Re: using laptops for music

[Per Boysen <per@boysen.se>]

A lot good laptop advices posted by Kris. I just want to add that you  
should really avoid a graphics solution based on shared memory. It's  
a little more expensive with a dedicated graphic card but a lot more  
stable and powerful when using the machine for audio (or other multi  
media application). And go for the Pentium-M technology from Intel,  
also called Centrino. It's not a good time to buy a pc from Apple  
these days, because in a year the Macs will also be using Intel  
processors and smoke the models shipped right now.

I read a comparison by a guy that has a Pentium-M 1,7 GHz and he said  
it outperforms his desktop Pentium 4 2.2 GHz by far. The top of the  
line Pentium-M that Kris mention, 2.3GHz, does almost double the  
price though. When I recently put together a laptop for audio work I  
settled with 2.0GHz to save money. Also look at the memory  
configuration. I could not afford 2 G ram so I settled with one 1 G,  
leaving the second slot empty for future RAM upgrade. Both live  
looping and music production with heavy sample libraries need a lot  
of RAM. An external firewire drive is good for recording and also for  
quickly backing up data. Pentium machines only support firewire 400  
(but it's good enough for hard disc recording) while some Apple pc's  
support the faster 800. Another good thing to look for in a lappy is  
a PCMCIA slot for a sound card or a sound card adapter. That's almost  
as fast as PCI on desktops.

Finally, if a pc is used on a daily bases it may brake down after two  
years. I have had two desktops on a row that lasted exactly two  
years, a custom built Pentium 4 and a dual Apple G5. Knowing this,  
you may also look into the insurance programs offered by the vendor.  
In my opinion it's better to start with a smaller hard drive and put  
the money into an insurance. Apple PCs bought ten years ago do  
typically last for ever but they don't manufacture hardware that way  
any longer.

Greetings from Sweden

Per Boysen
www.looproom.com (international)
www.boysen.se (Swedish)
--->  iTunes Music Store (digital)
www.cdbaby.com/perboysen