Ableton Forum

Hi,
I am about to spend over £1000 on my next laptop. Have had a nightmare since buying my Toshiba Laptop just over a year ago. Things glitching and pissing each other off and DPC problems coming out of its arse.

Anyway . . .

Looking at 2 machines but not sure which to choose. I use Ableton, Stack of VSTs and Machine and want something that is going to be kicking arse for as long as possible.

CHOICE 1

Rain LiveBook [15.6 inch] LiveBook [15.6 inch]

Intel "Sandy Bridge" Core i3/i5/i7
Intel HD Graphics
15.6 inch LED LCD Widescreen Display
Up to 750GB High Performance Drive
Up to 8GB 1066MHz DDR3 Memory



Selected options:
Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium [64-bit]
Processor: Dual Core i7 2620M 2.7GHz 4MB Cache
Memory: 8GB [2 x 4GB]
Hard Drive: 500GB Hard Drive 7200rpm
FW Card: Rain FireWire PCI ExpressCard
Optical Drive: StormDrive Dual Layer CD/DVD Writer
Extra Battery: None
RainCare Support: RainCare Support [1yr] w/ Free 30-Day Creative Computer Support Trial


CHOICE 2


Refurbished MacBook Pro 2.0GHz quad-core Intel i7

Originally released February 2011
15.4-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen display, 1440-by-900 resolution
4GB (2 x 2GB) of 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM
500GB Serial ATA @ 5400 rpm
8x double-layer SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Intel HD Graphics 3000 and AMD Radeon HD 6490M


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I am attracted to the Macbook as I have never had an apple and feal it may be refreshing to change platforms. However, power is something that is also seductive plus the Rain is £170 cheaper.

Please let me know what your thoughts are.

Thanks.

Adam

2

Tarekith - I see you posting loads on here and find what you write often useful and well thought out so your opinion is one I'd act upon. What's your thinking behind your view?

option 3?
13 inch new MBP...1150 euro.

Fancied a bigger screen for mobile production/DJing.

Is there much to be gained from having the latest incarnation of the Macbook?

i am writing this from your "option 2". This computer is a beast. Highly recommended. Don't think about it twice. Go with it Luke! Join the Force!

2 you know it makes sense

Okay, I see a trend here for the replies. Apple.

So the Rain is not an option huh? Apple all the way?

Has anyone tried the Rain machines? Is the OSX platform better and more reliable by far?

I have a Focusrite Saffire USB Soundcard - Is osx super friendly to things like the Focusrite?

Are there any concerns as far as apple goes or are there some issues out there?

Any advice is gratefully recieved - likely to be spending my money in the next 2 - 3 days and don't want to waste money as I did last time I upgraded my system.

Thanks.

Im a big PC guy but I would say take the Apple if it's a good deal.

Desktop = Custom build PC
Laptop = Apple or Lenovo

But be sure to take an extended warranty. In my experience, Apple laptops have better screens and touchpad but break as much if not more than most brands. It's no wonder there is so much refurbished items.

I have to admit I have no idea about RAIN laptops.

If you want to save a few hundred quid, why not buy a Lenovo thinkpad. Lenovo ground their motherboards well so you don't get busts of dodgy interference (if you have ever plugged headphones into a cheap laptop and played with a DAW you will know what I mean).

I spent just under £600 on thinkpad direct from Lenovo earlier this year, I have a fast i5 250m 2.60GHz processor, 7200rpm disk and 4GB of RAM (and a spare slot for another 4GB when I want)it can handle anything I throw at it.

Just turn off the features in Windows 7 you don't need and your done.

It's not as pretty as a macbook though but you can save a few hundred to put towards an audio interface or anything else you get GAS for.

Just my 2c

Rain is just re branded Lenovo, would make sense only if you don't know yourself how maintain PC, cant upgrade HDD or RAM, do anything basic but desperate to have PC. Save money - get Lenovo or save money, time and headaches and get Mac.

Buy a Mac and be happy!

The MBP is more powerful than the Rain - quad core vs dual core. Plus it's a pretty good deal and you would still have Applecare until February. Plus the option to extend it...

The rain machine is the quad core too. At the moment I am scanning the net for places to buy the MBP in the UK.