Final Suggestions - Best Music Production Laptops：
- Apple MacBook Pro
- Razer Blade
- Microsoft Surface Pro
- ASUS ROG
- Dell XPS 15
- Dell XPS 13
- HP Spectre X360
- Samsung Notebook 9 Pro
- PCAudioLabs
There is a good chance you’ll have lots of programs and tabs open at the same time and you will need the ability to add at least 1 extra screen (many people use 2 or 3). These usage requirements use a lot of RAM and graphic power, respectively. I recommend getting at least 16GB RAM if at all possible.
There are many great choices for music production laptops. I would suggest getting the best computer you can for your budget, but try to stay away from “cheap” options – and definitely avoid Chromebooks. You will just run into limitations and issues that take the fun out of your hobby or profession!
Let’s start my favorite laptop from Apple:
Apple MacBook Pro：
There’s a 13″ and a 15″ model (well, 13.3″ and 15.4″ to be exact) of the MacBook Pro laptop.
If you’re working on a plane a lot the 13-inch option is perfect, but that’s not most people. I would recommend getting the latest 15″ MacBook Pro with Touchbar.
With 16GB of RAM, a 2.8GHz quad-core Intel i7 processor (Kaby Lake) and a 256GB (or 512GB) solid-state hard drive you’ll be set for years. As of early-2018, this is the best MacBook Pro for music production. I would stick with the 256GB SSD and expand with an external hard drive later as needed unless you know you’ll need the extra space. It also comes with a Radeon Pro 555 with 2GB video RAM. The 512GB SSD version comes with the Radeon Pro 560 with 4GB VRAM.
It comes with 4 USB-C ports so you will need to get adapters or a dock. USB Type-C is a different port from traditional USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 ports.
Stay away from regular Macbooks (the non “Pro” models). They basically use a similar processor to a phone, meaning they’re designed for battery life over speed.
Razer Blade
Yes, the Razer Blade is a “gaming” laptop, but that also means it’s equally well-equipped to effortlessly handle music production.
In fact, Razer has teamed up with Image Line to give you a free copy of FL Studio 12 Producer Edition ($199 value) when you own a Razer Blade Stealth, Razer Blade, or Razer Blade Pro (details here).
The model I recommend is the 14″ Razer Blade. It has an Intel i7-7700HQ CPU, NVIDIA GTX 1060 (6GB GDDR5 VRAM), 16GB RAM, and a 512GB SSD.
The build quality of these laptops is second-to-none and is typically compared with Apple for good reason. They don’t add a bunch of extra software that just ends up slowing your computer down and they care about speed and performance – my kind of company!
Microsoft Surface Pro
Microsoft has come a long way their Surface Pro line. They recently dropped the numbered naming scheme so instead of the Surface Pro 5, it’s just Surface Pro. They offer a few great configurations that would work well for a music production laptop. I recommend the Surface Pro with an Intel i7, 16GB RAM, and a 512GB SSD. If you want to stay under $1,000, the Intel Core i5 with 4GB RAM is a lower-budget option, but you’ll use that smaller amount of memory up quick. It comes with a MicroSD slot too. You can get one direct from Microsoft here.
The screen size on these is 12.3″ which can a little small, but most people get an external monitor or 2 anyway. Just know that these don’t come with a keyboard – and you’ll likely need to get the Microsoft Surface Dock to give you more ports.
ASUS ROG
‘ROG’ stands for Republic of Gamers and is the gaming line of products from Asus. This means these computers are great for nearly any performance intensive task.
These laptops come with a ton of ports so you won’t need to spend extra on accessories just to plug your mixers or USB microphones into them. I recommend getting the combo 256GB SSD + 1TB HDD so you get the benefit of a really fast solid state drive combined with the capacity of a traditional spinning hard drive.
I’m recommending the 15″ model as that gives you a nice balance of screen real estate and portability for a laptop, but they also have 17″ models as well if you want that extra screen real estate.
Asus ROG Strix GL503VD-DB74
The Asus ROG Strix GL503VD-DB74 is a brand new model available as of September 2017 and is the perfect laptop for your music recording and mixing needs.
It uses the NVIDIA GTX 1050 graphics card. Many software programs, including most DAWs, make use of the graphic card, which frees up the CPU to do its thing. Also, when you start plugging in 2 or 3 external monitors, you’ll definitely need the extra GPU power. They also have an upgraded model with a GTX1060 and a 120Hz display.
This version also includes improved cooling, which can keep your computer quieter. This is great as you don’t want to be picking up fan noise when recording.
