PDA

View Full Version : New laptop time.



Excalibur
08-12-2015, 03:45 PM
Possibly. Lease can be upgraded on my six year old laptop. I know that 8gig of ram and 1Tb of storage is a good staring point, but what processor? I reckon I can get i3 models, but how does that compare to Celeron et al? Dual core, quad core? Help!!

All thoughts appreciated.

DJColsie
08-12-2015, 04:41 PM
The best upgrade I made to mine was to have SDD (Solid Disk Drive I think) instaed of a Hard Disk Drive. Much much faster and no mechanicals like a HDD so can't crash loosing all your data.

I would have thought i3 would have been fine. I guess the faster the better.

4GB of RAM would be OK, 8GB faster and better.

I am sure techy people with far more knowledge and valued opinions will be along soon.

Benny Smyth
08-12-2015, 04:46 PM
Possibly. Lease can be upgraded on my six year old laptop. I know that 8gig of ram and 1Tb of storage is a good staring point, but what processor? I reckon I can get i3 models, but how does that compare to Celeron et al? Dual core, quad core? Help!!

All thoughts appreciated.

That's bloody good going for a laptop. :approve:

The laptop I use to run Traktor is almost exactly the same but using an i5 processor.

DazzyD
08-12-2015, 05:56 PM
I use a new Asus X-Series with i3 processor, 8gb RAM, 1.5Tb HDD and Win10. It plays VDJ fine. Under £500 from Argos.

Marc J
08-12-2015, 07:05 PM
...SDD (Solid Disk Drive I think) instaed of a Hard Disk Drive. Much much faster and no mechanicals like a HDD so can't crash loosing all your data.

To say SSD drives can't crash is just wrong. And when they do crash (just as often as HDDs), data recovery from them (if you need it) is much harder and more expensive.

http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/data-recovered-failed-ssd/

Excalibur
08-12-2015, 07:48 PM
Thanks for the info so far lads.
Two points I forgot to stipulate, budget is £350-400, and it's coming from Currys/ PCWORLD. :sofa:

Probably.

As is so often the case, if I jump ship with them, there's a fairly big short term financial penalty, although I'd possibly save long term. It might also mean postponing the swap as well, cos this is an early upgrade offer. I have a lot of sums to do, but I don't expect going elsewhere will save me a lot.

The leftfield option is to rebuild the older one. Acer 5520, 2gig ram, 120 gig hd, and a 1.8ghz fual core Athlon processor. Again, I haven't done the sums, but I can see upgrading that work out dearer.

Keep the thoughts coming lads, and if anyone can explain the relative ranking of a few processors, that would be great. Thanks.

Nakatomi
08-12-2015, 08:56 PM
Not sure about AMD processors these days Peter (I avoid them like the plague), but with Intel the pecking order goes as follows:

Celeron,
then i3,
then i5,
then i7

Celeron having the least grunt & i7 having the most in terms of processing power.

Within each class there are 'clock speeds' which basically tell you how fast the processor runs. e.g. a Celeron at 2Ghz will be faster than a Celeron at 1.5Ghz. Ah, but what about differences between classes, like a Celeron at 2Ghz ... will it be faster than say an i3 running at 1.8Ghz ? A good rule of thumb is that clock speed for speed, a latter class processor will do better. Whether or not you'll notice any benefit with Djing software ... probably not. My current laptop was a refurb deal from PC World, an HP G6 with Core i3, 8GB RAM.. and was a shade over £300 - and when I'm not DJing (on Linux) with it, I edit video under Windows with it. It's no slouch but not as fast as I'd like (nothing ever is!).

Excalibur
08-12-2015, 09:12 PM
Justin, that's immensely helpful. Ta. As i started to read more about these, I'd sort of worked out a lot of what you said. Seems like my choice is akin to Hobsons, given my budget, although I did find a Toshiba from Ebuyer that was very good spec for sensible money.

Nakatomi
08-12-2015, 09:45 PM
Justin, that's immensely helpful. Ta. As i started to read more about these, I'd sort of worked out a lot of what you said. Seems like my choice is akin to Hobsons, given my budget, although I did find a Toshiba from Ebuyer that was very good spec for sensible money.

No problemo. I find it hard to keep pace with all the numbers but at least Intel decided to classify their processors in a way mere mortals can understand. My next machine will be coming soon & will be an i5. I'd settle for another i3 with a backlit keyboard though - but for less than £500? NAH!

AndyMD
08-12-2015, 10:33 PM
Tips!

If you can wait until January, it's always the best month for genuine computer bargains as stores want to get rid of access Christmas stock before the next round of new technology is launched it February.

Hybrid hard drives are getting to be standard. They have a sort of SSD drive that contains the operating system (windows) and the rest a normal HDD.

Look in PC world by all means, but sometimes direct from ASUS or HP might save you a few extra ££'s or let you get a better spec PC, easier to deal with than the students

By an external Hard drive that contains at least enough music to get you by PLUS a full copy of your DJ software, so if you laptop goes down, you just need to borrow one and install your software on it and you are back in business!

Hope this helps

Nakatomi
08-12-2015, 11:16 PM
Tips!

If you can wait until January, it's always the best month for genuine computer bargains as stores want to get rid of access Christmas stock before the next round of new technology is launched it February.

