Topic: Need a new laptop...any advice?

[robgronotte]

I have the worst luck (or maybe the worst skill) at choosing laptops.  I have disliked the last two I have bought from when I started using them, but I kept them because they were slightly better than my old one or the old one was completely dead.  Now that there are barely any computer stores left, I can't even get a feel for them before buying.  I really need help selecting a new one, and since I have been using it for audio editing more than anything else recently, I thought I would ask here.

I'm looking for a windows laptop. preferably one with a fairly large screen as my eyesight isn't what it used to be.  I would actually prefer for it not to be a touch-screen, but since they seem to becoming ubiquitous, I can live with having one if it gets everything else working well.  I would prefer it having as close to a "real" keyboard as possible, instead of a "chiclet" style keyboard.  I don't need a huge hard drive, as I have good external units, but it would need to have enough space to hold several different music editing programs.  I would like something that could run the music editing programs without too much delay or getting very hot, even when also having some internet windows open as well.  Finally, ideally it would have good sound from the built in speakers, though I normally will be using headphones for actual music editing.

Of course I would prefer to spend less than more for the same performance levels, but I would be willing to spend up to $1000 or so if it has everything I like and would be likely to be happy with for at least several years.

If anyone has any advice for me, I would love to hear it.  Specific model recommendations from someone who has them would be great, but also any advice on which brands I might be most likely to be happy with, or even what specs I should be looking at or the best place to shop.  Or even a different forum I should be looking at, or an old thread here with a similar topic.

Surely many of you have faced this decision in the recent past, unless nearly everyone uses desktops or macs around here.  If this is the wrong subforum for these questions, I would appreciate knowing where would be better.

[BlueSky71]

Chiming in because I just read about this laptop yesterday. It's a bit more than the 1K you mentioned, but would be worth every penny. The M series chips from Apple are insane, at least for the money. If you are a windows guy, there would be a couple challenges with your existing drives, but they can be overcome. But from what I read, nothing will touch this laptop for the 1299 when it comes out. Processing audio with the M2 chip and the internal storage is crazy ( I run a Mac mini M2) What used to take minutes, takes seconds.

https://www.theverge.com/2023/6/5/23739220/apple-macbook-air-15-features-specs-price-release-date-wwdc-2023

[rocksuitcase]

We usea lot of laptops where I work. We are mainly Dell business class users though, so nothing would fall into your price point. (Latitudes mainly)
For your usage mentioned, music editing, I have found 16GB RAM is the minimum you can get away with these days. Also, the fastest processor, the better (i.e. choose i7 vs i5. I prefer Intel but others have more knowledge of INtel vs AMD. In my experience, you don't need 16 cores, etc, most music editing software will only use 4-8 cores.
summary of my advice (For music editing):
1] No need for gaming type PC's
2] Get at least 16 GB RAM
3] Get at least an i7 processor

[kindms]

I have the worst luck (or maybe the worst skill) at choosing laptops.  I have disliked the last two I have bought from when I started using them, but I kept them because they were slightly better than my old one or the old one was completely dead.  Now that there are barely any computer stores left, I can't even get a feel for them before buying.  I really need help selecting a new one, and since I have been using it for audio editing more than anything else recently, I thought I would ask here.

I'm looking for a windows laptop. preferably one with a fairly large screen as my eyesight isn't what it used to be.  I would actually prefer for it not to be a touch-screen, but since they seem to becoming ubiquitous, I can live with having one if it gets everything else working well.  I would prefer it having as close to a "real" keyboard as possible, instead of a "chiclet" style keyboard.  I don't need a huge hard drive, as I have good external units, but it would need to have enough space to hold several different music editing programs.  I would like something that could run the music editing programs without too much delay or getting very hot, even when also having some internet windows open as well.  Finally, ideally it would have good sound from the built in speakers, though I normally will be using headphones for actual music editing.

Of course I would prefer to spend less than more for the same performance levels, but I would be willing to spend up to $1000 or so if it has everything I like and would be likely to be happy with for at least several years.

If anyone has any advice for me, I would love to hear it.  Specific model recommendations from someone who has them would be great, but also any advice on which brands I might be most likely to be happy with, or even what specs I should be looking at or the best place to shop.  Or even a different forum I should be looking at, or an old thread here with a similar topic.

Surely many of you have faced this decision in the recent past, unless nearly everyone uses desktops or macs around here.  If this is the wrong subforum for these questions, I would appreciate knowing where would be better.

