PowerBook or XP Laptop...

[Finchy]

Ok, I work at www.keithhartermusic.com in studio A and C..we only use ProTools with the full on HD gear and ONLY PowerMac G4 CPU's running OS X. Now, with that said, let me tell you what I use at home...I own two Dell pc's, both running Windows XP Home. One is an XPS laptop which I use only for gaming and web surfing. The desktop is also an XPS, completely maxed...2gigs dual channel DDR, 3.4gHz P4, 180gb HD, the works. Anyway, I use Sony Vegas 5.0 on the desktop, and do audio production and editing, video production and editing, website design and graphics design, as well as gaming on that PC. Now, what I said all that for was because I have a question ahead and I'm letting you know that I'm proficient in both systems, Mac's OS-X and Microsoft's XP...so, yeah. Ok here it is:

I want to go with an MBox for my home projects, but I want to use it along with PTLE on a laptop. I want to know if it would be better going with another XP laptop with PTLE and MBox, or a PowerBook with PTLE and MBox? Price really isn't a problem, anything can be financed these days :P, but from my experience, MAC's just run ProTools better than Windows. But I am unfamiliar with LE and MBox...so I'm asking you guys. I mean, I would love to have a PowerBook just to have one, lol, but I would really only NEED it if PTLE and MBox were easier/better to use with it than a laptop using XP. So, lemme know. Thanks. Latah.

~Finchy

[JFreak]

i can tell you that 15" powerbook runs protools very nicely, but don't save on memory put in a gig or two, and perhaps change the internal drive to a 7200rpm model...

[Infa]

I honestly CAN NOT tell you a Mac will run Pro Tools better than a PC. Now a Days they will run PT the same. But with the studio you are working at running nothing but Macs, my professional opinion would be to just get a powerbook and run Mac at home as well. That way you are 100% easily compatible with your works studios, and on top of that a real big plus is you will have a new lap top that is only for Pro Tools, and will not be getting shared with all these games, and other things you mention you already have on your current PC's at home. It will be more "dedicated" for Pro Tools. Therefore just more "clean, tidy, and effiecent"...

I also am just a 100% Mac user, therefore FAN, and I can personally stand behind them and their productivity, and stability, and ability to run Pro Tools great, and smoothly. But on the other hand I know a PC can run it just fine as well, I just can not speak for them, and personally only had lame experiences on the ol' too many clicks to get somewhere machines (IMO) - as you know because you got a Dell at home...

Plus as JFreak mentioned, he can personally speak on the fact that Mac LapTops work very nicely for Pro Tools. And you should really take his advice afterwards when it comes to the memory, that faster drive, and other "dedicated" audio drives, and any other after market, race 'em up stuff for your new PowerBook that will make it run Pro Tools better and more effiecently, because he knows, because he uses it, and gets the results he is looking for....


Hope This Helps

[RUNRUN]

I would be more concerned with mBox or 002r.
Not sure how the laptop will relate to stuff done for or done on the systems at the studio but the 002r may intergrate with that overall plan better.
What I would also try would be to image the laptop you currently have and then do a proper PT installation for the mBox or whatever and try it out.
If it doesn't work no money lost and it's Powerbook time.
Or just go with the Powerbook straight out.
Performance is getting better on the Mac's so they can only run better, since they are doing well.

[Finchy]

Ok, well it's settled then, as I just talked to Keith and asked him his thoughts on what to do. He said that I would be happier with the PowerBook as far as how much easier it is to use PTLE on Macs than on an XP machine. I know how much more things I have to go through on my XP machines at home just to mix the tracks down, lol, while here at the studio, it takes one click. But anyway, I guess I will order a Powerbook and an MBox maybe by the middle or end of next week then. One question I do have is: Where can you change the HDD on the apple.com store? From what I can tell, the store is pretty much setup like Dell, because you can upgrade various things on the laptop's hardware, but I only see the option to upgrade the memory. I was thinking of just buying the stock 12" or 15" from Musiciansfriend.com along with the MBox factory bundle, since I can finance both of those, :P. Anyway, yeah, should I get te PowerBook from MF.com or Apple's online store? Or...maybe go through a store like Best Buy? Bah, lemme know guys, thanks for the help so far btw. Latah.

~Finchy

[Infa]

What you do is personally CALL the Apple Store 1(800)MY-APPLE and you can specially order it anyway you like. For all the special stuff you may wanna do, you really need to personally order it through someone down there...

The on-line store is great, but mainly set up for the "joe average" orders, with a few minor popualr upgrades. Not for the type of upgrades you wanna do.. So call the number, and HAVE FUN !!!

[Finchy]

Right, but the reason I want to buy it online is because of the financing options I can get. Isn't there a way to just buy more memory, say maybe...third party or something, and just stick it in like on a Win laptop? I'm pretty much just going to buy the one from this online music store, I've purchased a lot of equipment from them and I am very pleased with their service so far. Not to mention the great rate I can finance the laptop for :P. I'm already going to buy a 200gb FireWire hard drive for the laptop as well. I'm sure there's some way to expand the memory with aftermarket/third-party RAM. Lemme know if that is possible with the PowerBook. Latah.

~Finchy

[Bhennies]

Right, but the reason I want to buy it online is because of the financing options I can get. Isn't there a way to just buy more memory, say maybe...third party or something, and just stick it in like on a Win laptop? I'm pretty much just going to buy the one from this online music store, I've purchased a lot of equipment from them and I am very pleased with their service so far. Not to mention the great rate I can finance the laptop for :P. I'm already going to buy a 200gb FireWire hard drive for the laptop as well. I'm sure there's some way to expand the memory with aftermarket/third-party RAM. Lemme know if that is possible with the PowerBook. Latah.

~Finchy

DON"T BUY MEMORY FROM APPLE!!! IT"S A RIP OFF!!!!!!!! Try crucial.

[Finchy]

I know, I never buy memory from the manufacturer of the PC that I'm buying. I didn't even go for the Dell memory when I priced out my XPS, I bought a 1gb stick and a 512mb stick, now I have 2gb, and the memory cost much less going through aftermarket companies. Latah.

~Finchy