Best DAW Laptops in 2024 | Buyers Guide for Music Production

[@electricmiragemedia]

Music producer here (Ableton 11). If you avoid Apple for ethical reasons like I do, AMD is going to be #1 over Intel just for general performance but especially if you're doing any live audio work and ESPECIALLY if you're on battery. You can get Intel to work okay with turbo mode and upping priority to high/realtime, but you'll also need higher latency in Ableton to buffer it enough

[@chrisjones1849]

What laptop do you have that you can recommend?

[@electricmiragemedia]

@@chrisjones1849 The flow X16 from 2022 and the X13 from 2023 were great. X16's bigger screen made it really a nice experience producing on it. X13's performance was great, but screen was a little small. (2022 X16 and not 2023 because 2023 used Intel). I eventually got rid of them because I play games at night in bed and I wanted OLED. I currently have a zenbook 14 (intel 14th gen) which I only have temporarily until the 2024 G14 is available. It's okay, but the battery is sucked dry after about 90 minutes of producing.

[@ThatsJustMyBabyDaddy]

Thanks

[@ZenSymphonia]

Which laptop do you use?

[@mikejackson7880]

Kreative Devices NoteBook Pro 16 or NoteBook Pro G16

[@bleyrad]

DPC latency is probably the most important single factor in a DAW laptop, and isn't at all determined by performance, but rather drivers, OS, and configuration by the laptop manufacturer. So much discussion of performance here without mentioning DPC latency! With high DPC latencies a bunch of these laptops might be next-to-useless for actual realtime audio work, especially if you need to run at low buffer sizes.

[@hunyadi01]

Thought the same...

[@basandi4017]

Exactly! You can have top notch Alienware laptop playing latest games with RTX but it doesn't mean anything in music production world... When drivers are crap, DPC latency is to high while recording we will get popping, crackling.

[@gothnev]

I just started watching the video and fortunately read this comment before i got too deep in. As i've had DPC issues in the past, this is my top criteria. Why don't more people talk about it? Every time I reach out to a laptop manufacturer they just fob me off or ignore me when i ask about DPC.

[@hustlinc3540]

So Apple is the only way to go then?

[@prspktvsounds5220]

Notebook check is the only review site that I know of that always measures DPC latency. To go to the lengths to make this review and not touch on that makes the whole vid pointless. And who only uses 3 vsti's in a project. Whole thing missed the mark but music youtubers don't review PCs they just buy Macs so credit for the attempt.

[@thomasbitsch5488]

Best CAD/Architecture laptops for 2024? :) Really looking forward for this! Thank you Ben G :))

[@BenGKaiser]

Coming Monday February 19th.

[@thomasbitsch5488]

@@BenGKaiserwhen is it really comming? Thanks for your attention 🙏

[@Ahmad-Mounir44]

I am on HP OMEN 15t-dc100 32GB since 2020, running Cubase 13, tons of orchestral sample libraries/synths and can run up to 65 tracks comfortably. I think it's gonna last more 5 or 6 years until I upgrade to something higher. But like you said, it's all about a powerful single core so upgrading is some kind of mental illusion. If I'd upgrade anything, I'd upgrade the RAM. One cons of this laptop is its battery that lasts 4 years only. CMOS relies on the main battery because no dedicated CMOS battery in this.

[@IbiamVictor837]

Hi there I’m trying to get a windows laptop for music production, can you give me the full details please Thank you

[@Heiskixsalem]

I'll be getting the HP OMEN 17, i7-3700HX, 32GB rams, RTX 4070, 1TB SSD, 83wh Battery, 17'3 QHD display, 144hz. Model is Omen 17-CM2005CL

[@darkcharmrecords]

How loud is that gonna be? Have you heard how loud the fans are on this?

[@Jayguevara1982]

Kudos on finding a niche but interesting subject to rate laptops on, Ben, thank you. I'm switching laptops soon and I'm planning to familiarize myself with music production - my current top candidate is the Specte X360 16", but the ROG G16 is making me doubt.

[@eegreg_]

Great content ben. Need help picking one between these laptops for a full time career in 3d cgi modeling. 1st option: lenovo legion 7i pro. (2021) 11th gen core i9, 32gb ddr4 ram, 2tb ssd & rtx 3080 16gb vram. 2nd option: Alienware M16 R1 (2023) 13th gen ryzen 9 7840hx, 62gb ddr5 ram, 3tb ssd and rtx 4080 12gb ddr6 vram. 3rd Option: Asus rog strix Scar 16. (2023) 13th gen core i9 13980hx, 32gb ddr5 ram, 1tb ssd & rtx 4080 12gb ddr6 vram. 4th option: asus rog zephyrus g14. (2023) 13th gen ryzen 9 7940hx, 16gb ddr5 ram, 512ssd & rtx 4070 8gb ddr6 vram. (Both ram & storage are upgradeable to 32gb & 2tb) Also feel free to recommend even better options. Thanks in advance.

