syntheticpop
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laptop or a desktop for my home studio?
ideally i would like to have both a laptop and a desktop for a stage and studio set-up. But my budget only permits me to get one of the two for the time being. Since I'm just starting out, I know that I probably won't need a laptop for stage performances yet. But laptops are so enticing because they're energy efficient and are more quiet than desktops. The drawback is that the laptop I configured for the same price as the desktop is a lot less powerful and has half the memory. But if it will allow me to use it for my main DAW recordings without any glitches -- then I would choose a laptop. I could also get a cheaper i5 laptop and that would be good enough for stage performances in the future.
My choices are:
a. An i7 desktop
b. An i7 laptop
c. An i5 laptop. This would be powerful enough for stage performances and will allow me to save some money for a more powerful laptop or desktop for studio use.
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slartabartfast
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Re:laptop or a desktop for my home studio?
2010/10/11 19:43:08
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Unless you are prepared to spend waaay more for the equivalent laptop DAW, go with the box, and build it yourself.
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sandman5000
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Re:laptop or a desktop for my home studio?
2010/10/11 22:42:43
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you really don't need to spend a lot for a great DAW laptop these days. For example, I have an acer 5740 i3 laptop that I only paid $500 for. I use it with the V Studio 100 and can get latency down to 48 samples, and trigger ez drummer and ss drums at the same time from my edrums. While streaming from the internet. All with no glitches and not even really pushing the cpu at all.
I've also played back 40 audio tracks plus 5 vst's and a bunch of midi on this machine with no problem.
I hardly push it it to the max at all and I use a ton of VST layers and plug ins mixed with Audio. Real CPU heavy stuff. With no problems.
What exactly are you trying to do with ?
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personrandom
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Re:laptop or a desktop for my home studio?
2010/10/11 23:54:49
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the important thing is to get a 7200rpm drive for your audio work. most notebook computers have 5400rpm drives.
desktop computers give you more choices of audio interfaces, and more power per dollar spent.
notebook computers you can take with you.
if you are not doing 32 tracks with tons of effects, you might be happier with a notebook.
never go below 7200rpm on the drive speed, however.
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sandman5000
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Re:laptop or a desktop for my home studio?
2010/10/12 00:22:43
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its also very easy and cheap to simply replace the 5400 rpm drives with 7200 rpm ones. What I'm personaly gonna do is replace the internal drive with an ssd drive and then replace the dvd drive with a 7200rpm hd. like in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQuJrswnJ5g Other than for installing programs, I don't need the dvd drive. So i figured I'd rather get an external dvd drive (if I ever need one) than an external HD. But I'm gonna wait till SSD drives get cheaper. Especially since I'm able to do at least 40 audio tracks playback (haven't even tried for more) on the 5400 rpm hd in my laptop.
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syntheticpop
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Re:laptop or a desktop for my home studio?
2010/10/12 01:00:03
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i just figured that i can also go with a pair of laptops that would be about the same price as an i7 desktop or laptop. so I have to add...
d. an i3 laptop and also an i5 laptop
basically i want something dedicated for my home studio hence the desktop idea and also something i can have ready for live performances. but i was afraid of spending too much on a laptop when I'm just starting out. these will house Sonar and a host of soft synths. The slower of the computers would be used for live performances and the faster computer would be used for recording, adding effects, mixing, etc.
So having a faster hard drive, 7200rpm makes a difference for the OS and programs drive? I thought it would be fine to have 5400rpm but not for the audio and samples drive.
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sandman5000
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Re:laptop or a desktop for my home studio?
2010/10/12 01:13:20
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syntheticpop
basically i want something dedicated for my home studio hence the desktop idea and also something i can have ready for live performances. but i was afraid of spending too much on a laptop when I'm just starting out. these will house Sonar and a host of soft synths. The slower of the computers would be used for live performances and the faster computer would be used for recording, adding effects, mixing, etc.
So having a faster hard drive, 7200rpm makes a difference for the OS and programs drive? I thought it would be fine to have 5400rpm but not for the audio and samples drive.
that's exactly what I did. And I didn't spend much at all. Got to love the processing power now adays. I built a desktop for home. By recycling drives, the case, PS, etc.., I was able to only spend around $600 on just a new mobo, cpu and ram. I then spent $500 on the laptop for live/mobile use. I'm really loving it. I work on stuff at home, email myself the cakewalk file, then open it up on the laptop and I can keep working without missing a beat. All for a little over a grand. Don't underestimate today's processing power. You could do a whole lot with most any modern laptop. Add a good USB audio interface and u can use the same one at home or with the laptop. And depending on how much you are doing with your HD, 5400rpm could be more than fine. Even streaming samples and what not.
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sandman5000
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Re:laptop or a desktop for my home studio?
2010/10/12 01:21:12
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really, you could just get an i7 laptop and then replace the 5400rpm hd with a 7200rpm one and be done. You may not even need the desktop. But again, it all depends on what you want to do.
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fireberd
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Re:laptop or a desktop for my home studio?
