Get a 13" MacBook Pro...PERIOD!

i agree if it isnt about money and you need to be here asking about how to streamline a PC a mac is the better option

1 response and it's already a mac love in :D
I have an asus f6v a1. Asus is really the only laptop brand I would ever consider. It comes with a 1 year replacement warranty too which is nice for the drunkards in the booth. I use mine for an everything computer and have never had any difficulties with itch.
That being said, if cost isn't an issue, you should seriously consider one of the beefier Mbps.

I would definitely go with a MAC. I think you will save yourself a ton of headaches. It's something about the way OSX handles the load on the OS and doesn't take resources away from the audio processing that lets you have flawless skip-free perfomances. I am telling you the specs might be similar but under the hood latency is so temperamental in Windows across different laptop models. I tried to tweak the crap out of my Dell m1330 (which is a pretty badass laptop) but no matter what i couldn't get it to be stutter free.

The choice between 13" and 15" comes down to whether you want to have the bigger more readable screen and the extra USB port. 13" is certainly fine but 15" gives you that extra screen real estate.

1.) If your PC is in anyway shape or form connected to the internet its a risk for you ask there are so many viruses targeting Windows XP/Vista/7 you will be vulnerable. Not to say the same isn't for OSX but it's something likes less than 5% of viruses are mac viruses. Plus it always asks you authenticate before you do anything so you will have to semi-consciously install a virus.

2.) I've never used Mixed in Key but from what i've heard most key detection software is anywhere from 50-75% accurate. I've *read* MiK is only about 60-65% accurate. I use a program called Rapid Evolution, it's free and runs on OSX (and windows i believe) and the accuracy is said to be around 65-70%. There's also a guide for configuring it for SSL/Itch so it only writes to BPM fields etc.

3) I would start gathering acapellas and instrumentals of songs. Join an mp3 record pool so you can have access to these tracks. Then get a program like Logic or Reason on Mac or Fruity Loops on PC and read some tutorials on making beats. Also you want to study the structure of songs in different genres. Different genres have their own style and composition.

Also on #3, OSX comes with Garageband for free which can get your toes wet in music production as well.

I don't run antivirus on any of my pcs but if you are getting them you obviously don't know how to avoid them. Macs are a fairly safe platform if you are one of those pc users that gets bogged down all the time. If it's just spyware try running spybot or malwarebytes.

if money isnt an option why are we even having this conversation?

I think he pretty much explained the situation... he still has to make a decision

Im very familiar with avoiding viruses, keeping my spy and malware up to date, but when you download from a wide variety of sites (especially ones that use zShare, Rapidshare, etc.) I don't really know how to get my virus protect to catch everything. Then again, both computers I have (HP zd8000 and Fujitsu Lifebook Tablet) are 5 years old and AVG free isn't perfect protection.



Because there are plenty of $2G+ PCs (Stacked Vaio's are very strong and have Blu Ray players, thats really the top competition I have against a Mac. So I was curious if Mac really had game changing differences in terms of DJing) coming into the market and I wanted to know how people compare. Mac isn't my ideal choice so I was seeing any PC buffs filling me in on their details.

Thanks :) Also thanks for your reply before, great response other than "Mac - yay!"

Smugness alert with Mac kids these days, haha.

i use avg free and have not had a virus in years!

I use my dell inspiron 1520, dual core 2ghz, 2gb ram for dj'ing and internet without any problems.......

its all about your habits! (and correct config)

well i'd say just use a couple of spyware/malware protection tools and you should be fine for viruses. make sure if you download from torrents or p2p your seeders/sources are well trusted.

Bro my 2 cents

Get what your are use too. If u use mac in your everyday get a mac If u use windows stick with windows

When DJing you are probably gonna actually be taking it around to various places, knocking it around a bit - using it for a good 4 hours solid during which you can't afford to have even a slight stutter. Its just a question of what fault rate are you willing to live with? 1%? 0.1%? For most people its a number pretty close to 0.

If the latest windows based laptops can give you a fault rate you can live with then go for it, they are a hellof of a lot cheaper! For me I have had too many windows based machines crash and I have never ever had a mac crash on me or even stutter during a performance.

seriously, I was a PC guy...and went with Mac when I watched how stable it ran SSL at clubs. Itch runs perfectly on Macs without any tweaking, seriously plug and play

If money is no object then mac is the way go go.