I work in IT and we get this a lot. for our corporate customers we typically suggest Surface Pro 16GB ram or Dell XPS similar specs. 3 years support etc which will be about 2x your budget but we recently recommended a machine closer to your budget.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1723882-REG/lenovo_21dj000vus_thinkbook_15_g4_i7_1255u.html

999. you can add a 3 year warranty extension for 299 as well.  i7 16gb ram, 500gb hdd and 15.6" screen. you can always get a monitor and/or dock if you wan a huge screen for your workspace

[Fatah Ruark (aka MIKE B)]

Chiming in because I just read about this laptop yesterday. It's a bit more than the 1K you mentioned, but would be worth every penny. The M series chips from Apple are insane, at least for the money. If you are a windows guy, there would be a couple challenges with your existing drives, but they can be overcome. But from what I read, nothing will touch this laptop for the 1299 when it comes out. Processing audio with the M2 chip and the internal storage is crazy ( I run a Mac mini M2) What used to take minutes, takes seconds.

https://www.theverge.com/2023/6/5/23739220/apple-macbook-air-15-features-specs-price-release-date-wwdc-2023

Sort of 2nd this option. And for below the OPS budget you can get a M1 Macbook Air (about $800 at Best Buy now). The M1 chip will also crush audio processing. You can run Windows with Parallels which works fantastic under most situations. I do have a problem running foobar+Live Show Tagger, which takes FOREVER to tag a show (like hours). But there are options to tag in MacOS as well, so not a deal breaker.

The Apple hardware just wins for the price now (IMO).

All that being said I'm sure there are plenty of Windows laptops that will work fine as well without jumping through the extra hoops. If the heaviest thing you're going to do is process audio just about any current laptop will work fine.

[morst]

  Now that there are barely any computer stores left, I can't even get a feel for them before buying. 

Bestbuy has laptops in stock that you can go look at and touch, if you are near one of their locations.


If you don't need portability, and especially if you already have a monitor, mouse and keyboard, an intel NUC or mac mini is a nice option.


I personally do NOT like HP products but I think Dell, Asus, and Lenovo are all ok. Lenovo bought the old IBM thinkpad line, and we see a lot of those at my (convention center/hotel) work.

[kindms]

  Now that there are barely any computer stores left, I can't even get a feel for them before buying. 

Bestbuy has laptops in stock that you can go look at and touch, if you are near one of their locations.


If you don't need portability, and especially if you already have a monitor, mouse and keyboard, an intel NUC or mac mini is a nice option.


I personally do NOT like HP products but I think Dell, Asus, and Lenovo are all ok. Lenovo bought the old IBM thinkpad line, and we see a lot of those at my (convention center/hotel) work.

i use a NUC as my DAW and I have one for work (supplied by the company). Love them

[robgronotte]

Chiming in because I just read about this laptop yesterday. It's a bit more than the 1K you mentioned, but would be worth every penny. The M series chips from Apple are insane, at least for the money. If you are a windows guy, there would be a couple challenges with your existing drives, but they can be overcome. But from what I read, nothing will touch this laptop for the 1299 when it comes out. Processing audio with the M2 chip and the internal storage is crazy ( I run a Mac mini M2) What used to take minutes, takes seconds.

https://www.theverge.com/2023/6/5/23739220/apple-macbook-air-15-features-specs-price-release-date-wwdc-2023

It looks nice, but I have never used Apple computers and I don't know which of my programs even have an Apple version.

[kindms]

Chiming in because I just read about this laptop yesterday. It's a bit more than the 1K you mentioned, but would be worth every penny. The M series chips from Apple are insane, at least for the money. If you are a windows guy, there would be a couple challenges with your existing drives, but they can be overcome. But from what I read, nothing will touch this laptop for the 1299 when it comes out. Processing audio with the M2 chip and the internal storage is crazy ( I run a Mac mini M2) What used to take minutes, takes seconds.

https://www.theverge.com/2023/6/5/23739220/apple-macbook-air-15-features-specs-price-release-date-wwdc-2023

It looks nice, but I have never used Apple computers and I don't know which of my programs even have an Apple version.

you can use bootcamp (its par of the mac os unless something has changed im unaware of). if you buy a copy of windows you can boot the machine in to either windows or mac as an option if you go that route. or you can also purchase something like vmware fusion which would allow you to run windows as a virtual machine inside of the mac (also requires a windows license)

[BlueSky71]

[/quote]

It looks nice, but I have never used Apple computers and I don't know which of my programs even have an Apple version.
[/quote]

Might be worth investigating, especially with the suggestions about running it in windows mode. I didn't know that was a thing when I moved from windows to mac. Good luck with the search

[goodcooker]

You can get a desktop with way better specs for way less money if you aren't completely tied to using a laptop.

[robgronotte]

You can get a desktop with way better specs for way less money if you aren't completely tied to using a laptop.

Unfortunately, I would then need to buy a desk and a larger home to put it in!

[lynchie]

you have a Micro Center near you? they usually have excellent deals/prices, especially if you don't need the most up to date versions. I scored a Dell a few months ago ago for $400. Really fast and does everything i need it to do.

[checht]

Chiming in because I just read about this laptop yesterday. It's a bit more than the 1K you mentioned, but would be worth every penny. The M series chips from Apple are insane, at least for the money. If you are a windows guy, there would be a couple challenges with your existing drives, but they can be overcome. But from what I read, nothing will touch this laptop for the 1299 when it comes out. Processing audio with the M2 chip and the internal storage is crazy ( I run a Mac mini M2) What used to take minutes, takes seconds.

https://www.theverge.com/2023/6/5/23739220/apple-macbook-air-15-features-specs-price-release-date-wwdc-2023

It looks nice, but I have never used Apple computers and I don't know which of my programs even have an Apple version.

you can use bootcamp (its par of the mac os unless something has changed im unaware of). if you buy a copy of windows you can boot the machine in to either windows or mac as an option if you go that route. or you can also purchase something like vmware fusion which would allow you to run windows as a virtual machine inside of the mac (also requires a windows license)

No bootcamp on Apple silicon, have to virtualize w parallels.

