expensive. And i have no access to apple store so learning to work on PC's seems better for my future.



Honestly my idea was to get a couple of years out of the computer as I usually have money at the end my seasonal work but this year a few boat problems took away my budget.

If I lost you , my main question is there any hope for buying a major brand like lento or dell until I can afford the time and money for a custom pc or an expensive iMac ? This will save me at least 120 USD in shipping. Or is that a crazy risk? Are there other options you see besides building my own Pc on this budget. Thanks for advice

I am just looking for ideas before I make a decision. let me know if you need clarification. I appreciate your advice. I am not to tech savvy.

[jdnz]

If you macbook pro has adequate cpu power and the only issue is the small screen why not just invest in a really nice BIG screen to hang off it - there's heaps of really nice 34" 3440x1440 screens out there which are great off a macbook pro - or you could buy a pair of 24" full HD monitors (not so keen on 28'/4K ones - everything ends up a bit too small to be comfortable)

[masterhiggins]

True. My main machine is an i7 MacBook Pro. I never use the screen. It's been closed about 98% of the time. I just use a 24" view sonic monitor.

[stillshaded]

If you can find a trustworthy seller, buying a year old gaming rig can be extremely good for the money. I did that once. Bought a tower off craigslist and popped a new cpu in it. Had a beast for $500.

[elhewman]

Hey a big monitor is an idea. It's a 2013 Macbook with pretty good specs some songs with a lot of tracks are slow but I can deal with that. until I have the patience to build the right pc or buy an iMac

Thanks! Glad I consulted hear!

Perhaps the lower amount of tracks do to it being slower will keep me creative. I mainly run reason and ableton instruments so can keep the cou under control if need be.

[masterhiggins]

Hey a big monitor is an idea. It's a 2013 Macbook with pretty good specs some songs with a lot of tracks are slow but I can deal with that. until I have the patience to build the right pc or buy an iMac

Thanks! Glad I consulted hear!

Perhaps the lower amount of tracks do to it being slower will keep me creative. I mainly run reason and ableton instruments so can keep the cou under control if need be.

Mine's a mid-2012 mbp. Does yours have a SSD? That was the biggest performance boost I've ever seen, swapping my 7200rpm drive for a Samsung evo 850. Night and day difference for track count.

[jdnz]

Hey a big monitor is an idea. It's a 2013 Macbook with pretty good specs some songs with a lot of tracks are slow but I can deal with that. until I have the patience to build the right pc or buy an iMac

anything with a displayport (full size) input will run nicely off the 2013 mbp - you DON'T have to get a monitor with thunderbolt input as the tb ports also work in fallback as straight mini-displayport.

You'll need a mini-displayport to displayport (full size) cable it the monitor doesn't have a mdp input.

Have a look at things like the dell or lg 34" screens - should come in under your budget and leave enough for an external mouse and keyboard as well.

If you choose to go to a pair of 24" full-HD monitors (which should cost even less than one of the 34" screens) you can just use a mdp->dvi adaptor or cable (and/or plug one in to the HDMI output) if the monitors don't have displayport inputs (though most do now, it's the prevalent standard)

[tooneba]

Gaming PC comes with good CPU and GPU. You don't need GPU like GTX 680 above spec so you can spend the budget for CPU and display.

[elhewman]

Good all around ideas to get me started!
Maybe I'll by a decent budget monitor and use the money on something else like an instrument. Perhaps a used nord lead

[xx JPRacer xx]

If you don't need the mobility of a laptop just get a tower. More power and cost less. You can have a $500 tower that will perform better than a $1500 laptop. Personally I can't even imagine how people make music on laptop, especially if they use the touchpad and not a mouse/trackball.

[Jolaff]

Personally I can't even imagine how people make music on laptop, especially if they use the touchpad and not a mouse/trackball.

Trackpad on Mac are very efficient when you know all the gestures in addition to all keyboard shortcuts... you can work pretty quickly!

But yeah on most Windows laptops (if not on all) trackpads are unusable...

I have wrist problem (tendinitis) and I can't work with a mouse anymore... I have 2 trackpad on my desktop (one each side of my keyboard) and it does the job.