[@eknathkiran1810]

Apple laptop with 18GB RAM is almost 2000 dollars but windows laptops with 64GB RAM are much cheaper for 1499 dollars. RAM is most important for music production, isn’t it?

[@darkcharmrecords]

Ram and processor, with some plugins now the GPU matters

[@Pepetricoloreo]

Great video, Ben! I'm looking for a laptop to play live, using ableton to simulate virtual instruments like arturia keyboards, running plugins over ot maybe, It's some heavy processing sometimes... do you have any particular advice for this use?

[@reklom2334]

12:50 Which Laptop would you recommend then if you still want to use Windows but have at least enough performance but still being silent?

[@Titchydj]

From pcspecialist in the uk, you can get an i9 14900HX, 4090, 64gb ram & 2x2tb ssd for the same price, if not cheaper than the best lenovo legion pro right now

[@SonetsKonjam]

ohh may I ask what model you're referring to? any models in specific?

[@DreamStateStudio]

HI! great video specially there is not many videos about this topic and Im no considering going to Apple ecosystem. What do you think about the new Ryzen Ai 9-365 compare to the HX processors? for example the coming ASUS Zenbook S16 thank you in advance. Im also considering an HP omen. not really sure because of the new CPU with Ai coming soon Thank you!

[@zizmusic1097]

What do you have against Dell?

[@dwaeofficial]

FIRE VIDEOOO! One topic i know you can help me with.....battery life. what are some options that have a long battery life? without losing performance of course.

[@sodotta]

just a quick one. ive heard the newest editions of macbook pros currently give great battery life. this goes for m1 to m3 cpus. theres probs more out there but i think these work quite well

[@JosephineDeSmet]

I'm looking for a laptop to perform live with, I use ableton with a bunch of native instruments plugins (komplete kontrol 13), I think a lot of these might be op but I want to avoid system overload errors at all costs... I would like your opinion on the following laptops as I'm not sure what to pick; Acer Swift Go 16 OLED ultrathin | SFG16-72 Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 PHN16-71-99AB Azerty ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 GU604VZ-NM008W Azerty ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 G733PZV-LL084W Azerty MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo B1MG-023BE Azerty MSI Vector 16 HX A13VHG-420BE Azerty

[@thevindurathnaweera]

I have corei3 4gb ddr3 ram inbuilt graphic card laptop right now to make edm I dont give a damn about specs, only thing i know i will be the best...

[@ahmedmirza8069]

Eagerly waiting for Zephyrus G14 2024 review...can I know when its coming?

[@faustoberardo]

Hi! What do you think about a Samsun Book 3 today? i7, 16gb ram, 512ssd for music production? I'm using Reason 12 now

[@johncurrence4228]

Could you see if producing music is possible on a gaming handheld, specifically GPD win 4? I know that seems crazy but It has 64gb of ram and ryzen 7840u cpu so it looks promising.

[@nayvay9579]

Is an M3 pro 12 core CPU 18 core GPU with 18gb of unified memory enough or do i need more unified memory? (I'm assuming unified memory is the same as RAM because it doesn't say anything about RAM on apples website)

[@pooriapouria]

Thank you. Few people talk about this subject.

[@_P_M_]

Why the Legion series and no mention the Thinkpad P series? Curious because I'm about to pull the trigger on one..Thanks for the video.

[@Minsk_Accords]

Legion for music is a hard no, I love these for gaming but not for DAW.

[@MallyG678]

​@@Minsk_AccordsI'm assuming if you said a hard no for the Legion then your pivot would be the Yoga (if we're talking Lenovo). If that's the case, what would be your recommendation brand wise out of Asus, Acer, HP or Lenovo? Keep in mind, I'm just producing/making beats, not doing any live recording sessions. Thanks in advance for your time!

[@guyflores2119]

Does cpu optimization range from which DAW your using?

[@yaaramacmel]

Thanks! how abouy Intel Core Ultra 7?

[@chadpreslar7152]

Great video

[@omkarkasbe5277]

Should i buy HP Pavilion 14 11th Gen Intel Core i7 16GB/1TB SSD

[@sirsilva7079]

No big mistake I made I got the one with the 1165G chip that has base frequency of 2.8 GHZ, 2TB SSD & 32GB RAM and even with the best optimization of Windows it was still pathetic so much so that I eventually opted for a Desktop. Rather go AMD and save yourself the frustrations.