Hybrid hard drives are getting to be standard. They have a sort of SSD drive that contains the operating system (windows) and the rest a normal HDD.

Look in PC world by all means, but sometimes direct from ASUS or HP might save you a few extra ££'s or let you get a better spec PC, easier to deal with than the students

By an external Hard drive that contains at least enough music to get you by PLUS a full copy of your DJ software, so if you laptop goes down, you just need to borrow one and install your software on it and you are back in business!

Hope this helps

I go where the best deal is. I don't like dealing with PC World/Currys droids, so I always buy online.

£300 or so will buy a laptop more than capable of handing audio DJing duties, no question. Heck, there's something incredibly wrong with DJing software if you need any more than an i3 for video playback, even.

Edit: Oh and the big thing.. the single most important thing.. how many USB ports do the ultra-thin, ultra light modern laptops have? Two or less. No use for us. BSR, God bless him, rolls with a monster 'desktop replacement' laptop. Less of a laptop, more a luggable computer. Compared to what most of us used to cart around, still a darn sight more convenient though :)

yourdj
09-12-2015, 12:01 AM
To say SSD drives can't crash is just wrong. And when they do crash (just as often as HDDs), data recovery from them (if you need it) is much harder and more expensive.

http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/data-recovered-failed-ssd/

I was thinking that. :)


Not sure about AMD processors these days Peter (I avoid them like the plague), but with Intel the pecking order goes as follows:

Celeron,
then i3,
then i5,
then i7

Celeron having the least grunt & i7 having the most in terms of processing power.

Within each class there are 'clock speeds' which basically tell you how fast the processor runs. e.g. a Celeron at 2Ghz will be faster than a Celeron at 1.5Ghz. Ah, but what about differences between classes, like a Celeron at 2Ghz ... will it be faster than say an i3 running at 1.8Ghz ? A good rule of thumb is that clock speed for speed, a latter class processor will do better. Whether or not you'll notice any benefit with Djing software ... probably not. My current laptop was a refurb deal from PC World, an HP G6 with Core i3, 8GB RAM.. and was a shade over £300 - and when I'm not DJing (on Linux) with it, I edit video under Windows with it. It's no slouch but not as fast as I'd like (nothing ever is!).

I think for future proofing an i5 would be a good bet, especially with an SSD & 8 gig ram. :)

Have you thought of second hand?
I got an i7 macbook 500gig with 4 gig ram for £400, which was a very good price.
I added a 500 gig SSD & 2 TB HD (in the optical drive) & 10 gig ram for circa £500 total costs and its quite a powerhouse.
I could go up to 16 gig ram but don't really need it so I shared the other 8 gig with my wires i5 pro.

DazzyD
09-12-2015, 12:42 AM
The best upgrade I made to mine was to have SDD (Solid Disk Drive I think) instaed of a Hard Disk Drive. Much much faster and no mechanicals like a HDD so can't crash loosing all your data.

I would have thought i3 would have been fine. I guess the faster the better.

4GB of RAM would be OK, 8GB faster and better.

I am sure techy people with far more knowledge and valued opinions will be along soon.


To say SSD drives can't crash is just wrong. And when they do crash (just as often as HDDs), data recovery from them (if you need it) is much harder and more expensive.

http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/data-recovered-failed-ssd/

I read an article on SSDs which put me off getting one. Apparently, their storage capabilities deteriorates much faster than on a traditional HDD. The article quoted an SSD manufacturer that said, whilst this was true, SSDs were a new storage platform and that, over time, they will get better and expected lifespans were much better than they were a couple of years previously. However, I wanted the most secure now not in the future so I was happy to forego the speed benefits in favour of longer lifespan and increased reliability.

Nakatomi
09-12-2015, 12:47 AM
I was thinking that. :)



I think for future proofing an i5 would be a good bet, especially with an SSD & 8 gig ram. :)

Have you thought of second hand?
I got an i7 macbook 500gig with 4 gig ram for £400, which was a very good price.
I added a 500 gig SSD & 2 TB HD (in the optical drive) & 10 gig ram for circa £500 total costs and its quite a powerhouse.
I could go up to 16 gig ram but don't really need it so I shared the other 8 gig with my wires i5 pro.

Damn right £400 was a good price. I look from time to time, but the only ones I can find around that kind of cost are 13" screen versions

Imagine
09-12-2015, 12:58 AM
Can I jump in as a fellow Techie like Justin? (although when Intel went for the i3/5/7 I lost the plot as an i5 can be potentially better than an i7....)

As someone else has said....wait until January if you can - there's real deals to be had (that's when I'm buying my next one)

Acer..can't fault them. I've run them for years as a software engineer and NEVER had one break on me (I wish I hadn't have said that). My main playout at the moment is an Aspire V5-573. OK - it lacks a CD Drive and hasn't got enough USB ports for my liking (hence the upgrade come Jan). That said, it's an i3, 1.7 gigglehertz machine with 3 gigglebytes of RAM and it's never let me down...the CPU monitor in VDJ never goes over 2 bars.

