I think the most important thing is using a SSD when recording.
As it records them as WAV or AIFF there shouldn't be too much strain on the CPU.

Just try it out, I think it should be fine!

I am very curious if you are able to run SDJ with this laptop. Please post how it goes.

wav actually is less strain than mp3's, so you should be cool.

I personally would not allow a dj on my set at a live gig with a Core 2 Duo running serato dj.

Scratchlive, no problem.....

Risky to say the least...........

I have absolutely no probs running SDJ with a Core 2 Duo, with PNT....

and i'm guessing your buffer is set to double figures

Got a 2.53 core2duo (mid 2009 MacBook Pro running Yosemite .. 8Gb mem .. 256Gb SSD + 750Gb in CD bay )

Runs fine with standard key lock and buffer 2
But need to go to buffer 5 with P'n't enabled.

Normally run it with standard key lock to allow the use of buffer at 2

I Have The Same Exact One (Back up Laptop)

No Issues.

My buffer is 2

That is surprising but good news. I stopped using Core2Duos a few years back and they are just collecting dust now. My backups are 13" I7's but perhaps I should upgrade the OS and give it a whirl with SDJ 1.7.5 and see if anything has changed.

My Core2duo's performance with SDJ were not the worst to be honest but when compare to my newer MBP's the difference was quite large. Unlike anyone above I was not able to get decent performance with anything below 5ms. Even at 5ms the CPU light would activate and there were a surprising amount of total masked dropouts.

Sounds like Serato is getting to the bottom of some of the core issues such as high CPU usage, etc. Out of curiosity has anyone using Core2Duo's noticed an improvement with the latest versions specifically 1.7.4? Reason I ask is even with my 13" i7's I was not able to use SDJ at the lowest buffer setting until recently which again is why I was surprised 2ms could be achieved with a Core2Duo MacBook..................... great news indeed.

I've been happy. I've been running a 2.53 GHz processor, 4 gigs of ram, 250 5400rpm HDD (sometimes an external also), with the SX. I just sold the SX Friday and picked up some TT's to get back to my roots. I'll let you know when I get the new setup running. Waiting for the new Denon box.

Once in a GREAT while I'd get a hiccup, but hardly ever. I was only running 2 channels, no video, no sync, no fx, and I did have a good week with 1.7.5 time wise.

2x Macbook 15" 2008 Core Duo at 10.9.5 OSX running smooth at 2ms with 60% CPU.

Still works as good back ups for my 2011 and 2015 i7s.

BTW - That's PnT and Video enabled.

Is the 60% the peak (spike) or normal use?

60% seems quite high then again I'm on a 2014 mbp and don't even come close to that running video. For a 2008 60% seems about right. Make sure you use smcfancontrol on that old feller.

Being maxed at 8GB of RAM, 60% for normal use plus a little spike when loading on these 2008s. These were my main laptops when I was still using SSL and never had problems.

My newer laptops' CPU usage for normal is around 20% or less.

As back ups... It's good that I haven't needed to pull any of these old Macbooks on gig lately.

:)

Sounds about right just checkin.

Before I had the 2015 Macbook, it's the 2008s that my other DJs use when I have 2 separate gigs on the same day and we never had a problem.

BTW - Your oldest are 2009s right, deejdave?

2007 but I don't use it. I do have a 2009 which I use sometimes. I am going to update the OS to a supported (or try to because I am not sure if the 2007 is able to install a supported OS) version and see if there are any changes in the performance with 1.7.5.

I currently use two 2012 13" I7 Dual Cores and two 2013 15" I7 Quad Cores which all work great. As a matter of fact as of 1.7.4 (Beta3) they all work at 1ms with all expansions but this is expected and obviously with these specs this is not all that uncommon. In short nothing to see here!!!

I am more interested in what this thread is exposing as this stuff is really neat to me. Getting a spec'd out brand new MBP to work great is not all that hard and is nothing to write home about. The above however IS imo. So cool and looking forward to trying out. I think I tried one of them (either the 2007 or 2009) with a newer version but I think that was before the 1.7.4 betas which were pretty big on my end.

My 2008 Macbooks are different models. The unibody works a little way better than the one with quick release battery pack access. Nothing very significant though.