Sbangs, i agree, money no object...Macbook Pro is the way to go

Yup totaly agree on a mac, that all i have at home and for djing and since i have done the switch from Pc to Mac, my life has better hahaha :-)

Pair.a.dime,
If you search these forums (serato.com) you'll find that I was in the same boat as you - deciding on an MBP or a W7/i7 Envy or another high-spec PC. I got the 2.8Ghz MBP last weekend and so far it's been great, although I haven't put it through a gig yet.
Someone said that comparing specs on a Mac vs. a PC is like comparing a Porsche to a Viper - the Viper might have better torque and hp on paper, but it'll lose to the 911 in a race through the twisties.
I will say though, that being a lifetime PC user going to a Mac isn't as intuitive as the Apple fanboys say. At least you can still right click.

P.S. Stay the hell away from VAIOs. I have two right now and their build quality is not made for any sort of wear and tear you encounter as a DJ (you can read my post about one of the HDs getting demagnetized: serato.com).

Well of course when you switch to mac theres a learning curve, but the more you play on it and the more intuitive it get's. Pretty much every fonctions are place in a way that is easy to figure out or at least to find.

It's just a matter of time before you become an Apple Pro.

For sure, and it's definitely a lot more fun to play with and explore. For example, I loved how when I went to the trackpad settings to set right click preferences there was actually a video for each multitouch gesture on the side of the menu.

Yeah apple thinks about pretty much everything... It's all about user friendly features.

Ok it's not perfect, sometimes they fuck things up, but the ratio against pc bug's is top notch.

Ill never go back to a pc.

I'm all for Macbook Pro and if it works for you, follow the advise of folks here that have put their sweat, reputation, and money into a reliable and trustworthy rig that allows them to feed the crowd without issue gig after gig.

...But like many, for work I live in a PC universe and in my travels I've found that HP Business notebooks are very well built, can be had with XP 'downgrade' (I wont touch vista...cant vouch for Win7..For me XP is very stable and reliable, I have no issues with it). I find the HP (non fancy lookin admitedly.. solid, stable, sensible on the pocket, not bundled with silly crap and with XP Pro as stable as anything I've come across. If cost is no object then they have an 'EliteBook model line with the 6930p model having a 14.1 inch screen, very portable friendly, very good 'workstation class' hardware. Stainless body, great unit. Availabe with XP w/ WIndows 7 'upgrade' (XP Pro installed but you get Windows 7 dvd included in pack for you own install later if u choose.

I have learned to go after reliablilty, trust worthiness over looks and glitter so what a machine looks like means nothing to me.

On the aside, I still think Dell support is the most complete I have come across...but you definitely pay for it..I'm referring to the 'Complete care' (you have a problem- that includes YOU dropping, spilling coffee into, kid puking into..whatever...IT CAN TOTALLY BE YOUR FAULT, you call them talk to a tech rep that will walk thru troubleshooting with you, then either overnight you a user-replaceable component or send a real human to you wherever you are with replacement parts to come fix it for you)

In an ideal world...get the mac pro!

If you gotta go windows get a stable business class system (not the ultra-portable or 'thin and light'..get a standard chassis) and not a 'consumer' class product. To much bleeding edge farkles and overstyled swoopiness along with bloatware in dem tings!

lorek +1

Just saw this (www.hp.com) and thought I'd mention it here. That particular SKU of the Envy should be pretty darn zippy.

As a use to be PC person. I love PC. Its good for locating files and downloading.

Now I would recommend buying both a PC and Mac if price doesn't matter. Use the PC for downloading music and making music. That's what I use my Gateway 17inch MC for.(note they have better models now this PC was purchased 2 years ago.)

Downfall to PC is that it gets slow after awhile. PC will start to freeze up and turn off. I experienced this. Never using Serato but using other DJ program and also just by being on the internet.


Mac though is great for downloading and DJing. Never tried making music on the Mac as I use Fruity Loops which macs don't support. But I never seen a downfall to mac thus far. As I said I was once a PC person and I have a lot of knowledge on PC but when I switched to mac it was a life changer.

Same here.
Macbook pro is the best choice for itch at this moment

Totaly agree and bro, you can produce music on a mac aswell, just dont use Fruity Loops, try Ableton or Logic maybe.

it will, since Windows will be native on your Mac. Plus Windows will run very smooth, probably even better then on a regular pc laptop since Apple writes every drivers that goes with it's hardware.

You get the best of both worlds.

IMHO, _IF_ money is no object, get the fastest MacBook Pro and focus on mixing instead of optimizing Windows. Windows 7 will not remove the baggage that makes optimization a chore.

-KLH

Don't forget that it's EASY to virtualize Windows within OSX...

-KLH

its not virtualize, bootcamp offers OSX users to have windows installed NATIVELY" It run's native on it's own partition. As it would on a Regular Pc or Laptop.

