Hey,
I’m looking for a latop that will function as a music server. It will be also be used for internet access. I currently have a late 2012 Mac mini that’s essentially a desktop. It works fine except having a separate display is very inconvenient so portability is key. I’m unsure about budget but would like to stay under $500. Used is fine. Probably stay with a Mac but would consider a pc.
Suggestions please
I’m looking for a latop that will function as a music server. It will be also be used for internet access. I currently have a late 2012 Mac mini that’s essentially a desktop. It works fine except having a separate display is very inconvenient so portability is key. I’m unsure about budget but would like to stay under $500. Used is fine. Probably stay with a Mac but would consider a pc.
Suggestions please
I would purchase a Macbook Air/Pro say 2018 or newer.
Lots of suppliers so lots to choose from.
I wouldn't give a windows machine house room, not even for a door stop. Compared to a Mac, they do not perform.
Lots of suppliers so lots to choose from.
I wouldn't give a windows machine house room, not even for a door stop. Compared to a Mac, they do not perform.
You say 'server' do you mean streaming or just running a music DB like minimserver? Will you be transcoding on the fly?
Probably any laptop from the last few years would do. Do you want your music on the laptop or on an external drive? If on the laptop you might want to be sure you can upgrade the internal SSD/HDD because most only come with up to 1GB. Network only accessed through WiFi? Many of the smaller lighter laptops have sacrificed a network socket.
Windows/iOS? Not going to go there 🙂 there are always virtual machines and emulation.
Probably any laptop from the last few years would do. Do you want your music on the laptop or on an external drive? If on the laptop you might want to be sure you can upgrade the internal SSD/HDD because most only come with up to 1GB. Network only accessed through WiFi? Many of the smaller lighter laptops have sacrificed a network socket.
Windows/iOS? Not going to go there 🙂 there are always virtual machines and emulation.
General advice: buy a so called business laptop. They are so much better than the ones for consumer use, in terms of build quality, battery life, durability etc.
New they are expensive but as companies dump them after a few years, there is plenty on offer second hand (or "refurbished" which in most cases is the same).
I prefer a used business laptop over a new consumer one everytime. My current HP probook is 8 years old and still runs perfectly, with over 6 hours battery time on what is the original (!) battery.
New they are expensive but as companies dump them after a few years, there is plenty on offer second hand (or "refurbished" which in most cases is the same).
I prefer a used business laptop over a new consumer one everytime. My current HP probook is 8 years old and still runs perfectly, with over 6 hours battery time on what is the original (!) battery.
I don’t have a lot of music but other than physical cd’s everything is stored on the Mac mini. A 512 gb ssd is what I’m using and the music files aren’t more than 100 gb. I don’t store video at all and don’t have wifi. I do use my iPhone to access files in jRiver via Bluetooth.
Thanks
Thanks
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If the lap top is used, be careful with Li ion batteries !!! Several of them had exploded. See youtube videos about them.
How about an HP 15z model running Win 11? Get one of the Ryzen processors - they are the better ones these days. Just to play around on Linux I bought such a laptop on Ebay with a Ryzen 5 5500u CPU and it is pretty fast. A new one direct from HP costs about $400.
https://www.hp.com/us-en/shop/pdp/4x379av-1-4x379av-1
For a perforomance upgrade choose the version with the Ryzen 7 5825u CPU for $100 more.
https://www.hp.com/us-en/shop/pdp/4x379av-1-4x379av-1
For a perforomance upgrade choose the version with the Ryzen 7 5825u CPU for $100 more.
Lately I've been buying Acer refurb desktops for under $200. The cheaper one was $88. They're loaded with Windows 10 and have all the modern connections. In fact that one is a laptop system in a case. I also have an Asus laptop and a ThinkPad that are both about 10 years old. Plus lots of Android phones. All of them are capable music servers and access the web easily and quickly. So you shouldn't worry about getting a recent unit or the best MacBook Air you can find. Virtually anything will serve your purpose. I know this from experience.
I too have a macMini as music server (2012) and i am thinking of a new M2 Air as server. Word on the street (what little of it is) is that these new processors and teh OS that goes with do better at serving music than the Intels.
