High end Laptop for Music production

[JP]

Hi, I'm looking for a laptop for music production.  

 

Specs I'm looking for:

- CPU - the best possible in a laptop. Both, core count and per thread performance are important. Unfortunately I haven't seen any i7 9xxx series in a laptop yet. It's going to be running 7+ hours a day under medium to high load.

- GPU - doesn't matter at all, can be Intel HD Graphics. I've noticed a trend, that some laptops with 2070s and 2080s cost almost the same as others with 1050ti. Better GPU is welcomed but after everything else in the list.

- RAM - 16GB min, upgradable to 32GB, and 64GB if possible

- SSD - 500GB min, preferably 1TB

- HDD - not necessary but 1TB would be welcomed

- Design/Look - modest, not gaming

 

Lighter weight is preferable. Matte screen, thin bethels. Numpad. Decent keys. Screen size - not sure here, can be medium to large. High screen resolution not very important, but welcomed.

 

Would love to see options for these price ranges: $2000, $3000, $4000.

 

Thanks

 

Not Apple

[DrMacintosh]

https://www.apple.com/shop/buy-mac/macbook-pro/15-inch-space-gray-2.6ghz-6-core-512gb#

• 2.9GHz 6‑core 8th‑generation Intel Core i9 processor, Turbo Boost up to 4.8GHz
• Radeon Pro 560X with 4GB of GDDR5 memory
• 32GB 2400MHz DDR4 memory
• 512GB SSD storage

[JP]

Just now, DrMacintosh said:

https://www.apple.com/shop/buy-mac/macbook-pro/15-inch-space-gray-2.6ghz-6-core-512gb#

• 2.9GHz 6‑core 8th‑generation Intel Core i9 processor, Turbo Boost up to 4.8GHz
• Radeon Pro 560X with 4GB of GDDR5 memory
• 32GB 2400MHz DDR4 memory
• 512GB SSD storage

Sorry, I should've specified - not Apple

[DrMacintosh]

Just now, JP said:

Sorry, I should've specified - not Apple

What Music production programs don't run on macOS? 

[JP]

1 minute ago, DrMacintosh said:

What Music production programs don't run on macOS? 

I just prefer Windows

[SeraphicWings]

It's either Dell XPS 15 or Razer Blade 15

 

But in my very honest opinion, I agree with doctor here: Buy a Macbook Pro, dealing with external audio in Windows is simply a pain in the ass, plus MacOS get more supports for DAW than Windows

 

Also you can install Windows on Mac too, so it's a bonus

[JP]

46 minutes ago, SeraphicWings said:

It's either Dell XPS 15 or Razer Blade 15

 

But in my very honest opinion, I agree with doctor here: Buy a Macbook Pro, dealing with external audio in Windows is simply a pain in the ass, plus MacOS get more supports for DAW than Windows

 

Also you can install Windows on Mac too, so it's a bonus

I've been working in Cubase on Windows for 8 years now, haven't had any problems with my setups. I don't see myself switching anytime in near future.

I just need something mobile to work when I don't have access to my studio.

 

Here's what I don't understand: https://www.productchart.com/laptops/26100

...similar price, same processor, a bit less RAM, a bit lower res, bigger screen and rtx 2080 vs 1050ti in XPS?? 

[genexis_x]

12 hours ago, JP said:

the best possible in a laptop

Desktop 8th/9th gen CPU? Then you have to go for Clevos which aren't that light (AW 51m isn't really that good so I just exclude it)

12 hours ago, JP said:

Lighter weight is preferable

thin bethels

[SeraphicWings]

14 hours ago, JP said:

...similar price, same processor, a bit less RAM, a bit lower res, bigger screen and rtx 2080 vs 1050ti in XPS?? 

The Scar II is a gaming laptop, whereas the XPS is more of a multimedia one

[JP]

12 hours ago, GeneXiS_X said:

Desktop 8th/9th gen CPU? Then you have to go for Clevos which aren't that light (AW 51m isn't really that good so I just exclude it)

I would like 9th gen, but I haven't seen it in any laptop yet. I think they're going to be launched closer to July.

 

4 hours ago, SeraphicWings said:

The Scar II is a gaming laptop, whereas the XPS is more of a multimedia one

I get it. I guess 2070 not that much more expensive than 1050ti

 

Here's what I would like to get ideally: 

• chassis of Dell XPS 15
• 9th gen core i7
• 32/64GB RAM (or upgradable 16GB)
• 1TB SSD (upgradable to bigger SSD)
• RTX 2070/2080
• screen resolution close to 1440p

I understand that it is probably unreal configuration. For now I'm leaning towards Dell XPS 15, but also looking for alternatives.