The Envy touchpad has major issues ATM. Every review has commented on its complete lack of tracking and non-functioning multi-touch.

Also, I think I'm going to stick with a 13in model to maintain portability.

Still waiting til the 22nd to make a decision but it's basically between. On all of them I'm also considering solid state drives just tend to add substantial amount to the price.

Apple Macbook Pro 13
2.53ghz Intel Core Duo
4GB 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM
500GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm
NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics

Sony Vaio Z 13.1in
2.66GHz Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor P8800
4GB DDR3-SDRAM DDR3-1066, 2GBx2
320GB Hard Disk Drive (7200rpm)
Nvidia GeForce 9300M graphics

HP Envy 13
1.86 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor SL9400: 6MB L2 Cache
3GB of DDR3 SDRAM
250GB 5400 rpm SATA HD
ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4330 Graphics M92LP

Yep yep. Decisions decisions

Not really. Getting the MacBook Pro gives you the most flexibility. You can run MacOS (the most stable OS of the bunch) AND Windows. You can't easily do that with the others. When you factor in that ITCH works wonders with it AND it has the highest resale value, I don't know what there is to discuss... other than getting the 15" model.

-KLH

And also, i find that Itch and SSL runs better on OSX then on pc. Maybe it's just me.

It runs a lot smoother. Thats for sure.

My hold ups have to do with the rest of my life being very PC oriented. I have lots of software & hardware that isn't easily compatible with Mac.

Also, gaming is a major portion of my CPU use and in the past Mac's never stacked up (tho now with Intel chips & Nvidia cards I can't imagine they have many problems).

In terms of CPU use, I'm a mega user and will use a computer for anything and everything it can do. So I've been trying to thoroughly look into people who use their computers for more than just your average net surfing and music.

Admittedly, the Mac does seem like a good match I'm just very unfamiliar.

Pair.a.dime,

Like I said I'm a lifetime PC user, and honestly the one thing I've been loving about my new MBP is how fast and smooth everything is. I don't really play games, but I do use very memory intensive graphic apps and they all run smooth as butter (I would advise you to get the 15" with dedicated 512MB GDDR3 if you're going to play games though).
I also love how quick everything opens and closes (without leaving background processes behind). Usually with a PC if I've used it for a couple days I have to restart it to clear everything (because even manually ending tasks won't always work). With the MBP I've ran it for over a week without restarting - going in and out of sleep and it still runs perfectly smooth. By the way the boot time is amazing coming from a Windows box (which makes sense since OSX runs on a UNIX kernel...)
It's definitely a big jump and there is a learning curve but I'm really happy I've made the switch - and if there's ever any Windows app that you really need there's the boot camp or VMWare Fusion option (Fusion 3 has full support for 64-bit Windows 7 btw).

Honest like I said before I used PC all my life bro. But Macs really changed my life. And if using some of the programs that mac doesn't suppose you should buy another laptop for that type of stuff. I mean Macs can do everything. But you should use 2 different laptops for different things. Especially if prices don't matter.

Use a PC for Gaming,work, and the programs you can't use on mac.


Use a Mac for music, art(photoshop), Djing, and anything that you NEED to run really fast that takes up a lot of CP usage. It will run a lot smoother on mac. I swear.

Mac .

I too am a lifetime user of PCs. I briefly had a Mac (PowerComputing) back in the day to run Logic and loved it. I just used it and turned it off when I didn't. No monkeying around. I went back to Windows because I couldn't afford to upgrade to an Apple at the time AND Logic worked on Windows... until Apple bought eMagic and killed the Windows version. I then switched to Cubase (which isn't as powerful).

Advancing the clock, I'm now at the same crossroads. ITCH works on Windows, but the Mac is clearly easier to maintain and performs with lower latency. If I could just get over the sticker shock, I'd have a MacBook Pro 17" laptop end of story.

Instead I continue to tweak Windows and partition drives so that ITCH has its own environment, yada yada.

If you have the skills and don't mind tweaking Windows twice a month, stay on Windows. If you just want to DJ and use the computer as a tool - the Mac is ideal.

Get both a Mac and PC if you can - why choose?

-KLH

Pair.a.dime - this should help you choose. W7 vs. OSX tests: www.engadget.com
W7 faster in gaming, OSX faster at everything else. I guess this is to be expected, but now it's confirmed.

and DJ'n is no game :)

Word.

i just read the whole thing.. mac won on battery power... who needs battery power while DJ I would never use a lappy which is not hooked up to the electric. second the guy used quicktime.. windows has its own media player... im not beating anyone yet im just saying.. and lastly he also uses itunes to convert mp3's to AIFF. anyone following? Im not saying windows or mac are better im saying this test is kinda iffy.. its like ok let me test windows and mac and use itunes and quicktime mac products. lol just saying

Not to mention that these specific tests were done on a Mac Book Pro.

