FAQ about computers, laptops and PC parts

minervx

Member
PC or Mac?
Whichever you prefer. Both platforms are well supported by now. Mac has Logic Pro exclusively and PC has Fruity Loops exclusively.

Desktop or laptop?

Desktop will give you more performance for your money most of the time. But a high-end laptop could be worth it if you travel a lot while producing.

What features are recommended for a laptop?

At least 1080p display, 6 hours battery life and a solid state drive.

Which Mac desktop should I buy?
An iMac 4K or 5K would be fine. The "Mac Pro" is outdated and way overpriced. The "Mac Mini" may not offer enough performance.

Which Mac laptop should I buy?

Macbook Air and the 12" Macbook are not recommended for performance. Use a Macbook Pro within the past few years. 2015 Macbook Pro is the best price to performance Macbook. The Macbooks from mid-2012 and earlier are non-Retina and use low resolution displays. 2016-2017 Macbook Pro are good for portability but are expensive and lack ports.

Best Windows laptops?
LG Gram. Dell XPS. HP Spectre. Asus Zenbook.

How many much RAM do I need?
8GB minimum. 16GB is recommended, but not needed for everybody. 32GB is overkill.

Which laptop processors are the best?
The "HQ" processors, though they may drain battery life a bit. "M" processors aren't very strong. "U" processors are an in-between.

Quad core or dual core?
Quad cores are usually better, but number of cores isn't everything. Intel's 7th gen i3 and Pentium only have 2 cores but can work well in a studio, whereas AMD FX and many tablet processors have 8 cores and aren't very recommendable for DAW's.

How do I make my Macbook silent?

Download a program to turn off Turbo Boost at will.

How do I make my desktop silent?
Use "Be Quiet Pure Wings 2" case fans. Get a power supply that runs more quietly. Set your Hard Drive (in Windows) to turn off whenever you don't use it. Replace your CPU Cooler with a better one. Use a solid state drive instead of a hard drive. Use rubber pads to block vibrations from moving parts.

How can I make my computer faster?
Buy a 120 or 250 GB Solid State Drive, install it in your computer and move your OS (and commonly used programs) onto it.
 
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