Hello friends.

I'm in need of some advice.

I've been making music in a early 2011 i7 8GB ram laptop.
It's been working ok albeit a tad slow and somewhat limited in terms of loading KONTAKT libraries and other sample based VST instruments. Well, some I can't get them to load at all. Windows gets sluggish and I have to restart.
Meanwhile, as time progresses a few plugins have started to appear half malfunctioning from what I suspect is a lacking HD3000 graphics card.

My needs are not great, as I mostly limit my projects to 16 tracks. I like to treat my PC as a sort of Portastudio. I'm fond of those days and that way of working. I usually use just a small number of plugins (mostly emulations) and try to get my recordings as great as can be from the start.
I do use Toontrack products and some KONTAKT stuff, all of which can be a bit heavy so there's that.
For most things the processor is still working fine but memory wise not so much.

Other than music making, I use PC to surf the web, watch movies and such as I move around often.

All said and done, I'm ready to get a new machine.

My eye is fixed on the Lenovo Legion 5. I like the specs, design and especially the large amount of ports.
Anyone using one? Any good? What's your take on it?

I'm thorn between two configs.

This one I can get for 700£

• Processor: AMD Ryzen™ 5 5600H Hexa-Core, 3.30 GHz Turbo 4.20 GHz, 19 MB Cache
• OS:
  • not included
• RAM:
  • 8GB (1x8GB) DDR4 3200 MHz
  • 2 x Slots SO-DIMM (1 x free/ 1 x reserved) up to 32GB
• Screen: 15.6" FHD (1920x1080) IPS 250nits Anti-glare, 120Hz, 45% NTSC, Free-Sync, DC dimmer
• Graphics: AMD Radeon Graphics + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 6GB GDDR6 TGP 130W
• Storage: SSD 512GB M.2 2242 PCIe 3.0x4 NVMe
• WebCam: HD 720p with microphone built in
• Network:
  • WiFi 6 (802.11 ax) + Bluetooth® 5.1
  • LAN 10/100/1000M Gigabit Ethernet
• Ports:
  • 1 x power connector
  • 1 x headphone / microphone combo jack (3.5mm)
  • 1 x HDMI 2.1
  • 4 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (one Always On)
  • 1 x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 (support data transfer, Power Delivery and DisplayPort 1.4)
  • 1 x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 (support data transfer and DisplayPort 1.4)
  • 1 x Ethernet (RJ-45)
• Audio: 2 speakers Harman® de 2 W Nahimic Audio
• Battery: 80Wh
• Weight: 2.4 kg

or this one for 950£

• Processor: AMD Ryzen™ 7 5800H Octa-Core, 3.20 GHz Turbo 4.40 GHz, 20 MB Cache
• OS:
  • not included
• RAM:
  • 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 3200 MHz
  • 2 x Slots SO-DIMM (2 reserved) up to 32GB
• Screen: 15.6" FHD (1920x1080) IPS 300nits Anti-glare, 165Hz, 100% sRGB, Dolby Vision, Free-Sync, G-Sync, DC dimmer
• Graphics: AMD Radeon Graphics + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 6GB GDDR6 TGP 130W
• Storage: SSD 512GB M.2 2242 PCIe 3.0x4 NVMe
• WebCam: HD 720p with microphone built in
• Network:
  • WiFi 6 (802.11 ax) + Bluetooth® 5.1
  • LAN 10/100/1000M Gigabit Ethernet
• Ports:
  • 1 x power connector
  • 1 x headphone / microphone combo jack (3.5mm)
  • 1 x HDMI 2.1
  • 4 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (one Always On)
  • 1 x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 (support data transfer, Power Delivery and DisplayPort 1.4)
  • 1 x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 (support data transfer and DisplayPort 1.4)
  • 1 x Ethernet (RJ-45)
• Audio: 2 speakers Harman® de 2 W Nahimic Audio
• Battery: 60Wh
• Weight: 2.4 kg

They are mostly the same except processor and RAM.

My aim here is to get me a machine to last me the next decade. I would like at least to duplicate the speed and processing power of the current one.

What do you think? Should I go for the 950£ or take the first with a slower processor and less RAM but use the difference in money to stock up RAM and storage?
Or should I just wait some more to get something else?

Any other brands/models you think I should consider?

All opinions are welcome. Thank you in advance for the input.

Cheers

 

Definitly go for 16 GB of RAM to load all Libs etc. perfect. Windows uses like 4GB Ram so with 8GB you have only 4 left. Graphic Card should be irrelevant for Production im on an 2017 i5 and never had problems with my internal graphics while Producing. If you not need and external card for games better take one with better CPU and maybe 32GB RAM but only internal card and pricewise should be below your mentioned prices.

 

if I were buying laptop today, I'd highly consider 32GB ram, 12th gen Intel cpu like i7-12700H, 1TB NVME SSD, and most importantly adequate cooling so the cpu won't be compromised in its performance,
when I check local stores, something like Lenovo Legion isn't that expensive (around 1500 gbp roughly),
oh and I'd defnitely wait until xmas are over, unless you get some black friday deal

 

Not another laptop/pc info thread! Do they read the past threads

 

Thank you BlackHaze1986 and tzzsmk.

Why is that? Are prices to go down in January? Sorry haven't been shopping computers for a while so a bit out of the loop...

 

I don't think prices will come down, because of the Inflation and energy criss etc. i think you should take a look at your Local Shops on Black Friday or online Deals.

 

this may vary from country to country, I usually buy computer hardware in september/october and march/april,
xmas, summer holidays and start of school are times when things usually get overpriced;
as @BlackHaze1986 said though, if you can get a good deal now, go for it, else you could keep waiting forever

 

Thanks again gents.
Will do some window shopping mid next week and we'll see.

Found this video on Youtube and it looks like the Ryzen is not too bad at all.

Cheers