Laptop choice (specifically for Ableton 11)
Posted: Sun Jun 20, 2021 11:56 am
Hi everyone,
First of all, I tried to use the searchbar for "hardware" / "laptop" / "specs" / etc. assuming there would be a thread to gather this kind of requests but I haven't found one. So if there is a rule against asking for this kind of help (or another place where I should ask), my apologies in advance and I will relocate to the proper thread or forum!
Otherwise, my question is pretty simple: the laptop that I currently use with Ableton 9 is getting old (Lenovo W540 - bought in 2015) and I start to encounter issues (random crashes when using Ableton, BSOD, etc.).
I am therefore looking for a new one with a windows OS and I plan to take the opportunity to upgrade to Ableton 11. I read the Ableton article explaining that mostly 3 parameters are important (CPU / RAM / memory) and I guess I should go with something like i7 (~3ghz) / 16Gb of ram / 500gb SSD + some HDD). I would also like to have a 17" screen so it doesn't feel too crowded on my screen and I don't care about the GPU since I plan to only use my computer for music production. When checking on Amazon, I found so many different configurations (with seemingly subtle variations in the type of Ram, number of cores, etc.) translating in big price differences and it makes it hard to know which is actually the best fit for my needs since I am no hardware expert.
I am also keeping an open mind about buying a desktop but only if there are some that aren't too big (a few years ago desktop where pretty massive but if there are now smaller ones that are pretty easy to carry over - like shoebox size I guess? - why not!).
So I was wondering if someone who is more experienced with computer hardware could help me figure out what would be the best type of deals so whatever my purchase is, it really fits the use I plan to do and doesn't waste money in stuff I won't need (like a gaming GPU). Budget wise, I am expecting that there should be something around 1500 USD and I intend to take good care of it and keep it for at least 5 years.
Thanks in advance and please let me know if there are other relevant information to provide
Have a good day
First of all, I tried to use the searchbar for "hardware" / "laptop" / "specs" / etc. assuming there would be a thread to gather this kind of requests but I haven't found one. So if there is a rule against asking for this kind of help (or another place where I should ask), my apologies in advance and I will relocate to the proper thread or forum!
Otherwise, my question is pretty simple: the laptop that I currently use with Ableton 9 is getting old (Lenovo W540 - bought in 2015) and I start to encounter issues (random crashes when using Ableton, BSOD, etc.).
I am therefore looking for a new one with a windows OS and I plan to take the opportunity to upgrade to Ableton 11. I read the Ableton article explaining that mostly 3 parameters are important (CPU / RAM / memory) and I guess I should go with something like i7 (~3ghz) / 16Gb of ram / 500gb SSD + some HDD). I would also like to have a 17" screen so it doesn't feel too crowded on my screen and I don't care about the GPU since I plan to only use my computer for music production. When checking on Amazon, I found so many different configurations (with seemingly subtle variations in the type of Ram, number of cores, etc.) translating in big price differences and it makes it hard to know which is actually the best fit for my needs since I am no hardware expert.
I am also keeping an open mind about buying a desktop but only if there are some that aren't too big (a few years ago desktop where pretty massive but if there are now smaller ones that are pretty easy to carry over - like shoebox size I guess? - why not!).
So I was wondering if someone who is more experienced with computer hardware could help me figure out what would be the best type of deals so whatever my purchase is, it really fits the use I plan to do and doesn't waste money in stuff I won't need (like a gaming GPU). Budget wise, I am expecting that there should be something around 1500 USD and I intend to take good care of it and keep it for at least 5 years.
Thanks in advance and please let me know if there are other relevant information to provide
Have a good day