As for SSD...I'm not up to date with those having ditched the idea when they first came out....don't they have a limited number of reads/writes like a USB stick or has the technology moved on since then?

yourdj
09-12-2015, 01:30 AM
Damn right £400 was a good price. I look from time to time, but the only ones I can find around that kind of cost are 13" screen versions

Having a laptop that can boot in 10-15 seconds is a nice thing, especially in an emergency. :)
My old 2.5gig dual core took 70 seconds with a hybrid drive and 8 gig ram.

Pe7e
09-12-2015, 03:07 AM
Similar to Peter, I'm also currently looking for a replacement laptop for my aging Dell Insperon, I came across THIS (http://www.morgancomputers.co.uk/product_detail/15629/HP-Elitebook-8560W-i7-2820QM-Quad-Core-2-3GHz-16GB-320GB-2GB-Nvidia-Quadro-DVD-RW-Win-7-Pro/) offering from Morgan computers, at £450 for a used (but professionally A1 refurbished) computer seems a bit on the high side, but it does seem to have a tremendous spec including military grade build quality, and was initially sold for many times this price. Do any of the techies have any favourable comment on if, or isn't the bargain it appears to be. I've managed to murder two laptops in the early hours with JD and coke, so the waterproof keyboard is a big plus point for me. The modest HDD capacity doesn't worry me too much since it has USB3 connectivity, and cheap external drives are readily available. Over to you, good buy or one to be avoided?

Marc J
09-12-2015, 09:01 AM
As for SSD...I'm not up to date with those having ditched the idea when they first came out....don't they have a limited number of reads/writes like a USB stick or has the technology moved on since then?

That's still the case. The article I linked to earlier says "A typical solid state drive will be able to last for over a decade even if you write 100 gigabytes of data per day."

I've just had a look at the stats on my Samsung 840 Pro SSD in my main PC and in 2.5 years I've written a total of 5.45Tb to it. There's no user data on it, just Windows & applications, but if you've got an SSD then you more than likely have at least another 1 hard drive for your data. Apparently I can expect problems after writing around 250Tb, so 114 years to go...:D

Excalibur
09-12-2015, 09:54 AM
Andy and Wayne, all good tips, thank you. The idea of the January sales is sound, but I'm an impatient kinda bloke, and " the thought is father to the deed ". :) I know PCW aren't the ideal place to deal with, but that's who the lease company are tied to. So be it.

Toby, secondhand isn't going to be a viable option, for the reasons detailed above.

Justin, ah USB ports, my pet subject. :) I know that the top end machines like young Twinspin has often have four ports. Almost all the ones in my price bracket have three. Now here's the thing. As I said earlier, my trusty Acer has four, which is why fitting it with a new engine, flared arches and go faster stripes has crossed my mind more than once. Question is, how far can I upgrade it? New HD is easy, but can I stick at least 8 gig of ram in, and how fast a processor will it take? I don't want to spend money on that, and then find it's slower than an off the shelf one.

With a terrabyte hd in a new one, I'd be able to lose the external drive anyway, so effectively four ports anyway. I've also had success with using an unpowered hub to accept mouse receiver and USB sticks with music transferred from the download tablet.

Keep going lads, we'll get there in the end. Thanks to all so far.

DJ Jules
09-12-2015, 10:14 AM
I've always found this to be a godsend when trying to compare laptops and processors as it gives you relative performance for pretty much every CPU on the market...

https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_list.php

Note that if you're buying second hand things get more complicated in that i3, i5, i7 pecking order. Newer i3 processors outperform older i5's and likewise for i5's and i7's. Newer processors are also less power hungry and therefore run cooler. Celeron's are always just slow and should be avoided.... :D

Julian

Nakatomi
09-12-2015, 10:17 AM
Andy and Wayne, all good tips, thank you. The idea of the January sales is sound, but I'm an impatient kinda bloke, and " the thought is father to the deed ". :) I know PCW aren't the ideal place to deal with, but that's who the lease company are tied to. So be it.

Toby, secondhand isn't going to be a viable option, for the reasons detailed above.

Justin, ah USB ports, my pet subject. :) I know that the top end machines like young Twinspin has often have four ports. Almost all the ones in my price bracket have three. Now here's the thing. As I said earlier, my trusty Acer has four, which is why fitting it with a new engine, flared arches and go faster stripes has crossed my mind more than once. Question is, how far can I upgrade it? New HD is easy, but can I stick at least 8 gig of ram in, and how fast a processor will it take? I don't want to spend money on that, and then find it's slower than an off the shelf one.

With a terrabyte hd in a new one, I'd be able to lose the external drive anyway, so effectively four ports anyway. I've also had success with using an unpowered hub to accept mouse receiver and USB sticks with music transferred from the download tablet.

Keep going lads, we'll get there in the end. Thanks to all so far.


How far you can upgrade a laptop CPU Peter is all dependent on which socket (for the CPU) its motherboard uses. It also depends on the BIOS & chipset around the CPU to an extent. There's a tool I can never remember the name of which you can run to find out details like that. A good place to start is the manufacturer - search on the laptop model number & see what the fastest processor they sold for it used. My last laptop was 1.5Ghz Core2 & would take a Core 2 Duo up to 2.5Ghz. You know me - I'm a nerd - and even I couldn't be bothered upgrading it. I just bought a new machine.

ukpartydj
09-12-2015, 11:24 AM
Can I jump in as a fellow Techie like Justin? (although when Intel went for the i3/5/7 I lost the plot as an i5 can be potentially better than an i7....)

