I would recommend you stick will VDJ for now, Get some paying gigs, save your money till you can afford a macbbok pro 15". Your current laptop will not do the job, forget about doing video with it.

In the mean time try installing serato itch, serato dj and serato video demo. There all free without the controller. Report back to us an tell us how it worked out.

Pdidy; I would like to thank you for your response, however, I have a few questions still. I know I am a beginner dj but I am also A+ Certified, used to do tech support for Apple, & I am perusing my degree in Microsoft System Engineering. So I am pretty computer savvy with Mac's and PC's.

My question is why do you say to just go to Mac? I was hoping to get technical replies other than personal preferences. I don't mean that in a rude way ( as you took your time out to reply to someone you don't know). Serato is made for both Mac and PC. So saying just go to Mac boggles me. If mac is your personal preference then great, but I would love a more technical response from anyone.

Correct me if I am wrong.
The min requirements are:
OS: Windows 7 ---- I have Windows 7 64 bit
Processor: 2GHZ Intel core 2 duo--- I have AMD 2.2 core duo
RAM: 1 GB---I have 8GB
Screen resolution: 1024x768-- I have 1366x768
Usb port 2.0- I have usb port 2.0

The MacBook Pro, AKA: Macbook 15"
Processor: 1.6 Dual core -----2.5 Dual core i5
RAM: 1GB-- 8GB
Screen resolution: 1024-768----1680-1050

I meet all system requirements except the Intel Core. I understand having just the bare minimums sometime will only "get you by" and can cause issues and you should have more than the minimum. But there is no way the software should be using 100% of my CPU with only the software running. Unless A. it just is not compatible with the AMD processors ( which is a known issue) or B. I have some settings not correct on my laptop & (or) Serato. I have used VDj on this computer for two years and do Video out with music videos. VDJ will still only use 20% of my CPU and a little less of the RAM. I have also used Traktor and that runs just fine as well.

When you've seen these issues as often as i have you tend to skip the formalities and get straight to the solution.

ok i have a laptop that runs AMD and serato dj intro runs smoothly on it

even scratch live there is no hiccups

i would suggest you take a look at your power plans you are using becuz they do make a difference....

i usually have it on balanced or high performance

now you can edit the performance of the processor in both of these

in high performance the min cpu usage is 100% and max usage is also 100%
which leave the cpu running at 100% all the time

in my opinion that is over doing it.... i would set the cpu to 1% min usage and 100% max usage that way the cpu can choose how much procession power it actually needs to run serato smoothly and the cpu doesnt overheat neither as much as having it at always at 100%... also make sure you check in msconfig that you no startup programs that are not necessary... i have like 2 startups, but they dont impact at all... also dont load music from you laptop hard drive, that will increase cpu alot... use an external hardrive i would recommend with 7200 rpm... make sure your sercurity isnt doing virus scans or updates either, if this is just ur dj laptop, i would recommend u dont even have anything installed except for you system updates and the software you use for serato, thats if its ur strict dj laptop... my laptop has alot of things installed... but i make sure the startups are close to empty.... i hope ive helped... any questions you can email me at techpalmcoast@gmail.com, also windows 8 serato works just fine too, ive tested in on amd and intel

try installing serato itch, serato dj and serato video demo. There all free without the controller. Report back to us an tell us how it worked out.

Just an update. I purchased the Numark NS6, installed Serato DJ on my HPG62 Laptop, & also purchased the Serato Video Plugin. Everything works perfect. I noticed with Serato Dj and no hardware plugged in I would still get 100% Cpu usage, but once I plugged in my NS6 the Cpu drops significantly. Im currently using about 2 gigs of ram out of my 8, and Serato and the videos combined are using about 50% of the Cpu give or take. So as of right now I am running this system at a local bar three times a night for 5 hours. Things are running smooth, I will soon purchase a new laptop with higher specs ( min 2.4 dual core, Intel chip) but for now im happy to say its running fine with the current specs and even with the AMD processor. I did look into it a little more, and it seems that the 64 bit computers min reg are a 2.4 duo core and 32 bit users are 2.0 duo core. That I did not see before, because my computer is 64 bit. Anywho just an update to any users who run into the same issue as me, it does not matter whether you are using Mac or Pc that is just a preference dont let any faddish non educated people tell you different just because they have been djing for years and think they know it all. Its a technical debate not fad.

