Portable music production

[Kruai]

Hi,

I'm a college student who also does music production (Ableton Live--very resource intensive, especially since I use many different instruments at any time).
I'm not sure yet if I should go the notebook-only route, or get a desktop+netbook combination. The notebook-only route would probably be cheaper. Here's the copy:

General Questions

1) What is your budget?
Maximum of $1500, if this thing can do what I want it to do.

2) What size notebook would you prefer?
b. Ultraportable; 11" - 12” screen
c. Thin and Light; 13" - 14" screen

3) Where will you buying this notebook? You can select the flag of your country as an indicator.
In the US.

4) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?

a. Like: ASUS, from experience. Alienware from a good friend's experience (but only for m14x)
b. Dislike: Toshiba, Any laptop that can't easily run a Windows operating system. I need to access my windows programs.

5) Would you consider laptops that are refurbished/redistributed?
I'd consider a factory refurb, but I do prefer new ones.

6) What are the primary tasks will you be performing with this notebook?
Music production, mobile schoolwork, light gaming and perhaps 3D modelling.

7) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places, leaving it on your desk or both?
I'll be taking it lots of places. I'd like it to be as portable as possible.

8) Will you be playing games on your notebook? If so, please state which games or types of games?
I will, but not intensively. I'd like to be able to run Sonic Generations on it, but that's the most intensive game I'm gonna be playing on it. Others are easy peasy, like the Myst series and Bastion and whatnot

9) How many hours of battery life do you need?
The more the better. At least 4.

10) Would you prefer to see the notebooks you're considering before purchasing it or buying a notebook on-line without seeing it is OK?
Buying it online is fine if it has good reviews. I'd try to look for that model at bestbuy or something first (though I'd not buy it there)

11) What OS do you prefer? Windows (XP or Vista or Windows 7), Mac OS, Linux, etc.
Win7 please.

Screen Specifics

12) From the choices below, what screen resolution(s) would you prefer? Keep in mind screen size in conjunction with resolution will play a large role in overall viewing comfort level. Everyone is different. Some like really small text, while others like their text big and easy to read. Click here for Screen resolution information.

I'd prefer 900p and up.

13) Do you want a Glossy/reflective screen or a Matte/non-glossy screen?
Matte is preferred.

Build Quality and Design

14) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
Somewhat, but I like lots of different styles, from aluminum brushed finish to tacky Alienware rave lights. I would definitely prefer metal to plastic though--that's a huge factor for me.

15) When are you buying this laptop?
Before this autumn.

16) How long do you want this laptop to last?
Three years or more is conventional for me.


Notebook Components

17) How much hard drive space do you need; 80GB to 640GB? Do you want a SSD drive?
Don't need an SSD. I'd like 1TB.

18) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a CDRW/DVD-ROM, DVD Burner or Blu-Ray drive?
I don't really need one, but I wouldn't mind it.

Upon further investigation, an 11-inch screen seems pretty darn small. 13 or 14 inches looks like it's the sweet spot!

[ZaZ]

If you want something smaller with some gaming chops, the Lenovo Y470p might be worth a look. Plus you can get it a quad core if you music activities require more processing oomph.

[Kruai]

If you want something smaller with some gaming chops, the Lenovo Y470p might be worth a look. Plus you can get it a quad core if you music activities require more processing oomph.

That looks pretty good as well--unfortunately the GPU in that laptop is even less powerful than my current one (9800m GTS), which I got about 3 years ago. I suppose that's not a big deal, but I feel like if I'm paying ~$1000 for a new piece of hardware, it should be an upgrade in almost every way. I'll keep this one in mind though, because it looks like a great deal!

[Kruai]

Okay, so I've been looking around a bit more--that laptop is a good size, but I'd like to look at other options. Do you suppose I could find one that still has good battery life with:
-a better HDD? Top option for that item looks to be 750GB-5400. I'd like at least 750GB-7200 (or more storage) but 5400RPM is a bit slow.
-a bit better GPU? Lesser concern, but mine from 4 years ago still outclasses this one.
-a better screen? I hear that Lenovo's screen is pretty terrible. The resolution is the least of my worries, but more real estate would be useful for coding etc. (900p or more would be great)
-lastly, more metal and less plastic would be great.

[linksta]

The Asus n55sf is a fairly decent option . It has a Nvidia gt555m which is a good gpu , 1080p screen , and this laptop is known for it's amazing sound reproduction . There's only one problem . It's a 15.6" , so I'm not sure if you'd like that . Other than that , it meets all your requirements . I would consider this as a portable 15.6" laptop , unlike the Asus g53 series or m15x , which are chunky with their chasis' .

[Kruai]

The Asus n55sf is a fairly decent option . It has a Nvidia gt555m which is a good gpu , 1080p screen , and this laptop is known for it's amazing sound reproduction . There's only one problem . It's a 15.6" , so I'm not sure if you'd like that . Other than that , it meets all your requirements . I would consider this as a portable 15.6" laptop , unlike the Asus g53 series or m15x , which are chunky with their chasis' .

Thanks for your help in finding this laptop! I appreciate your assistance.

This laptop does look pretty good--all the reviews are telling me this thing is pretty chunky, though. One even said it was just about as heavy as the G50 series laptops! I definitely like the screen and speakers in this laptop though (though I probably won't use the sub as I have my own external solution). It looks like this line used to have an aluminum exterior, which is exactly what I'm looking for in a chassis. Do you know of anywhere that has this chassis for the model you recommended?

The specs of this laptop are pretty much on par for what I'm looking for, but it seems to be quite large, being in the "desktop replacement" category. Still, I'd like to have a better hard drive. 750GB 7200RPM is my goal.

[B7K28]

Kruai, looking for a computer with similar capabilities to the one you seemed to be looking for. Any final decision?

[Kruai]

Kruai, looking for a computer with similar capabilities to the one you seemed to be looking for. Any final decision?

Yep! I went with the Samsung NP700z7c. It's got great sound, great processing power, great battery life, 8GB of SSD soldered onto the motherboard to speed up booting and most used programs (great for Ableton) and even has great graphics (GT 650M).
Not to mention that even with all this, it has like 6 hours of battery life on balanced mode. And even though it's a 17-inch, it's smaller than my last 15-inch in every respect. It's less than an inch thin, and is basically in a 15-inch bezel.

Not to mention... have you seen this thing? It's a beautiful laptop. If you've got $1400 do spend, I'd definitely get this one. The only thing I'm not so fond of is the trackpad, but I'm getting used to it.