As for SSD...I'm not up to date with those having ditched the idea when they first came out....don't they have a limited number of reads/writes like a USB stick or has the technology moved on since then?

The i3, i5, i7 models are essentially just a name to suggest performance. If I'm not mistaken i3 processors are dual core processors where i5 and i7 are quad core.
some i3 CPUs are better than i7 CPUs which is why Jules's post is very important to a geek like myself:



I've always found this to be a godsend when trying to compare laptops and processors as it gives you relative performance for pretty much every CPU on the market...

https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_list.php

Note that if you're buying second hand things get more complicated in that i3, i5, i7 pecking order. Newer i3 processors outperform older i5's and likewise for i5's and i7's. Newer processors are also less power hungry and therefore run cooler. Celeron's are always just slow and should be avoided.... :D

Julian

I've recently purchased 2 new laptops second hand from an ebay shop called it-zone or it-zone2. They seem to sell business class laptops like the Dell Latitude, my experience with them has been excellent (bought 2 laptops) and the laptops are priced very well so I'd recommend you check them out - http://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/it-zone-2?_trksid=p2047675.l2559
My previous 5 year old lappy was a dell latitude so I've gone for them again as they've got a very strong build quality unlike most of PC world's offerings - (Please note I hate PC World, they lost my laptop when all it needed was a new hdd (10 min job I could've done myself) and it took them 2 months and 4 visits to tell me that + some of the staff I've come across are tech-morons).

I must say I was overchuffed with my latest purchase. One year old £230 lappy with a processor of similar calibre to a £1500 new 2015 Macbook!!! passmark scores mine at 8799 and Macbook at 9357 (I think I got a bargain). My old latitude scored 1538 and ran Traktor quite well haha. I only just bought a new desktop PC and this laptop is almost as powerful as the desktop CPU the RAM is much faster than my new PC :O graphics are nearly as good haha and the PC cost £30 more.

I also bought a high end i5 3320m dell latitude for £150 (same model latitude e6430) I got that first and thought that was a beast for the price (CPU passmark score at 4192).

I'd highly recommend sacking off PC world and getting a second hand Latitude because:

Backlit keyboard
If you get I7-3720QM 2.6ghz it's quite insane I must say the CPU load has not moved a single bar off the bottom with 4 decks playing in traktor and 3 effects running on every deck.
Other good CPUs are put in these machines / you can upgrade.
8GB DDR3 1333mhz RAM
500gb Hard Drive - not SSD but the fastest hdd I own!
Graphics are pretty decent too not that we'd care but you could play modern games I'd say.
2x USB3, 1x USB2 HDMI, VGA, E-sata
It's got a CD DVD RW which you press a button and you can pull out and replace with another HDD (no need for external HDD) If you're internal drive fails and your music is on the expansion hard drive just press the button whip it out like the battery and if you have another backup latitude like I do :) just whack it in the other lappy! no extra cables!
I'd recommend the high resolution versions though - 1600x900 ... my backup is 1366x768 and whilst it's fine the higher res screen does fit a lot more in!

Also there is a Express Card Pull out mini ruler/Box cutter/ diameter measure...
17585


For £230 in PC world you can get ...

Intel Dual Core 1.6ghz N3050 CPU - scores 734 on passmark
32GB SSD
1366 x 768 lower resolution screen
1 USB3, 1 USB2
2GB Ram

Or spend around £900 in PC world to get a similar spec as my year old latitude.
It's not just the latitude's that are good value, HP elitebook is another good sturdy laptop but no backlit keyboard :( I've had a couple of those, given one to my mum who uses it every day and between us it's been in use for around 6 years and she still says it runs fine.

Excalibur
09-12-2015, 03:33 PM
For £230 in PC world you can get ...

Intel Dual Core 1.6ghz N3050 CPU - scores 734 on passmark
32GB SSD
1366 x 768 lower resolution screen
1 USB3, 1 USB2
2GB Ram


That's worse spec than what I already have! :):)

It's a consideration, but effectively you're adding over £100 to leave PC World, due to the lease. Upgrading means I have to buy my existing machine ( not actually the laptop in question, my desktop, which can't be let go. Long story. ) and don't get the bonuses they'll give me for continuing.
It's easier to carry on with them than leave, and to be honest, they've offered me the best deal I've ever had from them, meaning I can swap early without paying a penny to do so. Added to which, the spare cash I had earmarked may just have been diverted to my van's MOT. :( Battery, Tyres, Brakes and labour aren't cheap. :cry::cry:

Benny Smyth
09-12-2015, 03:46 PM
Battery, Tyres, Brakes and labour aren't cheap. :cry::cry:

Tell that to Apple.

http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/6/62429/2634975-129208568309538237.jpg

ukpartydj
09-12-2015, 04:34 PM
That's worse spec than what I already have! :):)

It's a consideration, but effectively you're adding over £100 to leave PC World, due to the lease. Upgrading means I have to buy my existing machine ( not actually the laptop in question, my desktop, which can't be let go. Long story. ) and don't get the bonuses they'll give me for continuing.
It's easier to carry on with them than leave, and to be honest, they've offered me the best deal I've ever had from them, meaning I can swap early without paying a penny to do so. Added to which, the spare cash I had earmarked may just have been diverted to my van's MOT. :( Battery, Tyres, Brakes and labour aren't cheap. :cry::cry:

My fiancée hates it when I say this but... "that's how they get ya!"... I've had 4 laptops from pc world... Only one I've been happy with and I didn't just get cheap stuff.

