Recommendation for new 15.6 laptop for music production

[ciabru]

Hi, so I'm in the market for a new 15.6" laptop. I'm not a gamer nor do I do anything special with graphics. My main usage would be music production with Ableton and an audio interface connected via USB, along with some weekend software development.

I looked through the various laptop series i.e. Lafite, Elimina, Ionico etc. but I'm struggling as to which one would be best suited for music production. Ideally I'd want one that's as quiet as possible without the fan kicking in after 5 minutes.

Monitor:

I have a 27" 1080p, not home at the moment and can't remember the other properties but I don't have major video or graphics requirements.

Uses:

- music production with Ableton and Native Instruments audio interface connected via USB

- some weekend software engineering using Visual Studio 2022 / Visual Studio Code

- lot of general browsing and research, 2 or 3 different browsers with multiple tabs open

- WhatsApp and Evernote desktop apps, LibreOffice Word docs and spreadsheets


Max Budget: £1700 - 1800

 

[Ekans2011]

Hi, so I'm in the market for a new 15.6" laptop. I'm not a gamer nor do I do anything special with graphics. My main usage would be music production with Ableton and an audio interface connected via USB, along with some weekend software development.

I looked through the various laptop series i.e. Lafite, Elimina, Ionico etc. but I'm struggling as to which one would be best suited for music production. Ideally I'd want one that's as quiet as possible without the fan kicking in after 5 minutes.

Monitor:

I have a 27" 1080p, not home at the moment and can't remember the other properties but I don't have major video or graphics requirements.

Uses:

- music production with Ableton and Native Instruments audio interface connected via USB

- some weekend software engineering using Visual Studio 2022 / Visual Studio Code

- lot of general browsing and research, 2 or 3 different browsers with multiple tabs open

- WhatsApp and Evernote desktop apps, LibreOffice Word docs and spreadsheets


Max Budget: £1700 - 1800

Hi, a suitable system for music production needs a powerful processor and a lot of RAM.

Unfortunately, there is nothing that can be done about fan noise: laptops have limited heat dissipation capacity, and the fans must do their job in order to maintain appropriate temperatures. In any case, a desktop would be better for that task.

This is what you can have with your budget.

Chassis & Display
Ionico Series: 16" Matte QHD 240Hz sRGB 100% LED Widescreen (2560x1600)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i9 14 Core Processor 13900H (5.4GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
64GB Corsair 4800MHz SODIMM DDR5 (2 x 32GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 4060 - 8.0GB GDDR6 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (3500 MB/R, 3100 MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (3500 MB/R, 3100 MB/W)
Memory Card Reader
Integrated Micro-SD Memory Card Reader
AC Adaptor
1 x 230W AC Adaptor
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre Cloverleaf UK Power Cable
Battery
1 x Ionico Battery 73WH
Thermal Paste
VAPOR CHAMBER ADVANCED COOLING
Sound Card
2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Wireless Network Card
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6E AX211 + BT 5.3
USB/Thunderbolt Options
1 x THUNDERBOLT 4 PORT + 3 x USB 3.2 PORTS
Keyboard Language
IONICO MULTI COLOUR BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD
Operating System
Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10/11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge
Keyboard & Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 2.0 MP FULL HD WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Gold Warranty (2 Year Collect & Return, 2 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Dead Pixel Guarantee
30 Day Dead Pixel Guarantee Inc. Labour & Carriage Costs
Chassis
Clevo PE60RND-G (8GB RTX-4060, i9-13900H, AX211, QHD 240Hz sRGB 100%, Blank KB)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 1 to 3 working days
Price: £1,786.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/ionico-16/sDxUavra9j/

 

[ciabru]

Looks great thanks. If the budget was increased, let's say to 2200, is there anything you would add or improve?

 

[Ekans2011]

Looks great thanks. If the budget was increased, let's say to 2200, is there anything you would add or improve?

Hell yeah, a Recoil would be a better option given this budget.

Chassis & Display
Recoil Series: 16" Matte QHD 240Hz sRGB 100% LED Widescreen (2560x1600)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i9 24 Core Processor 13900HX (5.4GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
64GB Corsair 4800MHz SODIMM DDR5 (2 x 32GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 4070 - 8.0GB GDDR6 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1
Liquid Series® Laptop Cooling
PCS Liquid Series® Laptop Cooler
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (3500 MB/R, 3100 MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (3500 MB/R, 3100 MB/W)
Memory Card Reader
Integrated SD Memory Card Reader
AC Adaptor
1 x 280W AC Adaptor
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Battery
Recoil Series Integrated 99WH Lithium Ion Battery
Thermal Paste
LIQUID METAL PERFORMANCE COOLING
Sound Card
Nahimic by SteelSeries 2 Channel HD Audio
Wireless Network Card
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6E AX211 (2.4 Gbps) + BT 5.3
USB/Thunderbolt Options
1 x THUNDERBOLT 4 PORT + 3 x USB 3.2 PORTS
Keyboard Language
RECOIL 16 SERIES RGB BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD
Operating System
Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10/11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge
Keyboard & Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 1MP HD WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Gold Warranty (2 Year Collect & Return, 2 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Dead Pixel Guarantee
1 Year Dead Pixel Guarantee Inc. Labour & Carriage Costs
Chassis
TongFang GM6PX7X (8GB RTX-4070, i9-13900HX, 240Hz QHD)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 1 to 3 working days
Price: £2,136.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/recoil-16/jYBJp!VVgZ/

 

[ciabru]

Great, I move around a lot though and not sure if the liquid cooling would be practical. Is it really necessary with the Recoil or just a nice to have?

 

[Ekans2011]

Great, I move around a lot though and not sure if the liquid cooling would be practical. Is it really necessary with the Recoil or just a nice to have?

Unfortunately, liquid cooling is a must on the Recoil to prevent thermal throttling.

I'd go for the Ionico then