[sartor]

Hi all -
I've decided to buy a new laptop and am wanting to utilize it in my current home system. I've got the Cambridge Audio Azur 840C, a super old Carver receiver, and a nice pair of speakers - my Quad 21L's. I'm wanting to hook up my new laptop, which I haven't chosen one yet, to my 840C CD player which has 2 sets of toslink and digital coax signal inputs, passes signal through the onboard DAC, then out to my Carver. I play cds usually, but I'd like to play files from the HD through my 840C, as well as streaming stuff online, etc. I've looked at some of the Mac powerbooks (toslink only? no coax?), and a few PC's, but can't seem to nail it down. Is it common for PC laptops to have digicoaxial outputs these days? Any preference between using the coaxial ouputs vs. optical outs? The powerbooks' prices are getting on the high side of my price range, so if I could find a pc laptop that would do the trick, and for fewer bucks, that'd be great. What else I intend to do with my laptop:

no gaming
photo stuff (photoshop, etc.)
music
streaming
potentially down the road some Rhino-based CAD (matrix)
playing DVD's and putting the audio through my 840C and on to new TV (don't have that yet either)

that's about it - nothing fancy really.

Any thoughts?

 

[bigrigdog]

I'd pick a coaxial output since it isn't as delicate as optical. I'd seriously opt for a PC vs. mac. Made the same decision last year and didn't feel like paying another $500 for less performance.

I purchased a HP Pavilion DV9000 and had all of the Vista bugs changed 20 min. out of the box. I also had a Mac powerbook that I bought in 2002, used for work and grad school for quite a while. It was the better option several years ago, but I wouldn't hesitate in purchasing another PC.

 

[Uncle Erik]

I've been very happy with a white MacBook for a couple of years now, but am getting closer to pulling the trigger on a new 13" MacBook Pro. They're optical out only, but I haven't heard of a laptop that has coax out. If there is one, I hope someone who knows about it replies to this thread.

One thing in favor of the MacBook right now is the free iPod Touch that comes with it. I think you have to be in school or an educator, but I'll probably side a few dollars to my sister (an educator

) to buy it for me. I think there's an educational discount, too.

I've been tempted to run Ubuntu on another brand that costs less, but I've had nothing but positive experiences with my MacBook and the G4 PowerBook before it. Actually, I gave the G4 to my father, who is still using it. I think it was made in 2002 - not a bad lifespan so far! That gets to another point - the Mac laptops hold their value. If I sell the MacBook, Touch and get the discount, I think I'll only be $500 out of pocket. I'll probably spent a little more to max it out at 8GB of RAM, but that'll be worth it. I also do a bit of photography, so that'll be a huge improvement over the 2GB I have now. I'm also planning to get back into computer-as-source since the Red Book collection overflows, and I think the included remote will turn it into a very nice music server.

 

[majid]

I am a Mac user myself (MacBook Air, before that a 15" MacBook Pro). The optical out on the MacBooks (other than Air) works just fine. That said, one laptop I would seriously consider is the HP DV2, which is an ultrathin model with very decent specs (4GB RAM, for instance) at 1/3 the price of my MBA. No digital out, but USB to Toslink adapters are quite inexpensive (Turtle Beach has one for $30, as does Terratec), and the USB side of things should allay worries about connector insertion cycles.

 

[FallenAngel]

Lenovo Warehouse - get an R400

 

[paaj]

If you're not doing anything fancy, the Macbook (non-pro) is a good simple laptop. The new aluminium body is very nice. Don't know if you have experience with OSX, but it is a joy to work with. Audio related stuff is very easy too, no asio/kmixer etc troubles.
For photoshop you may want to consider the Pro version since it has a better screen, but that depends on what kind of stuff you want to do.

 

[DC5Zilla]

I'm not sure about coaxial/optical out but u definately can't go wrong on IBM/Lenovo Thinkpad series. They are serious business machines and have VERY high reliability. I've tried HP/Gateway/Dell/Sony/Acer/Toshiba but IMO IBM are hands down winner.. they don't look that sexy though

 

[FallenAngel]

Oh yeah, this question is obviously better asked here - Notebook Forums and Laptop Discussion - Powered by vBulletin

 

[olblueyez]

Whoever gives you the most hardware for the money. Newegg.com - Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, Digital Cameras and more!