2010/10/12 06:56:06
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I'm from the "old school" (I've worked on computers since "BPC" (Before PC's)) and would go for a desktop (tower) for a "studio DAW". One issue that has not been discussed is the heat problems in laptops. If you are going to have the laptop powered on for any length of time, such as in a studio, they will get hot and even with a laptop cooler they still operate in the "hot" region. Anything that is run "hot" will eventually fail - it may not be today, tomorrow or next month but something that is run hot over a long period will ultimately fail.
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sandman5000
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Re:laptop or a desktop for my home studio?
2010/10/12 08:41:45
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fireberd
I'm from the "old school" (I've worked on computers since "BPC" (Before PC's)) and would go for a desktop (tower) for a "studio DAW". One issue that has not been discussed is the heat problems in laptops. If you are going to have the laptop powered on for any length of time, such as in a studio, they will get hot and even with a laptop cooler they still operate in the "hot" region. Anything that is run "hot" will eventually fail - it may not be today, tomorrow or next month but something that is run hot over a long period will ultimately fail.
that is not really an issue anymore. My laptop is near silent. It does get mildly warm, but not hot like my laptop before this one did. I don't need a cooling pad like i did with the older one. It's these new "i" series chips. They use less power, are smaller and way more powerful than what was available before.
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Jim Roseberry
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Re:laptop or a desktop for my home studio?
2010/10/12 10:46:13
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You'll get significantly more for the money with a desktop/tower. Thus, unless you need the portability of a laptop, I'd get a nice tower. There's no reason a tower has to be noisy. Use quiet parts... and you have a quiet DAW. An inexpensive i3 (dual core) laptop is not the equivalent of a well-spec'd i5/i7 (quad-core) based tower. ie: The laptop runs a slower i3 based mobile CPU, slower RAM, slower HD, no eSATA and no option to add it, no Firewire and no option to add it. Compromises in performance are made to regulate heat... and to extend battery life. As a point of reference, a 3-year old Macbook Pro will out-perform said laptop when running heavy loads at ultra low latency. To get a laptop that offers performance anywhere near a good i7 desktop/tower, you're looking at upwards of $3k. For half that amount, you can have a well spec'd i7 based tower. Don't buy a laptop unless you absolutely need one. - Slower
- No upgrade potential
- Few expansion options (usually just USB on cheap laptops) - so no Firewire, eSATA, high-performance HDs, etc.
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sandman5000
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Re:laptop or a desktop for my home studio?
2010/10/12 20:44:02
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Jim Roseberry
You'll get significantly more for the money with a desktop/tower.
Thus, unless you need the portability of a laptop, I'd get a nice tower.
There's no reason a tower has to be noisy. Use quiet parts... and you have a quiet DAW.
An inexpensive i3 (dual core) laptop is not the equivalent of a well-spec'd i5/i7 (quad-core) based tower.
ie: The laptop runs a slower i3 based mobile CPU, slower RAM, slower HD, no eSATA and no option to add it, no Firewire and no option to add it. Compromises in performance are made to regulate heat... and to extend battery life. As a point of reference, a 3-year old Macbook Pro will out-perform said laptop when running heavy loads at ultra low latency. To get a laptop that offers performance anywhere near a good i7 desktop/tower, you're looking at upwards of $3k. For half that amount, you can have a well spec'd i7 based tower.
Don't buy a laptop unless you absolutely need one.
- Slower
- No upgrade potential
- Few expansion options (usually just USB on cheap laptops) - so no Firewire, eSATA, high-performance HDs, etc.
You are missing the point of the OP. He wants a laptop for live use too. Not very practical to bring a tower and monitor and keyboard and mouse...etc.. Much better to bring a laptop. And I don't understand why you think the i3 isn't good enough ( I can speculate). But its more power than what was available just a little bit ago. You can easily add a 7200 rpm hd and run massive amounts of audio tracks. Plus the CPU is powerful enough for lots and lots of VSTs and FX. Anyway, it all depends on how the OP will use his computers. Your way could very well be overkill. He did say he was just starting out. All in all, like I posted above, for what the OP states he needs, an i7 laptop could just be all he needs. Of course, it's all in how the OP will use it.
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slartabartfast
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Re:laptop or a desktop for my home studio?
2010/10/13 01:39:02
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Not very practical to bring a tower and monitor and keyboard and mouse...etc.. Damn, the kids who do the silly game lan parties carry towers with them. How else are they going to show off the neon lights through the plexiglas cases. And if you need to do any real time control in a recording situation, I doubt you would want to use a touchpad. The guitarist (or even the guy with the saxophone) is going to lugging in more gear than a laptop. Why not just record everything with an i-phone app and skip the whole Sonar hassle.
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syntheticpop
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Re:laptop or a desktop for my home studio?
2010/10/13 02:11:44
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I guess I ought to change the subject of my thread. I know I want a powerhouse of a desktop and also want a laptop. But, I just have a budget for one of the two for now. So it's either the more powerful desktop or a laptop that would substitute for the desktop for the time being and can be used for future live performances. Once i make my decision - I won't get the other one for another year or two. I want something affordable but still would like something that's studio worthy. I know I still want duo computers because I like the idea of having one dedicated in the studio and one that can get all sticky, smokey and sweaty on stage.