A refurb or used 1 Air would serve the same purpose at a lower cost.
dave
A refurb or used 1 Air would serve the same purpose at a lower cost.
dave
1. Look up the CPU performance on Passmark. Newer is (most) always better. When you go back to an old (>5years) machine, you will notice the delays.
2. Mechanical failure is real problem with laptops, so avoid Lenovo etc.
3. You pay dearly for the internal SSD, so using an external USB3 drive is fast and cost effective and avoids reinstalling your media library when you get a new PC. Mechanical drives are just slow, which is an issue for the OS but not so much for media. Mechanical drives die if you drop them.
4. I have used refurbished HPs but a new ASUS is not much more money, and you get a newer faster machine with more RAM. Refurbished machines often have worn out USB connectors. Older machine may not have Bluetooth.
5. I never touch Apple products because they have very poor bang-for-the-buck, and apple software is grossly inefficient. They have support issues too. Better to go with something generic that does not depend on one vendor. The PC universe is full of crap but there are a few real gems for cheap/free. MS continues to infest windows with marketing, but you can remove and avoid it. You can always put Linux on a PC if you really hate MS, or dual boot both.
2. Mechanical failure is real problem with laptops, so avoid Lenovo etc.
3. You pay dearly for the internal SSD, so using an external USB3 drive is fast and cost effective and avoids reinstalling your media library when you get a new PC. Mechanical drives are just slow, which is an issue for the OS but not so much for media. Mechanical drives die if you drop them.
4. I have used refurbished HPs but a new ASUS is not much more money, and you get a newer faster machine with more RAM. Refurbished machines often have worn out USB connectors. Older machine may not have Bluetooth.
5. I never touch Apple products because they have very poor bang-for-the-buck, and apple software is grossly inefficient. They have support issues too. Better to go with something generic that does not depend on one vendor. The PC universe is full of crap but there are a few real gems for cheap/free. MS continues to infest windows with marketing, but you can remove and avoid it. You can always put Linux on a PC if you really hate MS, or dual boot both.
I buy Apple because they are huge value for the dollar, typically outlasting WinTel boxes by at least a factor of 2. And i get so much more work done not having to deal with Windoz.
dave
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When you plan to install another os on it than the one that is pre installed, check availability of drivers on the manufacturers website before buying.
BTW, a 256G thumb drive or memory card is about $25 today, so I keep my copies of my music library on my phone, in the car, and on each computer. I don't bother with a server. It actually fits easily in 64G, and those are less than $10. The biggest hassle is keeping all the copies updated, but backup is a given.
Perhaps you mean bang for your kilo-dollar? An Apple numbers file is 20 times the size of an equivalent open office or excel file, even though it has been zipped, because they include a lot of useless ~HTML baggage. Current Macs are a variant of BSD, so you'd get a much better deal just using Linux.
Sure, there are $1000 PCs, but those are for gamers and those with more money than brains. This ASUS laptop was $450 brand new and has an 8-core CPU and 8GB RAM. I use MP3tag, VLC player, Irfanview, Handbrake, Kdenlive, Libre Office, Thunderbird, Total Commander, LTCspice, Audacity, etc, all free/shareware. (Please support these great shareware makers.) Granted, MS is always trying to get you to use their useless apps, but it's not hard to remove and/or ignore them. They have trashed MS office with their marketing, but Office Libre works very well, including Apple files.
All crappy spreadsheets. Numbers is not for serious wrk but makes nice graphs.
True, OS X is based on FreeBSD. But you ignore all the stuff they have added on. There is no Linux with near as slick or well executed UI, and a derth of really good software. A Mac is a good machine to run Linux on, but they are still struggling to get a native version running on the new Mx chips. And those chips ase a game changer. Consider that an M2 Air (ie the low end) can run Windoz in Rosetta faster than the majority of Windoz boxes. A real issue for Apple selling a 28-core Intel MacPro that, in straight speed) gets walloped by some of the faster MacBook Pros (at a fraction of the price), not to mention the MacStudio.
dave
If by some kind of financial entitlement, you can afford $1000 computers, good for you, but you should appreciate your privilege. Most of the world has to be frugal, especially on non-essentials. I have heard the privileged argue that their expensive purchases are great value, but it's just rationalization. It's actually a form of insurance. Having retired comfortably, I could actually spend money that way too, but I am not about to change my ways. Show me a new Apple computer for less than $500 and I will consider it.