[@guilladogui8259]

Laptops with thunderbolt 4? For both music production and photo editing

[@coXain9]

Any laptops you can recommend that run with the Apollo solo?

[@AugmentedNick]

How is Acer predator neo 16... i7 13700hx rtx 4050 (2023 model) for music production?

[@kagunmarx5914]

Kreative Devices should have been at the top of this list.

[@ZenSymphonia]

What makes them the best?

[@kagunmarx5914]

@@ZenSymphonia price per performance, nothing comes close; and they're customizable unlike other brands.

[@mikejackson7880]

I was so impressed with the 1st laptop, I bought another one. And still paid less for 2 powerhouse laptop's what I would have paid for 1 with "You know who"

[@kagunmarx5914]

Absolutely!

[@nayvay9579]

Is unified memory and RAM the same?

[@sasxobeatz]

What about Hpzbook 15 G5 intel zeom

[@mikejackson7880]

You've obviously never heard of Kreative Devices, otherwise this list would be very different.

[@chrisbullock6477]

Love the channel but I thought I'd bring out the fact that one of the main things that you want to look at when looking for an audio production or sound effects engineer engineer computer or laptop is going to be the audio DACS quality then you want to look at all the other parts now with that in mind historically Apple has always had really great audio DAC an audio codecs on the PC side Asus has a history of pudding in high quality audio parts on their motherboards motherboards for their systems.

[@Mr1stcat]

Yikes apple computers are horrendous for music they come with subpar DACs and are proprietary everything lol 😰 you can't use anything outside the "apple ecosystem" 😆 and if they do let you use other OS they make it a hassle making you jump through hoops

[@quincyfreeman2901]

To be fair, most people will also be using an audio interface, bypassing the onboard stuff 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@adamcogan211]

Reaper, the poor music student’s best friend ❤

[@prodbyaddi1517]

Does the Apollo twin work with pc?

[@villimagg]

HP ZBook 17 G6 (2020)?

[@3RTAK]

No hay ninguno mejor que otro daw , cada uno tiene sus pros y contras.

[@MINDFORCEHDBT]

david hasselhoff meets buddy holly

[@paulysguitarjournal]

I'm a Windows user. If I move to Apple, will my files work with Apple versions of the programs? I know the programs will work, but can I open my files I saved on a Windows computer?

[@RoyMagnuson]

it totally depends on what system you are working, what software, etc. Most everything is cross compatible at this point (but not necessarily backwards - I.e., once you start with Mac and maybe move to Logic you can't go back)

[@JustPlayitc00l]

Always love your videos Practical reviews... Real world applications... Thank you for being true. In recent times, DAWs have been optimized to run better on mulitcores... Recent times. The whole "high single core" requirement is not as paramount it used to be. Dom Sigalas did a comparison with the Ryzen 9 5000 series some years ago on Cubase... It floored the Intel counterpart that had a higher "single core" performance

[@BenGKaiser]

Thanks for the feedback. I still highly recommend aiming for a high single core performance and then just get the benefits of multicore.

[@prod.dormin]

does anyone here discuss dpc latency? this thing needs to be talked about more, especially when it comes to music production. I hope someone reviews laptops with dpc latency tests done on it.

[@aymra3550]

28:55 yep.. that's me 🤣

[@leighstrains7657]

