I've been saving up for a new computer, but I'm torn between getting a powerful laptop (for portability) or a desktop PC. Currently, I produce everything on a Lenovo laptop with an i3 processor and 12GB of RAM. It's exhausting because more than half of my projects max out the CPU usage. I often can't listen to all elements playing together, which is frustrating during mixing and even worse during mastering.

Looking at specs online, I see recommendations for a Ryzen 7 and 32GB of RAM (plus plenty of SSD storage, which I already have). However, prices are steep and getting worse.

So, I wanted to ask you experienced producers: What are your setups? Are they built specifically for music, or are they gaming rigs that double as workstations?

Also, can anyone speak to the efficiency of using Linux for production? I'm a bit hesitant since many of my VSTs and plugins don't have Linux ports.

My main one is a desktop with Ryzen 5 3600 and 50-ish gb ram. Secondary is an "ASUS Laptop Vivobook 15 15.6 Inch Ryzen 7 7730U Laptop with 16GB SSD1TB" or model "M1502YA-BQ183W". I use the laptop in school because their Macs suck and all their plugins are old. Both are holding up really well too actually. Was a bit worried that the laptop would crap out if I used any big projects from my main PC but I haven't had any issues yet. And it's cheap still if you're lucky and can find it. I got mine from Amazon JP for around 100k yen (still cost the same), so it's around 600 usd I think. But your experience may vary since you're in Brazil, but reasonably priced stuff should still be out there. It's not too late!

For Linux, I'd say don't. I run 2 Windows copies and one Manjaro on my desktop. One Windows is my old one for games and whatever that Manjaro can't run. Second Windows is just music so it doesn't have anything running in the background. Manjaro is to replace my old Windows for games and whatever. I'd never put anything creative on the Manjaro one. Being forced to tinker when you're in a creative mood just kills it, I like it for normal use though.

hanks a lot for the detailed answer! With the rising prices of RAM and other components, I really need to think if I should save up a bit more to build a Desktop.

Especially balancing college and work, it's becoming urgent to relegate this laptop to simple tasks and do the heavy lifting on a dedicated machine. Almost all my tracks are currently stuttering and glitching. I'm trying to get my brother to chip in so we can buy the PC together.

And regarding the Dual Boot setup you mentioned, yeah, I imagined it would be frustrating/a headache. Thanks again, bro.

I'm using a lenovo legion from 2022, Ryzen 7 5800u 32gb ram 4TB m.2. Honestly, I wish I didn't go the laptop route since the thing is too bulky to go anywhere and is either super loud or throttling in more complex projects. It's difficult to work with open back headphones on it.

I would consider 32gb the minimum to consider, although it's a really bad time to buy it. Windows and a browser can easily max out your ram on 16gb, and I've had ableton projects that request over 20gb. The way windows handles not having enough ram, is it redirects it to your disk, so your system gets super slow and it eats into your ssd lifespan.

The 4tb ssd is just for convenience and longevity, generally speaking the larger the ssd the longer it will last. You probably don't need one this big, but it's nice if you want to install plugins like omnisphere, nexus, or my favorite sample pack 90ssamplecds(500gb).

As for linux, I agree with what DantesGrill had to say. You'd have to pretty much get every vst working in WINE which would most likely be super buggy. Realistically you would just end up with a windows VM, which wouldn't be an efficient use of your resources unless you had a super computer.

So, I'd say go desktop, w/ older gen hardware, prioritizing CPU and ram. That would probably give you the most bang for buck. DDR4 is probably the best bet rn, I doubt ram prices will go down any time soon. Make sure to get a quiet cooler for the cpu if you care about noise, anything by Noctua should be good.

Also, a hard drive for doing backups is highly reccomended, I use a free software called veeam to do a system backup to an external HDD every night. Just gives peace of mind. There are some nightmare stories on here regarding data loss.

GL

Ayo @LD-W your expertise is appreciated 🙏🏽

Mine is a desktop with i5-9400F and 32GB of RAM. Basically a gaming one that doubles as a workstation. Had this one for 6 years at this point and it was doing just fine with the only upgrades being RAM and SSD storage.

To be honest for the type of music I make even a 2020 setup would be overkill, but the storage filled up quickly. Idk how much 1TB would be enough for you, but it's still being mostly empty for me so... Maybe it's enough.

