Laptop for Music - Page 2

I can't really speak on audio interfaces, at least in terms of quality. I would try head-fi or the OCN audio forum.

Yes, you can re-install Windows, the drivers all should be on the Sony site, but of course see what drivers are installed to start with, and make sure all of them are available before you start a clean install.

HP dv7 is a good choice for a basic system. But, if you want a thin and light(ish) 17" laptop, I'd go with the Samsung NP700Z7C - it's 1" thick (vs. the HP at 1.25"), and only 6.3 pounds (vs the HP at ~6.9-7 pounds). http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Series-NP700Z7C-S03US-17-3-Inch-Laptop/dp/B0083S3PEE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1341527665&sr=8-2&keywords=np700z7c

You want a 500GB SSD? I suppose that's doable, they're "only" $350 now. Or you could replace the optical drive with the HDD that comes with the laptop (there's a special adapter, 2 different sizes depending on the laptop's ODD slot size). And then get a 128GB or 256GB SSD for the OS, programs, and whatever files you're currently working on.

Just a couple things to consider:
-the i7-3520M is a dual-core, you'll want the i7-3612QM since it's a quad-core.
-Windows 8 won't have an Ultimate edition, so it would be pointless to go with anything besides 7 Home Premium or Pro (also, Ultimate only adds a couple features that 99% + people don't have a use for).
-Speaking of, on "Step 2" of the purchase, there's a software optimization option called "Fresh Start" - it's free, and basically they won't install any bloatware. But they'll only do this if you buy it with W7 Pro.
-It might be cheaper to start with a more expensive model, and upgrade it (or it might cost the exact same, not sure). http://store.sony.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/SYCTOProcess?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&LBomId=8198552921666456543&categoryId=8198552921644863998
-If you're a college student, or have a .edu email (or if a close friend or family member does.. heck, split the savings with them ), you can get a free PS3 or PS Vita with the Vaio. http://store.sony.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&identifier=S_VAIO_Playstation_offer
-Only $50-65 on Newegg for an 8GB DDR3 stick from Kingston, Crucial, Corsair, or G.Skill - yes, it's only a $50 savings but if you'd upgrade the HDD as well, it'll only take a few seconds to replace ($50 saving for a minute of work.. not bad)

I would suggest perhaps going with the stock HDD option for the Vaio, and adding your own 512GB SSD for $400. That will save $700 off the top, and with the savings you can get a 3-year warranty + accidental, and still have a few hundred left over. Crucial M4 and Samsung 830 are about just as good - the 830 has faster writes, but they're tied for reads and the M4 is a little faster at random reads. http://www.amazon.com/Crucial-2-5-Inch-Solid-State-CT512M4SSD2/dp/tech-data/B004W2JL3Y/ref=de_a_smtd

*If* you might want to upgrade stuff in your laptop, this video is a solid step-by-step guide. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYRmk6jLL30

Sorry for the long read, just wanted to point out a few things, as spending too much on upgrades will cause pretty huge depreciation, even if you sold it just a year later.

You can have the settings for max performance on battery; the turbo boost kicks in whenever there's a spike in CPU usage, so if it's running at 2.3, FL starts to use about 2ghz of that, it'll turbo a bit, and adjust accordingly. So yeah, it'll turbo up as needed well before it gets to 100% CPU usage. If you need a lot of multi-threaded power, definitely go with the quad. Idk, looks like FL Studio can use as many cores as you throw at it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgOV21oi06Q

(sidenote- it only takes 2 clicks on the battery icon in the taskbar to go from max performance to a battery life-optimized setting, if you ever feel like switching power settings)

And note that Ivy Bridge 2.3ghz is much faster than say, AMD Phenom II quad at 2.3ghz. The system requirements given for programs are a bit arbitrary, usually made for older CPUs like Core 2 Duo, which are a lot slower at a given clockspeed. IB 2.3ghz is about 7% faster than Sandy Bridge @ 2.3, which is about 15% faster than 1st-gen i7 at 2.3. So it'd take ~2.8ghz 1st-gen i7 to be as fast as an Ivy Bridge 2.3ghz i7. Basically, AMD doesn't have a single laptop CPU out right now that can match a 2.3ghz on one core, even factoring in their turbo. 2.3ghz Ivy Bridge quad (neglecting turbo) performs similar to ~3.5ghz AMD A8 quad.

One more thing, the i7-3612QM turbos up to 2.8ghz on 4 cores, so if you have enough load to keep it at 2.8ghz, it'll stay at that speed, unless the laptop overheats. The i7-dual core only does 3.4ghz on 2 cores, not bad but the 3612QM is ~60% faster for multi-threaded (4+ threads). http://www.notebookcheck.net/Intel-Core-i7-3612QM-Notebook-Processor.73465.0.html

You can simply image the Windows 7 install from the HDD that ships with the laptop, to the SSD - disable the page file and hibernation first to save a few GB, shrink the C:\ partition to maybe 10% over the amount of used space, and then image it to the SSD with something like Norton Ghost, then afterwards just expand the partition on the SSD. Or you can install a clean Windows 7 copy, and just use the license key that comes with the laptop.

All the RAM will run at the same speed as the slowest stick. The 4GB DDR3 1333 is soldered to the mainboard, so you'll be stuck with DDR3 1333 speeds even if you add a DDR3 1600 stick. But again, DDR3 1333 should be fast enough, worst-case it causes a few percent performance drop, mostly in synthetic applications, compared to DDR3 1600. Basically, adding your own RAM will just save you some money.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834158219
would recommend this Plus
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227809
Quad Core i7
8GB RAM
Beats Audio
750GB HDD
2X USB3
5.79 Pounds
Total
About $1600 US