Good spec laptop for around £300 - £400

[nebraska182]

Ive got a DJ gig coming up and i need a solid & reliable laptop to run my software on - any recommendations? My budget is around £300-400....ive seen this one - is that Pentium gold processor any good? It will be playing live music so i cant have it crashing hehe.

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/compu...a-14-laptop-white-rose-gold-10165039-pdt.html

 

[mattf4r]

Call me a fanboy but I'd pitch a used macbook/pro against any sub £500 windows laptop, they just don't seem to last.
Can pick up one a few years old for £300-500 and they're unibody so built a lot better than the cheaper stuff like the pavillion.

What software are you using? Are you using an external sound card/dj controller etc?

 

[nebraska182]

Call me a fanboy but I'd pitch a used macbook/pro against any sub £500 windows laptop, they just don't seem to last.
Can pick up one a few years old for £300-500 and they're unibody so built a lot better than the cheaper stuff like the pavillion.

What software are you using? Are you using an external sound card/dj controller etc?

tbh id love a mac book - but i thought they be way out of my budget. Im using Mixmeister on my imac atm as part of my sets - but obvioulsly need to take it mobile now as the gig is in Holland.

 

[mattf4r]

Plenty on ebay dude with good enough spec to run that and the good thing is they hold value over a cheaper windows machine.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Apple-Ma...335387?hash=item3d5cc3b75b:g:ZXkAAOSwUUxaooGg

or if you want refurbed (with SOME warranty)

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MacBook-...254079?hash=item4652d2bfbf:g:gFoAAOSwHoFXqfc4

I had bought 2012 model brand new, abused it for 5 years stuck 16gb of ram in and it was my main machine for work (pro photographer) and I only retired it due to buying the updated macbook pro last year and I sold it for £350 and it was battered. So it only cost me £650 for 5 years use, £130 a year, I think you struggle to give most windows machines away at 5 years old haha.

 

[Daz...]

I’ve got a 2012 model, 16gb RAM and SSD. It absolutely flys even now. They still sold it new up to January last year.

 

[nebraska182]

Ah nice,never thought about used ones - will check it out. I hate windows cos of all the virus protection rubbish so i really want to steer clear of them.

 

[Ben]

As above but mines the 2011 model with 16GB ram and SSD and it's just as quick as my 5K 27" iMac.

 

[nebraska182]

Plenty on ebay dude with good enough spec to run that and the good thing is they hold value over a cheaper windows machine.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Apple-Ma...335387?hash=item3d5cc3b75b:g:ZXkAAOSwUUxaooGg

or if you want refurbed (with SOME warranty)

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MacBook-...254079?hash=item4652d2bfbf:g:gFoAAOSwHoFXqfc4

I had bought 2012 model brand new, abused it for 5 years stuck 16gb of ram in and it was my main machine for work (pro photographer) and I only retired it due to buying the updated macbook pro last year and I sold it for £350 and it was battered. So it only cost me £650 for 5 years use, £130 a year, I think you struggle to give most windows machines away at 5 years old haha.

And would my software easily copy across to it?

 

[mattf4r]

You could back up your entire imac using time machine on an external hard drive and then load the new macbook with that backup essentially cloning the machine :up:

 

[Pistachio]

Call me a fanboy but I'd pitch a used macbook/pro against any sub £500 windows laptop, they just don't seem to last.

Yeah I've heard windows use really cheap components in their laptops that just don't last as long as apple components. Also apple is well known for the longevity of their software, which means users are able to continue using their older products long after the release of newer hardware.

And would my software easily copy across to it?

Music software? *sucks teeth* ... oooof that's a tricky one... it 'might' if you buy the appropriate apple conversion adaptor.

 

[nebraska182]

Music software? *sucks teeth* ... oooof that's a tricky one... it 'might' if you buy the appropriate apple conversion adaptor.

Its already a Mac version i have on my imac - just wondering if its just a case of putting in on a USB and transferring to the Pro.

 

[nebraska182]

You could back up your entire imac using time machine on an external hard drive and then load the new macbook with that backup essentially cloning the machine :up:

cheers - yeah that one with the warranty looks good,may well go for that one.