Aside from backups, these are my guinea pigs for testing new software and updates. They are the constant partners of the CDJ and TTs in the batcave for practice. They probably will sell for 600-700 each but knowing the current price of the new Macbooks, I would rather keep them as they still work.

I am pretty much sure your 2009 will work better than mine. Let us know how it goes with the 2007.

I shall. Always excited to bring a friend from the past back to life. Or at the very least back in action.

15" 2010 CoreIIDuo, 2.66ghz, 8gb Ram, 500gb SSD & 750gb 7200rpm (cd bay). OSX 10.10.2
5ms buffer, PnT & video enabled, it runs between 50% - 60%. Which is high but still stable.
With Pnt & video disabled. 4 decks all playing, it runs smooth as butter at 30% CPU.
However if I open up finder whilst playing the CPU spikes drastically (100% or more).
This only started happening since I updated to Yosemite!!
I will be upgrading soon, but for now I'm actually still quite happy with this old machine.

So I found out unfortunately that the maximum OS for my 2007 15" Core2Duo is 10.7.5 and unfortunately Serato DJ no longer supports anything below 10.8.

Furthermore I just (today) saw an article pointing out that Apple is cutting support for 2007-2009 MacBook Pro's which a.) is deterring me from putting any further effort into my older (now vintage LOL) MBP's and b.) paves the way for 2010's to be legally obsolete come next year and so on and so on.

www.technobuffalo.com

This is a very interesting move indeed and the reason I chose the word "legally" above is the entire point of this move is to save Apple from any legal obligation to offer any help or support on the listed models.

Here is Apples list of no longer supported (obsolete) models. support.apple.com

As always this is just a bit of guidance and by no means implies your MBP will blow up the day support is cut. It does however mean a.) you are pretty much 100% on your own and b.) no respectable software developer will waste any time on supporting said models. This is the same concept for older operating systems.


I know many get the "if it aint broke" mentality but trust when I say that when it comes to laptops or software this is actually dangerous thinking. It pretty much guarantees that at some point being limited will be the least of your issues but a very real danger on its own.


LONG STORY SHORT.................. I don't think I will be investing the time I though I would. I also urge anyone hovering at the fault lines here (2009-2011 MacBook Pro's) that this is a very real thing and not just "My MacBook" is newer than yours" bragging rights.

Interesting information...

Two things that aren't always mentioned on Mac vs PC comparison are:
***Less prone to virus
***Durability

IMO 5 years life span for laptops is fairly acceptable... All of the extended extra years are bonus!

I guess that 2007 Mac can still be useful when you want to re-visit SSL.

And thanks for reporting back : )

Dave,

Serato support means, that no Operating System problems will be addressed...
Else SDJ will work fine!

And as for Apple, don't worry, this means, that no REPAIR parts will be available.
You still get support and help at the Genius Bar.

One can argue that it means this or that but I would be lying if I said I didn't notice a spike in issues as well as an absolute performance dip with MBP's 2011 and older. In all honesty this has seemingly been breaking point around here. Not for nothing this is the largest reason I was so excited to see some decent feedback on older machines on this thread.

Don't get me wrong I hope I am wrong and I wish nothing but the best for all using new & old machines alike BUT the truth for me is that the juice simply does not seem worth the squeeze and THIS is a philosophy I am huge on.

Whatever the word "support" means here or there is up for interpretation I suppose but I would be willing to bet it does not mean anything good going forward. I myself try to be very much a forward thinker that's all.

For those who are limited to older machines I say go for it. Try to get all the life you can out of your machine (within reason as risk is a VERY large factor in performing live) but for those who have the means and options I myself would suggest that a more recent machine may equal better "luck".............................. :)

Hey guys, my Dad deejays as well and I'm slowly trying to move him away from his heavy CDs and unpowered speakers for health reasons. Unfortunately we are on an understandably tight budget, so I'm trying to see what we can "get away with" in terms of making his setup simpler and lighter.

I plan on getting him either a Pioneer DDJ-SB or DDJ-SR, do you think a refurbished 2010 White Unibody 13” Macbook would run Serato DJ ok as long as we upgrade to 8GB or 16GB of RAM (and Yosemite)? The 2.4ghz processor is on the bottom end of Serato DJ requirements, so I wanted to get some real world feedback on usage. We would likely upgrade to a SSD down the line too. Appreciate any advice ya’ll can give.