 

[jilgiljongiljing]

Agree with olblueyez. Most of the popular brands are fairly reliable and all of them have a few users who complain and say they suck, at the same time several people who still use them. HP had some insane deals last week with 30% off on some of their better laptops. Not sure if that promotion is still on, but check deals2buy.com regularly to find Dell, HP and Lenovo deals. I see them frequently and if you have very basic requirements, you can get a very good Compaq laptop for as low as 300-400 bucks (My cousin just bought one and is very happy with it)

As for your music requirement, there are several USB audio interfaces ranging from 30$ all the way to 500+$ for outputting digital audio from the computer. I dont really see the point on basing a laptop decision on digital output capabilities alone. If its there, great, if not, if the specs and price are good, I'd still get it and get a USB audio interface.

 

[Andrew_WOT]

For photo work and media there is no better candidate than Sony Vaio AW
AW Series
Make sure to grab premium version (piano black finish), it has that Adobe RGB color profile compatible LCD screen.
Some more info here
Gizmodo - Sony Vaio AW Laptop With Adobe RGB Screen Is a Photographer's Dream - Sony Vaio AW
As well as rubberized plastic palm support.

 

[Kobra]

I've been a PC guy for well over 15 years, just recently bought my first Mac - the new MacBook Pro 13. I'm extremely happy with it and I'm very pleased to get rid of all the kmixer/asio problems of Windows.

Performance wise, you can't compare a PC and a Mac on a apples for apples, oranges for oranges basis. The Mac OS X is so much more optimized and effective than Windows (including the new Win 7). I have the 2.26 mhz version, I've installed Windows 7 on my Mac (using BootCamp) and Windows has much worse performance than OS X on the same HW. Apple is about to release the new (true) 64-bit OS X (Snow Leopard) in September. Snow Leopard will put another major dent in the Windows armor

Also, cost wise the new MacBook Pro range isn't that much more expensive than a comparable PC. What the Mac has as a trump card is it's higher second hand value two-three years down the line. Any PC will basically lose its market value as soon as you cary it out of the shop...

And finally, you can't beat the MacBook when it comes to noise. Its fan (under "normal" use, surfing and listening to music) is dead silent! I've searched high and low for a silent PC laptop - haven't found any yet...

 

[Adda]

I'll recommend ThinkPads aswell, I have had a LOT of laptops on my hands while working as a IT administrator.
Here is what I have learned from that:

HP business laptops are fairly good, you just have to handle them with care.
We had a lot of trouble with HP's as teacher laptops, they just didn't handle them well enough, but in a office environment they do their job.
They generally have good screens and the keyboards are fairly good.

Dell business laptops are quite sturdy and unlike HP's they can handle being used by teachers (I really don't know why teachers break their laptops).
Their keyboards are better than what you find on a HP, but the screens could be better, this is not true for every model though.

Toshiba laptops are cheap and among the best consumer class laptops.
Their screen hinges don't break over time like on most other consumer laptops and they have acceptable keyboards.
They have to be handled with care though as they are built entirely of plastic with no reinforcement.

IBM/Lenovo ThinkPads are very sturdy especially the T, X and W models, we used them in a student loan program, and they could take the beating and we had very few problems with these.
They have a very stiff chassis, stiff hinges that last for ever and the best keyboard you can find on any laptop + a trackpoint like no other.
They also have a small led in the upper part of the screen casing for lighting the keyboard when it's dark.
Display quality varies a lot between models though, but a ThinkPad tend to last as long as you have it and they keep their price well with age so can easily be sold for a good price when it's upgrade time.
Also it's easy to get spare parts for them and taking them apart is relatively simple.
I have and have had a LOT of different ThinkPads and they have all been fabulous, my oldest one is a 1998 ThinkPad 380 and it works like new.

