Comments on: Which Mac Laptop Should I Buy?

By: Bassguy

Bassguy — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 15:12:35 +0000

Here are my thoughts on the issue:

Both the Macbook and the Macbook Pro have the potential to work well for DJs. Depending on your situation, one may be better than the other, though. If you need a lightweight solution, the Macbook might be the best for you. On the other hand, if you are in need of a lot of screen real estate, you might want to go for the 17" Macbook Pro. If you need a compromise between screen real estate and size, maybe the 15" Macbook Pro fits your needs.

You'll want to make sure you get the biggest and fastest internal HDD you can get. You'll want to store as much music as possible on your computer, and you want to minimize seek time. You'll want to max out your RAM (Check out http://crucial.com), and you probably want to make sure you have enough USB and Firewire inputs for your set-up. Also, any current-model Macbook or Macbook Pro has more than enough juice as far as processors go.

Those are some general tips that might help you out. The best thing you can do is ask around in your community. See what works for other DJs. They'll know better than anyone else.

Thanks for your question.

By: Donovan Powell

Donovan Powell — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 05:04:40 +0000

which mac notebook is best for a professional DJ response appreciated

By: macgasm

macgasm — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 04:11:52 +0000

well that's good to know. i'll be sure to take this into consideration when i make my upgrade. thanks a ton :)

By: dickiemaxx

dickiemaxx — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 04:09:11 +0000

I think the difference comes down to the quality of the other parts in the system. I have been in the position of to test the difference between the pro line and consumer line of mac laptops for about 5 years and the pro line of laptops have always been much faster.

By: dickiemaxx

dickiemaxx — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 04:05:45 +0000

No I am refering to just using the browser not launch times. Just using the browser.

By: macgasm

macgasm — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 04:00:30 +0000

You're not the first person I've heard mention that. I wonder what the contributing factors might be. Machines that are spec'd the same should be the same…in theory ;) I wonder if Apple has given the macbook pro line a bit of boost in some non-spec. kind of way.

I need to get my hands on a macbook pro… :) Gifts are welcome… HAH!

By: macgasm

macgasm — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 03:57:43 +0000

We seriously need an apple store here in the nations capital. What western world capital doesn't have one? *sigh*

By: Bassguy

Bassguy — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 01:14:48 +0000

Out of curiosity, are you talking about launch time? Because that could easily be explained by the slower hard disk in the Macbook.

Once your apps are open, they should be pretty darn responsive. It's not like a browser is taxing your processor too hard. And the speed of the RAM in the Macbook and Macbook Pro are exactly the same, if I'm not mistaken.

I suppose if you were watching video in the browser, there could be a noticeable difference. Also, if you had a lot of apps open, and you were paging out your RAM to your hard disk.

By: dickiemaxx

dickiemaxx — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 01:02:04 +0000

I have to completely disagree. In my experience that has simply not been true. Just using firefox on the two different machines there is a very noticeable difference. Both my my machines are 2.0gig systems with 2 gigs of ram. While the Macbook is usable it is no where close in speed to the Macbook Pro.

By: Bassguy

Bassguy — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 00:57:29 +0000

I think the disparity in the speed really depends on what you plan on doing.

Video editing: Big difference.
Surfing/Writing/E-mail: Not so much.

By: Bassguy

Bassguy — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 00:48:00 +0000

I whole-heartedly agree that you should try out the different models if you get the chance. However, one of the main features of any laptop is portability. You won't really be able to get a good idea of what's it's like to cary this hunk of metal and plastic around for five hours.

I guess what I'm saying is that you shouldn't allow the “Ooh! Shiny!” factor cloud your mind when trying to make a purchasing choice. Take a trip to the Apple store, but don't allow yourself to buy anything. Try everything out, and then go home and sleep on it.

By: dickiemaxx

dickiemaxx — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 23:00:53 +0000

I think you point is correct just because you are a professional that the pro models are not a requirement. I have both a Macbook and a Macbook Pro in my house. I have to say the difference in speed is quite noticeable. Much more than that stats seem to explain.

By: Justin Driscoll

Justin Driscoll — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 22:55:11 +0000

“Hard disk speed is mainly important when youâ€™re futzing with large files.”

Photoshop, for example, caches extensively to the HD so if you're working in CS the disk speed will make a difference.

By: wtl

wtl — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 22:12:51 +0000

I own a first-gen MacBook Pro and I have to say that I've really enjoyed it. What I'd suggest is to head down to your local Apple store (if you are so fortunate as to have one) or Apple dealer and try out a Mac Book and a Mac Book Pro – see how you like them.

Hands-on experience frequently answers the question of which to get.