Honestly, pdidy knows his stuff.
Serato officially recommends Macs over PC's.

Hi DJSteinz,
I'm having the same problem. I'm going to buy the ddj sx, so I installed serato dj to analyse my tracks. But everytime i start the software (with no hardware plugged in) it uses 100% cpu. btw I have an intel i5 quadcore 3ghz. I'm really happy that it works for you with hardware plugged in and I hope it will be the same for me.
As soon as I tried it out with the ddj sx, I will post if it works.

Buy a New mac and all your problems will be solved.

Thanks for your tip. I will buy a mac as soon as I have enough money. (still going to school)

Though I still find it kind of annoying that windows users have this huge disadvantage.

I used to be a PC user and it just wouldn't cut it everytime there is an upgrade on the software it is a step back for the pc user .....To be honest it does

Why is it soo easy to say "buy a mac"? This is my issue. People are looking for answers, technical answers, even though opinions help that's exactly what they are, opinions. Does not mean they are correct.

I have a friend that has the DDJ-SX and he uses a PC that has a quad core intel chip. It works fine with his DDJ-SX. How much ram do you have? I'm assuming you are using Windows 7? When does your Cpu go to 100% is it all the time or only when you analyze tracks? When analyzing tracks its common for the Cpu to go high (maybe not 100%) but it should dedicate at least one core to analyzing the tracks.

Also just an fyi his PC says that video support is not supported with his intel video card. (just a heads up) Have you opened up your task manager with Serato running? Open it and go to Performance> Resource Monitor. You can get a better look at your Cpu to see if anything else is using your Cpu. Clearly you should be able to use your laptop just fine with Serato. Dont let people suck you into the Apple Fad. Im not saying they arent good computers Im just saying you should be able to use a PC (with quad core) just fine.

Again these are just my opinions.

macs work right out of the box with no tweaking...pc's rarely do.

these are just facts.

This is what I dont understand. This is again an opinion. Just because you say it does not make it a fact!

if you go through the help threads... look at the computer specs... an overwhelming majority of people that have issues are pc users.

if you read through the threads and look at the people who have started with pc's, had a shit load of problems, then moved onto macs and now they dont have the same/as many problems. you will see the facts.

so it's not an opinion that macs work better out of the box compared to pc's. it is a fact, and the evidence to support it lies throughout these threads.

i was a pc user, and i had to tweak the shit outta my pc just to get it to run Serato Itch decently, i copped $2400 and bought a MBP, and guess what... out of the box the thing was running great. i had absolutely 0 issues.

^fixed



here's the evidence straight from the horses mouth:

serato.com






so what do you have to say now?

If you read the post (like you are talking about) it is a bunch of people having issues with Pc's and Macs. I will agree that most of the post about not working are mostly with Pc's. From what I have read it is simply because of their computers specs. Meaning they tried to Dj with a Pc that does not meet the min requirements. Just because Apple does not sell "less expensive" models like Windows does, it does not make Mac's "better". So most users have issues because they have a computer that does not meet the Serato min specs, not simply because its a Pc.

"What do you have to say now?"
Nice response it only shows your lack of maturity and lack of knowledge.

At least what you posted from another user had statements to back up his reasoning. That is what I was looking for. I am interested in Facts and technical replies is what I was getting at. I dont want to get a response " oh its just better" what good is that to me or other users with the same issue? When you went to school and asked your teacher a question did they say " because I said so"? No they explained the reasoning so you could learn and grow from it.

if you read a lil more, you'll see alot of ppl are having the same "PC" issues with computers that are fully within specs too.

you've got it all wrong sir,


the FACT that macs allow the product to work the way it was intended with no tweaking is what makes macs better.

