Laptops

[Art Dearing]

[img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/unsure.gif[/img] I am looking to purchase a Laptop to be used for a number of purposes. See below. Would appreciate those who use and know laptops to provide response in layman's terms as I am somewhat "technically challenged."

Planned use:
(1) Store music database for search while at gig.
(2) Copy individual songs from CD's to create seque's. (software? Speed?)
(3) Down load songs (pay per song) from internet.
(3a) Must have exceptional "Sound" card.
(4) Copy vinyl to CD and take out "clicks & pops".
(5) View DVD and perhaps copy DVD.
(5a) Must have 17" screen w/ Brightscreen, etc.
(6) Do wordprocessing, i.e. MS Word/Excel.
(7) Do Bridal meeting presentations.
(8) Us as Supplemental CD player during Gigs.
(9) Be able to print to wireless printer.
(10) Be able to edit and copy to CD...photographs (software?)
(11) Be able to store songs in database that are not MP3 format.
(12) Be able to do other work while copying CD/DVD is ongoing.
(12) Want it to be fast!
(13) Want to be able to edit music (software?)

Have I missed anything? Oh Yeah! Price. It is an issue but not absolute.

If you would prefer to send email vs. post here, please send to djart@twinspindj.com.

Thank you...one and all.

DJ Art

"Less Mic, more music for dancing"
"Still spinning after all these years...vinyl 45's and CD's"
:clap

[Jim Casey]

Hey Art,
Just a heads up that there will be a Digital DJ workshop during next Monday's MDJN Mini-Convention

We will look at everything from head to toe

[Art Dearing]

[img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif[/img] Thanks, Jim. I'm sure it will enlighten me as well as others within the network.
Nevertheless, I would like to hear from others who post at this site what they have or recommend. Look forward to all comments. :krazy

DJ Art

[Bryan Durio]

My main gig Notebook cost me about $2200. It's an Acer Aspire 1712SMi: 3GHz P4, 800 MHz FSB HT, 1GB RAM, 120 GB HD, CD/DVD writer, Echo Indigo DJ soundcard, Win XP Pro, 17" display. They bill it as a Desktop Replacement. The display is nice and large, and very bright. The CPU is good and fast, and the 800MHz FSB doesn't hurt!

Oh...sorry about the non-layman's terms.

[Cap]

SONY PCG-GRX560 (3 units; main, backup, backup to backup). 1.6MHz P4, 512mb RAM, 30gb 4200rpm removable hard drive, 16" screen, DVD-CDR/RW, 3 USB ports, IEEE1394 port, port replicator connector, and more. All have been purchased on eBay, average price paid, $550.00.

Upgraded all three units to 80gb 5400rpm hard drives and a GigaPortAG external USB sound card.

[Art Dearing]

:confuzzed

Hey Jim! Why archive this post so quickly? It's been up less than 24 hours! I don't post very often and to simply shutoff comments on an issue that IS IMPORTANT....or at least it is to me! You do this sort of thing all to often!!!! Just because this topic may be discussed at OUR mini-convention does not mean everyone will be there! Perhaps there are other people listening here that could use the information.

By the way, Brian, thank you. Sorry CAP but your reply went way over my head.

How long should a post be given validity? Is there a written rule? Or is it Jim's arbitrary rule! :cuss :usd

"From the other Maine"

DJ Art

[djeric]

Do you guys have pix of your computer setups?

Also jim try to put some pix of the MDJN Mini-Convention conv for us all.

Thanks.

[Cap]

No problem, Art.

Please do not take this as a slam. If you have no clue as to terminology/information contained in my response, this may not be the best time in your educational curve to consider digital DJing and my apologies for not being more specific.

You asked what laptops do we use:
SONY PCG-GRX560 (3 units; main, backup, backup to backup). In otherwords. I have three identical units. If one fails, there's another to move right in and take over. Even if that one fails, there's a third. Because of the unwarranted yet natural uneducated fears of computer failure, my client's are made aware of the triple redundancy even though my #1 main has never failed.

Your list of programs and features you wish to accomplish takes a great deal of horsepower to accomplish. In computer terminology, the power to accomplish your goals in a timely fashion is dictated by several factors that you simply must be aware of.

1) Processor Speed. The higher the number, the faster the data is crunched, generally offered in mHz ratings. A Pentium 4 2.8mHz machine can process faster than a Pentium 4 1.6 mHz.

2) RAM (random access memory). The higher the number, the more data can move back and forth from the processor without the need to temporarily store it on the hard drive. For WinXP, 256mb (million bits) is minimal, the higher the number, the faster your machine will operate and the more programs you can have operating efficiently at the same time.

3) Size of the hard drive. Consider this your file cabinet. The larger your file cabinet, the more data can be stuffed into it. Obviously, one can store twice bottom much data in a 120gb (giga-bit) hard drive as a 60gb.

4) RPM of the hard drive. The faster a drive spins, the more quickly stored information can be retrieved or stored. This factor is grossly neglected. If your hard drive spins at 4200rpm, it's slow and probably inexpensive. 90% of all laptops are 4200 because of weight, power consumption and price. 5400rpm's in the 60gb-80gb are now available, there are some 7200rpm drives for laptops of less than 60gb. In the ideal world, my laptop would have internal 10,000rpm 100-120gb drives. So far, I have not seen any being manufactured.

5) Laptop screens are measured differently that desk tops. A 16" laptop screen equates to a 17" desk top. No clue why the different measurements, one versus the other.

6) The internal sound cards/devices of a laptop are usable but noisy in terms of pro audio output. That's why Brian and I listed our outboard sound cards, his being a PCMCIA Indigo DJ and mine a USB GigaPortAG.

Computer terminology is not hard to learn if equated to an office structure. If you don't know what PCMCIA or USB means, consider learning the language and what it all means before making any purchase.

[Art Dearing]

:clap Thank you CAP! Just what I wanted to know...in layman's terms. By the way, no problem with your earlier post. I have seen the various items listed on computer sales sheets but nobody has taken the time to r-e-a-l-l-y explain it. You did superbly! Thank you soooooo much!

As for Digital DJing...not sure if I will be going in that direction just yet. I am sure that the MDJN Mini-convention will prove interesting and educational. I shall listen intently and try to do some hands on. Jim and company are great to work with and have done a superior job on getting the mini-conventions up and running...Mike Mahoney is also to be congratulated for his part in helping Jim.

I have looked at Sony VAIO 290 and had been leaning towards it, but WOW it is expensive.

Thanks to all who have provided input. :tup

DJ Art

[Bryan Durio]

One slight correction to Cap's definitions: "120gb" is 120 gigabits, but measurements of hard disk and RAM size are given in terms of bytes, not bits; so when Cap describes something as "120gb", he actually means 120GB, that is, 120 gigabytes. A gigabyte is much, much larger than a gigabit. It's a matter of scale.

Just a small clarification. [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cool.gif[/img]