LMAO

Anyone want to guess which OS will run better on a Mac? Mac OS or Windows? Lol

All of the reputible hardware tech sites have Win7 rated substantially faster than Snow Leopard in real world comparisons.

That being said...

Speed is most definitely not everything.

To the OP -the gaming is going to be your hold up.

I would suggest you build a gaming (desktop) PC because you know you're going to want to keep upgrading the graphics card every 6 months with the newest generation of cards anyway.

Get a Mac Book Pro for DJ'n on -for stability and ease of use. The "Pro" in Mac Book Pro is more than just a marketing gimmick.

:-)

you will spend less time getting used to a mac than it takes to regularly maintain a windows only PC.

I weighed on the same decision as you 3 years ago. Mac, HP, Dell, or Sony. I went with the mac and I haven't looked back. I own 3 now, planning the purchase of a 4th.

MAC BABY! Once you go mac you don't go back. No viruses and it's a stable operating system.

If you're not super tech savvy then mac is the way to go. They have good tech support too.

May last mac pro did have a motherboard problem that fried my external hard drive. Mac gave me a brand new Macbook Pro plus a 1TB Timecapsel for my troubles.

Apple Macintosh. Never used anything for music/ video but MACs since first installing VISION DSP on a G3 tower in 1998. You will be glad you did NOT fool around w/ the knock-off.

imho Mac is graphic/music oriented
had been and i guess will be
so obviously the mac platform is probably the best choice if you can get used to the apple way of windows :)

actually its Windows idea came from the Apple and the originial Mac

And when it comes to music Mac is the industry standard, when it comes to video its moving towards Mac but, Avid, which is PC based has a strong foothold on video editing.

Sidetrack...

Just FYI...

Actually MS didn't steal the concept from Apple -that's a common misconception. Apple made that claim with Windows 2.0 but it was found in court that in fact because both corporations licensed the technology from the same source, (Xerox who is the originator of the GUI interface concept used by both Apple and MS), that the similarities between Windows and Mac OS, were a natural result of the foundation GUI technology developed by Xerox.

I love to learn new things!

now if we could only use the xerox to rip our cd's :)

Get a MacBook Pro. I like 17" with 1920x1080 widescreen display as fast as you can get and 8GB of OWC ram. But I value more screen space over lighter smaller slower CPU.

Native resolution for 17" MacBook Pro is 1920 X 1200

my dell is also 1920*1200 and i need a pair of glasses to be able to read the screen when it's on the stand on the Ns7
i see myself blowing up the font in itch to cope with it...
just a pity that only the crate view can be enlarged, haven't found a way to get the other visuals bigger...

It looks like I'm the only one using a PC. :(

nah just most mac guys are louder. PC users if they got a working system see no point in joining this debate :)

hehehehehe so true. :-P

Yes, "IF" "working" ...key words here. Love your pop-ups, viruses and twice as much maintenance much? Not too mention plastic housings and cord/ cable ports that are in the easiest place to break off?
Have a Powerbook here running for 6-7 years now. A PC I bought 3 years ago is working quite well now as a door stop due to its cheap poorly, designed -well, basically everything.
Twice as much money or half the life span? You decide.

THERE IS A WAY (on Vista and 7) -and to keep your 1920x1200 resolution too.

What you need to do is go into the "Accessability" section -which is generally for people with disabilities. There is a setting to adjust the display size of your icons and text. If you set it to 150% or 200% -or whatever size suits your fancy -what will happen is your desktop icons and all screen text will enlarge but your background and actual resolution will remain at 1920x1200.

What this does is allow everything to run at the full resolution -but all text and icons are enlarged.

On my laptop running at 1920x1200 -setting up this way allows all the text to remain readable even when a few feet away. It essentially allow the text and icons to appear like they are running at 1280x1024 or 1024x768 -while keeping everything else (videos, photos, etc...) at the full 1920x1200 resolution.

This was a godsend when I found it.

Hope that helps.

Sorry I'm at work and not on Vista or 7 at the moment so I can't lay out the exact steps. Just search around under accessability and you should be able to find it.

:-)

Cant run ITCH on a Powerbook though can you so its not really a relevent post....

hi moorea,
you can also adjust the dpi setting, so that results in the same effect you are describing i think.
but in itch you can use ctrl and '+' key to enlarge the font itch uses, this is also very handy, but like i said, it's only the crate part (and create tracks) that will use the bigger font...
not all programs behave well when bigger dpi settings are used though...

