AMD A10-based laptop for live use of virtual instruments

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BeowulfX
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2014/11/06 00:25:26 (permalink)

AMD A10-based laptop for live use of virtual instruments

Hi everyone, was wondering if the following laptop specs are enough to run EWQL Symphonic orchestra + Dimension Pro + Pianoteq 5 Standard (Bluethner) simultaneously under Forte (Brainspawn):

AMD A10 7300M (1.9 GHz to 3.2 GHz)
8 GB DDR3 1600L RAM
AMD Radeon R5 (or R6? Can't recall) w/ 2GB VRAM dedicated
Windows 8.1
256 GB SSD (Samsung) as OS drive
256 GB SSD (Samsung) as Virtual Instrument samples drive

Will be using the following with the laptop simultaneously:

EWQL Symphonic Orchestra
Dimension Pro 1.5
Pianoteq 5 (with Bluethner)
Brainspawn Forte
Focusrite Sapphire 6i6 (audio interface)
Privia PX-5S Pro (as controller)
Samson Graphite 49 (as controller)

Thanks for any suggestions.
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    Mesh
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    Re: AMD A10-based laptop for live use of virtual instruments 2014/11/06 09:11:11 (permalink)
    Just bumping this thread for one of the pro-builders to chime in.....
     
    IMO, the AMD A10 doesn't seem to be one of the better processors out there and scored much lower than an i5 in this benchmark test:  http://cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=AMD+A10-7300&id=2287
    The i5 and i7's are known to be excellent Cpu's for DAW work and if possible, you might want to look into a laptop that comes with one of those (preferably an i7).
     
    The other thing that pops out is that 256GB SSD for samples........this will get filled up so quickly, you'd really wish you got a larger sample drive (at least a 500GB one or even better a 1 TB would be ideal.....(depending of course on the size of all your sample libraries)).
     
     

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    #2
    Sycraft
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    Re: AMD A10-based laptop for live use of virtual instruments 2014/11/06 12:46:59 (permalink)
    AMD CPUs are, unfortunately, garbage these days. They use a lot more wattage to get a given amount of performance than Intel CPUs and their overall performance is lower to a lot lower. At their best, on benchmarks they do really well on, they are competitive with Intel's mid range offerings. At their worst, they can be 5-10x slower than Intel. It's sad, it would be nice to have some real competition, but it just isn't there.
     
    In particular they are a bad idea for laptops due to their higher required power. You want maximum performance/watt in a laptop and AMD CPUs are really bad in that arena.
     
    I don't know of any benchmarks for Sonar or audio stuff on AMD CPUs. General benchmarks don't show them in a good light though.
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    kitekrazy1
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    Re: AMD A10-based laptop for live use of virtual instruments 2014/11/11 11:28:55 (permalink)
    BeowulfX
    Hi everyone, was wondering if the following laptop specs are enough to run EWQL Symphonic orchestra + Dimension Pro + Pianoteq 5 Standard (Bluethner) simultaneously under Forte (Brainspawn):

    AMD A10 7300M (1.9 GHz to 3.2 GHz)
    8 GB DDR3 1600L RAM
    AMD Radeon R5 (or R6? Can't recall) w/ 2GB VRAM dedicated
    Windows 8.1
    256 GB SSD (Samsung) as OS drive
    256 GB SSD (Samsung) as Virtual Instrument samples drive

    Will be using the following with the laptop simultaneously:

    EWQL Symphonic Orchestra
    Dimension Pro 1.5
    Pianoteq 5 (with Bluethner)
    Brainspawn Forte
    Focusrite Sapphire 6i6 (audio interface)
    Privia PX-5S Pro (as controller)
    Samson Graphite 49 (as controller)

    Thanks for any suggestions.



