rogerl_uk
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what laptop spec
Hi guys
I am currently running Sonar X1 Producer, and need to buy a new laptop. Can anyone tell me what is a reasonable specification laptop for me to run X1 producer, please?
I am particularly confused by the processor specs on laptops. If I buy an AMD powered laptop which processor should I buy.
I have tried looking on the support website but can find no information on this for X1 (I know it is out of support, but...).
Oh, and please, whilst I want to go above minimum spec, I don't want a Rolls Royce. I am considering one about £400 (I live in the UK) if that is reasonable.
Many thanks for your help
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Sanderxpander
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Re: what laptop spec
2014/05/07 21:11:07
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Depends completely on what you want to do. "Running" X1 doesn't mean much, the program will boot up fine even below minimum spec. More softsynths and fx means more CPU, more sample-based synths means more RAM, more audio recording means more disk space and a faster disk.
FWIW, I would never buy a laptop at that price point. But I can't see into your needs and your budget.
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Living Room Rocker
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Re: what laptop spec
2014/05/08 00:25:35
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I would be very reluctant to buy AMD. As it is, AMD CPUs are in the market for affordability, not for performance. That leads us back to Sanderxpander's post. Kind regards, Living Room Rocker
post edited by Living Room Rocker - 2014/05/08 00:38:44
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Scoot
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Re: what laptop spec
2014/05/08 02:17:45
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☄ Helpfulby Dream Logic Audio 2014/05/08 11:29:15
400 is a bit tight, I'm from the UK too, and although you can get Sonar to work on one at that price, when you push it a little, it will creak a bit. I am currently on a that level of Laptop, and am holding out for a laptop here to meet my specs demands (In fact I may have just found mine yesterday (a HP Envy DV6)) My suggestion would be Aim for an i7 (otherwise i5) Minimum 4gb Ram, unless you are looking at lots of sampling use (check to see if it can be expanded to 12-16gb, if it's 12, then you are keeping the original 4gb and adding an extra 8, but if it's 16gb, you can later ditch the original 4 and add a matched pair of 8's, which is advisable to match) Most laptops have 5400 drives, and this is easily expanded on later when funds are available for a better and faster 7200rpm drive. Some are using Hybrid drives now, which is a mix of SSD and standard drives. If you want to expand to SSD, then it's good to have a 2 drives, and in a laptop this means dropping the CD drive out and adding a hard drive here. Not all laptops have cd drives now, so having one included makes this an option Minimum 3 USB's, one for you soundcard (you do have an external soundcard already I hope), one for a Midi controller, then one spare (mouse, harddrives, etc) Cakewalk advise 1280x800 minimum screen resolution, and laptops tend to be, 1366 x 768, which is workable, but you notice the missing height at times. HD should be 1920x1080, some laptops say they are HD, but are 1366x768. My suggestion would be, make sure you have an external soundcard, and push the budget further on the laptop, you will most likely regret not doing so later. Found this, I am not endorsing, I haven't checked the RA expanding options. http://www.dabs.com/produ...efs=54600000&src=3
HP ENVY Notebook - 15t-k100 CTO i7 -4510U CPU @ 2.00 GHZ 8gb RAM. Windows 8.1 64bit Full HD Touchscreen Sonar X3 Producer, AAS Complete set, XLN AD Keys and Drums, TH2 Roland Quad Capture, AudioTeckina 3035 Mic and ATH-M50 Headphones. Korg Nanopad2, WX5 Midi Sax, , Soprano Sax, Alto and Soprano Flute, Acoustic Guitar and Epiphone Dot Scoot not scook
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Scoot
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Re: what laptop spec
2014/05/08 02:19:21
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Ahh just had a thought, is Sonar X1 supported on Windows 8?