That makes me feel better cuz I was thinking more about kernel issues or other things but seeing that the only concern you have are pop ups/viruses and built. I am fairly knowledgable of them. So I can use a Windows machine. Apple vs Windows people really make me go nuts tho> I never hear anybody talking concrete about the diferences.. what makes mac OS be more "stable" than the Windows base? What is it? resource management? in what way? I have done some heavy google searching but haven't seen much. If you can show me the light!

The thing is you don't have to have reasons as to why its better before you buy one cause there is so much proof out there that it is more stable. My iMac has been on for 6 days now and my Mac-Mini for about 22 and both have been used heavily each day. When was the last time you could keep a windows machine on for that long?

Don't get me wrong Windows IMO is a fantastic piece of kit. All that Apple OS developers have to do is write some software which works with one consistant set of the same high quality components. Windows OS developers have to write software that works with any old configuration of components that may or may not be upto spec.

Hm - some people mentioning screen size. Ideally, I'd like a 13in for max portability. However, there are a few 15in that catch my eye (Macbook Pro w/ integrated gfx cards, HP Envy 15 Beats (quad core anyone?) but I refuse to get another 17 in (my previous laptop was 17in HP zd8000) which was too heavy and too much to handle.

I don't need a big screen. I have a 27in flatscreen monitor at home.

So;

Tomorrow Mac announces its new Macbooks, iMacs, Mac Mini, and new mouse.

Windows 7 release also lets out HP Envy's (13 & 15), Dell Adamo & Adamo XPS (no stats on XPS, Adamo has 2.13ghz processor now tho), & Sony Vaio Z

Still undecided, yes, I know MBP is very high on my list but I'm not going to say fuck it to W7 without seeing it.

Will definitely be purchasing something before the end of the week. Will post updates on what I decide.

Apple = better drivers. Which means that Apple can leverage much greater speed and stability form silmilar spec'd hardware than PC.

PC = greater choice. Which means you may find a great purchase for your needs.

However, most DJs here only really need a computer that is around the Macbook specs, meaning that it IS actually very good value for money, and considering the downtime that PC users have vs Mac users, it can even save a lot of costly downtime. Tho Macs aren't totally bullet proof.

If you are a computer nerd, then PCs are cool :-P
If you are a gamer, then PCs are the way to go (for now) since that is a large part of their market.


Pro audio and media is where Apple are at.

My 2c. (Opinion)

:D

*and* if you are a pc guy (like me) it is hard to get used to the apple interface...
but like said in previous posts, apple works with dedicated hardware which at least gives a base for better soft to hard integration...

It only takes a few weeks to get used to a MAC / OSX. Honestly pretty much everything on it, options, controls ect is where it should be. You never have to search for hours to find what you are looking for on a mac, yes theres a learning curve as with any software or OS but still it is very user friendly.

HP Envy 15 Beats vs. Apple Macbook Pro 15

Both around $2.5k. Both have 500 gb HDs, 8 gb ram. Aluminum bodies. Both weigh about 5 lbs; macbook is slightly heavier

(Windows7) Envy Beats has 1.6ghz 6mb cache Quad Core processor, ATI mobility radeon gfx w/ gig of ram, Beats audio, external blu-ray optical, also comes with beats headphones, and software: traktor LE, Corel VideoStudio Pro, Corel Paintshop Pro

(Snow Leopard) Macbook Pro has 2.8ghz 6mb cache Dual Core processor, nvidia gfx integrated w/ 512ram, internal optical, unibody design

wish they woulda updated the MBPs and not just the Macbook to the new white (why is there no black version?)

pair.a.dime

No reasons to buy it uh? suure... lol nah seriously. Im gonna open a company and hook on to your cable outside ur house and feed u my proof my product is the best and im gonna make millions off you... muahhaha


hmm I'm afraid you lost me since I am a Windows user since windows 3.0, so I can say I kinda know windows..
and I regreatably used to leave my computer on for months (after windows 98/xp... )
I say regreatably because I became this very concern guy with energy consumption and doing those things was bad being that I had the sleep function which btw is now improved on both mac and windows with a go back from sleep time of under 7 seconds for (both systems the same*) so theres no fighting =D

@ Matt-C. I was thinking it was the drivers.. thanks for your thoughts...

