#21

I’ve heard some bad reports about the Yoga’s screen’s quality control. Dead pixels, uneven illumination, that sort of thing. Another thing to be aware of with many windows laptops is potential fan noise.

1 Like
#22

Based on similar criteria, I got a Dell 13 5000 which I’ve been very happy with.

2 Likes
#23

@Szuumm thanks for the tip! the Dell 5000 and 7000 series seem like they’re among the best values for what I’m after, and they have normal ports for everything!

#24

NP - the only real cons that I’ve found are that the battery life isn’t brilliant, and the default screen resolution is horrible (but fine once tweaked).

Neither deal-breakers for me at this price-point, obviously YMMV.

#25

I have a PC at work and a MAC at home and find that sometimes even small details that make both platforms enjoyable/frustrating to use. For example - I like that you can batch rename files on OSX, but split-screening on a single monitor is much more fluid in Windows (which I use constantly).

Back in the late 90s/early 2000s I had terrible experiences running audio software on Windows machines so I bought a Mac when I wanted to start using Ableton. It seems like a lot of producers use Windows these days though (i.e. every mainstream trap track, which seems to be FL studio), so I can’t imagine it is that bad.

#26

To deal with this I use BetterSnapTool, which gives the Mac similar functionality to Windows Snap.

It’s OK if you keep up with Windows Update. If I walk away from my computer for a while (several months) and come back to it, the pile of pending updates take forever to get the machine back to a working state, and because so many updates happen at once, any incompatibilities/instability that arise from OS level changes and their combo with various installed apps/services can be difficult to pinpoint. So in that situation, I end up needing to disable/uninstall a lot of stuff before returning to stability. So, moral of the story is: keep up with Windows Update.

1 Like
#28

my alternative personal philosophy: once everything works, never update anything ever
:wink:

4 Likes
#29

Given the security track record of windows I hope that means you are not connecting this computer to the internet.

1 Like
#30

I do this as well, with a Mac. I froze everything at 2013 (10.8, Logic 9) on my music machine. Everything is still working fine. I was terrified of a number of things: first, being forced to upgrade to Logic X – the UI seems unattractive and I don’t see how any of the new features would be useful. (While I don’t think a forced upgrade would happen directly, just by installing the new OS, it may happen indirectly through bugs newly introduced in this OS.) Second, I kept one plugin (AU) that I wrote 10 years ago (but lost the source code), so I’d be very disappointed if that stopped working, as I still depend on it. Anyway, I’ve been lucky so far.

#31

I purchased the new surface book (13") and pair it with a portable audio interface (MIYO) and a smaller eurorack case. It’s perfect if you want a small portable setup.

I switched from being a long mac user but I had no problems with getting accustomed to the Owindows 10 OS and having Ableton/Bitwig run without issues. Sure, the original audio drivers suck hard and this lady at microsoft support almost encouraged me to go return the computer when I asked her if there is a work around without having the need to use a interface.

Perhaps its above your preferred budget, but I’ve never been happier with a computer - I even put my er-301 order on ice.
I know, i know, but Grid + Ableton is just too much fun.

#32

Apologies if there’s already a thread on this: a quick search didn’t show anything!

It looks like my trusty mid-2010 Macbook Pro is finally coming to the end of its useful life: I reckon I’ve probably got a couple more months with it at most before it completely gives up the ghost.

I’m really hesitant to fork out for another Mac, given how insanely overpriced and constricted they’ve become since I last bought one (holding tight to see if an apparently imminent spec bump changes that), but I’m a bit overwhelmed by the non-Apple options on offer.

Has anyone made the switch from Mac to PC for music production recently? I guess the main things I’m looking for are (in order of priority):

  • Extremely high bang-for-buck ratio: particularly want to get as much processor speed as possible without breaking the bank, but RAM and SSD space are also key (bonus points if the latter are user-upgradeable). Won’t be gaming much if at all, so graphics are less urgent but still useful.

  • High build quality: really want this machine to last for as long as my old one has, so I’d be looking for a metal chassis, high quality components, extensive warranty, all that stuff. Happy to pay a bit more for something that’s really solid, well-made and long-lasting.

  • Light, portable, unassuming: I’ll probably be using this for work as well as music, so I need something (relatively) light and easy to travel with, and which doesn’t have zany designs all over it. I’m specifically thinking of gaming laptops here, which are strong on the above points but invariably look like the creation of a teenage boy’s Mountain Dew fever dream.