HP ENVY Notebook - 15t-k100 CTO i7 -4510U CPU @ 2.00 GHZ 8gb RAM. Windows 8.1 64bit Full HD Touchscreen Sonar X3 Producer, AAS Complete set, XLN AD Keys and Drums, TH2 Roland Quad Capture, AudioTeckina 3035 Mic and ATH-M50 Headphones. Korg Nanopad2, WX5 Midi Sax, , Soprano Sax, Alto and Soprano Flute, Acoustic Guitar and Epiphone Dot Scoot not scook
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CJaysMusic
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Re: what laptop spec
2014/05/08 11:13:19
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Just get a laptop- with an Intel i5 or i7 processor. do not get AMD. i7 is more powerful than the i5, but both are very sufficient to run sonar..
That said, your PC (Laptop) is only a piece of the puzzle. You need to get a rock solid audio interface and at least a 7200RPm external hard drive for audio only.
CJ
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rogerl_uk
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Re: what laptop spec
2014/05/08 12:51:26
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Thanks to all for your comments. There are several core i3 and i5 based laptops available so from some of your comments I will consider an i5 based machine, although I will up my budget to aim for more ram.
It is a good point about X1 running on Windows 8, can anyone confirm it does?
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Scoot
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Re: what laptop spec
2014/05/08 12:54:53
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There hasn't been a mention about an Audio interface from you. Users on here can't stress enough the importance of a good external soundcard. It's really not worth brushing over this advice.
HP ENVY Notebook - 15t-k100 CTO i7 -4510U CPU @ 2.00 GHZ 8gb RAM. Windows 8.1 64bit Full HD Touchscreen Sonar X3 Producer, AAS Complete set, XLN AD Keys and Drums, TH2 Roland Quad Capture, AudioTeckina 3035 Mic and ATH-M50 Headphones. Korg Nanopad2, WX5 Midi Sax, , Soprano Sax, Alto and Soprano Flute, Acoustic Guitar and Epiphone Dot Scoot not scook
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rogerl_uk
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Re: what laptop spec
2014/05/09 09:28:37
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Just an update, for those who queried if Sonar X1 is supported on Windows 8.1, according to the MS Compatibility checker, it is. Maybe someone has experience of this?
I have a USB audio interface, but I won't be connecting any external instruments to the system. I will be using soft synths.
My desktop, which runs X1 with only occasional glitches is a core i3 3220 processor (3.3GHz) and 8.0 GB RAM with Windows 7.
What I a looking for is a mobile solution. If necessary I can downgrade to Sonar 8.5 (also reported as compatible).
Anyway thanks for all the help
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CJaysMusic
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Re: what laptop spec
2014/05/09 11:54:50
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My desktop, which runs X1 with only occasional glitches is a core i3 3220 processor (3.3GHz) and 8.0 GB RAM with Windows 7.
What I a looking for is a mobile solution. If necessary I can downgrade to Sonar 8.5 (also reported as compatible).
sonar is not the problem that causes the glitches. Its how you have your sound card drivers set up and your work flow. Downgrading to 8.5 doesn't make sense. It is like demolishing a house to it's foundation because you got 1 small drop of white paint on the floor when you where paining the house and all you needed to do is get a paper towel and wipe it up
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Sanderxpander
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Re: what laptop spec
2014/05/09 12:04:10
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It sounds like you have a decent reference point. I would check some CPU benchmark scores of your current desktop computer and put those against any laptop CPU you're interested in. You can't directly compare GHz and numbering between mobile and desktop CPUs but benchmarks will give a rough indication of the performance difference. 8GB is a decent amount of RAM, I personally wouldn't go lower than that.
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rogerl_uk
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Re: what laptop spec
2014/05/10 09:55:00
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Final comment:
I would only consider downgrading if it was necessary, but I don't think it will be.
As an aside, if anyone can help resolve the issues on the desktop, they generally only happen when I am driving things really hard with some heavy duty processing. I have just loaded a project with four instances of Z3ta+2 and two of Reaktor 5 (Lazer Bass and Akkord instruments)and 3 audio tracks with no real problems (cpu monitoring showed <20% utilisation but peaking at 42%): but I do occasionally get dropouts and glitches - mainly with Reaktor.
My audio interface is an old M Audio Fasttrack.
Anyway, thanks for all the help, and as I say any thought about tuning the sound card drivers would be appreciated. I do have the latest and they are certified for Win 7.
Regards
roger
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