Lenovo Thinkpad X201 with Ableton Live?

[23kon]

I'm on the hunt for a new laptop with the view to it being my "ableton machine".
It'll need to be as portable and durable as possible as it'll be used for gigging my music and also for dj sets too.

I've been impressed with my 15" lenovo I bought inititally as an ableton machine but it's ended up being my web surfing and general usage computer at home so i've been checking out their current and older ranges.

One machine that's caught my eye is the Lenovo Thinkpad X201 i5 2.4ghz
Hopefully running 64bit with 4GB ram which i'll probably boost-up a bit.
A little 12" beast that's very durable.

Is anyone using these with Ableton Live?

How does it fare?

I've got a Cakewalk UA-25 EX external soundcard so the internal lenovo one wont be getting used.
I realise these are 'business' machines so the gfx card isnt great, but that doesnt matter with ableton live does it?
For home use i'll be rigging this up to an external monitor so no complaints about the teeny screen restricting workflow.

These little beasts are going for around £400-500 on ebay. bit of a steal if it's a capable machine, eh?

[matthews]

^^^
I'd assume it would fare quite well. Dedicated graphics would definitely help, unless you have enough ram to cover the integrated set. Maybe check out the Lenovo y560p. They're quite cheap right now as well, and you can get them with sandybridge i7's, 1gb dedicated graphics, and 8gb ram. Pop in an SSD down the line and your flying.

[23kon]

Cheers for the info about that model.
I googled it and there was stuff about a recall on that product. Maybe a bit dodgy buying 2nd hand with that model as folk might be selling if they missed the recall lol.

Ideally I was wanting a 12-13" machine for portability.

Although I might have to bite the bullet and buy a 15" cos you get more for your money as you arent paying for the micro technologies as much.

I don't want to spend on a new laptop of 12" size as that'll be around £1000 and I don't want to pay that much for a laptop that will be in clubs. Although the lenovo thinkpads look like proper sturdy little buggers. Some amazing videos on youtube of folk throwing them about and pouring water on the keyboard then starting them up fine!

[matthews]

^^^
Ahh yeah I completely see what your going for now. I've used lenovo products for years and can attest to the quality. Once my old thinpad slipped out of my bag while I was getting into my car, and I didnt notice it fell. Ran right over it. Was a bit scratched, but booted up no problem.

[Khazul]

+1 - only laptops in the PC world that come close to MBA/MBPs for audio use. I still think an MBP is a better laptop for windows 7 audio though

[Earwax69]

Try to get the best screen resolution possible. Sometimes, 15inch have same res as 13inch. Check the options on the website to boost the screen quality for a little fee.

I've got a 13inch with regular res and I would not like to compose and mix on that thing. Got myself a Dell 30inch now and even with it, sometime I feel cramped in Ableton.

[ze2be]

Got the Thinkpad 12" X61.
Sexiest, and also sturdiest laptop ive ever had. And ive had a few. Including my old Power Book, which had a similare build quality as the MBPs.

Its just rock solid. And it has a spill proof keyboard. Very easy to change disks and ram. 3 usb ports, and I cant live without all 3, because of devices needing direct conection: 1. Soundcard, 2. APC, 3. Usb hub or Virus Ti.

[23kon]

Wow at how cheap the X61's go for on ebay!
Great little laptop for not much money!

It's only a core duo though and not an i3/i5. How does it cope processor-wise with lots of synths and effects in ableton live?

[ze2be]

Wow at how cheap the X61's go for on ebay!
Great little laptop for not much money!

It's only a core duo though and not an i3/i5. How does it cope processor-wise with lots of synths and effects in ableton live?

Its still working desent. But I would get a new version, with the new cpus, i5 or i7.

[tecgen]

>Is anyone using these with Ableton Live?
Yes, I use an x201 with [email protected] for 1 year now. My old Thinkpad x60s was a little bit to slow.

>How does it fare?
It a good working horse. I suggest you to buy it with the biggest possible 9-cell-battery.

>I've got a Cakewalk UA-25 EX external soundcard so the internal lenovo one wont be getting used.
I use the internal soundcard often. Its not that bad. My external one is connected via an Cardbus to Firewire adapter.

>I realise these are 'business' machines so the gfx card isnt great, but that doesnt matter >with ableton live does it?
No. Nowadays these graphic cards are very fast. As far as I know is the GPU part of the main i5 CPU.

>For home use i'll be rigging this up to an external monitor so no complaints about the >teeny >screen restricting workflow.
In my home studio, my first monitor is an 32inch Sony TV with Full HD resolution (1920x1080px). The second is a 22inch HP monitor (1680x1050px). I connected the first one via DisplayPort to HDMI Adapter on the Ultrabase Docking Station and the second one via ordinary VGA-cable. Believe me, its fast enough for Ableton Live.

Marco

[23kon]

Cheers Marco for the info on the X201.
I was thinking it might not be powerful enough seeing as it just takes up to 4gig ram.

I'm definitely sticking with the Thinkpad range but reckon i might bet more power for less money by going slightly larger so thinking of the 14" L420

i5 2.5ghz
64bit
take up to 8gig ram

[tecgen]

> I was thinking it might not be powerful enough seeing as it just takes up to 4gig ram.

x201:
"... Supports up to 8GB maximum memory
2GB, 4GB Intel Turbo Memory (selected models)

Note: Only 64-bit operating systems support more than 3GB of system memory (RAM). ..." [http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... MIGR-75044]

You just need a 64bit OS and of course an 64bit version of Ableton Live.

[toxictobi]

I´m in the market now for a L520 with 1600x900 display (I like the bigger resolution better for workin with a daw) to replace my trusty TP R52.
And the fan, being bigger, runs more quiet than the one in the L420.
But it´ll definitely a Thinkpad.

[23kon]

Thinkpads are tanks!!!! Solid!

I dont know why i'd got into my head they were just 32bit.
Thing is i knew they werent a few days ago thats why i was looking at them.
Mustve read something somewhere that made me doubt this.

As today I just re-read (and saw on here tonight from your post) that they do go up to 8gig with 64bit.

I'll definitely be slamming in 8gig in it.
And may end up investing in a solid state drive. Even a wee one

[Geissler]

Stay away from the budget L and Y series. They're cheaper because they compromise on build quality. The only Thinkpads worth buying are the T, W and X series, all of which are fucking excellent. I'm typing this on an X40 which will soon be 8 years old and is still going strong and even feels fast thanks to an SSD.