Which laptop for Music production?

Question

I have a limited budget but can get either of the following laptops at a big savings. I understand neither is a high-end laptop, but I'm using an entry level single core laptop now and need more get-up-and-go.

So, out of these two laptops, which would you choose and why?

Acer Aspire AS5745 15.6" Laptop
Processor	Intel Core i3-370M Processor
Memory (RAM)	4GB
Memory Type	DDR3
Memory Expandable to	8GB
Hard Drive Size	320GB
Hard Drive Type	SATA
Optical Drive	8X DVD-Super Multi Double-Layer Drive
Display Size	15.6"
Display Type	HD Widescreen CineCrystal LED-backlit Display
Operating System	Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Battery Type	6-cell Li-Ion Battery (4400 mAh)
Network Card	802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi CERTIFIED
Video Graphics	Intel HD Grahics with 128MB of dedicated system memory
Other ports	1-HDMI port
# of USB slots	4
Bluetooth Enabled	No
Dimensions	14.96 (W) x 9.84 (D) x 1.0/1.34 (H) inches
Weight	5.72lbs
Warranty	1 year
Extra Features	Built-in HD Webcam (1280 x 1024 Resolution)
VGA Connection	Yes
HDMI Port	Yes



ASUS K42F-A1 Laptop
General
System Type 	Notebook
Built-in Devices 	Speaker, wireless LAN antenna
Width 	13.9 in
Depth 	9.5 in
Height 	1.5 in
Weight 	5.3 lbs
Color 	Dark brown
Processor
Processor 	Intel Core i3 350M / 2.26 GHz
Multi-Core Technology 	Dual-Core
64-bit Computing 	Yes
Chipset Type 	Mobile Intel HM55 Express
RAM
Installed Size 	4 GB / 8 GB (max)
Technology 	DDR3 SDRAM - 1066 MHz
Form Factor 	SO DIMM 204-pin
Storage
Hard Drive 	320 GB - 5400 rpm
Optical Storage
Type 	DVD±RW / DVD-RAM
Card Reader
Type 	2 in 1 card reader
Supported Flash Memory Cards 	SD Memory Card, MultiMediaCard
Display
Display Type 	14" TFT
Max Resolution 	1366 x 768 ( WXGA )
Widescreen Display 	Yes
Features 	Zero Bright Dot, LED-backlit
Video
Graphics Processor / Vendor 	Intel HD Graphics
Audio
Audio Output 	Sound card
Notebook Camera
Camera Type 	Integrated
Sensor Resolution 	0.3 Megapixel
Input Device(s)
Type 	Keyboard, touchpad
Networking
Networking 	Network adapter
Wireless LAN Supported 	Yes
Data Link Protocol 	Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, IEEE 802.11n
Compliant Standards 	IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, IEEE 802.11n
Expansion / Connectivity
Expansion Slots Total (Free) 	2 memory - SO DIMM 204-pin
Interfaces 	1 x headphones - output - mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm 1 x network - Ethernet 10Base-T/100Base-TX/1000Base-T - RJ-45 3 x Hi-Speed USB - 4 pin USB Type A 1 x display / video - VGA - 15 pin HD D-Sub (HD-15) 1 x display / video - HDMI - 19 pin HDMI Type A
Power
Power Device 	External
Battery
Technology 	6-cell
Installed Qty 	1
Operating System / Software
OS Provided 	Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Edition

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

I have a few that I would recommend and they have great price tags:

ASUS K42F-A2B 14-Inch Business Laptop - Dark Brown
*Intel Core i3-350M Processor (2.26GHz); Windows 7 Professional 64-bit w/Windows XP Pro cd
*3GB of DDR3 1066MHz DRAM, 2 slots, 8GB Max
*320GB Hard Drive (5400 RPM)
*Intel GMA HD graphics; Super Multi Optical Disk Drive; Wireless 802.11bgn
*14-Inch HD (1366x768) LED Display; 0.3MP Webcam; HDMI and VGA Port

Anonymous · Answer

Find out which computer chip on the market is best for running multiple processes, such as the audio production software that you plan to use. Load up on memory. Audio production software requires a fair amount of RAM, so you should be sure to include plenty of it on your laptop. If you plan to keep the files you use on your computer, rather than on an external drive, you will need a very large hard drive. If you want to record into the laptop with XLR or 1/4 inch cables, you may need to use external gear to do so. This can often be connected via USB or Firewire ports, but not internally. Pick a suitable sound card. If you are recording to something other than the laptop, there are many options to transfer the files onto the laptop for production. For many uses, the factory 1/8 inch headphone and microphone inputs will transfer audio quite well. If your recording is already on a computer, you can transfer the files as you would any other file, via CD, hard drive, FTP, or email.

phat_matt · Answer

Music production is all about the software you get, not the hardware.  That being said, music production programs do take up a lot of space, so it helps to have plenty of RAM and Hard drive space available.  These two computers are pretty similar specs wise.  They have the same amount of memory and hard drive space.  If I had to choose I'd go with the Acer, simply because the processor is probably just a hair faster.  But the choice is yours and these two are very comparable.  As I said before, if you are mainly wanting a laptop to produce music, your main concern should be the software you use.

Anonymous · Answer

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Which laptop for Music production?

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