 

[mattf4r]

cheers - yeah that one with the warranty looks good,may well go for that one.

Shop around, there's some bargains to be had that's for sure.

You'll gain better resale on a mac and since you already have an iMac you can move all your software over with no issues and you'll already be familiar with everything IMO

 

[Gally]

What model is the 2012 one and how much to upgrade the ram and ssd?

 

[mattf4r]

What model is the 2012 one and how much to upgrade the ram and ssd?

It's the 'unibody' one piece design - they come in variations of processors and spec but even the base models handle most things well.

16gb ram upgrade is about £50 and easily done by anyone competent enough to use a philips screwy. As for SSD they're mostly conventional disk drivers out the factory however you can buy a kit (£15) that replaces the internal CD drive (pffft who uses CD's) with a caddy for an SSD. Allowing you to run the OS and software on the SSD for speed and keep say a 1tb HD in there as well for storage. I bloody loved my unibody, survived many tough years.

 

[Daz...]

What model is the 2012 one and how much to upgrade the ram and ssd?

As @matt123roll said it’s a very simple job with loads of guides on YouTube.

Mines a ‘Mid 2012’ model, they came with an i5 or i7 processor.

Oh, and good luck finding 16GB of RAM for £50 at the moment...prices are through the roof.

 

[mattf4r]

As @matt123roll said it’s a very simple job with loads of guides on YouTube.
Oh, and good luck finding 16GB of RAM for £50 at the moment...prices are through the roof.

f**k me you're not wrong. More like £100-120 now after looking, sure I didn't pay anywhere near that a few years back

 

[Daz...]

Yep, it’s across the board I’m afraid. I paid £60 a couple of years ago.

I paid £90 for 16GB to go in my pc and the exact same spec now is selling for £130+ second hand.

 

[nebraska182]

Well ive ordered that £380 macbook pro - i wanted the warranty for at least some piece of mind.

 

[Daz...]

Well ive ordered that £380 macbook pro - i wanted the warranty for at least some piece of mind.

That’s the same model as mine, I would recommend a SSD as the first thing to do. Transforms the whole experience.

 

[nebraska182]

That’s the same model as mine, I would recommend a SSD as the first thing to do. Transforms the whole experience.

What benefits does that have? Not looked into what it is yet.

 

[Daz...]

It boots and loads programs much quicker.

Basically replacing the old spinning disc hard drive with a flash drive.

This is the model I’ve got, you can go bigger if you need to but obviously the cost increases.

https://www.ebuyer.com/695890-samsung-850-evo-250gb-2-5inch-ssd-mz-75e250bw

 

[danward]

I've got a late 2012 model MacBook Pro with 8GB and SSD. Bought at the start of 2013, used everyday since and its still as perfect as the day I got it. My favourite thing I've ever bought!

 

[nebraska182]

It boots and loads programs much quicker.

Basically replacing the old spinning disc hard drive with a flash drive.

This is the model I’ve got, you can go bigger if you need to but obviously the cost increases.

https://www.ebuyer.com/695890-samsung-850-evo-250gb-2-5inch-ssd-mz-75e250bw

ok its something il look into - is it easy to install?

 

[Sir_Dave]

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/compu...a-14-laptop-white-rose-gold-10165039-pdt.html

Work made the decision to replace my £2k Dell laptop (albeit 5 years old) with this heap of sh1te recently.
It was like selling a Ferrari to buy a Rover Montego.
Luckily i then bought the Dell for £50 😂

 

[nebraska182]

Work made the decision to replace my £2k Dell laptop (albeit 5 years old) with this heap of sh1te recently.
It was like selling a Ferrari to buy a Rover Montego.
Luckily i then bought the Dell for £50 😂

Yeah i had a go on my gf's brand new 'Asus' laptop....absolutely terrible. Slow as hell,virus things keep popping up and you cant even import files from a USB as the laptop has decided it has a virus in it. It should be my decision whether i can open it!

I cant believe how sluggish this thing was for a brand new laptop.

Lord knows why any would choose windows over OSX.

 

[Ex-User (19928)]

Lord knows why any would choose windows over OSX.

