Buying a new laptop....

Dennis DeSantis · Post by **Dennis DeSantis** » Wed Jun 22, 2005 1:44 am

Hi folks,

My trusty old Dell Inspiron 8100 is finally dying and I'm planning to buy a new machine soon. The main usage of this laptop will be for performances with Ableton Live.
I know this topic exists endlessly throughout the forums, but I figured I'd jump on and ask for recommendations based on my particular requirements:

- at least 1400x1050 screen resolution. The 8100 spoiled me with this, and I'm now completely used to seeing at least 15 tracks in Live at once.
- must perform will with the RME Multiface

So far, I've been looking at the new Inspiron 9300s. Any pros/cons for this based on Live/Multiface performance? Alternative recommendations?

Thanks in advance for your help,

subterFUSE · Post by **subterFUSE** » Wed Jun 22, 2005 3:00 am

PC laptops with AMD Athlon 64 X2 dual-core processors will be for sale by early August.

I suggest you be a little more patient.... like me.

One of those laptops will put a Mac G5 desktop to shame.... especially in Live.

AdamJay · Post by **AdamJay** » Wed Jun 22, 2005 3:09 am

subterFUSE wrote: One of those laptops will put a Mac G5 desktop to shame.... especially in Live.

did live suddenly add an audio engine thats multi-processor aware that i'm not aware of?

Rx · Post by Rx » Wed Jun 22, 2005 3:42 am

i just got an Inspiron 6000 and am quite happy with it. resolution is 1680x1050. i considered the 9300 and thought it might be a tad large - the 9200 my friend has is massive, but if i were performing, the bigger screen would be worth it.

subterFUSE · Post by **subterFUSE** » Wed Jun 22, 2005 10:38 pm

did live suddenly add an audio engine thats multi-processor aware that i'm not aware of?

No. That's the point. The dual-core processors are single processors with 2 processing cores. A Mac G5 desktop uses dual processors, which Live can't fully take advantage of.

lanimascura · Post by **lanimascura** » Thu Jun 23, 2005 3:25 am

subterFUSE wrote:
did live suddenly add an audio engine thats multi-processor aware that i'm not aware of?
No. That's the point. The dual-core processors are single processors with 2 processing cores. A Mac G5 desktop uses dual processors, which Live can't fully take advantage of.

wow...hearing you explain that just made me so HOOTTTT...i cant f*cking take it anymore...

Michael-SW · Post by **Michael-SW** » Thu Jun 23, 2005 9:39 am

Chances are that the AMD dual core processors will be priced accordingly.

Looking at Intel's pricing strategy, you should never buy the cutting edge anyway unless you have a lot of money to throw around. The cost effective optimum is one or two steps down the chain. In mobile processors it is the 1.87 GHz Pentium M currently. I would guess that the 2.2 GHz is almost double the price of 1.87 GHz, while only giving a (nominal) performance advantage of 17%

There will always be faster processors coming regardless of when you choose to buy. Waiting for the next big thing - and then waiting additionally until it reaches a reasonable price will have you waiting a lot.

The 1.87 GHz Pentium M is already as fast as the fastest G5.

robin · Post by **robin** » Thu Jun 23, 2005 10:01 am

subterFUSE wrote:
did live suddenly add an audio engine thats multi-processor aware that i'm not aware of?
No. That's the point. The dual-core processors are single processors with 2 processing cores. A Mac G5 desktop uses dual processors, which Live can't fully take advantage of.

it's logically a dual processor architecture though (but with more bus/die sharing)

the app still needs to be properly dual processor aware to take advantage of it.

subterFUSE · Post by **subterFUSE** » Thu Jun 23, 2005 1:08 pm

I understand what you are saying about new technology being expensive at first....

But every so often there is a move in technology that is a few steps larger than normal.... and can get you ready for the next wave.

64 bit processors are such a step, I think. And dual-core processors are also a step.

Getting a laptop with a dual-core, 64 bit processor seems to me like a good investment that will potentially last me longer than if I were to buy a cheaper, but older alternative.

I tend to use computers for a long time.... longer than my cars. So buying a high-end box suits my needs, and I'm willing to pay for it.

Rx · Post by Rx » Thu Jun 23, 2005 2:59 pm

Dealnews wrote:Dell Home offers its Dell Inspiron 9300 Pentium M/1.6GHz
notebook with Pentium M 730 1.60GHz 533FSB processor, 17"
UltraSharp WXGA+ (1440x900) widescreen display, 256MB RAM,
40GB hard drive, 24X DVD/CD-RW combo drive, ATI Mobility
Radeon X300 64MB video card, 802.11g wireless, and Windows
XP Home for $1,499. Add coupon code "MHN4P3P7JP270R" to your
cart to drop it to $899. With free shipping, it's the lowest
total price we've seen for a 9300-series Inspiron with these
specifications since May. Coupon ends June 30 at 7 am ET or
after 4,000 redemptions.

it'll prolly cost $250 or so to bump it up to a 2ghz Centrino. you're going to get a new laptop in 2-3 years anyway, so might as well get the best bang for your buck.

djadonis206 · Post by **djadonis206** » Thu Jun 23, 2005 4:02 pm

I'm considering a PC laptop because the Macs are expensive (even though I have a mac desktop - which wasn't expensive)

anywayz

I know nothing about PC's but here's what I gather I should look for

64 bit processor - AMD or Intel
@ least a 40 gig 7200 hard drive
and about a gig of ram
oh and Windows XP right?

?

that sounds easy - I just want to use it for Live dj sets (fun)

Rx · Post by Rx » Thu Jun 23, 2005 4:19 pm

well, the real questions are

1) when will Live take advantage of 64bit processing?
2) how much power do you really need?

people can advocate waiting for the Next Big Thing, but then say they're perfectly happy with their 2 yr old computer's now-modest capabilities. 2 yrs ago my 2.4ghz P4 was less than the top of the line but more than enough for my needs. now my 2ghz Centrino is a great improvement yet more than enough for my needs. i advocate getting the best affordable cpu, then go the 64bit route in 2-3 yrs when all the software you use can take advantage of 64bit processing.

robin · Post by **robin** » Thu Jun 23, 2005 4:29 pm

Rx wrote:well, the real questions are

1) when will Live take advantage of 64bit processing?
2) how much power do you really need?

people can advocate waiting for the Next Big Thing, but then say they're perfectly happy with their 2 yr old computer's now-modest capabilities. 2 yrs ago my 2.4ghz P4 was less than the top of the line but more than enough for my needs. now my 2ghz Centrino is a great improvement yet more than enough for my needs. i advocate getting the best affordable cpu, then go the 64bit route in 2-3 yrs when all the software you use can take advantage of 64bit processing.

the real question is: what part of Live needs 64bit addressing or needs 64 bit precision?

if the answer if none then 64bit is just a marketing term.

djadonis206 · Post by **djadonis206** » Thu Jun 23, 2005 4:38 pm

Cool so whats the difference between Centrino and Pentium?

what kind of laptop should I look for if I'm only looking to spend between $600 and $800?

robin · Post by **robin** » Thu Jun 23, 2005 4:43 pm

djadonis206 wrote:Cool so whats the difference between Centrino and Pentium?

i guess you mean between pentium M(centrino is the chipset) and pentium 4.

very loosely speaking the centrino (pentium M) is based on the pentium 3 (smaller pipelines, not as geared up for Ghz at all costs even if that means less performance) and the pentium 4 is engineered for that headline Ghz figure. intel are phasing out development on the pentium 4 in favour of pentium M derivatives in all cpu lines.