New Computer

kkrriimmyy

Distinguished
Jul 18, 2009
4
0
18,510
Okay im not sure if im in the good sub folder right now , but i could'nt seem to find the perfect one to post my subject.

So yeah basically im looking for a new LAPTOP , i don't know much about laptops to be honest , i've always had desktop PC but now i want something that i can do everything , everywhere

Basically im going back to school in a Recording classes , wich is pretty much a class where you learn all the basics and usefull stuff about working in a Studio.

i know that some of the programs we will be using will prolly be Cubase , Pro tools , Sound Forge and etc. and i want something that can run all that without any problems ....

i don't know if i want a gaming laptops , to be honest i pretty much gave up on the gaming scene and grew tired of the same basic stuff that comes back in new graphics every 2 years. Since i also want to build a home studio at my house im prolly gonna be looking for something really professional , so i doubt i'll be playing any games on that.

The main question is , should i go MAC or Windows ? since those new Apple MacbookPro 15inches came out with Quadcore i7 i thought it could be really nice , less viruses , less default programation , but also an OS i have never used in my life ..... so something totaly new to me .....

i was also looking in DELL XPS M15x ... but it's more like a gaming laptop then a buisness one , it has some really nice spec , but i don't know if for the sake of the profesional point of view , if it's really what i should look into

so please , help me out , i pretty much have a 2000$ Canadian dollars budget so im open for ideas !!!
 

kkrriimmyy

Distinguished
Jul 18, 2009
4
0
18,510
1. What is your budget? 2000$

2. What is the size of the notebook that you are considering? 15 inches

3. What screen resolution do you want? dosent really matter

4. Do you need a portable or desktop replacement laptop? Portable , already have my desktop

5. How much battery life do you need? The more i can have , the better it is

6. Do you want to play games with your laptop? If so then please list the games that you want to with the settings that you want for these games. (Low,Medium or High)? I already have a PC for games , so nope only professional actions are gonna happen with this laptop

7. What other tasks do you want to do with your laptop? (Photo / Video editing,watching movies, Etc.) Im attending a class in Recordings and Mastering in music Studios , so every type of programs that will need to run in this laptop , recording wise and etc.

8. How much storage (Hard Drive capacity) do you need? Im not gonna go under 320GB but 500GB would prolly be enough , anyways ill buy an external HD if i need more

9. If you are considering specific sites to buy from, please post their links. open for suggestion

10. How long do you want to keep your laptop? its gonna be the main PC for my studio so , as long as i can !!!!

11. What kind of Optical drive do you need? DVD ROM/Writer,Bluray ROM/Writer,Etc ? If possible blueray would be awesome , but i dont need it a 100%

12. Please tell us about the brands that you prefer to buy from them and the brands that you don't like and explain the reasons. Honestly thats the main thing , i consider Apple alot for the stability and easy usage for those recordings programs , but im open for windows too , no brand in particular , as long as its stable and good !!!

13. What country do you live in? Canada

14. Please tell us any additional information if needed. i don't know what more i can say ....



this way its prolly gonna be alot easier for all of you to understand !!!
 
For your stated goals, the Mac seems the way to go .... especially with the special college deals that they offer university students. If not "your thang", Check out the Sandy Bridge jobs .... especially ones that are custom built. First one has optimus:

http://www.pro-star.com/index.cfm?mainpage=productdetail&model=W150HNQ
Starts under $800 but can be customized to more powerful unit

For example - $1574
15.6" 1920 x 1080 Full HD (16:9) LED Backlit Glare Type Display,
Intel Core i7-2720QM Processor, 2.2 GHz, 6MB Smart Cache
8GB, PC3-10600/1333Mhz DDR3 - 2 x 4GB
500 GB /7200rpm Seagate Momentus XT Hybrid Drive w/4G SSD Memory
6x Max. Blu-Ray Writer/Reader / 8x Max. DVD±R/2.4X Max. +DL Super-Multi Drive
Windows 7 Professional Edition 64-bit
Bigfoot Networks Killer Wireless-N 1102
# Built-In 2.0M Pixel Digital Video Camera
# Built-In Fingerprint Reader
# Built-In Gigabit Ethernet LAN Card
# Built-In 3-IN-1 Flash Memory Reader(SD/Mini-SD/SDHC)
# 2 USB 3.0 Ports
# 2 USB 2.0 Ports
# 1 eSATA Port
# 1 HDMI Output
# 1 CRT port
# 1 Kensington Lock Port
# Built-in Microphone and 2 Speakers
# 3 Audio Jacks for Line-Out, Microphone-In, and S/PDIF-Out
# 100/240V Autoswitch AC Adapter

Make sure ya getting a B3 stepping board or that the SB SATA problem has been otherwise addressed.
 

kkrriimmyy

Distinguished
Jul 18, 2009
4
0
18,510
the only thing im scared of , is that MAC is pretty much brand new to me , ive never used any mac in my whole life , and to be honest althought it seems really easy , i have all the problem in the world trying to understand how there is not a "start" button and why there is this weird scroll menu on the bottom ........

but since the mac is known for is stability and also less chances of getting any viruses , it sounded like a nice deal .... but the thing im wondering , i know apple loves to do great stuff .... but

2000$ on mac = no blueray , only 4gig of ram , intel 3000m videocard ...... and also all those weird apple connectors , theres no HDMI , pretty much no firewire ( from what i quickly saw at the apple store )

on any other brand for 2000$ i would get something amazing .......

im not used to laptops .... i've always had desktops so im pretty lost in all this , but i don't know how reliable Macbook Pro's are .....