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sandman5000
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Re:laptop or a desktop for my home studio?
2010/10/13 08:16:14
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slartabartfast
Not very practical to bring a tower and monitor and keyboard and mouse...etc..
Damn, the kids who do the silly game lan parties carry towers with them. How else are they going to show off the neon lights through the plexiglas cases. And if you need to do any real time control in a recording situation, I doubt you would want to use a touchpad. The guitarist (or even the guy with the saxophone) is going to lugging in more gear than a laptop. Why not just record everything with an i-phone app and skip the whole Sonar hassle.
Are you serious? Of course you wouldn't just bring a laptop (but even so I'd rather do that than lug a desktop). You'd have your controller and whatever else. In my case, depending on what I'm using, I'll either bring my e-drums with sound card and midi keyboard. or my midi keyboard and a few hardware synths. I normally run that into the house PA. But I have also brought my amp and 2 15 inch speakers and stands. Before computers got as powerful as they are now, I would bring my desktop to remote recording sessions. But I wouldn't use them to perform live. I would use hardware. But now? Most modern laptops are way more than powerful enough to run the whole show. As another example. I currently have a set up where I play my edrums through sounds on my laptop (ez drummer, konkat player, reason drumms..etc..,). Also, i have a keyboard playing back VST synths. While also running fx for the bass, guitar and vocalist. And while playing back a mix of backing tracks (midi VST and Audio). All live and in real time. Off of an i3 laptop with stock parts. The same laptop went with me yesterday on a long train ride and I was able to get a lot of heavy mixing work done. I also made a new piece with little usb keyboard I bring along. I'm not just thinking it works. I do it every day. It seems silly and very impractical to also bring a tower with a monitor, keyboard, mouse, and all the extra cables and set up time to plug it all in. It's especially silly because a modern laptop is more than powerful enough and far easier to manage. But to each their own.
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sandman5000
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Re:laptop or a desktop for my home studio?
2010/10/13 08:24:24
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syntheticpop
I guess I ought to change the subject of my thread. I know I want a powerhouse of a desktop and also want a laptop. But, I just have a budget for one of the two for now. So it's either the more powerful desktop or a laptop that would substitute for the desktop for the time being and can be used for future live performances. Once i make my decision - I won't get the other one for another year or two. I want something affordable but still would like something that's studio worthy. I know I still want duo computers because I like the idea of having one dedicated in the studio and one that can get all sticky, smokey and sweaty on stage.
In my opinion (and that is all these are..you are the one that will be using it so its up to you, of course). You would be best served with a powerful laptop. It would be just as good in the studio as live. I love not being tethered to one single location or area to work out off. And I love that I can bring it live. I use mostly my desktop at home because its all set up with my other gear and monitor and all that. But if I had to choose just one, I'd be more than able to do everything I do on just the laptop. But it depends on how you use it.
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sandman5000
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Re:laptop or a desktop for my home studio?
2010/10/13 08:32:09
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slartabartfast
....... Why not just record everything with an i-phone app and skip the whole Sonar hassle.
Well, we are living a great age. Won;t be long before yo can just bring your phone and run all your VSt's through that, lol. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDQT-YNrJdI
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Jim Roseberry
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Re:laptop or a desktop for my home studio?
2010/10/13 15:43:32
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I know I want a powerhouse of a desktop and also want a laptop. But, I just have a budget for one of the two for now. FWIW, I think you've answered your own question...  You don't really need portability at this point in time
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Bristol_Jonesey
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Re:laptop or a desktop for my home studio?
2010/11/02 07:08:25
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I prefer the flexibility of a desktop, being able to EASILY swap out Hard Drives, RAM etc.
But that's just me.
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syntheticpop
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Re:laptop or a desktop for my home studio?
2010/11/04 18:51:38
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thanks for the great feedback. i'm gonna go with a desktop for now but will add a laptop to my set-up when i need one. makes a lot of sense to get the best and fastest system available if the price isn't much more. the desktop will cost a few hundred more when i add in the monitor and the UPS but it will give me peace of mind that i won't need to upgrade for a while. the laptop just isn't anywhere near the power and speed of a desktop unless i want to spend $3k.
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davidbushh
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Re:laptop or a desktop for my home studio?
2010/11/17 13:18:38
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An i7 laptop is the best choice. The Intel Core i7 has Excellent performance and nicely configured for its cost. The Intel Core i7 laptop line is the latest addition to Intel’s growing number of powerful mobile processors. The Intel Core i7 laptop processors are featured with Intel Turbo Boost technology and Hyper-Threading technologies.
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gloriatrstn
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Re:laptop or a desktop for my home studio?
2010/11/18 00:00:41
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My view is laptop is a best for using home studio. You can work from any where. And if you have internet connection then it is very easy to share you data for you and your customers, Also you can upload any new themes, plug ins, new version of any applications instantly.
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