The only part that was informative was what the other user said(not sure who he is "DjPayaso") Which you simply copied and then used for yourself. I even told you that what he posted was informative. I never disagreed with that, in fact, after reading his post I took the time to read the article he posted about choosing a computer. Which you just helped me with my prior statements. This is a help forum which means you HELP people not just say oh this is better, this is better, this sucks. I was on here for help and to hopefully learn something not have a childish debate.

when something doesnt work the way it was intended...it sucks
when something works the way it was intended...it's better

smdh


the responses that were given to you were 100% fact: Macs are better than pc's when it comes to running Serato's software. I pointed out another fact to you as to why macs are better than pc's which came straight from Serato.

and now you've got your panties all in a bunch because you didnt get the help the way you wanted it.

^from your mouth

Why make immature comments? Go ahead if it helps you be the bigger man. Other people will be reading this post and reading your ignorance.

I am untracking this post, apparently we cant be mature enough to hold an adult conversation without acting 10 y/o. Moh I hope you get the help you are looking for. I am a computer tech and I also worked for Apple as a computer tech for 5 years, so any help I can give feel free to ask. Good luck with your issue

ummm, those comments are YOUR quotes...straight from your mouth.

lol, as the originator of this thread you dont have to track it...you'll get notified regardless.

but you're the PC Tech...not me

SMDH

serato.com
Many users get very passionate and worked up about advantages and disadvantages of Mac and PC computers. Choosing which suits you best really depends on what you need. Mac’s for example don’t have anywhere near the amount of viruses that Windows based machines are exposed to. Mac users seem less likely to be plagued by many of the small (to large) conflicts that Windows users suffer from. You will find that Macs need less tweaking than Windows machines, so for new users, or those wanting less hassles, buying a Mac might save time and stress.

Evidence indicates that there is little difference in price between Macs and Windows PCs with similar specifications, but there’s a much greater range of Windows machines. If you are looking for a CHEAP laptop, then you will have more choice for Windows systems.

serato.com
Due to the number of reports we have had of this problem we DO NOTsupport machines with AMD processors for use with Serato software.

Ok... I just read your nice little discussion.
My SX has arrived on wednesday and since then I've used it as often as I could. The cpu usage was normal and everything worked well.
Until yesterday :(
Since then I'm having a problem with my asio driver ( no sound comes out of neither master out nor headphones ). I reinstalled the driver and Serato DJ again and again but it still doesn't work. There is a similar post in this forum. serato.com
The problem was solved by plugging in an external device. So I also tried it out ( with my ipod through the line input) and sound came out. But when I switched back to PC it didn't work again.

This really makes me want to buy a mbp because you don't even special drivers.

*don't even need special drivers

yeah, DJSteinz missed the whole point of the convo...

there are a handful of windows machines that will work right out of the box.... but out of a million configs, a handful that work makes for really bad odds.

alot of windows users are left wasting time and money trouble shooting, messing with configs, tweaking, etc. so overall it's just a huge headache.

alot of people know that MBP's work right out of the box. they are expensive, but if you honestly look at the price of a windows machine that has the same specs as a mac, they are generally only a few hundred dollars off. and most ppl would agree that it's worth it to spend an extra $300 to have a piece of mind.







^and it's sad seeing this come out of someones mouth who claims to have 5 years of tech experience working for apple and claims to be a computer tech.
especially when Serato themselves dont recommend windows machines and clearly state the reasons why.

but we will always have those people that will buy a corvette and then bitch and complain about why chevy only reccomends premium fuel. And will try to convince others that premium fuel is just a "fad" so it's perfectly fine to put 85 octane in their tank anyway.

smdh

Its not uncommon to have noob like djsteinz to come here an act as it they no it all . Eventually he will figure out how wrong he is an Disappear Into obscurity.

tru dat

Someone tested with newer processors. as AMD A8 or A10?

Hi guys ! Hi have both,macbook and pc laptop.My pc laptop is samsung 17' core i5, 8 gb ram , 3 gb video card a , solid state drive for the system and another for keeping data.This parameters make it a professional laptop,but I noticed when the first I worked with the DDJ-SX the cpu was running high most of the time and a red sign was showing every moment and then.This sometimes gave me troubles in the audio,like freezing and glitching.I read over the forum about this problem and found some help.I had to disable kaspersky antivirus and any other program running on the taskbar.Then after this I didn't have to to worry about cpu running high and usb drop-outs.

