[HELP] Need a new laptop for Live Acts & DJ Sets on Ableton!

[TechnoLover]

Hi everybody!

I would like to know what should be the requirements for a Laptop to perfectly run Ableton Live for some Live Acts and DJ sets...

As it will be used for some 'good' gigs, I've to be sure I won't face ANY problems (a 50% CPU usage should be the limit, though)

These will be detroit techno, I don't know if matters...

I just bought a new studio computer, so my budget isn't that big... Something like maximum 1000 € would be okay.

What about the screen size? Is 13" enough?

I don't really care if it's Mac or PC but it needs to work good (no freeze, no crashs... (yeah that's not easy with windows, I know ) and it has to stay as cool as possible. my current one is getting really hot and then crashes)

Thank you so much for your help!

[Earwax69]

yeah that's not easy with windows, I know

You know nothing Jon Snow!

More seriously, Lenovo are quite highly regarded. If not a macbook would do of course. I use a 399$ Acer 13 incher and I didnt have any problem playing live, but I guess Im lucky although it was the editor choice award of 2009...

I would say, if you want OS X, get a mac. If your ok with win7, get a lenovo.

[andydes]

A laptop that's guaranteed to give you no problems? That's a big ask. Macs are generally regarded as the safest option, but for a while more people had problems with live 8 on mac than pc. And of course osx lion is just out.

Can't give you any specific advice on laptop brands. Be aware the most bang for buck pc will likely have cheaper components, so you might want to go for quality over raw power.

I have pc desktop and macbook pro and have had minimum trouble with each. Transfering sets between them is fine as long as you stick to vsts. If you use au on the mac, you'll have to reload the plug in, losing the settings. At least in my experience.

Doesn't really answer the question I know, but hope it helps a bit.

[TechnoLover]

I have no problem with windows 7 at all (but never tried any Mac OS), got it on my studio computer (i7 2600K / 8 GB RAM) ! But even if it crashed, that wouldn't be a big problem as I am only using it for production...

So, you guys think it should be good to go with a 13" screen?

MacBook Pro 13" with an intel i5 (1165 €) or a Lenovo 13" with an intel i5 (790 €) both with the same CPU (i5 2,3 Ghz), same RAM, same storage...

Both should be okay? My current laptop is a intel core 2 duo T5500 (2,2 Ghz) with 4GB of RAM and it's not powerfull enough for my needs, though. (it's an old one, it's getting really hot and crashes... but the core 2 duo has nothing to do with the i5, and I only used this old one for production, never tried any sets or lives with it)

[S4racen]

I've been running a 13 inch for a couple of years and had no problems with it either in the studio or live, but i'm now gonna upgrade to the 17inch just because i can....

Cheers
D

[TechnoLover]

Ok, so I think a 13" would be great! Now I gotta chose which one

[andydes]

I think 13" is a really nice size to carry about, being able to set up in cramped dj booths or sit on your lap. Screen's maybe a bit small for an intense production session, but you have a desktop for that.

[kirillov]

Id like to ad that I wouldnt trust lenovo in generall, what I can recomment is the
Thinkpad series.
cheers

[Rave]

Get the newly released MacBook air it is faster!

[AceLuby]

I've got an Acer gaming PC and would recommend that for sure. 17" screen, 2.8 Ghz Core Duo, 1 gig video card, firewire connected to external interface. I've played dozens of shows and hundreds of practices w/ a live band and have never had an issue.

[TechnoLover]

I don't need a big screen for live acts / dj sets IMO ... Would rather go for a smaller one (cheaper and easier to take with me) ...

@ Rave : I had a look at the MacBook Air serie but to get something strong, that's really expensive (and not as powerfull as the lowest MacBook Pro which is cheaper)

[kirillov]

I can recommend the thinkpad x220. its 12", 1,5 kg. cheers..

[Anubis]

if you're in the US then this one. Light as a feather and easy on the wallet. Very low DPC latency out of the box. Then go on the MSI forum and get the custom BIOS that I requested to increase the video RAM. I'm using it and it rocks.

http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/2 ... uter-With/

[deutero]

You said your current laptop is getting too hot and crashing. Before you spring for a new one, try cleaning the fan and ventilation, if you can. You just might solve that problem, increase performance by a ton, and save yourself the need to buy a new machine for a while, so you can spend a bit more on a great machine later.

As a side note: Although I haven't used it for gigs, my five year-old Thinkpad X60 has been rock solid with Live. I use a separate, stripped-down hardware profile for music stuff, so Live's got all the resources available that it can. I think the new ones might not have FireWire, though, if that's something you need.

[TechnoLover]

Already cleaned it a lot but it doesn't help... Well, it does but not enough and the battery is almost dead too. I think it's high time to get some new stuff!

@ Anubis : I am not in the US, I live in Europe