No wonder people think apple are so amazing when there is such trash being churned out by even decent brands like dell and Toshiba!

ukpartydj
09-12-2015, 04:38 PM
Oh also don't get a low clock speed on the cpu! DJ software doesn't seem to be able to utilise multiple cores well... Or at least a couple of years ago it didn't! Check single threaded performance which is linked largely with clock speed! 2.0ghz or more I'd say... Had a 1.8ghz i7 which was pants! Couldn't deal with traktor!

Nakatomi
09-12-2015, 05:21 PM
Oh also don't get a low clock speed on the cpu! DJ software doesn't seem to be able to utilise multiple cores well... Or at least a couple of years ago it didn't! Check single threaded performance which is linked largely with clock speed! 2.0ghz or more I'd say... Had a 1.8ghz i7 which was pants! Couldn't deal with traktor!

Then maybe Traktor is (maybe was) a sack of cack. Sorry. If it's video you're saying it had trouble with, maybe fair dues, but not audio alone. Multiple core systems have been around for how long now?!

As for PC world.. I call them something else. Rhymes with Missy World. If I ever have dissatisfaction with a supplier I tend not go ever go back if I can possibly help it. Their sales people spout absolute horse crap. It was the same with Dixons & Comet. If I ever go it's for one reason alone: PRICE. I hate to think how many people have been fleeced into buying unsuitable gear in those shops. I remember going in to spend a lot of money on a digital camera. All was going swimmingly til the salesman dumped me to talk to a guy wanting an expensive camcorder.

Good call on the it-zone ebay seller, but do they ever have many laptops with UK keyboards? :lol:

scott23
09-12-2015, 08:06 PM
Argos has a ebay shop where you can pick up a bargain! I bought a Acer i5 1 tb 6gb for £300.00 Last year from it. I don't use it for djing as my 4 year old Sony Vaio is still brilliant. But defo do a google search on Argos ebay! They got everything there.

RobKennedy
09-12-2015, 09:46 PM
If I'm after a windows laptop I tend to go for an ex-corporate Lenovo Thinkpad and upgrade the disk to an SSD. The only issue with those is they tend not to have great on-board graphics so if you do video getting one with discreet graphics might be a good idea. The thinkpad T series for example comes with a 3 year warranty so you can normally get an ex corporate machine with some warranty left. I've used loads of these over the years and only had one which had a fan problem - ordered a new one for £15 and good as new.

One thing that caught me out recently was I upgraded my controller to an NI S8 and discovered that the screens on it actually use the video driver on the laptop over the usb. This meant I ended up having to upgrade the laptop for one with a newer graphics chipset. A valuable lesson learnt on doing the research before you buy - and particularly bad as IT is my business - the shame !!!

When is comes to processors I agree with whats been said - its not worth going for anything too exotic (intel I7) as the software will not use it - I tend to go for a faster i3 or i5 if I can to give it some headroom.

So many possibilities with PC's just need to take your time, know what you need and be careful getting diverted by sales people.

DJ Jules
10-12-2015, 08:40 AM
As other people have pointed out - PC World will offer you what appears to be a good deal (relative to what you have now) to keep you with them and keep you locked in. It's the usual tricks of the trade. Overall though, their deals are appalling and I've got to agree with comments above ref their "know how" and attitude to customer service.

There are a TON of ex-corporate laptops on eBay which are all well suited to the job of DJ'ing. The other plus side is because these models have been churned out in their 1,000's, spare parts are abundant and cheap.

I've just bought one of these for my daughter for Xmas, but these are capable machines and would be more than up to the job for DJ'ing (though you may want to look for one with dedicated graphics if you do a lot of video):

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/321842463633?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Julian

ukpartydj
10-12-2015, 11:04 AM
Then maybe Traktor is (maybe was) a sack of cack.
Good call on the it-zone ebay seller, but do they ever have many laptops with UK keyboards? :lol:

Traktor has quite a high system requirement compared to virtual DJ and serato.

2.0ghz i5 processor minimum. (serato 1ghz i3+, vdj pentium 4) altough a 2.4ghz core 2 duo managed okay... Which is why I say clock speed matters... Or more to the point in traktor it matters! And it does utilise multiple cores :S.

4gb ram minimum... Same as serato... Vdj asks for 512mb haha!... No idea why the huge difference!

Anyway yer quite a few keyboards are forgien! It's a 5 min job for any monkey to swap out an old keyboard for a new one with those laptops and keyboards cost less than £20.

As mention by somebody else you can swap everything on these laptops, almost like a desktop. Oh and you can see the screws, not hidden behind some funny panel to make it look nice / make you take it back to the shop.

CRAZY K
10-12-2015, 11:45 AM
Possibly. Lease can be upgraded on my six year old laptop. I know that 8gig of ram and 1Tb of storage is a good staring point, but what processor? I reckon I can get i3 models, but how does that compare to Celeron et al? Dual core, quad core? Help!!