[robgronotte]

you have a Micro Center near you? they usually have excellent deals/prices, especially if you don't need the most up to date versions. I scored a Dell a few months ago ago for $400. Really fast and does everything i need it to do.

Unfortunately not; I used to love those stores years ago when I was near one.  Hadn't realized they still existed.

I do live near a Best Buy, but I have found them in the recent past to have not a very good selection.

[lynchie]

you have a Micro Center near you? they usually have excellent deals/prices, especially if you don't need the most up to date versions. I scored a Dell a few months ago ago for $400. Really fast and does everything i need it to do.

Unfortunately not; I used to love those stores years ago when I was near one.  Hadn't realized they still existed.

I do live near a Best Buy, but I have found them in the recent past to have not a very good selection.

micro center has a website, should be able to order from there. Best Buy is terrible, no selction. Just checked the Micro Center site and they do ship.

[goodcooker]

You can get a desktop with way better specs for way less money if you aren't completely tied to using a laptop.

Unfortunately, I would then need to buy a desk and a larger home to put it in!

Understandable. I live in apartments and always used laptops until recently due to space.

I bought my last new computer from Newegg. https://www.newegg.com/Laptops-Notebooks/Category/ID-223

If I were buying a laptop right now I'd look for plenty of hard drive space (half a terabyte or more) a reasonably fast processor (Intel I5 or better) and 16 gigs of RAM.

You can get these features in a new lappie for under $600 if you shop around.

I bought a used refurbed desktop recently with 20 gigs of RAM, a 1 terabyte HDD and a fresh install of Windows 10 Pro for $75. That's why I mentioned desktop even though your thread title said laptop.

[achalsey]

If you're interested or inclined at all: buying used and upgrading the HD and RAM is an option.  I bought a used MSI gf65 for $300 on Craigslist then upgraded to a 1TB SSD and added more RAM.  Powers through audio and video editing easily.  I enjoy those very little projects though.  I don't have much input besides don't buy an MSI, mine gets way too hot.

One feature that I do like in mine is the dual HD option.  I put the SSD in as my main but have the old 500 gb as an internal backup to add redundancy to the externals.

I am also very interested in Apple's new M2 but the price is too steep for me at the moment.

[robgronotte]

you have a Micro Center near you? they usually have excellent deals/prices, especially if you don't need the most up to date versions. I scored a Dell a few months ago ago for $400. Really fast and does everything i need it to do.

Unfortunately not; I used to love those stores years ago when I was near one.  Hadn't realized they still existed.

I do live near a Best Buy, but I have found them in the recent past to have not a very good selection.

micro center has a website, should be able to order from there. Best Buy is terrible, no selction. Just checked the Micro Center site and they do ship.

I did go to Best Buy and it was useful for one reason - it appears that laptops are no longer produced with anything other than the chicklet style keyboards which I dislike.  Bummer.

[morst]

I did go to Best Buy and it was useful for one reason - it appears that laptops are no longer produced with anything other than the chicklet style keyboards which I dislike.  Bummer.

If you don't need portability, that Intel NUC or Mac Mini form factor might work for you. They are cheaper than laptops, but you have to provide monitor mouse and YOUR FAVORITE USB keyboard lol!
They also lack batteries, and portability...

[robgronotte]

I did go to Best Buy and it was useful for one reason - it appears that laptops are no longer produced with anything other than the chicklet style keyboards which I dislike.  Bummer.

If you don't need portability, that Intel NUC or Mac Mini form factor might work for you. They are cheaper than laptops, but you have to provide monitor mouse and YOUR FAVORITE USB keyboard lol!
They also lack batteries, and portability...

I don't really need portability, I just don't have a desk or a good place to put one, and I like to use a laptop on my lap on a comfy chair or occasionally in bed.

[morst]

I don't really need portability, I just don't have a desk or a good place to put one, and I like to use a laptop on my lap on a comfy chair or occasionally in bed.

What do you really need as a controller? How about a bluetooth keyboard with a built-in trackpad or button mouse thingy? Apple items can "cast" to a compatible (wall-mounted?) TV, or you can use Amazon Fire Stick or Google ChromeCast to send video to your local screen...

I bought a Roku TV used, and it's got the AppleTV function built-in, and Roku keeps updating the remote control app for my iPhone so it's pretty decent.
Would be way cool if they figured out how to let me use the phone keyboard to type in search terms for youtube instead of having to navigate the letters and symbols with up-down left-right, but maybe by 2029 they will get that dialed in???

here is a handy shelf which saves desk space for a small computer - you could probably bolt it to an interior closet wall to make it disappear...
https://eshop.macsales.com/item/NewerTech/MINIS2MM10/

[robgronotte]

I don't know anything about that stuff... The last TV I owned was made in 1993.