The processor is an Intel Core i7-7700HQ, comes with 16GB DDR4 RAM, and 2 hard drives: 256GB SSD and a 1TB HDD, perfect for fast performance and storing large files.
Comes with 3x USB 3.0 ports, 1x USB Type-C port, 1x USB 2.0, 1x HDMI, 1x Mini DisplayPort.
Dell XPS 15
Dell XPS9560-7001SLV-PUS 15.6 inch Laptop
The Dell XPS line of laptops has been an excellent choice for a while now. It’s the thinnest 15″ PC laptop around but doesn’t sacrifice performance. The latest version – Dell XPS 9560 – includes Intel’s brand new Kaby Lake processor and a beautiful 4K touchscreen with Gorilla Glass for scratch resistance.
I recommend the XPS9560-7001SLV-PUS model with the 7th generation Intel i7-7700HQ, 16GB RAM, and a 512GB SSD. You’ll also get Nvidia GTX 1050 graphics card. You’ll be able to record and edit music, do video editing, and nearly anything else with this.
It comes with an SD card reader and 2 USB 3.0 ports.
Dell XPS 13
2018 Dell XPS 9370 Laptop
Dell recently upgraded the 13″ model for 2018 to include Intel’s 8th generation i7-8550U processor, among many other improvements that make for an excellent upgrade over the previous models.
I recommend the Dell XPS 9370 with a 4K touchscreen, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, Fingerprint reader, and more. It has 3x USB-C ports (no USB-A).
It’s still not the most powerful and the graphics card doesn’t really compare with the other laptops highlighted here, but Dell has really put together an impressive ultraportable laptop.
The webcam placement is a little weird at the bottom, so if you plan to use that often I would recommend grabbing the Logitech C920 to go with it.
They also introduced a great new Rose Gold on Alpine White color option.
HP Spectre X360
The HP Spectre X360 is beautiful, versatile and powerful. I recommend the 15″ model updated in late 2017 with the 8th Generation Intel i7, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, and a Nvidia MX150 graphics card.
With the late 2017 update, you can now get a 32GB RAM configuration (and for some reason as of this writing, it’s the same price as the lower specced one above, so I’d hurry and get it
This is a “2-in-1″ laptop, meaning that the 4K touchscreen folds backward, effectively making it a tablet. The 15” model is a little under 4.5 lbs, which is a bit heavy to hold one-handed in tablet mode, but great for sharing things or writing. There is also a media mode for watching videos and a tent mode for presentations.
HP was smart by including both a USB Type-A port (the stand rectangle) and 2x USB Type-C ports (the new oval), one of which includes Thunderbolt. They also include an SD Card reader and an HDMI port so you shouldn’t need a bunch of dongles to all your gear connected.
The early 2017 version didn’t include the best graphics card of the bunch, but the newest version linked above has the new GeForce MX150 which is nearly twice as powerful.. nice upgrade!
If you want something a little lighter and more portable, there is a new 4K 13″ model that weighs 2.78 lbs. It uses the Intel UHD 620 graphics card, which is actually a slight downgrade compared with the previous 13″ model that had Nvidia 940MX. You do lose the HDMI port with this size though, although an adapter will easily solve that.
The versatility and reasonable price point make both sizes of the Spectre X360 an excellent choice for a Windows-based music production laptop.
Samsung Notebook 9 Pro
Here’s another 2-in-1 laptop, this time by Samsung. The Pro model was just announced at Computex earlier this year. The 15″ Notebook 9 Pro has been updated with Intel’s latest Kaby Lake processors as well and offers decent specs for the price.
Samsung has taken cues from their smartphone line when it comes to design, with thin bezels and more curvature. It comes with an S-Pen (and a slot to hold it) that has 4,000 levels of pressure and the ability to add shading by tilting it.
Similar to the Spectre above, you get both USB 3.0 and USB Type-C, an HDMI port, and an SD Card reader. The 13″ model only comes with 8GB RAM, while the 15″ model gets 16GB. Graphics power is also a lot better in the 15″ model with the AMD Radeon 450 vs Intel HD Graphics 620 in the 13″ version. Because of that, I would stay away from the smaller one for serious music producers.
PCAudioLabs
PCAudioLabs specializes in computer equipment for audio production. Their ROK BOX MC Mobile Series line of pro audio laptops lets you custom build a laptop that will fit your production needs and budget.
Maybe you need a backup battery:
.jpg)
No comments:
Post a Comment