[genexis_x]

Preferred max weight and min battery life?

[JP]

On 4/4/2019 at 11:28 AM, GeneXiS_X said:

Preferred max weight and min battery life?

Battery life is not very important, 4+ hours is fine.

Weight - close to Dell XPS 15 – 4,6-6,5 pounds

[genexis_x]

Any links of online stores?

 

Fine with iGPU or you want powerful GPU? (do you even need it?) Understand that max weight you prefer is 6.5 pounds? Are matte screen, thin bezels, high reso display and numpad musts?

[JP]

19 hours ago, GeneXiS_X said:

Any links of online stores?

 

Fine with iGPU or you want powerful GPU? (do you even need it?) Understand that max weight you prefer is 6.5 pounds? Are matte screen, thin bezels, high reso display and numpad musts?

 

Max weight 6.5 pounds ~ 3 kg

 

Preference from 0 to 10, where 0 is "don't need, but would be nice" and 10 is "a must":

- Matte screen - 5 - not a deal breaker, can be sacrificed for other things

- Thin bezels - 10 - yes

- High res - 4 - not a must

- Numpad - 8 - helps with workflow, but can be sacrificed for rtx 2070-2080, better CPU, thin bezels, or combination of other factors

- GPU - 0 - don't need powerful GPU, iGPU is fine if everything else is on point

 

Links to online stores (you might have to enable translation for web pages):

https://can.ua/notebooks/c1487/

https://hotline.ua/computer/noutbuki-netbuki/

 

 

[Super Spartan]

On 4/3/2019 at 9:04 AM, JP said:

Hi, I'm looking for a laptop for music production.  

 

Specs I'm looking for:

- CPU - the best possible in a laptop. Both, core count and per thread performance are important. Unfortunately I haven't seen any i7 9xxx series in a laptop yet. It's going to be running 7+ hours a day under medium to high load.

- GPU - doesn't matter at all, can be Intel HD Graphics. I've noticed a trend, that some laptops with 2070s and 2080s cost almost the same as others with 1050ti. Better GPU is welcomed but after everything else in the list.

- RAM - 16GB min, upgradable to 32GB, and 64GB if possible

- SSD - 500GB min, preferably 1TB

- HDD - not necessary but 1TB would be welcomed

- Design/Look - modest, not gaming

 

Lighter weight is preferable. Matte screen, thin bethels. Numpad. Decent keys. Screen size - not sure here, can be medium to large. High screen resolution not very important, but welcomed.

 

Would love to see options for these price ranges: $2000, $3000, $4000.

 

Thanks

 

Not Apple

I just got this Dell XPS 15 that you see below:

Dell XPS 15 9570 | i9-8950HK | Samsung 2666 MHz 32GB DDR4 RAM | GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB DDR5 | 15.6" 4K UHD InfinityEdge Anti-Reflective Touch IPS 100% Adobe RGB 400-Nits display | Toshiba XG5-P 2TB Ultra NVMe SSD + Sandisk Extreme PRO 512GB SD Card | Killer Wireless-AC 1535 | 97WHr Battery | Windows 10 Enterprise

 

I wanted a little powerful beast of a machine with great battery life and this one ticked most of the boxes but man, what really sold me was when I saw its screen, as much as I hate 4K screens on a laptop, the clarity and crispness is out of this world since it's glossy. I hate the dull anti-glare screens. This reminds me of he awesome LED Backlit screen I had in 2007 on my SONY VAIO SZ Series. One of the best screens I've had.

 

With that said, I recommend you get it from HIDevolution like me as they have superb quality control and offer thermal upgrades like Thermal Grizzly Conductonaut + Fujipoly Extreme thermal pads which drop the temps by 15C! That is a must in such a powerful but small laptop man otherwise you will run into overheating/throttling issues.

 

Check out their XPS 15 Models

 

Another one that I highly recommend is the EVOC High Performance Systems P775TM1 - 17.3" FHD 60Hz / FHD 144Hz / QHD 120Hz / QFHD 60Hz - i5-9600K / i7-9700K / i9-9900K - GTX 1060 / 1070 / 1080

[JP]

19 hours ago, Ultra Male said:

I just got this Dell XPS 15 that you see below:

Dell XPS 15 9570 | i9-8950HK | Samsung 2666 MHz 32GB DDR4 RAM | GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB DDR5 | 15.6" 4K UHD InfinityEdge Anti-Reflective Touch IPS 100% Adobe RGB 400-Nits display | Toshiba XG5-P 2TB Ultra NVMe SSD + Sandisk Extreme PRO 512GB SD Card | Killer Wireless-AC 1535 | 97WHr Battery | Windows 10 Enterprise

 

I wanted a little powerful beast of a machine with great battery life and this one ticked most of the boxes but man, what really sold me was when I saw its screen, as much as I hate 4K screens on a laptop, the clarity and crispness is out of this world since it's glossy. I hate the dull anti-glare screens. This reminds me of he awesome LED Backlit screen I had in 2007 on my SONY VAIO SZ Series. One of the best screens I've had.

