My old PC-based Laptop is on its last legs. I want to go with Cubase 14, probably the Pro Version. I am so tossed between PC and MacBook. I am looking for stability, low latency, etc. I know that Mac is highly recommended, but so pricey! I am now just a ‘hobbyist’ and not on the road anymore, but I am doing a lot of writing and recording, mostly for my own entertainment….Do I shell out tons of money for a MacbookPro, or is there a newer PC-Based laptop that can offer reliability and stability for me? I appreciate whatever advice anyone can provide…In looking through the forum, the latest info is from 2023….
There are a LOT of pc laptops at a LOT of price points and MANY of them can fit your particular definition of reliability and stability. The key phrase is “for me”. Only you can nail definitions like that down.
I’d remind you that you already know how to get around on Windows computers and that’s a plus even though Cubendo itself looks the same on either platform. You also might just already own a lot of vst/2/3 plugins….which are oriented of course to the world of Windows.
I’ve owned 6 or so Mac desktop computers and 16 or so Dos/Windows98, xp, 7, 10, 11 in desktop and laptop configurations. Bought all of them new for my type of work over the eons.
My profound belief is…..don’t buy into anyone’s hype of one platform being better than another.
Tough one. I use both on a daily basis and I think the difference has shrunk between them over time, though it’s not controversial to say Apple is very hard to beat when it comes to laptops. At least until ARM based PCs catch up. Desktop is a different matter.
As for price, Macs are not really more expensive than PCs. There is no Apple low tier and they’re pretty much all premium, hence the price. There are PCs that match Apple in terms of build and component quality but they cost pretty much the same.
You can however get a cheap PC laptop and that’s just not possible with Apple. Unfortunately Macs have very good second hand value so used is not the best option either, though you can shave off a few buck, but don’t expect bargains.
If you value stability and less hassle, Apple all day if you’re prepared to pay for that. If you’re not prepared to pay and just want a computer to play around with, you can probably find a good PC. Be prepared to research a bit though as you can end up with a lemon.
The Mac Mini basic M4 is $600, and ideal for the home audio hobbyist and more demanding Cubase freaks like me. Used examples range from $400. Hell of a music machine for the money, but you’ll need a screen, keyboard and mouse, and an external drive. The oldest example you’ll find is less than 12 months. The performance is wicked. Expect $1300 all in with a good 4K screen, and Cubase 14.
If you do music on the move, then this changes things a bit. Most post 2018 Intel, or AMD will run Cubase 14 adequately in Win 11, but do your homework. Expect $900 for a great retina MacBook Pro with Cubase 14 running Sequoia.
If Windows is your thing, and you’d definitely rather stay there, then worth looking at used post-2020 Dell Precision laptops and the like. Ex-corporate refurbs are usually top-spec if you look. With Windows laptops, you can mostly open ‘em up and upgrade the chip and ram if needed. Check the model online to see the maximum chip supported.
If you are in a position to buy new, then there are people on here who are better informed than me. I’m sure they will help. Just give us a few more details of your situation and leanings.
Whatever OS, get the one with the biggest drive, most RAM, fastest CPU you can afford.
You may not need it today, but who knows what tomorrow will bring.
I’m a hobbyist, too, and on a limited income, but my current PC cost me £4000 including upgrades (GPU/monitor/drives).
Hi and thanks very much to everyone who has responded to my post! I appreciate it. I know that it can cause some consternation and I didn’t mean to open up a can of worms. All of your responses are very intelligent, and informative. I will do some research and will let you know. I have been looking at some Windows PCs, but, as mentioned, they end up being about as pricey as the Macs. I do thank you all!
You have to be really careful with laptops. If there is a bottleneck causing glitches then it may not be possible to fix it. With that in mind my friend bought his from a reputable audio pc specialist who test all there laptops and desktops for dpc latency and suitability for audio work.
I haven’t had an apple so can’t really comment except they do tend to work but iOS releases can be a bit of a pain.
“We have finished downloading your 439 unscheduled updates during your glitchy 150-track recording session, and the reporting back to Microsoft of every mouse-click you made, is also now complete. Please restart your computer, and do not turn it off until your clients have stormed out in disgust!”