     A Macbook Pro might run that stuff.  Your biggest resource hog will be QL.   AS for running audio stuff I'd go the Mac side instead of PC.   Once you turn on that turbo mode in a PC AMD or Intel processor, you will have to recharge the battery after two hours.   A reason why MBP are far more expensive is they have much better battery.
     I'm from the religion of "laptops are not for major audio".   I'd look for a rack mount barebones instead and RYO. That's only from a budget perspective and you would be creating a portable PC.  
    #4
    Jim Roseberry
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    Re: AMD A10-based laptop for live use of virtual instruments 2014/11/11 11:51:28 (permalink)
    kitekrazy1
     A Macbook Pro might run that stuff.  Your biggest resource hog will be QL.   AS for running audio stuff I'd go the Mac side instead of PC.   Once you turn on that turbo mode in a PC AMD or Intel processor, you will have to recharge the battery after two hours.   A reason why MBP are far more expensive is they have much better battery.
     I'm from the religion of "laptops are not for major audio".   I'd look for a rack mount barebones instead and RYO. That's only from a budget perspective and you would be creating a portable PC.  



    I'm not a fan of laptops for high-performance scenarios.
    With such tight internal space, performance compromises have to be made to keep heat in check.
    CPU throttling, power-management, etc are a big obstacle when trying to achieve low/consistent DPC Latency.
    To effectively play those soft-synths, the OP is going to want the ability to run substantial loads (glitch-free) at small ASIO buffer sizes (for tight timing).
     
    For the same cost (or likely less), the OP could build a mini-ITX machine that would absolutely smoke any laptop (with none of the limitations) while still being small/portable.
     
    FWIW, I built a mini-ITX machine using an Antec Skeleton case... and used that to play many gigs.  Blew my MacBook Pro away!  Could run virtually any combination of dense layers of Kontakt, Omnisphere, Ivory, etc... at a 48-sample ASIO buffer size (RME Babyface) for super tight timing.
     
    BTW, If you install Windows on a MacBook Pro... and fully optimize it for maximum DAW performance, you'll blow thru the battery.   :)
     

    Best Regards,

    Jim Roseberry
    jim@studiocat.com
    www.studiocat.com
    #5
    BeowulfX
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    Re: AMD A10-based laptop for live use of virtual instruments 2014/11/13 06:24:05 (permalink)
    Thanks for the info/suggestions...appreciate them all.
     
    I'll try going for a mini-ITX build since it can still be reasonably "portable". My only concern is the SFX PSU and the ventilation/heat build up. Most ITX cases like the only accept SFX PSUs. Since I'm looking at either the i5 4690 or an i7 4790, I'm a bit concerned of the power draw and possibly overheating issues given the tight space in an ITX case and when the processor is "stressed" while using multiple soft-synths and plug-ins. 
     
     

    Sonar X3e Studio Dimension Pro 1.5 EWQL Symphonic Orchestra Pianoteq 5.11 (w/ Bluethner)
    DAW PC (existing): AMD PhII x4 965BE 12GB DDR3 ASUS M5A97 HDDs 7200rpm: 500GB (OS) + 1TB (Apps) 256GB SSD (Samples drive) Windows 7x64
    Building mini-ITX rig (for live use)
    Audio interface: Scarlett 6i6 and Delta 1010LT
    Keyboards/Controllers: Casio PX-5S Pro, Roland FA-06, Graphite 49, Casio PX-320
    Alto TS110A, KS-40A
    #6
    Jim Roseberry
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    Re: AMD A10-based laptop for live use of virtual instruments 2014/11/13 10:31:56 (permalink)
    Good choice to go mini-ITX!
     
    If you go with an enclosed case, make sure it has provisions for mounting a self-contained water-cooler.
    That'll allow you to keep the machine cool/quiet.
     
    The Fractal Design Node 304 uses standard ATX PS, has provision for mounting water-cooler, it's small (9.8" x 8.3" x 14.7"), and weighs 13 pounds.  Small enough to fit in a padded/rolling case...
    You could lock the speed of the 4790k at 4.4GHz... and it would run cool/quiet.
    Eight virtual cores running at 4.4GHz will blow any laptop out of the water!  
    DPC Latency will be low/consistent... so you'll be able to run your audio interface at the lowest ASIO buffer size.
     