So they can get the job done?

 

[Pistachio]

4G ram for windows 10?? Wtf lol

 

[nebraska182]

So they can get the job done?

Youd never get owt done with that Asus thing.

 

[realnumber 1]

Yeah i had a go on my gf's brand new 'Asus' laptop....absolutely terrible. Slow as hell,virus things keep popping up and you cant even import files from a USB as the laptop has decided it has a virus in it. It should be my decision whether i can open it!

I cant believe how sluggish this thing was for a brand new laptop.

Lord knows why any would choose windows over OSX.

Nothing wrong with Windows 10.. With my 2012 samsung i3 laptop with an SSD I could restart it now and be back browsing CS in around 30-45 sec. The difference they make is massive...

 

[Ay Ay Ron]

SSD makes all the difference IMO. I upgraded mine in my 4 year old Dell, plus upping the ram to 8 (the max it can take apparently) and it runs great.

Someone bought a new laptop for the boat last week and I had to set it up. Think they spent nearly £400 in PC World. It's an absolute bag of shite. Not even an i3. No SSD. Minimum RAM. Runs like turd.

The wife bought a Lenovo i5 just after christmas. No SSD but its decent spec with 16gb memory I think, she paid just shy of £500. Anyone buying anything from PC World or the likes needs their heads looking at.

 

[Ex-User (19928)]

You can buy half decent PCs from PC world. Just like you can buy the same low end trash from Amazon. Depends what you want really, if you have £400 to spend on a new computer would you rather have something low end or nothing at all?

 

[Ay Ay Ron]

You can buy half decent PCs from PC world. Just like you can buy the same low end trash from Amazon. Depends what you want really, if you have £400 to spend on a new computer would you rather have something low end or nothing at all?

I'd have rather he went elsewhere and picked up something much better for the same or similar price.
You'd have to spend probably £600 to get something remotely good from there unless you hit lucky with a sale.

 

[realnumber 1]

Tbf, pc world has got a lot better than it was in recent years. Its had to to compete with all the online places... They'll still try and sell you loads of way overpriced crap with it though!

The problem with a lot of places is that they still keep selling them with with slow 1tb HDD that most people don't come close to filling when a 256 ssd would be more than sufficient for space and a million times quicker.

 

[Ex-User (19928)]

I'd have rather he went elsewhere and picked up something much better for the same or similar price.
You'd have to spend probably £600 to get something remotely good from there unless you hit lucky with a sale.

Disagree. There prices are there or there abouts, if you spend less than £1200 (from anywhere semi-conscious) on a laptop it will be compromised in one form or another.

 

[Goodj]

Up your budget by another £100

 

[realnumber 1]

Up your budget by another £100

No idea why they still sell them with 128GB ssd's. 256 should be the minimum by now.

 

[Goodj]

No idea why they still sell them with 128GB ssd's. 256 should be the minimum by now.

Because they're cheaper?
128 is fine as a boot drive, so long as files are held externally.

 

[realnumber 1]

Because they're cheaper?
128 is fine as a boot drive, so long as files are held externally.

Obviously they're a bit cheaper but not massively when they buy in bulk . People don't want to be carrying separate drives around all the time. 128 is lame these days with the size of the OS and apps.
It's like getting a phone with 8gb on it still. It just doesn't cut it anymore...

 

[Goodj]

Obviously they're a bit cheaper but not massively when they buy in bulk . People don't want to be carrying separate drives around all the time. 128 is lame these days with the size of the OS and apps.
It's like getting a phone with 8gb on it still. It just doesn't cut it anymore...

If people don't want to carry an external drive, they can pay more and get a bigger internal drive. It's all about use and context.

My old dear's laptop might have a 1tb drive in it, but only 80gb of it is in use. It's 3 years old, and she's done accounts on it since day 1.

Win will fit onto a 32gb compute stick. OP wants to be a mobile DJ. So long as serato and windows can fit on the boot drive, with room for a hibernation file, then that's all they need. All the tracks can be held externally.

Yes yes, it'd be lovely to have 1tb of Optane storage, but not everyone wants to pay for that.