Music production laptop

Chassis & Display
Optimus II: 17.3" Full HD LED Backlit Widescreen (1920x1080) Super Clear Glossy
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Mobile Processor i7-2630QM (2.00GHz) 6MB Cache
Memory (RAM)
8GB KINGSTON HYPER-X GENESIS 1600MHz SODIMM DDR3 (2 x 4GB)
Graphics Card
nVIDIA® GeForce® GT 540M - 1GB DDR3 Video RAM - DirectX® 11
Memory - Hard Disk
240GB OCZ VERTEX 2 SERIES SSD, SATA 3 Gb/s (upto 285MB/sR | 275MB/sW)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
8x SATA DVD±R/RW/Dual Layer (+ 24x CD-RW)
Memory Card Reader
Internal 9 in 1 Card Reader (MMC/RSMMC/SD: Mini, XC & HC/MS: Pro & Duo)
Network Facilities
ONBOARD GIGABIT LAN & INTEL ULTIMATE-N 6300 WIRELESS - UPTO 450Mbps
USB Options
2 x USB 3.0 PORTS + 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS AS STANDARD
Bluetooth & Infrared Options
INTEGRATED BLUETOOTH ADAPTER (£6)
Battery
Optimus Series 6 Cell Lithium-ION Battery - 48.85WH
Power Lead & Adaptor
1 x UK Power Lead & 90W AC Adaptor
Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence (£79)
Office Software
FREE Microsoft® Office Starter 2010 (Limited functionality Word & Excel)
Anti-Virus
BULLGUARD INTERNET SECURITY - FREE 90 DAY TRIAL
Notebook Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 1.3 MEGAPIXEL WEBCAM
Insurance
1 Month Free Laptop Insurance inc. Accidental Damage & Theft
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 5 to 7 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £1,189.00 including VAT and delivery.

What im trying to do is build a laptop that fits in with my current music production gear. I decided to go with OptimusII as i can then afford to put lots of memory and a SSD in it. Graphics are less important to me.

The only thing wrong with this spec is lack of a firewire port. I have a rackmount MOTU soundcard, so not sure if i should sell the soundcard and go with this spec or wait for a similar price chassis with firewire.

Was also thinking about vertex3 drive, but tbh i think vertex2 will be fine. As long as they are quiet and faster than 7200rpm drives.

Also not sure about the bigfoot killer, ive been told its a waste of money

Any ideas/ comments much appreciated, i dont want to spend more than £1300 ish

Hello & Welcome!

The only other chassis to be released would be the Enigma III, unfortunately this doesn't have Firewire either so it might be a long wait for a similar price chassis with firewire to arrive

I have put together a spec using the Vortex II (15.6"), almost the same but with the 120GB OCZ vertex II instead;

Chassis & Display
Vortex II-15: 15.6" Full HD LED Backlit 16:9 Widescreen (1920x1080) Super Clear Glossy
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Mobile Processor i7-2630QM (2.00GHz) 6MB Cache
Memory (RAM)
8GB SAMSUNG 1333MHz SODIMM DDR3 MEMORY (2 x 4GB)
Graphics Card
1.5GB nVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 460M - DirectX® 11 (15.6" Vortex II)
Memory - Hard Disk
120GB OCZ VERTEX 2 SERIES SSD, SATA 3 Gb/s (upto 285MB/sR | 275MB/sW)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
8x SATA DVD±R/RW/Dual Layer (+ 24x CD-RW)
Memory Card Reader
Internal 9 in 1 Card Reader (MMC/RSMMC/SD: Mini, XC & HC/MS: Pro & Duo)
Network Facilities
INTEGRATED GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS 802.11N CARD (AS STANDARD)
USB Options
2 x USB 3.0 PORTS + 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS AS STANDARD
Battery
Vortex Series 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (3,800 mAh)
Power Lead & Adaptor
1 x UK Power Lead & 180W AC Adaptor
Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence (£79)
Office Software
FREE Microsoft® Office Starter 2010 (Limited functionality Word & Excel)
Anti-Virus
BULLGUARD INTERNET SECURITY - FREE 90 DAY TRIAL
Notebook Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 2.0 MEGAPIXEL WEBCAM
Insurance
1 Month Free Laptop Insurance inc. Accidental Damage & Theft
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 5 to 7 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £1,225.00 including VAT and delivery.

Configure Here: http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/notebooks/vortexII-15/

Hi Meds, thanks for your input. I take it from the spec you posted that the 1600mhz RAM and Intel Wireless won't make much of a difference?

I think you're right about using a smaller drive, i have external storage for large projects anyway. So Vortex is looking like a better option. 17inch though, any reason you chose the 15 or just the cost?

Thanks

Yeah, It was just the cost which made me chose the 15.6" Vortex, going for the 17.3" will add around £80 onto the final price. In my opinion, you wouldn't notice the performance difference between the 1333MHz & 1600MHz RAM.

I actually missed the Intel Wireless Card from your original quote, sorry about that! To be honest I can't see it making a huge difference (I;ve never used one) and I'm struggling to find a review online but here is a link to Intel's website - might help make your decision? http://www.intel.com/products/wireless/adapters/6300/index.htm

Ok thanks Meds, Vortex it is might have to hide the bank statements from the missus on this one

FYI - the new Enigma III laptops are now available to order. Stock is landing on Tuesday and orders will be processed under the normal lead times from then:

http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/notebooks/enigmaIII-520/
http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/notebooks/enigmaIII-540/