upgrading to a laptop
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Posted on Oct 01, 2005 02:39 pm
mccarty
eeeeeeemo.
Member Since: Oct 30, 2003
Hey there everyone! Been a while since I posted on these forums, but I am in need of advice!
So, in a year I will be packing up and moving to University, where I will be studying something along the lines of a Music Technology course. Whilst I am there, I woulc love to be able to have a computer with some music editing facilities in my accomodation, which I could also take down the computer labs as and when I need to.
I have also realised a need to make my studio setup a lot more mobile, as I am doing more and more band recordings "on-site".
For these reasons I have decided to convert my desktop PC setup to a laptop (current spec in profile). However, rather than seeing this as a compromise, I am viewing it as more of an upgrade, which is gonna last me for the forseeable future (at least till I get out of Uni in 4 years time).
here is the rough spec of the laptop I am after:
Pentium M 1.7
1GB RAM
60GB 7200rpm HDD
E-MU 1616 card
WiFi card
yada yada
So.... now for the questions....
1. I have read that a 1.7 Pentium M is comparable to a 3.1 P4. Is this true? I definitely don't need much more speed than this and the 1.7 is fairly cheap in spec sheets.
2. Is it better to have one lump of 1GB ram, or to have 2x 512mb or ram? I ask because some of the higher specced laptops I have seen split it up into 2, yet it is cheaper to do this.
Any opinions on the card greatly appreciated too. I wqas originally going to go for a Quattro but it got slated on every review I read :/
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Oct 02, 2005 12:45 am 1. i don't know too much, but it sounds like a marketing campaign to me. i would try both out to see if you actually notice the difference.
2. get 2x512's definitly. RAM tends to die at the worst times, and you'll have that extra one in there to keep you going. plus, you won't have to replace an entire gb if and when it goes down, just another 512.
3i didn't like my e-mu 1820, which, i'm guessing music be similar to the 1616. i just hate patchmix. if you're using a laptop, go for a preson. firepod. i've used it and i really like it. nice pre's in it.
just my 2 cents.
TadpuiI am not a crook's headMember
Since: Mar 14, 2003
Oct 02, 2005 10:09 am I'm thinking of doing the same thing, upgrading to a laptop. That EMU 1616 PCMCIA card is the one that I'd buy if I were upgrading today. 16 in/outs, high quality preamps, and portability all make it pretty attractive, especially for the price.
Never used it, so I have no first-hand advice for ya.
Oct 02, 2005 10:55 am Laptops aren't as easy to upgrade at will, that is the major downside.
mccartyeeeeeeemo.Member
Since: Oct 30, 2003
Oct 02, 2005 02:12 pm Mmmhmm I'd been warned that by a couple of people dB, so I'm hoping the spec I go for is gonna be relativiely futureproof and versatile enough for my needs.
If anyone else is wondering about the Pentium M, I found this on Wikipedia (which I'm going to trust more than a retailer's website!)
"Running with very low average power consumption and much lower heat output than desktop processors, the Pentium M runs at a lower clock speed than the contemporary Pentium 4 desktop processor series, but with similar performance (e.g. a 1.6 GHz Pentium M can typically attain or exceed the performance of a 2.4 GHz Northwood Pentium 4 (400 MHz FSB, 100 MHz quad-pumped) with no Hyper-Threading Technology)."
zekthedeadcowEat Spam before it eats YOU!!!Member
Since: May 11, 2002
Oct 02, 2005 03:59 pm I think ugrading laptops is difficult only because they don't use standard compondents...or morelikely they use a standard component but disguise it as a proprietery onse and charge more... I just picked up an old old old laptop to do some text editing with and coding ...an IBM Thinkpad 760 ... the harddrive caddy tries to pass itself off as as "special" harddrive clearly labled as "Do not Open!!!" but to upgrade you just rip the sticker off and pry it open and put a normal harddrive in...
plus unlike PC's you usually have to upgrade everything including case, monitor, keyboard, mouse...things that on desktops you wouldn't factor in.
Oct 02, 2005 04:13 pm Quote:
I go for is gonna be relativiely futureproof and versatile
Nice idea, too bad it's thoroughly and completely impossible.
jmailjimmie neutronMember
Since: Feb 14, 2005
Oct 03, 2005 09:07 am Also notice the line "... with no Hyper-Threading Technology...". So the Pentium M's lower clock speed can beat a desktop " with no Hyper-Threading Technology". Which, really, in a DAW shouldn't be used, anyway... (no power saving, no "switching", no background apps such as virus-scan, etc...)
I've got an 1820M and love it. Once I got used to the PatchMix app (the software mixer for the card), I was fine. Go to www.emu.com and the Support page, Knowledge Base and look up the PCMIA (or whatever) controller you have, see if it's mentioned. Also, go to
www.productionforums.com/...f10da5241960ce2
and ask questions of 1616 users (the site is NOT an EMU site, but they are represented there). You can navigate around the whole site from the "navigation" line, just below the "tabs" line and "toolbar", up near the top of the page.
pjkPrince CZAR-mingMember
Since: Apr 08, 2004
Oct 04, 2005 10:42 am I have a dell 600m. Centrino, Pentium M, 1.6g, 512m, 60g HD (not sure of RPM).
One really cool thing, is that it's already set up for dual monitors. One being the LCD, and the other being the monitor output. Just tell XP that the second monitor is attached, and viola!
I'm using a tascam US-122 as an interface. 24bit, 44.1khz.
I'm working on a project (on and off) that has 10 or so tracks. I'm getting playback jitters that clear up with repeated playback. It may be my buffers, or maybe the HD, but I didn't notice anything like this on my desktop DAW (when it was running - AMD 2500, 512m).
I was using N-track 3.3 on both, BTW.
Be warned as well, pre-built systems have tonnes of stuff loaded on it (and running in memory) that you won't want when recording. Maybe a dual-boot config would be a good solution. I just kill all the unwanted stuff when I'm recording.
As an added note, I recently recorded an outdoor music festival thing with my laptop and US-122 using two samson mics. It turned out very well. I can post a clip if interested.
jmailjimmie neutronMember
Since: Feb 14, 2005
Oct 04, 2005 09:22 pm Your Dell is most likely a 5400rpm-er. The addition of a firewire or USB 7200rpm external drive to record to usually alleviates the crinklin' cracklies problem, if all else is good, which it sounds like, since the stereo record went well...
pjkPrince CZAR-mingMember
Since: Apr 08, 2004
Oct 05, 2005 08:08 am I'm inclined to agree (since i'm too lazy to go and look it up =)
Oct 05, 2005 08:24 am it's an ATA100 5400RPM.
pjkPrince CZAR-mingMember
Since: Apr 08, 2004
Oct 05, 2005 08:45 am there you go, thanks db.