All thoughts appreciated.

Dont know if this is a SCAM but I see theres a free download called TurboyourPC which allegedly speeds things up.

Available until tomorrow.

Anyone know anything about this and does it really work?

Or is it just Crap Cleaner and deleting temporary files in disguise?:daft::daft::daft:

Nakatomi
10-12-2015, 12:12 PM
Traktor has quite a high system requirement compared to virtual DJ and serato.

2.0ghz i5 processor minimum. (serato 1ghz i3+, vdj pentium 4) altough a 2.4ghz core 2 duo managed okay... Which is why I say clock speed matters... Or more to the point in traktor it matters! And it does utilise multiple cores :S.

4gb ram minimum... Same as serato... Vdj asks for 512mb haha!... No idea why the huge difference!

Anyway yer quite a few keyboards are forgien! It's a 5 min job for any monkey to swap out an old keyboard for a new one with those laptops and keyboards cost less than £20.

As mention by somebody else you can swap everything on these laptops, almost like a desktop. Oh and you can see the screws, not hidden behind some funny panel to make it look nice / make you take it back to the shop.

So if it needs more CPU than programs which effectively do the same thing, it's a bag o cack :) I've taken it for a test drive on my laptop (core i3 at 1.8Ghz ish) & liked it more than Serato. Gawd, the timestretching (master tempo) is as smooth as butter. Unlike basic Serato, which sounds like an older generation Pioneer CD deck. Yuck. CPU usage was next to bugger all in both though, as it is with Mixxx.

I know I can easily do a keyboard swap on a laptop. My current model's on its third one now :D No, it's not had anything else changed either. "Oooh yes I've had this laptop for 10 years.. I've only had to replace the HDD, the CPU, the battery, the case, the screen, keyboard & trackpad... " NOT. :lol:

DazzyD
10-12-2015, 02:01 PM
Dont know if this is a SCAM but I see theres a free download called TurboyourPC which allegedly speeds things up.

Available until tomorrow.

Anyone know anything about this and does it really work?

Or is it just Crap Cleaner and deleting temporary files in disguise?:daft::daft::daft:

A little tip. I'd stay well clear of TurboyourPC. Any program that flags up on malware info sites and Googling it brings up "Malware Removal Instructions" simply isn't worth the risk. Instead, use something with a good reputation such as CCleaner.

As for the Tracktor comments, well, I haven't used it for a few years now but I did use it for a while and it was very resource-intensive even on my well-specced Dell Inspiron. If it's changed then great but I'm really settled with VDJ now so that's my software of choice!

Marc J
10-12-2015, 02:01 PM
I'm biting the bullet and upgrading my 10 (yes - 10!) year old laptop soon.

Looking (drooling) at a MicroSoft Surface Pro 4, if that lasts me another 10 years it's only £15 per month.

Anyone want a fully working Acer Ferrari 4000? :)

Excalibur
10-12-2015, 03:28 PM
Looking (drooling) at a MicroSoft Surface Pro 4,

Drool a little longer. It's out of stock (http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/microsoft-surface-pro-4-512-gb-10139737-pdt.html):p

Marc J
10-12-2015, 04:10 PM
Drool a little longer. It's out of stock (http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/microsoft-surface-pro-4-512-gb-10139737-pdt.html):p

I won't be giving PC World my hard earned!

http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msuk/en_GB/pdp/Surface-Pro-4/productID.326546100

And I'll save £350 by getting just the 256Gb...I don't need 512Gb.

:)

Excalibur
10-12-2015, 04:26 PM
And I'll save £350 by getting just the 256Gb...I don't need 512Gb.



Save £700 by dropping to 8Gb of ram. :) Seems to me that HDD size nowadays isn't as important as it once was. Having lots of RAM is.

On the subject of Surface tablets, I wonder if the new non Pro versions will be running on a full Windows 10? That could persuade me to swap my Surface in a year or so. Hmmm.

That was the biggest con in the history of the world when they put the first ones like mine out. Windows 8 my bottom!! It's RT, a cut down version, and loads of things don't work on it. Only the Pro are on the real thing.

Edit: Another stroke of genius shot down in flames. In the small print of the FAQ of upgrading to 10, I note that Windows RT won't upgrade to 10. Grrrr. :mad::mad:

CRAZY K
10-12-2015, 06:17 PM
A little tip. I'd stay well clear of TurboyourPC. Any program that flags up on malware info sites and Googling it brings up "Malware Removal Instructions" simply isn't worth the risk. Instead, use something with a good reputation such as CCleaner.

As for the Tracktor comments, well, I haven't used it for a few years now but I did use it for a while and it was very resource-intensive even on my well-specced Dell Inspiron. If it's changed then great but I'm really settled with VDJ now so that's my software of choice!

Yes i actually run CC most days and also go to App Data and delete all temp files.

This was something i had to do to make my old Ipod be recognised by my old PC but seems to generally help.

CRAZY K

Shaun
10-12-2015, 08:48 PM
Anyone want a fully working Acer Ferrari 4000? :)

Possibly, if I can get mates rates and you can wait till after Christmas :d. Email me the specs and a price. :)

Imagine
11-12-2015, 12:39 AM
Windows 8 my bottom!! It's RT, a cut down version, and loads of things don't work on it. Only the Pro are on the real thing.

