Intel Core I7 or AMD Ryzen - New Laptop for recording, Black Friday deals, etc?

[lespaul_79]

Hi folks,
So I need a new laptop strictly...

1. For recording... only. PC is fine.
2. The stuff I'll be recording is simple fingerstyle or Tone Poems like stuff. 3 to 4 acoustic tracks max. No drums, piano, etc.
3. With a fan that will be super quite
4. Dont care about graffics or anything gaming related. Simple and cheap, but solid.
5. I would barely be in the internet. Except to register my recording recording software
6. Something to last 5+ years
7. Budget - $500-600ish

I'll be using this Presonus Audiobox interface i bought a while back.
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/det...udiobox-usb-96

A friend recommended these with AMD Ryzen over Intel i7. Ryzen seems cheaper.
But he said Dell sucks.... What do u think?
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...CE&PageSize=36

Anything better from NewEgg, Costco, or Techbargains?
https://www.techbargains.com/categor...puters/laptops

Black Friday deal? Thanks a lot.

[Wengr]

Originally Posted by lespaul_79

[*] With a fan that will be super quite

This for me is the main issue. I think a main point of having a laptop for recording is so you can have it by your side. One person sessions where you have the play and engineer. Personally I have yet to find a laptop that is silent enough yet powerful enough to be placed where I want it.
I see now that the Microsoft Surface Pro can be configured with an Intel i5 and it is fanless. So a fanless design without any spinning drives "should" be silent.

I'm considering grabbing one as the is a black Friday deal @$799.

[FrankHudson]

Acoustic recording--just recording--is not very challenging of CPU power. Don't worry about how powerful a CPU you get. CPU power is important with "Virtual Instruments" and software amp and effects modeling, but that's not in your picture.

"Predictions are hard (especially when they are about the future.)" but my experience over more than 35 years of computer hardware is that for non-CPU intensive stuff (which is most things really) it's something other than pure CPU speed that obsoletes a computer or makes you want to get a new one. People focus in on the CPU and think they are future proofing by getting the latest and fastest, but it generally doesn't work out that way.


This next section is worth skipping over. I include it for completeness, or if you have a great low noise environment.


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Sound levels vary, and most modern PCs will increase in noise under heavy load, but again, simple acoustic recording shouldn't load up the computer all that much. Under load, the CPU gets hotter, and the CPU fan will spin up higher to deal with that as well as case ventilation fans. Sometimes other things will cause the fans to work hard however, including the room temperature or background processes that will cause a load even if you aren't using the computer.

I worked for a couple of decades at a broadcast network, lots of needs for computer functions next to mics. Here are the four things that can make audible noise:

1. The power supply and other case fans.
2. The CPU fan
3. The mechanical hard drive
4. Resonances from any of the above

If you absolutely can't have any noise, get the computer away from the mics, ideally in a control room or outside the room with open mics. There used to be lots of boxes to do that (our broadcast studio PC were often on another floor!), but I know nothing about current solutions, and I doubt most home recordists take this route. After all, none of our "home studios" have the level of sound isolation that "real studios" strive for.

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End of optional section
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But it doesn't hurt to have the computer a bit farther away and out the "line of fire" for directional mics. Even with a laptop, get a external keyboard and mouse. USB should work fine up to 15 total feet with just longer cables/extenders, and Bluetooth can usually work at similar distances. My recording computer sits lower down and back from my mics.


Power supply and case fans vary in volume. Bigger and slower spinning fans move more air more quietly that smaller, higher spinning fans. Laptops almost never have power supply fans, but they almost always have small case fans. I've built tower PCs that are quieter than many laptops. The Microsoft Surface's fanless models could be intriguing in this regard, so would an iPad if your software runs on them.


Hard drive noise you should be able to avoid, because you don't want to use one these days. You want some kind of SSD (solid state drive) which has no mechanical parts and will be faster to make your use of the computer more pleasant. In the old days, case resonance could pick up the spinning platters and make a surprising racket. Modern smaller hard drives sometimes mounted with shock and vibration reducing methods reduced this, but you don't want to use even those with anything you buy today.

The advantage of a tower (instead of a laptop) is some additional level of "future proofing." You can add newer or upgraded technologies much more easily. Some even enjoy the "ordering ala carte" or "off the menu" aspect of putting together or upgrading a system in a tower. Same as with a laptop though, don't make it literally "a desktop". Put it low and in back of your mics and if necessary, get slightly longer cables to allow that. There is considerable differences in how loud the same "computer" will be in different cases. Cases sold for gaming or high performance use often are not the quietest.

I currently use an older Mac Mini myself for recording. My "studio A" computer is a Core2Duo (by modern standards, ridiculously old fashioned and slow). But it spends most of it's time just recording (as yours would) as the guitars, amps and keyboards are physical devices in the studio. My "studio B" computer, where I work on composition and sometime fairly elaborate arrangements using virtual instruments (multiple string parts, keyboard and other instrument emulations, virtual amp and effects modeling, and so on) uses another newer, but still old Mac Mini with an old version of the i5 chip. I make do with that, but have some constraints. That "Studio B" is not how you intend to work. Neither computer causes issues with noise floor for me, but again I keep then down and away.

Do you know what recording software you will use yet?

[martingitdave]

You might consider one of the new Surface Pro 6 models with the 8th generation i5 processor. The machine is fanless and the new i5 is faster than last years i7. There are some YouTube videos demoing this machine for recording. You have to change the windows default settings to prevent throttling. Otherwise, it’s a dandy for your work.

[Joseph Hanna]

We’ve hashed this out in previous discussions but for my acoustic work I’m still amazed by my now ancient iPad mini. I take in anywhere in the house and capture the guitar in whatever room is working best. I’ll admit I rarely finish mixes on it but it (Auria) is certainly capable especially if it’s relatively low track counts. The iPad really changed the way I record.

[lespaul_79]

Yeah, i tried the Ipad and Auria. I just want more screen real estate for fine tuning.

thanks y'all.

[Gordon Currie]

Originally Posted by lespaul_79

But he said Dell sucks.... What do u think?

I've been using Dell systems for the last 15 years for recording. Before that I built my own systems.

Dell is great for off the shelf systems, which for audio recording sans virtual instruments is perfect. The amount of CPU power needed to record and playback dozens of tracks is tiny; far less than even ONE virtual instrument. As someone mentioned already, it is possible and practical to use a system that is 5 or more years old since none of the most recent technology applies to 'traditional' audio recording.

Dell used to be proprietary in designs 2 decades ago, but they are absolutely standard these days. Maybe your friend needs to revisit their bias.

[lespaul_79]

Thanks folks. I just pulled the trigger on this:

https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop...04640152370834

https://www.techbargains.com/#d70492

Dell Inspiron 15 5000 Intel Core i7-7500U 15.6" 1080p Laptop w/ 12GB RAM, 2TB HDD $570 before tax.

Dell is offering the Inspiron 15 5000 Intel Core i7-7500U Dual-core 15.6" 1080p Laptop with 12GB RAM, 2TB Hard Drive for a low $569.99 Free Shipping after coupon code: "SAVE180INSP" (Exp soon). Normally on sale for $700, so you're getting an extra $130 off.

Prob coulda saved more if I cared more about computers. But would rather spend time on the fretboard.

Thanks again.