Can't say anything about Linux though, haven't used it enough

I am using an MacBook Pro M1 with 16GB of RAM from 2020. This thing pretty much tanks anything I throw at it. If you can find a used one I would jump on it.

If I was building a Windows or Linux box I would aim for 8 core processor like the i7 or Ryzen 7. 16gb of RAM at a high speed and low latency, properly seated on the mb in the correct channels should be enough to get you by until prices come down. 32gb is preferred of course. And any M.2 SSD you want really.

I have some exp with Linux production and there are some DAWs that work really well on Linux. That said I find it much easier to install 3rd party VSTs and the like on Mac or Windows. Plus my favorite DAW doesn't work natively on linux (Fruity Gang!)

No problems. I feel like it's really hard to give anything useful because the market's been so wonky lately. There are some really good advice down there though. If you're familiar and knowledgeable about building desktops and the parts then Striciton's advice on DDR4 is really good. Getting something AMD on the AM4 platform should be cheap still and give enough power. You could even scavenge for parts so you don't have to get everything at once. Darkw1nt3r's advice on a Macbook Pro M1 is great advice too depending on how the prices level themselves against each other. Don't go for any Intel based Macs though!

I like having a laptop for portability's sake. If I had the means I'd probably have my laptop for on-the-go and a desktop for normal usage. My computer has an i7 (recently downgraded from an i9) with 16GB ram and I have never once ever maxed out my CPU doing normal production work. My laptop can run games decently well, as long as I'm not slamming the graphics too hard. If a computer can run games well, it can almost certainly handle whatever bullshit you're using DAWs for.

You can make your setup work--freeze/render tracks out as necessary to save CPU. This has the added bonus of making every playback the same, sample-for-sample. Especially in mastering, this is the preferred way to go about things. Ideally, you're working with just one track--your main mix.

I can't speak to the efficacy of Linux for production setups. Most professional studios will actually use Apple computers, and most bedroom/indie producers use Windows if they like FL or Ableton, and Mac if they like logic. I don't believe I have a single colleague who uses Linux. I've considered it but ultimately I'm in the same boat as you; Linux wouldn't support all my tools.

Wail until the AI bubble pops to grab some computer parts. Once that shit starts to tank there will be SO many parts and not very many AI data centers to gobble them up. I imagine this will happen soon.

Thank you to everyone who responded, I read everything, it was very enlightening.

iPhone

It might sound funny, but the laptop I'm using isn't designed for making music. It's a government computer with 118 GB of storage and 4 GB of RAM, with an Intel Celeron processor. I've been using this computer for a year and a half to make music and even edit images, and it hasn't caused me too many problems so far. It's very practical because I can take it everywhere with me.

as a linux user, do not try to use linux for audio. however bad you're imagining it could be, i promise it's worse

personally i use a macbook pro with an m1 max and 32gb ram for music

In terms of my PC specs, here's copied from my steam (slightly outdated) BenQ ZOWIE 24.5 inch -

|i9-10980XE

RTX 4090 24GB

256GB DDR4

Seagate IronWolf (3x)

Corsair Harpoon / Corsair Schimatar Pro

Corsair HS80 Elite Premium -

Yeah, I do all my mixing and mastering with HS80 pros...lmao. I have studio speakers, I'll go into my whole studio setup on day here on New Grounds, I've done it in interviews before but never flat out i in a single post, but I love going from gaming to audio back and fourth rapidly so just having a headset with really really good dynamic ranges and comes from a sponsor super helps.

I use the Schimatar Pro's 12 button mapping for shortcuts and stuff too, kinda no different than Wow to where I have ALT and CTRL and SHIFT all macro'd to stuff in Bitwig.

I use a mouse bungee too if anyone cares. I forget the brand, but they gave them out to us at Fragadelphia one year (CS players).

As for hardware (synths) I use a lot of weirder stuff, things like the Minilogue, Argon8x, The Moog Muse-8, and a TEO-5 mostly. I have a massive collection of Synths, Guitars, and Amps / pedals, we're talking like 15 guitars and maybe four or five amps per record I release.

As for standard MIDI controller, I actually fuck with the Nektar Se61 for larger project composing and the Se49 for scaled back ambient stuff. Both insanely straight forward plug and play keyboards.