 

With that said, I recommend you get it from HIDevolution like me as they have superb quality control and offer thermal upgrades like Thermal Grizzly Conductonaut + Fujipoly Extreme thermal pads which drop the temps by 15C! That is a must in such a powerful but small laptop man otherwise you will run into overheating/throttling issues.

 

Check out their XPS 15 Models

 

Another one that I highly recommend is the EVOC High Performance Systems P775TM1 - 17.3" FHD 60Hz / FHD 144Hz / QHD 120Hz / QFHD 60Hz - i5-9600K / i7-9700K / i9-9900K - GTX 1060 / 1070 / 1080

 

EVOC looks very enticing. Only couple of issues with it: 1) It is a huge gaming brick 2) its $4000 configuration, that I picked, is going to cost me around $5400 with tax and shipping.

 

I think I'm going to look for local Dell partners/system builders that provide custom solutions to get the right configuration of XPS 15. Configurations in my local retail stores are garbage. And shipping in is out of the question.

[Super Spartan]

On 4/11/2019 at 1:16 PM, JP said:

 

EVOC looks very enticing. Only couple of issues with it: 1) It is a huge gaming brick 2) its $4000 configuration, that I picked, is going to cost me around $5400 with tax and shipping.

 

I think I'm going to look for local Dell partners/system builders that provide custom solutions to get the right configuration of XPS 15. Configurations in my local retail stores are garbage. And shipping in is out of the question.

I see, alright man, good luck

[genexis_x]

Lenovo Thinkpad P52

Dell Precision M7530

Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Extreme - no numpad

 

Lenovo Legion Y730 15 - no numpad

Lenovo Legion Y530

Dell G5 5590 - CPU power limit and airflow issues

Asus GL504GV / GM - gaming orientated

HP Omen 15-dc - gaming orientated

MSI P65 8RE / 8RD - mediocre cooling, OKish build quality, no numpad

 

Gaming orientated (can turn off lights), below 4 hrs battery life:

Asus Zephyrus M GM501GS / GM

Asus Zephyrus S GX701GX / GW / GV - max 24/32GB RAM

Asus Zephyrus S GX531GX / GW / GS / GM - max 24/32GB RAM

Asus Zephyrus GX501GI - max 24/32GB RAM

MSI GE75 8SG / 8SF / 8SE / 8RF / 8RE

 

1. All with CFL-H i7/i9

2. Upgrade RAM / SSD by your own if not enough, dual channel memory is highly recommended

3. Let me know if you have other options in mind

[JP]

23 hours ago, GeneXiS_X said:

Lenovo Thinkpad P52

Dell Precision M7530

Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Extreme - no numpad

 

Lenovo Legion Y730 15 - no numpad

Lenovo Legion Y530

Dell G5 5590 - CPU power limit and airflow issues

Asus GL504GV / GM - gaming orientated

HP Omen 15-dc - gaming orientated

MSI P65 8RE / 8RD - mediocre cooling, OKish build quality, no numpad

 

Gaming orientated (can turn off lights), below 4 hrs battery life:

Asus Zephyrus M GM501GS / GM

Asus Zephyrus S GX701GX / GW / GV - max 24/32GB RAM

Asus Zephyrus S GX531GX / GW / GS / GM - max 24/32GB RAM

Asus Zephyrus GX501GI - max 24/32GB RAM

MSI GE75 8SG / 8SF / 8SE / 8RF / 8RE

 

1. All with CFL-H i7/i9

2. Upgrade RAM / SSD by your own if not enough, dual channel memory is highly recommended

3. Let me know if you have other options in mind

This is great, thank you very much!

[jpguitar]

I hope you did NOT get the XPS 15!  There are widespread DPC audio latency issues with this line of laptops.  It's probably the LAST i5/i7-based laptop you'd want for music production.

[JP]

15 hours ago, jpguitar said:

I hope you did NOT get the XPS 15!  There are widespread DPC audio latency issues with this line of laptops.  It's probably the LAST i5/i7-based laptop you'd want for music production.

Thanks for the heads up!

I did not yet. I am going with i7 rather than i9. And I wouldn't use internal sound card anyway. I'm assuming this issue doesn't occur with external audio interface.