Best laptop for Music production: very curious - Macbook?

[rnsomusic]

Lenovo thinkpad W541, has thunderbolt 2, expresscard, dock connector, 2 USB 3, 2 USB 2, and 4 ram slots for a max 32gb ram, "user" upgradable CPU, can run one of projects with omnisphere multi out, kontakt, reactor, return busses, ozone 6 on the master... On battery with internal audio... Laptop good spec for ~$1500 and 1tb Samsung 850 evo and 32gb ram for 600, so... That's my rig,

[Tarekith]

If you're making a living off your music, then that means you're running your own business, and then there's no reason not to register with the Apple Business specialists. Speeds up repair times, and I've even had them give me a loaner MBP if mine was going to take longer than a day or two to fix. As someone who NEEDS their computer to run every aspect of my business, that kind of service is one reason I don't mind paying more for Apple products.

No computer is perfect, lord know I've had more than my fair share of issues with my MBPs over the years. But speedy service that gets me back up and running asap is much more worth it as a professional than being able to add more RAM later IMVHO.

[GusHage]

If you're making a living off your music, then that means you're running your own business, and then there's no reason not to register with the Apple Business specialists. Speeds up repair times, and I've even had them give me a loaner MBP if mine was going to take longer than a day or two to fix. As someone who NEEDS their computer to run every aspect of my business, that kind of service is one reason I don't mind paying more for Apple products.

No computer is perfect, lord know I've had more than my fair share of issues with my MBPs over the years. But speedy service that gets me back up and running asap is much more worth it as a professional than being able to add more RAM later IMVHO.

Oh, how I wish I was living off of my music, but like a lot of most people here on the forum, I'm still on the hobby-side of music, even though I take it very seriously (:

[GusHage]

Lenovo thinkpad W541, has thunderbolt 2, expresscard, dock connector, 2 USB 3, 2 USB 2, and 4 ram slots for a max 32gb ram, "user" upgradable CPU, can run one of projects with omnisphere multi out, kontakt, reactor, return busses, ozone 6 on the master... On battery with internal audio... Laptop good spec for ~$1500 and 1tb Samsung 850 evo and 32gb ram for 600, so... That's my rig,

This sounds interesting.
I will take a look at it.

[TomViolenz]

than being able to add more RAM later IMVHO.

I could be made to agree that it were a non-issue if Apple wouldn't ask for such crazy high prices for RAM and SSD space. (disregarding for a moment the dismal port situation)

In the times of user servicable MBPros, Apple was cost competetive with high class Windows machines if you bought the fastest chip and smallest HDD and RAM amount and then upgraded to a beefy SSD and lots of RAM yourself.

Nowadays they priced themselves out of the market for any professional, who really calculates the ROI honestly. Especially in times of Spotify and free content for all.

So, I'm not saying that you, deva or fishmonkey are not professionals, all I'm saying is you are not honest with yourselves and your business decisions.

[Tarekith]

Well, since we're going ROI, the other thing to consider is that MBPs have high resale value when it's time to upgrade. That offsets the cost of the new machine, so it's not quite so clear cut I think.

[Angstrom]

http://www.gizmag.com/macbook-pro-retin ... son/39892/

[GusHage]

http://www.gizmag.com/macbook-pro-retin ... son/39892/

I've been looking at a couple of comparisons and it frustrates that all laptops have such "slow" CPUs..

On top of that I can't for the life of me fathom the fact that the Surface Book has no HDMI.. WHY NOT!?!?

I am planning on connecting my laptop to my studio monitors, screen and so on quite often at home, so HDMI Is kind of a must in my opinion.

Am I missing something?
My desktop is a 2.4GHz quad-core.. Are the numbers just part of the equation or have the CPU-industry not moved a lot in the last 10 years?

EDIT: I am aware that desktop and laptop CPUs don't have the same... "Premisses"? .. Lacking a better word this moment (:

[login]

CPU speeds haven't moved because:

1.- More speed means more heat and heat in laptops is bad.

2.- More speed means more power consumption, lower battery life and that isn't good for laptops.

3.- More cores have make seeking more speed not as important.

That's why you find mobile CPU around 2.5-3.5. IF you want speed get a desktop CPU and overclock it.

[H20nly]

CPU speeds haven't moved because:

1.- More speed means more heat and heat in laptops is bad.

2.- More speed means more power consumption, lower battery life and that isn't good for laptops.

3.- More cores have make seeking more speed not as important.

That's why you find mobile CPU around 2.5-3.5. IF you want speed get a desktop CPU and overclock it.

this.


I've noticed, at least on Windows PCs, that HDMI ports are not common but instead they have Display ports... which is like HDMI minus the audio. I see these at work (300+ computers on the network). I'm not sure if the Surface has a Display port, but wouldn't be surprised to find that it does.

Lenovo laptop posted at the top of this page looks like a good alternative.

[fishmonkey]

I've noticed, at least on Windows PCs, that HDMI ports are not common but instead they have Display ports... which is like HDMI minus the audio.

DisplayPort is actually a superior connection to HDMI, with much higher bandwidth/resolutions possible. it can also carry audio. DisplayPort -> HDMI adaptors and cables are cheap and readily available...

[deva]

Nowadays they priced themselves out of the market for any professional, who really calculates the ROI honestly. Especially in times of Spotify and free content for all.

So, I'm not saying that you, deva or fishmonkey are not professionals, all I'm saying is you are not honest with yourselves and your business decisions.

Not specifically audio related... but I came across this regarding Mac and their 'cost'

"IBM this year began adopting Macs for its employees, a move the company says has been highly successful. Speaking at the JAMF Nation User Conference (via AppleInsider) earlier this week, IBM vice president of Workplace-as-a-Service Fletcher Previn said that far fewer Mac users require help with their machines than IBM's PC users.

"Every Mac that we buy is making and saving IBM money," he said, as the Macs require less management and setup effort than PCs, even though they cost more up front. Just five percent of employees using Macs call IBM's internal help desk for troubleshooting, while 40 percent of the company's PC users make calls to the help desk."

[TomViolenz]

That's apples to oranges. A company like IBM has a totally different support and cost structure than even the most professional music producer. Besides I'm sure they lease their laptops anyways.

Tarekith resale argument is a good one, but we have not been under this new regime long enough to see how the non-replaceability of components influences the value of used Macs.

I for sure would value them differently.

[Tarekith]

I think the biggest issue that for most people, there's no need to upgrade anymore. I think that (aside from a few heavy hitting VST synths) for the most part computers nowaways just do what people need, even musicians. Maybe it's just my perception, but I rarely find myself wishing for more power to do what I need like I used. If you could afford to upgrade, it could make a big difference.

These days things seem to be a bit more stable in terms of the software and hardware being in a greater parity, one rarely lacks because of the other. Computers for most people are no longer platforms to build upon, but complete products as is. I don't think it's ignorance on the consumer or business owner at all myself, but rather knowing enough to buy what they need the first time.

[TomViolenz]

Well I would still at least want an i7 quad core with 16 gig of RAM and an 500gig SSD. And as it stands Apples MBP is now about a 1000€ more for this package than it was in the times of the 2012 MBP(admittedly refurbished) with self-upgraded RAM and SSD.
I would call that difference quite significant.