MacBooks lies somewhere between consumer and business laptops, and don't support real dockingstations.
Their sturdiness varies from horrible to fairly good, the MacBook Pro aluminum chassis tend to get bent if it gets a beating witch is not good at all.
Recent MacBooks have has some trouble with bad nVidia chips that fail prematurely.
They use glossy screens that is a pain whenever it's not dark.
Some think they look nice and they do have some cute features like magnetic power connectors and lighted keyboards on some models.
They are also capable of using Mac OS X without having to hack a lot of stuff, and OS X is better than Windows in some ways.
(Sorry I just have a hard time with Apple they market them selves as a luxury brand but don't live up to it very well, ok ok the design is unique but that's not enough to justify the price)

My recommendation is a ThinkPad T400 or T500, they don't have digital output, but are dead silent, and will last a long time.

 

[sonci]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adda /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'll recommend ThinkPads aswell, I have had a LOT of laptops on my hands while working as a IT administrator. Here is what I have learned from that: HP business laptops are fairly good, you just have to handle them with care. We had a lot of trouble with HP's as teacher laptops, they just didn't handle them well enough, but in a office environment they do their job. They generally have good screens and the keyboards are fairly good. Dell business laptops are quite sturdy and unlike HP's they can handle being used by teachers (I really don't know why teachers break their laptops). Their keyboards are better than what you find on a HP, but the screens could be better, this is not true for every model though. Toshiba laptops are cheap and among the best consumer class laptops. Their screen hinges don't break over time like on most other consumer laptops and they have acceptable keyboards. They have to be handled with care though as they are built entirely of plastic with no reinforcement. IBM/Lenovo ThinkPads are very sturdy especially the T, X and W models, we used them in a student loan program, and they could take the beating and we had very few problems with these. They have a very stiff chassis, stiff hinges that last for ever and the best keyboard you can find on any laptop + a trackpoint like no other. They also have a small led in the upper part of the screen casing for lighting the keyboard when it's dark. Display quality varies a lot between models though, but a ThinkPad tend to last as long as you have it and they keep their price well with age so can easily be sold for a good price when it's upgrade time. Also it's easy to get spare parts for them and taking them apart is relatively simple. I have and have had a LOT of different ThinkPads and they have all been fabulous, my oldest one is a 1998 ThinkPad 380 and it works like new. MacBooks lies somewhere between consumer and business laptops, and don't support real dockingstations. Their sturdiness varies from horrible to fairly good, the MacBook Pro aluminum chassis tend to get bent if it gets a beating witch is not good at all. Recent MacBooks have has some trouble with bad nVidia chips that fail prematurely. They use glossy screens that is a pain whenever it's not dark. Some think they look nice and they do have some cute features like magnetic power connectors and lighted keyboards on some models. They are also capable of using Mac OS X without having to hack a lot of stuff, and OS X is better than Windows in some ways. (Sorry I just have a hard time with Apple they market them selves as a luxury brand but don't live up to it very well, ok ok the design is unique but that's not enough to justify the price) My recommendation is a ThinkPad T400 or T500, they don't have digital output, but are dead silent, and will last a long time.

Nice post, and informative, not smth usually founded on Head Fi these days..

 

[Kobra]

I've had several IBM/Lenovo ThinkPads, most recently (and still with me) a T61. If you'd go the PC route I'd recommend a ThinkPad - they're built like tanks and have never failed on me, though they won't win any designer awards

My MacBook Pro feels solid and very well built compared to my T61, time will tell though (it's not even a month old

)

The backlit keyboard is not something to frown upon, it's much more usable than as a "cute gimmick". Especially for me as I like to burn the midnight oil in dim light

The lack of docking station can be a weakness if you're a professional user, but not a biggie for a consumer. You can hook up a LCD screen, a bluetooth keyboard and a mouse with no or little hassle.

(I'm starting to sound like a MAC-fan boy, aren't I?

)

The glossy screen can be a nuisance sometimes, but please be aware that more and more PC laptops are only available with glossy screens as well...