But, I want the capability for (what some may consider) stupid about of ram. At least 64 GB, but I would like the option in the future of up to 128 (or at least 96GB).
So, does anyone have any experience with the Dell Precision 7670 with Camm ram?
[I would still have to check one out in person to see if it is just too heavy and bulky for me to bring to gigs.]
Jeff
I use a 17” laptop. About the same weight, but the power supply is also rather heavy. It’s doable but I wouldn’t like to walk a mile with it.
I don’t. But the specs look quite good, but you’re going to pay for the nvidia gpu (in the model I saw) which is not really useful for GP, but maybe you’re going to use it for multiple purposes
Yes, I prefer not to pay for (or even have) that nvidia chip. It is more likely to cause a problem than help me (I would only use for GP).
But, I am basically obsessed with ram and there are not very many options with 128 GB ram (or even 96GB) capacity. And the options that are around seem to be big and heavy.
Jeff
I might be flogging a dead horse here, but my Surface Pro 8 does a great job with 16gig ram and its i7 processor. With the 4.7 GP release introducing the predictive loading option of 1, I find that I can use large 400+ gigfiles with ease. Sure, some rackspaces take a little longer to load (6 to 10 seconds, and the gigfile itself about three or so minutes), but the SP8 specs are more than sufficient. Advantages for me are a very small footprint and total ease of transport with the SP8 being as light as it is.
For some, the 13” screen might be too small. I use two 24” monitors at home when programing, but out on the job, I never interact with it anyway. I control the computer using an iPad Pro running OnSong for lyrics and midi. And a BT foot pedal. I always play live, but I guess if someone recording needs dozens of plugins all loaded at once, then a greater amount of ram would be a big advantage. At most, I would never use more than 50% to 60% of my available ram. The predictive reduction from 3 down to 1 has been a Godsend for my live performance. By the time I’ve chatted to the crowd a bit, my Surface is screaming out, “The rackspace has loaded, so what are you waiting for.” Cheers, and thanks for reading.
The 13" screen is fine. I wish I could get what I am looking for with a smaller/lighter footprint.
I really want to have every song/rackspaces loaded and ready (even if initial loading takes some time). So, my big ask is capacity for up to 128 gb of ram (I would only need 64 GB right now, but I want the option to go up to 128GB) or 96 GB would be sufficient too. (I would like to “future proof” this for a while.)
(Unlike David, I love sample libraries by small developers. The options for physical modelling are much smaller. But one difference is, at David’s level, they probably mostly bring in players covering horns, violins, accordions, harmonicas, clarinets, etc. In my little gigs I end up playing those parts. But, I will admit I like that aspect of this)
6-10 seconds to switch between songs is a deal breaker for gigs. But, I know I could just load the set list as a Gig file. But, I want to have quick access to everything all the time.
The problem seems to be that these new powerful laptops with a lot of ram (very few have the option of 128 GB) have chips that throw off so much heat. I think my Lenovo Thinkpad p.16 (Gen 2) does a better job than some others in cooling, but it uses brute force and is heavy. As David-San (and others have pointed out) all these extra cores really hurt us (because of the heat), rather than help us.
Ram is now coming up with 48GB per stick of S0-DIMM 5 (so two sticks would be 98GB) plus the possibliity of CAMM ram (new standard) with a small footprint up to 128 GB (or more?). But, I don’t know if there are improvements in terms the heat issue around the corner for smaller laptops.
I currently keep the Lenovo in my rehearsal space because I do not feel like carrying it to gigs. But, maybe I will explore how it works out if I put it in a backpack and bring to gigs. If it is okay, I might consider getting another one…
I also use that same surface machine! Initially I did so as my move to VSTs was completely new coming from all hardware synth. The surface was sort of “spare” in a way I could just dedicate it for VST hosting so I decided to start with it… But the speed and practicality of this has been very good and I have delayed looking at a higher spec machine tbh. The B3x plug-in probably represents the biggest load on CPU but GP itself does not seem to be a problem (I also use multi-track files via the Audio File Player in perhaps 10 tracks max…again, this all seems to run well.
Yep, my Dell XPS 13 is similar. I have been using it, but it is straining and I think there is sometimes a bit of crackling.
About 6 months ago I bought a Lenevo workstation (Thinkpad P16 Gen. 2, 64 GB of ram, with option for up to 128GB, 9th Gen Intel Chip, etc.), but I put off using it for gigs because of its size and weight. But, I put it in a separate backpack for my gig last night and it worked out fine.
For the last month or so I have been researching laptops with large ram capacity (and powerful cpus). The more I research, the more I think I made the right choice with this Lenevo. From what I’m reading, it handles heat better than the Dell Precision 7670.
There are new SO-Dimm 5 ram sticks now coming out with 48gb per stick (so 96 for two) plus the new Camm ram promises more ram in smaller space. So, I was thinking maybe newer not-so-bulky laptops might come of with high ram capacity.
But, I think the bulk issue may be more related to the heat of these new cpus, not the 4 sticks of ram. Who knows what will come out and when. I think that is why the Lenovo is on the bulky/heavy side. But, I think that is the trade off for less thermal throttling. So, from what I am reading, Lenevo made the right choice.
I think now I should be able to get another duplicate Lenovo now at a slightly lower price. I’ll probably bite the bullet and go for it and retire the XPS.