    Cantabile Performer or Forte' are both great live VSTi hosts

    Best Regards,

    Jim Roseberry
    jim@studiocat.com
    www.studiocat.com
    #7
    Jim Roseberry
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    Re: AMD A10-based laptop for live use of virtual instruments 2014/11/13 10:55:51 (permalink)
    Here's the Skeleton build.
    Did this several years back.  Mostly for fun... to see if I could make it work
    Had to remove the original PS (not enough power for this build).
    The 300w PS wouldn't fit in the case... so I had to get creative (thick zip tie) and attach it to the side.
    The video card wouldn't fit... so I "carved" a notch out of the Skeleton to make it work.
    Running an i7 850 CPU... still pretty fast for playing VSTi live


    Best Regards,

    Jim Roseberry
    jim@studiocat.com
    www.studiocat.com
    #8
    Mesh
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    Re: AMD A10-based laptop for live use of virtual instruments 2014/11/13 11:14:21 (permalink)
    BeowulfX
    Thanks for the info/suggestions...appreciate them all.
     
    I'll try going for a mini-ITX build since it can still be reasonably "portable". My only concern is the SFX PSU and the ventilation/heat build up. Most ITX cases like the only accept SFX PSUs. Since I'm looking at either the i5 4690 or an i7 4790, I'm a bit concerned of the power draw and possibly overheating issues given the tight space in an ITX case and when the processor is "stressed" while using multiple soft-synths and plug-ins. 
     
     


    I was going to post suggestions, but Jim is the DAW Guru!!
    Good luck!!

    Platinum Gaming DAW: AsRock Z77 Overclock Formula
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    The_Forum_Monkeys
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    BeowulfX
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    Re: AMD A10-based laptop for live use of virtual instruments 2014/11/15 03:04:41 (permalink)
    Jim Roseberry
    Good choice to go mini-ITX!
     
    If you go with an enclosed case, make sure it has provisions for mounting a self-contained water-cooler.
    That'll allow you to keep the machine cool/quiet.
     
    The Fractal Design Node 304 uses standard ATX PS, has provision for mounting water-cooler, it's small (9.8" x 8.3" x 14.7"), and weighs 13 pounds.  Small enough to fit in a padded/rolling case...
    You could lock the speed of the 4790k at 4.4GHz... and it would run cool/quiet.
    Eight virtual cores running at 4.4GHz will blow any laptop out of the water!  
    DPC Latency will be low/consistent... so you'll be able to run your audio interface at the lowest ASIO buffer size.
     
    Cantabile Performer or Forte' are both great live VSTi hosts




    Wow, thanks for the advice and info Jim! Initially, I was looking at either the Silverstone Milo ML05B (but the internal space is too tight to fit any good cooling solution for a high-end processor like the i7 4790) and the Bitfenix Prodigy (which is quite wider and relatively has a bit more space).
     
    I haven't considered the Fractal Node 304 until you mentioned it. Got to see some you tube videos on the Fractal Node 304 and I'm liking the Node 304 for its unassuming, simple design and its reasonably portable size. I'm sure to get that one for the live virtual instrument mini-ITX build.
     
    Will probably have to pair the i7 4790 with one of those Corsair Liquid Cooling systems but the Node 64 looks to be only capable of fitting in around 120mm single radiator + fan configuration. 
    The PSU should be around 160mm in length but should be modular to lessen the wiring clutter. 
     
    Thanks again Jim!
     
     
     

    Sonar X3e Studio Dimension Pro 1.5 EWQL Symphonic Orchestra Pianoteq 5.11 (w/ Bluethner)
    DAW PC (existing): AMD PhII x4 965BE 12GB DDR3 ASUS M5A97 HDDs 7200rpm: 500GB (OS) + 1TB (Apps) 256GB SSD (Samples drive) Windows 7x64
    Building mini-ITX rig (for live use)
    Audio interface: Scarlett 6i6 and Delta 1010LT
    Keyboards/Controllers: Casio PX-5S Pro, Roland FA-06, Graphite 49, Casio PX-320
    Alto TS110A, KS-40A
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