Apple…
“Are you going to do something, or am I going to sit here idling at 10% on this 150-track crap all day like an idiot, whilst you waste time on that Cubase forum telling everyone how great Apple is?”
Microsoft surface laptops are very good. I happily run Cubase 14 pro on my Surface Laptop 5 (3/4 years old) I also run the full Adobe suite with zero problems editing high res video etc
I have the surface dock and when I’m in the office I just dock my laptop and use mouse, keyboard and a big high Res monitor…again no issues, just like running a desktop.
The updates are not a problem, you decide when to update and can schedule to do updates overnight etc.
We run a mixed pc/Mac environment which links into Azure cloud environment .People get to choose what they prefer in terms of Mac or PC…there is very little difference in terms of performance or problems, just comes down to your preference.
I was going to mention the MacBook Air M4 as a serious contender for silent music-making. But if you want multiple monitors connected, then the graphic-cores will produce heat - possibly enough to induce throttling of the CPU under heavy loads.
But connected to one decent 4K monitor, with the laptop’s lid down, shouldn’t be a problem. Use a well-powered hub like a Razer Chroma for peripherals, that will charge your laptop at 90W, and that frees up a Thunderbolt socket.
Hello and thank you for your questions….I would like a laptop with at least a 16” display if possible, nothing smaller than 15” for sure. I have used both PCs and Macs at work, I am more comfortable with a PC-based system. I know the price will be comparable to a Mac, but for the learning curve I am leaning to the Pc-based Laptop. I am currently using Cubase SX (shows how dated I am (2004). I have tons of old projects and would be ordering Cubase 14 Pro so that I can import and still use those old project files.
My hardware requirements would also be an 8 in 8 out Audio Interface (Motu 8A) and a Motu Microlite MIDI Interface. Hopefully those two are still available. I know that downloading the Cubase 14 Pro would take awhile on the PC Laptop as they don’t have ethernet, wo it would have to be over wireless….So my next concern would be the connectivity to the Laptop…Needing Thunderbolt so I can add a hub if needed. Currently, my old setup uses firewire from my MOTU 828 MkII, MIDI for my Midisport 2x4, mouse, and then connectivity for an external HDD as well. Glad the old Cubase Dongle won’t be needed anymore. So, I feel like a dog chasing its tail to try to match the I/O requirements for the outboard interfaces and the Laptop itself….Laptops are looking to be around $2,900.00 cdn, so this will be a pricey update! I want to make sure that all of the equipment will talk properly to each other, and hopefully with having to go with Windows 11 it won’t have too much bloatware on it!
I should have been more detailed in my original questions on the forum. Yes, the PC Laptop will be close to rivaling the price of a Mac, but again the learning curve and the way that I have my current setup for files and storage would be important to keep accurte track of….So, 99% leaning toward a PC-Based Laptop. Now, also needeing to find the optimum system for that too….It will take a lot of research (and advice from users) in order to avoid buying something that just won’t work for me….
If I hotspot one of my phones to any one of my laptops wifi, Cubase/Nuendo 14 take a max of about 90 seconds to download from the sda. Install takes less than 2 minutes after that. Just as a worse-case scenario example.
Any laptop I encounter does have ethernet, bluetooth and thunderbolt as well as all flavors/speeds of usb.
External usb/thunderbolt hard drives connectivity piece of cake.
As to Motu, dunno if they still make an 8a etc, but the Ultra lite mk5 appears to do more in terms of audio/midi, is available, and I have a couple of those on laptops that do wonderfully.
Lots of great choices for 16”, 17”, 18”laptops. At least you realize how small you’re “not” willing to go for a display.
If you finally do decide to go with a Windows based laptop, I cannot stress enough @mkok’s advice above. There are laptops out there with apparently very good specs which are completely unsuitable for audio because of inherently poor system latencies which can’t be negated.
You may want to start another thread (if you’re going Windows) and ask for recommendations from folks who are successfully using their laptops for Cubase.