Edit: Another stroke of genius shot down in flames. In the small print of the FAQ of upgrading to 10, I note that Windows RT won't upgrade to 10. Grrrr. :mad::mad:

Aaaahhhhh Windows RT....a right pain in the posterior for us that develop software.
It relies on a coding language that Microsoft was talking about making obsolete....shortly after everyone went out and spend thousands of pounds and hundreds of hours getting their heads around.

The "big idea" was to retire what's known as "Windows Forms" and bring in something called "XAML" (I won't bore you any further than that), which worked on PC's, laptops, tablets and phones. The idea was that we wrote the code once, and it worked on everything <cough>.

As much as I hate products of the orchard variety (says he owning one of their phones, two of their tablets and a watch :o), they seem to have it right somewhere along the line. They don't move the goalposts for people trying to develop software for their platform anywhere near as much as those from Microshaft :(

ukpartydj
11-12-2015, 02:49 AM
How much will it cost to relieve yourself Peter from pc world's grasp? We can do a charity ball if you like... Anybody know a DJ who will work for a plate of cheap buffet food?

Marc J
11-12-2015, 08:46 AM
Save £700 by dropping to 8Gb of ram. :) Seems to me that HDD size nowadays isn't as important as it once was. Having lots of RAM is.
Yep, I need RAM more than I need disk space, so 256Gb with 16Gb of RAM is fine for me.


On the subject of Surface tablets, I wonder if the new non Pro versions will be running on a full Windows 10? That could persuade me to swap my Surface in a year or so. Hmmm.
Windows RT will only run on ARM devices, the whole surface range is now Intel. There hasn't been a new Windows RT device released in over 2 years.

So yes, the new Surfaces all run full Windows 10 :)



Anyone want a fully working Acer Ferrari 4000? :)Possibly, if I can get mates rates and you can wait till after Christmas :d. Email me the specs and a price. :)
Hmmm....it won't be much, they go on eBay for around £100. That said, mine is in very good condition, had little use, and is max'd out in RAM (a whopping 2Gb instead of the factory installed 1Gb). So £100 mates rates :p Leave it with me, I'll do a factory reset on it and see how it performs...and get back to you!

CRAZY K
11-12-2015, 09:57 PM
As other people have pointed out - PC World will offer you what appears to be a good deal (relative to what you have now) to keep you with them and keep you locked in. It's the usual tricks of the trade. Overall though, their deals are appalling and I've got to agree with comments above ref their "know how" and attitude to customer service.

There are a TON of ex-corporate laptops on eBay which are all well suited to the job of DJ'ing. The other plus side is because these models have been churned out in their 1,000's, spare parts are abundant and cheap.

I've just bought one of these for my daughter for Xmas, but these are capable machines and would be more than up to the job for DJ'ing (though you may want to look for one with dedicated graphics if you do a lot of video):

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/321842463633?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Julian

I might consider something like this for general use as it has my favourite Windows Version (7 )

CRAZY K

Excalibur
29-12-2015, 05:39 PM
OK folks, despite your earnest advice to the contrary, fiscal prudence dictates another trip to Currys/PCW.

What would you chose from the shortlist of four? (http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/s_action/compare/10137629-10141122-10137568-10137891.html)

RobKennedy
29-12-2015, 09:25 PM
And the news you were probably expecting but hoping it would be something else ... my choice would be the i5 HP - easy to justify the extra expense based on that alone.

ukpartydj
29-12-2015, 09:30 PM
OK folks, despite your earnest advice to the contrary, fiscal prudence dictates another trip to Currys/PCW.

What would you chose from the shortlist of four? (http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/s_action/compare/10137629-10141122-10137568-10137891.html)

They'll all do the job. The most expensive HP has the best cpu. I'd prefer a higher screen resolution than all of them personally :P

Excalibur
29-12-2015, 09:59 PM
And the news you were probably expecting but hoping it would be something else ... my choice would be the i5 HP - easy to justify the extra expense based on that alone.
To be honest, once I'd put the comparison up, the answer became self evident. That one wasn't in my budget before the sale, so in many ways a bonus.


They'll all do the job. The most expensive HP has the best cpu. I'd prefer a higher screen resolution than all of them personally :P
Numpty alert. It's going to be used for VDJ. Why do I need higher resolution? :confused: I can see what I have now, so I expect this to be no worse, if not better.

Thanks chaps.

Benny Smyth
29-12-2015, 10:30 PM
The more expensive HP would be my choice.

ukpartydj
29-12-2015, 11:44 PM
Numpty alert. It's going to be used for VDJ. Why do I need higher resolution? :confused: I can see what I have now, so I expect this to be no worse, if not better.

Thanks chaps.

If it's the same or better to your current laptop and you've no complaints then no biggie. You can just fit more on the screen. I prefer to have more information rather than big fonts and buttons.

I think my DJ laptop is 1600x900 (14" screen) and in traktor it means when 4 decks are visible I can also see around 4-5 tracks listed below in the library where as it's a mere 1-2 tracks on my other laptop 15.6" screen of the resolution the 4 laptops you showed me.