I used to run Serato DJ on a older White Macbook (early 2008 - 2.16 processor I think) but I was on 10.6.8 and an older version of iTunes. I currently run it on a older MBP with that little Akai AMX mixer (so I can use Mix Emergency and do video). I am on Lion (10.7 and Serato DJ 1.7.4)

I would be more afraid of Yosemite (10.10) on that model causing problems. Many plug ins like Pitch n Time may not work well BUT using Serato DJ (older version 1.7.4) and something like 10.7 or 10.8 may be better if you goal is to move away from CDs and go laptop digital.

Seems like guys are having issues with 1.7.5 so nothing wrong with sticking with older version.

I still use 1200's and control vinyl so maybe some of the controller guys will chime in with any issues and conflicts concerning the controllers you mentioned above,

We always recommend using the latest version as it contains the latest fixes and performance enhancements. If you experience issues on the latest version, it's best to contact support so we can look into what's wrong.

sam.

Sam-are you able to answer my question above?

I would highly recommend using a computer that not only meets our system requirements but exceeds them. The computer you are looking at will probably do ok but I can't guarantee you won't run into any issues as it's at the lower end of what we support. I'd recommend something newer and higher spec for sure.

Sam.

no, get a mbp i5 2012 or better.

Thanks everyone! Will do!

this seems to be the old MBP thread

Yes, I will get a new MBP from the new ones get released soon and an i7 is up for grabs refurbished...

In the meanwhile, any advice on getting a stable version of Serato DJ running? I'm hoping if I move to 10.9.5 (from 10.8.5 currently...yes, I live in the middle of nowhere) I can run 10.7.4
I had 10.7.3 trial currently and drop outs major and always on max end of cpu usage.

specs:

MBP mid 2010
2.4 GHz Core 2 duo
500 gig SSd
8 GB memory

I'm using an old Numark Mixdeck so I can bring in some vinyl on my Technics...but eventually I'll have an A&H old school mixer 6 channel coming my way, so may use time code in my future set up.

I've been told already I should just use 'virtual dj' for this house party coming up...or burn some CDs. Or borrow hubby's i5.

Bottom line, I want to explore Serato as I'm def interested in a newer version once I upgrade laptops in a few months, but want to set something up on this ancient MBP.

Looking for suggestions for OSX and Serato DJ combo on this CPU, please.

Thanks in advance, ya'll
KL

Any advice...I'm sure there are still some of you trying out your old MBP as back ups

Stick with the older versions where the old MacBook pros with core2duo were supported. The newer and current versions are even harder on the machine even though it is able to be installed again. I'm sure it just has been so long they assumed most would have moved on by now thus not blocking it from core2duo laptops.

Yosemite is stable. Latest version of Serato is stable. There ya go.

Going to be dongle hell the first year of the new models and their USB-C ports. Then once the accessories catch up it will be nice!

What older Serato DJ version would you recommend, then? 10.7.4 should do with core2duo...not having good results with 1.7.3(very high cpu usage, dropouts) but we'll see how it goes with mavericks OS.

I'm thinking thinking of Mavericks 10.9.5...any advice on Yosemite 10.10.5 compared to Mavericks?

What older Serato DJ version would you recommend, then? 10.7.4 should do with core2duo...not having good results with 1.7.3(very high cpu usage, dropouts) but we'll see how it goes with mavericks OS.

I'm thinking of Mavericks 10.9.5...any advice on Yosemite 10.10.5 compared to Mavericks?

Also NEVER buy a new model macbook on release as they always have issues and you have to wait for sooftware/driver fixes.

I ran Yosemite on a 2010 Macbook White 16GB 480GB SSD and was stable to at least 1.7.8 with the latency & Screen Refresh turned down. But depending on your hardware, I'd go as low of Serato Version as you can get away with that will have all the features you need. That 2010 Macbook barely met Itch requirements, but still was more stable using SDJ than a lot of current i7 Windows X laptops I've seen.

Scratchlive would have no problem with that laptop lol...just saying. SDJ is CPU boss unfortunately😕