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Old 04-03-2015, 10:54 AM   #1
carbon
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Default New Laptop for Live Performance?

I'm looking for a new laptop for live usage - Amplitube3 + Reaktor ensembles + other effects in Reaper.

Possibly a MacBook Pro, but I'm not 100% sure yet.

My first question is would it be better to get a slower i7 or faster i5?
I could get faster CPU for less price, but would 4 cores make up the difference?

Also the 13"'s graphics card - can it handle a bit gaming in the lower than "retina" resolutions?
That isn't my main concern though, but a nice thing to have.

€2,049.00
13″ – 2.9GHz Retina 512GB

2.9GHz dual-core Intel Core i5
Turbo Boost up to 3.3GHz
8GB 1600MHz memory
512GB PCIe-based flash storage1
Intel Iris Graphics 6100
Force Touch trackpad
Built-in battery (10 hours)1

€2,249.00
15-inch: 2.2GHz Retina 256GB

2.2GHz quad-core Intel Core i7
Turbo Boost up to 3.4GHz
16GB 1600MHz memory
256GB PCIe-based flash storage
Intel Iris Pro Graphics
Built-in battery (8 hours)1


So far I've used a 2010 MacBook Pro - 2.4Ghz CPU, 4GB RAM, running Windows 7, RME Babyface interface. It's starting to be too weak for my needs. Can just work with 256-512 buffer size, depending on the setup.

I might consider the leap to OSX this time if it'll bring better performance on the MacBook Pro than running windows on bootcamp (bad graphics drivers causing DPC latency peaks etc)
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Old 04-11-2015, 11:38 AM   #2
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An i7 with four cores definitely makes sense, but for Reaktor speed is essential, because it can only use one core.

Reaper on the other hand can use all cores.

I have also thought about getting a Macbook Pro with i7 and 16 GB RAM, but decided against it, because of the price. I will wait for Windows 10 and get a good gaming notebook, maybe from the Asus ROG series ... cheaper and more powerful.

PS: I also hate glare displays ... pretty much unusable in bright light. And let's not forget the battery that can't be changed as RAM and SSD too. No, Apple ... complete fail for my taste.

PPS: If you have gaming in mind, you'll definitely need the i7 model.
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Old 04-11-2015, 01:07 PM   #3
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Thanks for your advice!
Just wanted to say that Reaktor can use multiple cores when you have multiple instances in Reaper.

Because of the price, I think that I'll get the fastest 13” with i5. I would also consider a PC laptop, but haven't yet found one that would compare - speed, looks, battery life.

Edit: when going for a mac, I see that I would need to forget about gaming as most of the games I play aren't available. Also the integrated graphics on a 13" aren't that great I hear.
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Old 04-11-2015, 02:32 PM   #4
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When going Mac think of the glare display ... bad choice for a stage ... and I fear an i5 is such a minimal upgrade, that you would regret it after only one year or maybe even earlier.

As an Windows alternative I find the Asus ROG G751 pretty promising ... great design, everything upgradable, e.g. up to 32GB RAM, superb non-glare display. And gaming will be paradise It got superb reviews as one of the less noisy gaming notebooks. If you upgrade later, it costs less than 2000 bucks. The top model is around 2200€

Downside: It's pretty heavy.
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Old 04-11-2015, 03:20 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Aymara View Post
When going Mac think of the glare display ... bad choice for a stage ... and I fear an i5 is such a minimal upgrade, that you would regret it after only one year or maybe even earlier.

As an Windows alternative I find the Asus ROG G751 pretty promising ... great design, everything upgradable, e.g. up to 32GB RAM, superb non-glare display. And gaming will be paradise It got superb reviews as one of the less noisy gaming notebooks. If you upgrade later, it costs less than 2000 bucks. The top model is around 2200€

Downside: It's pretty heavy.
Have to check that out then. Usually the gaming laptops are a bit too Darth Vader for me.
As for the reflective display, I use an anti-glare cover on mine - works great. Has some kind of a silicone layer instead of adhesive to stick it on.