AndyMD
30-12-2015, 01:27 AM
Can you stretch another £30?

Bigger screen and better res

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/toshiba-satellite-l70-c-13c-17-3-laptop-silver-10138278-pdt.html

Excalibur
30-12-2015, 08:06 AM
Can you stretch another £30?

Bigger screen and better res

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/toshiba-satellite-l70-c-13c-17-3-laptop-silver-10138278-pdt.html

Well yes, but: Screen size is bigger, but I don't regard that as an advantage, as space issues come into play. The body of the Toshiba is an inch and a half wider than the HP, and it's ruled out on that alone. While it has the valuable extra USB port, the processor is slower too. Thanks for pointing it out, though.

DJ Jules
30-12-2015, 09:20 AM
OK folks, despite your earnest advice to the contrary, fiscal prudence dictates another trip to Currys/PCW.

What would you chose from the shortlist of four? (http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/s_action/compare/10137629-10141122-10137568-10137891.html)

I'd rule out the AMD processor straight away. I don't know if this is still a current issue, but historically AMD processors have given USB controllers reliability issues. Out of the remaining machines, I would immediately gravitate towards the i5 HP. It's a much better machine than the ACER's (in terms of reliability, cost and availability of spare parts, processor and likely overall performance).

I would point out (again) that this machine is an equivalent competitor the DELL machines I linked to on eBay for £150. One day you're going to need to kick PCWorld into touch, I'd be inclined to make that day sooner rather than later...

Julian

TONYTIGER
30-12-2015, 10:28 AM
I'd rule out the AMD processor straight away. I don't know if this is still a current issue, but historically AMD processors have given USB controllers reliability issues. Out of the remaining machines, I would immediately gravitate towards the i5 HP. It's a much better machine than the ACER's (in terms of reliability, cost and availability of spare parts, processor and likely overall performance).

I would point out (again) that this machine is an equivalent competitor the DELL machines I linked to on eBay for £150. One day you're going to need to kick PCWorld into touch, I'd be inclined to make that day sooner rather than later...

Julian

Great advice Jules,all the new ones have Windows 10 who needs it i have found that 7 pro is the best and you can get a good laptop for £ 150-£ 200 take the advice and save yourself a bit of money.

Excalibur
30-12-2015, 12:42 PM
Julian, I take your advice on board, and I hadn't realised I could upgrade the ones you linked to. :o Must read the whole thing, next time.

If I'd had £300 burning a hole in my pocket, I'd undoubtedly have








bought the Swarms. :D:D:D
Anyway, the deed is done, the HP is sitting next to me as I type. Finance made the decision for me, and getting a £600 laptop for £400 was a nice bonus.

When I've given it to the IT department ( who seems to be sunning himself in foreign climes, currently ) I'll let you know how it goes. ( And if it's an absolute disaster, I'll admit it )

DJ Jules
30-12-2015, 03:13 PM
When I've given it to the IT department ( who seems to be sunning himself in foreign climes, currently ) I'll let you know how it goes. ( And if it's an absolute disaster, I'll admit it )

There's no doubt that it's an all right laptop. It's PC World that are usually the disaster :D

Nakatomi
30-12-2015, 05:40 PM
I bought my current laptop from PC World as a refurb & it's been absolutely fine. Oh, but that was after I did a clean installation of Windows 7 because it was riddled with HP & PC World software slowing it down. Would I use PC World again? Internet shopping yes. I'd much rather not have to talk to any of their staff. I'm sure they're not all lying sharks but...

I always follow the best deal I can find at the time & I'm techy enough to be able to handle the vast majority of issues any computer user can encounter. I pity the people who have to blindly rely on shop staff though

deepgc
16-06-2016, 03:59 PM
+1 for HDD, definitely

Excalibur
22-06-2016, 09:08 PM
Right, now we've done the easy one, let's make it harder. :confused:

Tablet time. No, not my dried frog pills, nurse. :)

I have a Surface 10" tablet, which does a lot of things I want. I like it. The lease is just about up on this now, and currently PC World have knocked £70 off the Surface 3, making it around £350. I was all set to go for this, but having been somewhat singed by Microshaft's con trick with the first one, a little more digging was needed.
The Knowhow lad I spoke to stated categorically that the Surface 3 isn't running full fat Windows 10, but :Censored: RT again. :mad: This would run a couple more apps than the one I have, but nothing wildly different. My upgrade would basically be Windows 10 and a newer machine. Not a huge step forward, I feel. :)

So, three options.
1) Stick. Buy the existing one at the end of the lease. Not an arm and a leg, and I've now got used to it.
2) Twist. Give the old one back ( cos I've got no need for two, and the wife wants an ipad mini ) and go for the surface 3. I'll probably get a few bob back this way, cos they're keen for me to renew.
3) Spend money. There's a cast iron upgrade possible, ticks all the boxes. Full Windows 10, 12" screen, so less strain on the old mince pies, The Surface Pro. Why haven't I rushed out to get one? Savvy shoppers will know already.


It costs £750!!!!! :cry::cry::cry: Do I need an upgrade that much? :confused:
Thoughts please, bearing in mind that Apple products aren't an option ( unless I keep the Surface, and buy the wife an ipad mini ) and I'm not overly keen on Android.