@Pair-a-dime You should really weight ur options becasue right now the needs for Itch are soooo low.. now if Itch does Video which I don't see why it shouldn't and hopefully soon.. you will need more power.. but dont count on it now because this computer companies are always updating something and you will get a better deal down the road who need a quad core when the 2nd and third core unlock just when u need them...
same goes for memory and video cards.. I dont see whos gonna actually NEED the new iMAC with 16GB or ram are u serious? what are u doing exploring Mars? for the sake... I think we've reached a point that we can't justify this much memory.. read about it..

as far as computers they are best when all things are balanced say enough memory enough cores for ur needs and teh faster response times.. its not about how BIG ur processing power is but how fast.. dont be confused tho if u really care read because there are many things that make up response time. ex. if i trow a ball at you and u are slow to react the ball will hit you. you might see the ball fast but slow to raise ur arms or you might be quick to reach for it but cant predict its path.. balance is key..

i think the best is try to get a second hand cheaper u can get macbook or MBP off craigslist and wait for a more powerful machine when u actually need it.. Im def considering the 13 inch macbook but i gotta see the screen running itch cuz I want to b able to see what im doing specially with the track names ... i dont think i need a screen to actually DJ but I have to (see) first... as far as price im sure u can find a cheap one off craigslist. good luck.

LOOOOOOONNNGGGG READ>>> wow

sry for going OT there.. in sumation a MB might b ur best option because of its stability... if u dont want to spend time analizing diferent machines.. remember Apple is one but other PC manufacturers have diferent parts and stuff. overall I am very happy with windows but then again I know whats under my hood..

oh yea..

*correction... the cores do open at the same time I was thinking at the first models.. they are opening under win7 at least. u would have to research macs if those are ur needs..

@ Pair a Dime: Dude it's not about the Laptop/Computer or the specs, it's about PROOVEN RELIABILITY.

I went from PC to Mac cause my old (Wiche was pretty powerfull at time) PC Laptop had crashed 2 times in the same gig. I switched to Mac the next comming week and from that time on i never had ANY issues what's so ever...

You can spend your whole week or month trying to find the best bargin and find the best laptop with the best specs and keep comparing them to a Mac but in the end the Apple computer is better for Music and Films and that my friend is a FACT!

Even Serato mod's says that it's best to get a Mac for djing. Just check how many dj's have Mac's... A shit load more then dj's with PC's...

My 2 Cents.

Feed me, feed me now!

Case closed then yeah?

I would say that yes. I mean there isnt really alot of stuff to compare between both machines, it'S 2 completly different worlds that run the same CPU.

If your a PC freak, you wont wana try a Mac and if your a Mac Freak you will never go back to pc. I say if you in the music industry GET A MAC"

Peace

just cause somethings sells well to a particular demographic, that doesn't necessarily makes it better. Just saying.

Well i didnt mean by it's better or not, am just saying, it's been TESTED to be working correctly.

Why do you think all the big names all have a Mac when it comes to djing... Hawtin, Deadmau5, Blank and Jones, PVD and the list goes on.

Could be a dick measuring thing, buy most expensive laptop, therefore must be best laptop. Again, just because more people own something doesn't make it better. Look how many djs wear old spice vs axe body spray, therefore old spice is the best deodorant.

alrigth sure bro think that way and get a pc it doest really change anything in my life...

I was just saying my 2 cents... like it or not that becomes your descision.

ok this is degrating quickly but i will just put in my last 2 cents. Better is not really the matter her. Reliability and simplicity is. I mean just look at the ns7 it needs a seperate driver just to operate on PC. If you install ITCH with the vci-300 connected to a windows machine you will need to do a reinstal with the NS7 connected. Most dj's dont care about computer operating stuff just want the computer to hold thier tracks

Thansk Kraal thats what i wanted to say basicaly.

Cid K, I totally understand and agree...this thread said, best laptop regardless of cost. Regardless of cost and running Serato anything? I would say 17" MacBook Pro with 3.06 GHz chip and 8 gigs of RAM, 500 GB 7200 RPM hard drive, anti-glare display $3499.00. There you have your ultimate DJ rig if you don't mind the size...you could save roughly $300 to $400 if you buy your RAM elsewhere and install it yourself

Industry standard for music and photo editing is Apple...and somewhat video a bit now too.

I'm not knocking PCs at all...

kraal what is your ultimate laptop...

I like the Macbook Pro as above but, I personally would buy the 15" though there are only 2 USB ports the 17" has 3.

i would go for the 17 inch above however i would only need the 4 gigs of ram have yet to see a performance differance with the extra ram. I also do graphic work so that is why the 17 inch is a must for me. That is also why i am here so ofter rendering animation while cruising these forums

Wouldn't it be better to get a 15" for portability with an external Apple display assuming price was no option? I'm definitely considering making that (and a new Wacom tablet) my next major purchase...

Also - I haven't worked much with 3D animation apps, but I'd think they would be able to utilize the extra memory...

