Is a laptop suitable for home DJ use?
Is a laptop suitable for home DJ use?
Hello, I’m hoping to take advantage of a Black Friday deal at Costco. I need a new laptop for my home DJ setup. I don’t stream or edit videos much, just want something for everyday tasks like music editing and running Serato DJ Pro. Here are the requirements from Serato DJ Pro:
https://serato.com/dj/pro/downloads?syst...quirements
I found this laptop at Costco:
https://www.costco.com/.product.1755080.html
The specifications seem solid for the price. Do you have any opinions on this unit and its specs? Would you recommend it? I’m open to paying a bit more if necessary.
Yeah those "recommended specs" sound like a joke. It mentions an Intel i5 but doesn't give a clear model. This suggests that any i5 would work, even an older one like the i5-2500. Media platforms haven't changed much over the years, and I used to DJ online with a Core2Duo E6320 (desktop model from back in 2007). That's a great deal at Costco, and I wouldn't hesitate as long as you're comfortable with a 14" laptop. If you prefer a 15.6" model, you could find one from Newegg for $400 as well:
Lenovo Laptop IdeaPad 1 15ALC7: $400
From a technical standpoint, the one at Costco offers better performance with a CPU that's 14% faster (R7-5700U vs R5-5500U) and a touchscreen (assuming you're interested in that). However, I personally dislike 14" laptops because their keyboards are usually very compact. With these devices, comfort matters just as much as the specs, especially if both will handle your tasks well.