Is there anything on the PC side which ticks all those boxes? Current front runners are the Dell XPS 13 or the Razer Blade (which just qualifies as professional-looking) but I’m sure there are some options I’m missing.

Or is this a false economy? Am I better off biting the bullet, getting another MBP and telling myself that the build quality and useable life will offset the price premium over the next 8 years, as my outgoing one has?

I should add that I’m happy to pay an additional premium to stay with Apple, if I’m honest: I find OSX / MacOS much more enjoyable to use than Windows, just not “same tech specs for double the price” enjoyable.

6 Likes
#33

commenting to follow i’m pretty sure I’m about to be in the same boat

2 Likes
#34

I feel you, the new MBPs seem like a downgrade from my model. With app support coming to chromeOS, Google’s Chromebooks are looking pretty appealing. The i7 option makes way more sense now too.

#35

no help from me sorry… but a word of encouragement for switching. the newer the mac, the more problems I encounter.

my 15" non-touchbar retina already has a lot of weirdness going on. my work machine touchbar 13", I have to cold start it nearly every day… ugh.

luckily the OS is back in few seconds and everything recovered… but still.
ymmv with the installed software stack (and peripherals) of course.

#36

I very recently switched from running my music production on Mac to Windows. As far as OS goes I don’t have a preference really. These days it’s very easy to set everything up no matter what OS you use it seems.

I am running a high end surface book 2. It might not be the price range you are looking for but it is a superb computer for most tasks.

I always liked the 2in1 concept and I actually use it a lot. Bigwig is particularly fun because of its touch screen support.
Haven’t run in to any performance issues.

1 Like
#37

You’ve kind of named all the main players: XPS13, Razer Blade Stealth. HP don’t have much in play, Thinkpads aren’t what they were. The MS high-end machines - Surface Book 2, Surface Laptop - are thought of highly by colleagues.

I’m seriously looking at getting a top end (16/1tb/i7) 2015 Macbook Pro off ebay or something to replace my tiring Air. It feels counter-intuitive buying an old laptop right now, but they’re a tad easier to get the battery replaced on, will save me about £200 in dongles, and do what I need. I am wary - as someone using my laptop as my main computer - of the new janky keyboards, and the stupid touchbar. Why can’t I get four USBs without a touchbar, Apple?

Regarding ports: increasing numbers of computers are going the USB-C route; the older model XPS13 still has USB-A ports and can be found refurb.

As ever with Apple, their refurbished page will save you a few hundred quid and is still eligible for AppleCare.

2 Likes
#38

Crazy as it sounds, I’m highly considering backing the UDOO BOLT kickstarter and using it as my dedicated music production computer when it arrives, and using my existing Macbook Air for the rest of my usual non-CPU/GPU-intensive tasks. It’s a maker board, but with a top of the line AMD GPU and a quad-core CPU. It runs Windows or Linux, and at its processing power they claim it’s capable of driving any AAA game currently on the market, so I think it’ll perform great for music. And all for a very reasonable price.

(Also, it’ll run OpenGL and Vulkan without ‘deprecating’ them, unlike Macs. Shaking my head at Apple)

4 Likes
#39

mod edit:
@ehg started a ‘Laptops for music production’ thread, which had redundancies with this one – all posts here seem to have music production in mind as the main usage. merged the two.

5 Likes
#40

After waiting to see Apple’s next move I’m seriously considering getting the Dell XPS 13 2018 (non-touch) or the Surface 4, new Pro, or Laptop. While I prefer OSX generally, Windows is fine in most ways and better in others (I use W7 at work and OSX at home). I’ll be traveling with a laptop more starting this fall and the ~5lb weight and battery issues of my 2012 MBP are making me think about replacing.

Anyone have direct experience with either or have other PC ultrabook recommendations?

1 Like
#41

I’m currently on a Macbook Air that I recently replaced the logic board on that gave it a big jump in RAM. CPU, among other other things. The laptop I had before this was a hackintosh, and while that was a terrific computer that I still use, it suffered from trackpad issues so I didn’t use it on the go much.

I have been eyeing this hackintosh guide for the computer you’re looking at (2017 vers that is).

I’ll most likely hang onto this Macbook Air, but eventually do a desktop build for a hackintosh.

1 Like