15 inch for portabilty yes buth with graphic stuff i need space for my palets. but honestly i dont use my laptop for much art anyways use my imac and dual monitor dset-up

doesn't the NS7 need a driver on OSX?
does OSX has all the drivers in it?
if not how can this work?
and i saw a OSX 64bit driver on the numark site...

the reason of having to reinstall itch is so itch knows what soud card to take i guess.
but i installed itch without the ns7 connected, installed the ns7 64bit driver afterwards and that worked to...

it is not true that "windwos people " will not use mac or "mac people" will not use W. but I see what ur saying tho.. I would def use a mac but now that windows 7 is out I will first test windows 7 just because i like to save money all the time.. nevertheless it is better for any fotware company if everyone would only buy on OS to use their product with so they would not need to concentrate resources on multiple OS's... Itch was build on mac's "supposedly" and I can believe that cuz I have had a few hints.. but you can't expect windows to "fail" forever... I have seen plenty of DJ's using Windows.. for me it's about saving money.. i would either buy mac used off craigslist or a windows machine and run win 7 if it works.. just my 2c.

btw I havent forgot about the pics I promised; had a busy day today..

I totally understand about saving money...buying a Mac from Craigslist is a good idea but, I would bring someone knowledgeable about Macs with me, if you aren't already, so you don't get ripped off...also peace of mind and safety.

To summarize, MBP or MB if you can afford it because it requires very little optimization. If you plan on buying Windows, be knowledgeable about how to optimize Windows for real-time i/o performance - otherwise you'll spend a LOT of time learning.

At the end of the day, both are capable of being great performers - but more "work" is required on Windows.

I think we're done here folks.

Apple just released a new iMac, Mac Mini, and MacBook. Meaning they are probably gonna release the MacBookPro soon.

I'm used to work with PC but i need a new laptop cause i will buy a Xone:DX. Is the new 13" MacBook without any tweeks and additional mods suitable for running xone:dx and itch 2.0 (i know spec's are not available for itch 2.0, but what do you guys guess?)

2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
2GB DDR3 memory
250GB hard drive1
8x double-layer SuperDrive
NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics
Built-in 7-hour battery2
Polycarbonate unibody enclosure

the only thing i don't want is that 5400 rpm disk

I would question 13" to be very good on ur capacity to see 4 decks.. but then again I dont even know how itch will look then..

Agreed, or a Samsung R620.

and Sony Vaio VGN-NW21EF/S ????

Intel Pentium Dual Core - T4300
2100 MHz
Windows 7 Home Premium - 64 bit
4096 MB DDR2 2 x 2048 MB
320 GB (5400 RPM Serial ATA)
15.5 inch WXGA X-black TFT Breedbeeld
1366 x 768 pixels
ATI Radeon HD 4570

Because at first i wanted to buy this sony vaio, but then i followed this and other discussion about best laptop for dj'ing and started to wonder if a macbook would be better. please consider i am a bedroom dj and it is not the end of the world if my pc will crash once in a while, but i need low latency. I will use a dedicated laptop for dj'ing tough.

only 1 way to be sure : test the beast with at least DPC (www.thesycon.de)

yeah i know this but i can only test after i purchased a laptop and i don't think that i can return my laptop because i have high latency for dj'ing. So before buying i need good advice.

that is the problem!
in the old days (yeah i consider myself already old :) ) one could test a machine...

fwiw: i have a dell M6400 , quad core, plenty ram, w7 x64, and it does run itch at 1ms...(had some issues installing the ns7 driver)
but for less money you'll be able to buy a MBP
i bought this cause i make a living out of it :)
anyway, i would never settle for a 5400 rpm disk! way to slow... go for a decent sata disk at 7200 with 16mb cache, or if you have the $$ for it, an intel SSD...
and make sure the FSB of the processor is in line with the speed of the memory

Vaio looks good but Samsung R620:

Intel Centrino 2 P8700 2.53GHz
4GB RAM
500GB HDD
16” HD WXGA (1366 x 768) SuperBright© Gloss LCD TFT
Wireless Intel 802.11 a/b/g/n
Bluetooth 2.1+EDR
ATI Radeon HD4650 1GB Dedicated Graphics

All for ~1300 USD.

www.jbhifionline.com.au

Is also good, and for that price you will have a better vaio to, but this vaio cost in Euro 599,-....................

yes go for the cheapest u can get that has the requirments that u need. I would advice to buy used if you can from osmeone trusted so like that u pay less and wont be bangging your head on the wall 6 months down the line when a much better computer is available for the price you paid.. if your bedroom even less worries.. you can build a tower for so little money and be happy. Windows 7 looks fantastic btw. I build a tower with AMD processor triple core running at 2.8ghz 4 GB ram 1066mhz and a 512mb DDR3 Ati video card for US$600 about 7 months ago lol so u do the math.. It runs like a champ and Im going to buy Windows 7 to run on it.. Been using windows 7 since the first beta and I must say "nice!" Macbooks are over priced in my opinion none needs those computers unless they are doing live events and are afraid of technicallities and want to have the piece of mind that many people praising a system give.... studio work trust windows you will be glad you did.

