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Old 04-08-2019, 08:26 PM   #1
Timbonh
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Default Use a 2-in-1 Touchscreen laptop with Reaper? Would love to hear you brag!

I am searching for a new laptop mainly because I'd like to try the touchscreen with Reaper, so I thought I'd throw this out there hoping some users would brag about theirs that works fantastic for this purpose! There's a seemingly endless array of 2-in-1 choices available out there and I'm trying to avoid something that performs worse than what I currently use, thus defeating the idea of an "upgrade" (~2013 MSI gaming laptop, i5-4210M, 8GB RAM, 256 SSD). It works quite well until I get to mixing where I occasionally run into "crackles" and Reaper bog-downs. I am thinking a faster processor with more RAM would cure that? I also read mention of resolution as a consideration: Does a higher resolution touchscreen improve the responsiveness of the faders being manipulated on a touchscreen?

I am probably looking at "over-buying" for what Reaper requires, but I'd like to use the laptop for some basic video editing as well as day-to-day use, so don't want to scrimp and have Reaper performance suffer. Generally looking at Lenovo/Dell/HP/(maybe)ASUS - 4 core i5/i7 > 8k score on Passmark, 16 GB RAM, 256SSD. Any thoughts or success stories (or warnings!) welcome! Thanks in advance...
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Old 04-08-2019, 08:31 PM   #2
Fergler
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Go for i7 over i5 wherever possible.

Ram is great but CPU will be the main bottle neck.

The specs of your current computer trash mine, but I don't run into crackle issues unless I'm really pushing a lot of convolution reverbs and synthesizers. I'd look into any optimizations you might be able to do.

I have 4 gigs ram, an i7, and a solid state hard drive running windows 10. 2013 as well.
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Old 04-08-2019, 08:40 PM   #3
Timbonh
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Fergler View Post
Go for i7 over i5 wherever possible.

Ram is great but CPU will be the main bottle neck.

The specs of your current computer trash mine, but I don't run into crackle issues unless I'm really pushing a lot of convolution reverbs and synthesizers. I'd look into any optimizations you might be able to do.

I have 4 gigs ram, an i7, and a solid state hard drive running windows 10. 2013 as well.
I do run a TON of VST's on tracks then the Metric A/B VST in the main too, which is where I usually end up maxing out. Don't want to run my post off the rails off-topic though...I think if I up the buffer when mixing and do a better job of rendering tracks pre-mix it would address the issue as well (or at least help).

But yes...next laptop will be no less than 4 cores i5/i7 and speedy on the Passmark test site at minimum. There are things that can bog down a speedy processor, though, hence why I am here asking if anyone is pleased-as-can-be with their current 2-in-1.
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Old 04-09-2019, 10:32 AM   #4
poetnprophet
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I have a touchscreen laptop. I honestly have not quite found my groove for it yet after almost 2 years. Sometimes the touch is useful for general fader moves, selecting tracks, and toolbar buttons, but for detailed stuff my fingers are just not very useful: small volume moves, automation, plugin parameters for example. However, once you get comfortable and have your setup you'll probably end up mousing with one hand and touching with the other at the same time, which is quite a cool workflow.

Also I'm in the same boat with an i5 that just isn't powerful enough for the work I normally do, so my laptop is just a very small version of what I do in the studio.
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Old 04-10-2019, 07:33 AM   #5
Timbonh
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Thanks for the feedback @poetnprophet - I've learned a lot this week via Google/YouTube and some from this forum. A brief synopsis:

1. RAM! - Give all those VSTs some breathing room. I'm looking at 16GB minimum for my purchase.

2. i7 - This one I found interesting: You want an i7 primarily because Msoft is going to stop supporting the i5s (sorta) at some point. Going for 4 cores is cool BUT the main thing for music is how fast the processor handles single-thread transactions. We want to be concerned about real time performance, not how much data the thang can crunch. Basically, if your PC can render your tune faster than the real time length of the song, your processor is not your main speed issue.

3. SSD! - And 2 of them if you can arrange for it. Use not your boot drive for as much of your stuff as possible.

4. Win 10 Pro! - Try to opt for Pro vs Home if possible.

Now...the trick is finding all these features in an affordable (<$900) 2-in-1 that has good reviews and a motherboard that actually allows the processor to single-thread at the speed it's capable of. Cuz yup, you guessed it, just because a processor has a good Passmark speed result does NOT mean that once it is in the machine you choose it will perform at said speed. Having fun yet? Hahahaha...my OCD has been having a field day with this topic this week. BUT I shall find what I seek and report back - I'd like to help the next person who crawls into the forum hoping to make this happen.
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