I thought that 2.9GHz i5 would have been quite a step up from 2.4 Core Duo or Dual Core or whatever.
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Old 04-11-2015, 11:35 PM   #6
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Quote:
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Usually the gaming laptops are a bit too Darth Vader for me.
The Asus ROG series is black and red, so that might be a design you don't like.

Quote:
I thought that 2.9GHz i5 would have been quite a step up from 2.4 Core Duo or Dual Core or whatever.
I see it that way, that when I pay so much money for a notebook, I want to be able to use it around 5 years. In 2010 I bought one of the first i7 notebooks and can still use it for all puposes, incl. gaming. It only causes headaches with e.g. Polyplex (Reaktor ensemble) at 96 kHz sample rate ... at 44.1 everything works fine.

My PC strategy was always to buy the best hardware available to be able to use it as long as possible. In the long run, that is cheaper ... and less hassle, because a new PC is always a lot of work.

The i5 Macbook might be a nice upgrade today, but for how long? See it this way: The i5 costs around 2000 bucks and an i7 Macbook with identical HDD size around 25% more. But this 500 bucks more will give you around double the lifetime, I guess.

From my point of view the Mac versus Windows choice is a hard one, when you are a long time Mac user. But if you decide for the Macbook, spare a bit longer and get the better one, not only because of the i7, but also because this new generation can no longer be upgraded with more RAM or a larger SSD (except an external).

I'm pretty sure, you will regret the i5 choice later.

PS: Because of the missing upgradeability the new Macbooks and Mac Minis should be boycotted. At least for me this is a point, which influenced my decision.

PPS: German Apple store has a used Macbook Pro Retina 15" with i7 from 2012 for 1900€, which should be upgradeable. That might be a nice alternative for a Mac lover
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Old 04-12-2015, 07:34 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Aymara View Post
The Asus ROG series is black and red, so that might be a design you don't like.


PPS: German Apple store has a used Macbook Pro Retina 15" with i7 from 2012 for 1900€, which should be upgradeable. That might be a nice alternative for a Mac lover
Yeah, looked the ROG, it's quite a monster
What clock speed is the mac, slower than 2.9?

So far I use windows on both of my computers, desktop and mac laptop. Need to consider going OSX though if I don't find a suitable PC laptop, because windows graphics card drivers on mac don't play nice, concerning DPC latency.
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Old 04-12-2015, 07:54 AM   #8
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Can I ask why this has to be a laptop? You can have more power much cheaper in a desktop. I just replaced my live laptop with 3.9G 4 core, 8G RAM and SSD in a micro-ATX case for less than $400. It goes in the 6 space rack with my interface and A couple other hardware pieces. I use the laptop or my phone or tablet to control it via VNC.
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Old 04-12-2015, 07:57 AM   #9
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Quote:
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What clock speed is the mac, slower than 2.9?
I think, we should forget this 2012 Macbook too, because it only has 8 GB RAM and RAM already wasn't upgradeable on these models.

I'm definitely done with this Mac crap ... sorry, but hardware, that I can't upgrade and that is noticeably weaker than the competition doesn't deserve a different word in my opinion.

As I said before, I will wait for Windows 10, but if I were in your situation, I would buy the Asus G751 or a cheaper G551, which also seems to be nice.

A further reason to quit with Apple for me is, that Yosemite causes so many issues. NI hardware still is incompatible, if you use Avid drivers ... for around half a year now ... inacceptable.

It seems, that Windows will be the DAW OS of the future.

Sure, the risk of latency issues on Windows is greater, but OSX isn't risk free neither nowadays.

My decision is made ... good luck with yours.
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Old 04-12-2015, 08:01 AM   #10
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Can I ask why this has to be a laptop?
I guess not many want to use a desktop on stage, but ok ... worth a thought.
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Old 04-14-2015, 12:19 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ashcat_lt View Post
Can I ask why this has to be a laptop? You can have more power much cheaper in a desktop. I just replaced my live laptop with 3.9G 4 core, 8G RAM and SSD in a micro-ATX case for less than $400. It goes in the 6 space rack with my interface and A couple other hardware pieces. I use the laptop or my phone or tablet to control it via VNC.
I want a more portable rig - everything besides the instrument needs to fit to my backpack.
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