I also have a macbook air mid 2011, 13.3' 1.8 ghz core i7 with 4 gb ram and sometimes use it with my DDJ-SX and I have to admit : a macbook never gives a problem when working with any dj controller.They got a better os unlike the pc computers.I was thinking about selling my macbook but I'm going to keep it. A macbook never fails

i have a lenova i7 8 gigs of memory with 3.1ghz processor,should be plenty of power
to run serato dj,but i got my 2nd pioneer ddj-sx,hooked up my 2 tb external hard drive and turned on serato dj installed music folder,started annalyzing it and again pioneer ddj-sx froze and serata dj closed,so heres what i didI uninstalled everything,reinstalled everything,
then i renamed _serato_ folder to old_serato_ and _datadv2_ to _datadatadv2_ on both laptop and external hard drive serato folders.this time i did not put large music folder into serato dj and did not have it annalyze them,cpu will be 100 with large folder,,thats were the problem is,cpu is ,i plugged external hard drive to laptop,turned on serato dj,turned on pioneer ddj-sx,i just dragged 1 song at a time into virtual drives and BAM IT WORKS,,i had MediaMonkey annalyze all my music on external hard drive and you can search for song throu it too and drag to serato,this is just external hard drive fix until i get my large internal hard drive to put music on,
hope this help some of you out

Hi again ! Still running high CPU usage on my windows laptop.I think this is a windows issue when working with DDJ-SX.It's quite different when working with Mac,I've never had a single issue on it.The CPU usage never gets high on my macbook air when I work with Serato Dj.Sure apple stays on the top and never goes wrong.The only issue mac computers have : the high price,but anyway it's worth it every penny.

serato.com

Just to show you that power isn't everything..

I have a Lenovo G580 laptop with Intel B970 2,2 GHz dual core, 8GB of RAM, and running on windows 7 32bit plugged in usb 3.0

I hooked up a DDJ SX and tortured it on 2ms with SDJ 1.2, slip mode on, and my friend and I each one on one deck with 4 decks active were using beat rolls EQ etc. with master tempo and vinyl on for about an hour or so.
I'm sorry to say but my cpu wasn't maxing over 50% and there were not pops, clicks, and audio dropouts. :-/
When on 1ms the cpu was maxing at about 70% but still no dropouts.
My songs are all analyzed (about 22.000 mp3s) and I only have serato intro, serato dj, foobar2000, and windows installed.
Laptop camera, bluetooth, dvd, wireless, and modem are disabled

So... perhaps the issue isn't in windows but in some other programs/processes that are installed on your machine and/or working in background.

Oh, and about virtual dj: It's a POS program that on that same setup doesn't work properly under 10ms and has no support for the resolution of my laptop display, toylike interface, and crappy master tempo.. ;-)

Cheers

If there is any computer that does the job right,that one is Apple with Macbook Pro.I was lucky to buy a macbook pro 15" with a nice price.Never have had a single issue with serato when working with mac.Apple is on the top.

Before buying my Macbook Pro years over years ago, I ran video just fine with my PC laptop.. It actually did better than my Macbook Pro at the time. If youre having issues with high CPU usage etc, you may wanna try different versions of Serato Dj as some are buggier than others. Id recommend 1.1.1 thats got the fewest bugs. 1.5 (I believe thats the version) is also good. The very latest as of Feb 2014 is good too but its their first big update with the video plugin and its really heavy on the CPU.. I cant use it even with my Macbook Pro 15. Its not the computer, its the software. Hope this helps, good luck, and happy mixing!

year and specs of your mac ?

2007 2.67,, 4G ram, 1TB internal HD (to keep my music on board for faster loads and never have to worry about external HD disconnecting during my set and having to reboot)

Yep that's what I figured, that mac is quite ancient and only meeting minimum system requirements. So in regards to Video and SDJ its nearing the end of its lifespan. But its still usable for scratchlive.

Are you in the process of upgrading ?

bought a pioneer dj-sb with serato intro, i used the full serato trial for the first two weeks. thinking if my computer can easy handle the full software its defiantly guna handle the intro one. but no. the intro software crashs, distorts the sounds and doesnt even play the music right. how come the better bigger software works and your intro doenst? after having a few friends round i found windwos media player was playing the tunes better than your intro software was, yes i now its into software. but jesus guys. cmon