Between DJing, producing, and my business, I've come to the conclusion that a laptop is quickly becoming something I need rather than something I'd like to have.  It just makes sense for my business, and for music it makes sense for reasons you all know.  When I do get one, I'm planning on also getting Numark TC and switching my entire setup over to software based, so the laptop will be the heart of my gig rig.

Most people I talk to tell me if I'm going to buy a laptop, I should go with a Mac (even the Wal-Mart sales guy told me that when I asked him about the ones they sell).  But, I've also seen a few references to Dell's on TF.  Having never had a laptop of my own, I have no idea what the 2nd best (assuming Macs are the best) choice is.  So, what do you all who have actually used them in a gig environment recommend?

I use a first gen MacBook Pro with 2g of RAM.  It has held up pretty well.

I have the newest version of the macbook pro. Its amazing, i run both vista and leopard. There are some plugins that don't work with an apple system so. But its amazing, fast, and a sexy machine. 2 gig ram and 4.4 ghz cpu. I would def recommend.  8)   

I use a Dell Latitude D820. They're rock solid, and so much more configurable than the MacBook Pros. (Come talk to me when you get 6.5 hours on your battery.) The Dell Precision's are the cream of Dell's crop, at least.

Generally I'd say you can spec out a great Latitude for a better price than a MacBook Pro. But there won't be a whole lot of difference in the end, it'll really come down to your OS preference.

I know we could get into a debate but every dell i have had(which is two by the way) has failed or had something break without my doing. My sisters laptop broke as well(Dell) and my dad's laptop just failed(Dell) I'm not saying they are horrible machines I'm just saying they seem to not want to work. I know dell have the longest battery life but to me that really doesn't matter  :laugh:

Toshiba = Epic FAIL!

Hahaha, basically, all computers are prone to breaking. I've had some Toshiba Tecra's that worked for years, freaking Clydesdale's they were. But then we had a whole batch of newer Tecra's that were terrible.

And you've got to remember one thing, regarding quality. Apple decides what you need, and puts in (generally) high quality parts. Dell and others "let you decide" what you need, and thus run the risk of choosing an Inspiron full of crap. It's the illusion of choice, for the most part, because any sane person who'd done the research has to choose quality components. But at the end of the day, I find Dell's price point is still better, and their warranties are excellent. That's another point to remember, as Latitudes come standard with 3 year warranties.

Again, decide what you need, and see who offers it for the best value.

it depends.
a mac is great for media, but if you dont have the cash... you dont have the cash. a big thing for me was being able to do EVERYTHING on it. so i went with a dell (i wasnt planning on djing with it at the time). if you get a mac, a midrange one will probably do the trick. if you go with a PC, get a really high quality one, like an xps. youll appriciate the extra power. (i remember when i was running a single gig of ram, i run 2 now and it is much better)

I've got a Macbook right now, seems to be Ok, super fast...the pros are even nicer.  Every company has there issues I guess.  I had a bad battery in mine, and they replaced it for free. 

Sounds like a good move with the laptop!

I would recommend getting one of those sweet new macbook pros also if you've got the clams. Bootcamp, gives you vista options if your still attached to windows apps. You might also want to look into vmware fusion. Its great for running windows apps natively in the Mac OS.

In all fairness though, you'd get more bang for your buck with a windows based laptop. There are so many deals around allowing you to spring for that extra gig or 2 of memory.
IMO XP is still the most rock solid flavor of OS for any windows based laptop.

2x

x3

xp  ;)

im rockin vista, no problems whatsoever.

with Traktor?

Torq works with Vista right?

Does it now?  The last time I checked they were still "working on that".

M-Audio Releases Torq 1.0.5 Update
http://www.m-audio.com/news/en_us-1032.html (http://www.m-audio.com/news/en_us-1032.html)

whatever laptop you get is preference...mac or pc bla... just make sure if your laptop has a 3 prong power supply that you get one of those little gray $0.75 adapters from home depot that removes the ground from your plug turning it into a 2 prong (it gets rid of 80% of the computer buzz).
Also get shielded monster cables... even usb cables.
The funny thing is if you get the "usb audio" monster cable its $30 more than if you got the "usb computer" monster cable and they are both shielded the same exact way... so get the computer versions instead ;-)

Funny, I've never had ground noise from my mac book. I'm using an external sound card though.

oh thats because the mac power cords are generally not grounded... atleast the ones that I've come accross

Except then your computer won't ground... if it's got 3 prongs I'd rather have them all plugged in.

Depends on which one you're using, if you use the cord out of the brick, it's grounded, but the wall-wart adaptor isn't