laptop wanted: good for use with audio interface to record multi-track guitar

googler

grahawk wrote: »

It's things like anti vius, the internet connection, ...

I would have thought the easy answer for a 2nd home-use PC like this is 'don't let it anywhere near the internet'

chaucer

budget?

well I'm hoping to get

usb audio interface (emu 0202 or tascam us100 or similar)

laptop

[ optional mic (samson q1u co10 or similar) ]

for about £400 or less if possible

like I said earlier, refurb is ok ....

Donnie

That leaves around £270 for the laptop. This MSI X410 is a possibility at £264. But keep an eye on the website for other possibilities.

chaucer

thanks - it looks like it'll serve my needs ... is it okay-ish for the price ?

... I am not fussed about cutting edge ... just good enough

I had a quick look at dell refurb ... they had some vostro laptops for about £280-£300 inc vat/delivery ... and I assume they would be good enough for my needs too

Donnie

Don't see why not. Dell Outlet.

Look out for what is missing that you may need later. Likely missing; HDMI output, camera, card reader, Bluetooth....

popejimbo

If you're getting an older laptop, have you considered using a Linux operating system? Older hardware runs faster and smoother on Linux distros simply because they are less resource hungry than Windows operating systems. Just as an example, right now I'm using a 12 year old computer with a version called Puppy Linux on it, and it runs almost as fast as my big computer, which has 6GB of RAM and is a quad core. I have both Windows 7 and a well known Linux distro called Ubuntu(10.04-Lucid Lynx) on my big computer, and although it has no problems running Win 7 fast and efficiently, Ubuntu is much faster. Another benefit of Ubuntu is ALL the software is completely free and there's no need for anti-virus software, so if you're on a budget that's a huge plus. There is even a version of Ubuntu written especially for multimedia stuff called Ubuntu Studio so google it and you'll get all the info you'll need.

Anyway, hope this suggestion is helpful. You may as well look into it because it won't cost you anything, and if its no good for you, you lost nothing:) If you have any questions feel free to email me: 96keelingj666@gmail.com. I'm not a computer expert or anything, but I have been using Linux long enough to answer basic stuff. If you need any advanced info, there is a huge Ubuntu online community who are helpful and will answer any question really. Well good luck:)