Hey there,
Just getting back into music and need some advice on optimized laptops for production. I bought a desktop during Covid but got to be honest I’m not a computer pro so I’m having issues. I want to start fresh with a great machine. Any suggestions? Thanks!
Just out of curiosity, is speeding up / upgrading your current desktop out of the question? You could probably save some money this way unless portability is a priority going forward
What’s your budget? I spend $1500 to $2000 on a gaming laptop around every 5 years and I don’t have complaints about how my audio software runs, but that’s kind of on the expensive end for laptops. I also use a lot of hard to run software and I do game on occasion, so having the ability to run games is a nice bonus for me. If you never ever game then maybe not as worth it.
I basically go for a top 5 fastest CPU (to be the fastest costs a lot more money for 10% more performance), 16 gigs or more of RAM ideally, a sizable SSD for sample libraries if you use a lot (I’d recommend 1TB or more for your OS, other files, plus music production).
Another thing to watch for (and another reason I like gaming laptops for music production) is connections, as in number of USB ports - you have plenty on a tower but they can be hard to come by on laptops. A lot of smaller notebooks/laptops will only have a few type c usb ports, and one of those is your charger as well, and I don’t like using USB hubs if I can help it. For me, a mouse and an audio interface are musts when doing music, which takes up two ports right there. Most gaming laptops are going to have at least 2 full size usb ports, a dedicated charging port, plus USB C/Thunderbolt ports, a dedicated ethernet port, and some form of dedicated display output if you want to plug in a desktop monitor, all without needing a USB hub. Headphone jacks are hit and miss on all laptops these days.
The downside is having to put up with the gamer aesthetic, which can be a problem if you need to use this for work as well. Also, battery life isn’t great, I’ve always gotten 2-4 hours of actually using the laptop. I mostly use mine at home, but on the go it would be a major pain. Oh, and portability, I like a 15 inch screen, which is not the smallest, but my laptops have never exactly been thin and light either.
I was kind of expecting that around 1500 for a budget. I’m not really a gamer. My sole purpose for this is music production. I just want something that won’t have crashing issues, quiet and fast as possible. I can use my desktop for my non music needs.