I’m in the uk. I’m looking into many things using a laptop (I’ve only had an iPad for yrs but I don’t have room for a desktop) I want to look into 3d printing and designing models to print and using arduino’s to automate them, photoshop/video editing just my own photo’s and I like simulator games like flight sim and train sim world/trainz where you can build landscapes and tracks which I assume is quite a heavy workload on ram as you add trees houses track etc to it and build it like a huge train set, but it’s mainly going to be used for for recording drum kits/5piece bands. …even maybe for dj use if needed. ..I am that guy who likes allsorts that you mentioned 😂 If it wasn’t for wanting to play simulator games on it, then I’d just get a mac, but I don’t know if there’s many slicers for 3d printing on a Mac either, but everything is set up to run on windows anyway, so im looking at the legion pro 5i and just deal with the fan noise as long as it does everything I want it to. The config im “hoping to afford” is this. Pro i5 i7 14700hx 4060 graphics (all I could afford) 32gb ram 1tb ssd Display: 16" WQXGA (2560 x 1600), IPS, Anti-Glare, Non-Touch, HDR 400, 100%sRGB, 500 nits, 240Hz, Narrow Bezel, Low Blue Light (guessing the 4060 graphics only powers this extra middle option in the uk to bother going for the higher dci screen) ..I’m not sure. It’s become a minefield looking at laptops and I just think that if I buy last years gen then it’s 1 less year that it will update windows. …..I just want a laptop that works when I record a full band or fly a plane. I don’t need 100fps as long as it just works in all cases. I’m hoping this config does??? 😂 Everything you mentioned about single core performance and when 1 core is full its over I’ve read about and I’m taking the advice of the i7 13700 but going for the new 14000. ..hoping for an extra year of updates as the 13th gen hasn’t come down in price for such a spec it seems so I’m just getting the newest which is seeming just as expensive for the gen 8 on uk Lenovo as it is for the gen 9 When I’ve managed to sell some guitars and have enough for it anyway 😂 A lot to digest there I know (my head spins with laptops after about a month trying to work out which to get. Any better suggestions/advice welcomed. ..I can’t afford the 7i at all. Does this seem a reasonably capable configuration. With another memory stick in the 2nd slot obviously) …..and does that void the warranty. Many many questions. 😂 Thanks.

[@subhajitsarkar4432]

is intel ultra processor's are capable of music production

[@darkcharmrecords]

Yes for sure

[@sirsilva7079]

Not at all the flagship core ultra 9 has a base frequency of 2.0 GHZ single core and won't cut it at all as that's what matters in music production. On the reviews and benchmarks already that chip looses out by a huge mile on single core performance.

[@rogermontano1843]

msi ai 32 ram 7 evo 1299😊 best buy

[@konchus2]

posted 2 days ago and no mention of the intel ultra chip 🥴

[@shayanvaziri5249]

but logic keeps crashing with third party plugins

[@pinkpalace-yx2ew]

what plugins bro?i used logic on mac for years maybe i can help

[@JustPlayitc00l]

Apple 8gb RAM equal to Windows 16gb RAM? Nah! don't buy it, didn't buy it when Apple said it either. It's fast but RAM capacity will fail when it is actually needed. There are enough KZbin videos disproving that Apple claim. And I used an M1 when it just came out. Load plugins and that 8gb RAM will not survive a multitrack mixing session (even with stock plugins in Logic Pro).

[@cirisirpula152]

Apple 8gb ram is not equal to 16gb pc ram. Such an absurd claim.

[@wilkopiano]

Apple are shockingly ignorant in the music producer market since m series. Plugin programmers constantly having to redevelop their updates to keep up with apple cpu changes. Apple is no longer a brand of longevity more so a consumer trap to keep you spending 3 times as much every 5 years. (OS upgrade support lifecycles) I will stick with windows asus g16 24 core i9 64GB ram ddr5 and nvme gen5 4TB for half the price of a mac m3 where in the apple world half my instrument plugins will break.😂 its just a shame windows doesn’t support IAC drivers for multiple audio interfaces. Windows background processes are a pain too. Unless you are a windows engineer windows is no where near optimised for music production. But i am an engineer so i run many optimisation scripts to remove all the MS bloat.

[@adequatequality]

I'd love to see a "best laptops for business/corporate users" aside from the typical ThinkPad and MacBooks. Something sleak and portable for presentations on-the-go, to do office tasks, web browsing...

[@marcell7406]

no apple laptop made the final list ? lmao im not even a mac user but there apple silicon chips are crazy bro

[@prod.chapter]

Where are the new M-chip macbooks?

[@BenGKaiser]

Check the Macbook pro section of the video.

[@prod.chapter]

@@BenGKaiser will do

[@abdellatifb]

Believe me if i tell you that I’m still making music on a 14 years old laptop 😅

[@learningelectronicsandco-rx4vk]

Same! I have an intel platinum dual core cpu and I've been recording and making music on it haha

[@basielu]

same haha

[@qwertyqwerty6000]

u own

[@zizmusic1097]

Massaged and messaged

[@teslacreigh3054]

I love you

[@creative-ray-music]

Please check as well the review from James Zhan of the M1 M2 and M3 versions. You all will be disappointed. M3 is not that better than a M2 or even M1😱 Hard evidences shown☝🏼

[@django3108]

M3 pro doesnt have 64 gb ram lol

[@drestrick3899]

Dang samsung didn't even make the cut😢

[@celticgibson]

31 minute video to suggest you buy an Apple silicon based pc.

[@owlmostdead9492]

Any MacBook with Apple Silicon is going to be better than anything you can find on the Windows's side, price doesn't matter. This applies the most to audio production, video less so.