To build a windows tower sounds like a good idea for bedroom offcourse, but i want to dj in my bedroom but also in the livingroom (i have 2 little kids, who need to sleep sometimes, so i need to change location :-) ) In this case a tower is not a good idea.

I think the above specified vaio would be suitable for running only itch 2.0 and i-tunes. I will only use for dedicated dj delete a lot of software, disable bluetooth, wifi, etc i can't expect that this would give me any problems combined with windows 7???

can u buy used? is there craigslist where u live? a macbook 2ghz or macbook pro should be what ur looking for and the price of a used one should be as well low if u buy them used because apple even came out with newer models..

that vaio looks good but only if ofered with windows 7..

it is offered with windows 7!

I wouldn't go Samsung if weight is of any concern to you. I have the R710, and although it's an excellent spec for the price (even has a bluray drive) it weighs 3.1 Kg (over 6lbs)... although the weightlifting did save me money on a gym membership...

New Macbook Pro for next year bro. Either Jan or June.

Peace

never ending story.......

best laptop regardless of price....




MacBook Pro.

Both are good Mac and PC

I own both so i know.

Thank you,
Carl

5400 RPM HD in the new MacBook is not a problem as long as your library is on an external HD @ 7200 rpm. In any event it is very easy to swap out the HD in even the new MacBook and even easier in the 2008 model. You can probably find a USED 2008 MacBook with Firewire & 4GB of RAM @ 2.4GHz for the same money or less. That's the model I have and I would never sell it 'cause it's the last 13" MacBook with Firewire. Running your library on an external 3.5" 7200 rpm FW drive is the way to go.

i have a 5400 rpm HD in my macbook and it is no problem....we are getting so concerned with technical specs that as far as DJ'n go dont mean a damn thing

End This Thread!

only the threat creator should ask for the thread to be closed..

Oh i am sorry, dont beat me up will you? lol

This may have been mentioned, but isn't Itch still 32 bit only application on Windows? That means if you buy a new Windows 7 laptop, which almost certainly comes with 64 bit Windows, you will have to uninstall the OS and reinstall the 32 bit version. And, I'm not even sure if your 64 bit Windows license gives you the right to run 32 bit Windows, which may mean you have to re buy the OS (check with Microsoft).

Licensing can vary often if you buy the 64 bit version you are also provided with 32 bit media.

For OEM PCs, they don't even tyically supply any media with the PC. Anyway, it's always a pain to reinstall an OS just to run one application.

Itch works perfectly fine under Win7 -64bit. I have been using it with the Win7 (64bit) RC since Numark released the 64bit Beta driver.

Windows 64bit can also run 32bit applications.

if money is not an issue, go with the macbook pro 15 inch, 3.06 ghz 8gb ram and 500 gb 7200 rpm hd.
has 2 graphics cards, a processor faster than most standard desktops, a lot of space at a high speed, if not you could go with the solid state drive. you hav the oportunity of a firewire port and 2 extra usb ports.
serato users preffer mac over pc or so it seems.
i have had 3 pc laptops and 2 mbps, the pcs froze on me a couple of times after a few months of use, the macs never failed me more than 2 times simply because i pushed too much. (video mixing, itunes and 2 other programs all running at the same time.)

8GB RAM? Do you have to run the ECHELON database?

I agree except make that the 17" MacBook Pro - Matte option and I would wait for the next refresh as it is eminent. It's 1920 x 1200 screen is a lot more real estate than the 15" for only a few hundred dollars more. This is if money is not an issue. The next version is rumored to have auto switching between graphics processors according to need. NOTE: NEW German Mac Only $50 djay 3.1 software now supports the Vestax VCI-300 for a controller. Worth checking out if you're looking for an alternative to Itch.

Money ain't a thang...

Macbook Pro 17"
3.06 ghz processor
500gb 7400 rpm hdd
Hi Res Antiglare Display

IMO, the best laptop money can buy!!!

or if you prefer all the same specs on a 15.4" Macbook Pro

or forgot to mention also get 8GB of RAM

The 8gb of Ram is for the most paranoid of us hahahahha! :-P

no it's for running Windows virtualized :)