davefromlondon
I prefer to VDJ from Pc than laptop but I did have a pc fail due to a damaged memory chip. I use 3 machines, 2 Pc and 1 lap - all for backup reasons.......curious.....while the purists prefer PC to laptop, is it possible that the laptop is built stronger for portability / road use ?
Posté Wed 16 Jan 08 @ 10:20 pm
discotronic
Use an ipc case(industrial standart) or a 19°server rack!!!!!
Posté Thu 17 Jan 08 @ 6:39 am
Paz75
you can get ruggedized laptops but they tend to be very expensive and not as powerful as your standard laptops. personally i carry mine around everywhere and i spent alot for it, but you just gotta be carefull with it. i think the ruggedized ones are really for construction sites where they can be dropped, hit with things, etc. a bit more rugged than your standard club environment. depends if your dj booth is in the middle of the madness or tucked away. i'd say its a worthwhile investment only if your laptop comes into risk from the crowd. if its just you, then you're probably careful enough.
people dont respect other peoples things like you do with your own.
people dont respect other peoples things like you do with your own.
Posté Thu 17 Jan 08 @ 8:37 am
davefromlondon
rephrase my question
is a Pc or Laptop (regular) more rugged for transport / dolly over parking lot etc
is a Pc or Laptop (regular) more rugged for transport / dolly over parking lot etc
Posté Thu 17 Jan 08 @ 5:40 pm
DJ Mad Maxx
Hands down 100% a PC, Preferably a rackmount, is more rugged than any laptop. Plus it's much easier to upgrade or work on and runs much cooler
Posté Thu 17 Jan 08 @ 7:13 pm
discjockeydoc
DJ Mad Maxx wrote :
Hands down 100% a PC, Preferably a rackmount, is more rugged than any laptop. Plus it's much easier to upgrade or work on and runs much cooler
Although I agree with you 100% about ease of upgrade, maintenance, and repair, as well as temperature control, laptops are built for portability. That's why they are drop-tested and so on. The average tower or destop PC, if subjected to these sorts of tests, would be destroyed or rendered unusable. They are just not built to travel beyond the desk, not to mention slipping from "butter fingers" LOL. Rack mounting solves the problem of drops for the most part, but not jostling and jarring inherent to a traveling system.
Industrial PCs, on the other hand, are built to last, and designed for abuse. That might be a viable alternative to the "what you bought is what your stuck with" nature of laptops IMHO. I may even take that route myself when the funds are available, especially in an age when the PC you ordered is all but outdated by the time it arrives at your door ;)
Posté Thu 17 Jan 08 @ 10:27 pm
Paz75
without spending increased amounts of money, a laptop is more rugged. the internals where the components sit are done in such a way the there is no jarring.
a pc case will have components sitting perpendicular from the bus. unless you have a case that has something covering the top edge, there will be unecessary stress every time you put it down.
a pc case will have components sitting perpendicular from the bus. unless you have a case that has something covering the top edge, there will be unecessary stress every time you put it down.
Posté Thu 17 Jan 08 @ 10:32 pm
Charlie Wilson
Desktops are for desks in offices, but If you want to take a desktop out with you thats your problem. I would suggest getting real..
Posté Fri 18 Jan 08 @ 4:15 am
davefromlondon
There are many postings stating that a PC will run VDJ better than a laptop ( heat, power, type of components etc) - there does not seem to be too much disagreement on this point. Common sense, and most replies to this post, imply a laptop is designed for travel and therefore better equipped to handle DJ transport ( not to mention easier on the DJ). This confirms my plan for 2 x PC and 1 x laptop - for guaranteed performance without hauling CD's around
Posté Mon 21 Jan 08 @ 3:08 pm
discobrian24
Charlie Wilson wrote :
Desktops are for desks in offices, but If you want to take a desktop out with you thats your problem. I would suggest getting real..
So what exactly are you tryin to say. The only difference in a Desktop and a Rackmount is the case. I personally have a micro tower with a handle that hands down would be the easiest to upgrade. Can you do that with a Lappy. I guess to each his own.
Posté Mon 21 Jan 08 @ 6:09 pm
Paz75
laptops have some fundamental design difference. if you read the thread, you'd see this. the internals are arranged differently and are on plastic mounts instead of metal. a rackmount case doesnt necessarily mean it's portable, its for an equipment rack. those of you who use these are using them at your own risk. if you are careful with your gear (more or less equally with laptops) you will never have a problem.
and yes, desktops/racks have a much higher upgrade path. a laptop can often upgrade drive space, memory and video, but thats about it. no mobo change there. but to say the only difference is in the case is not correct.
laptops are also structured to deal with humidity differently as there is only one air port in and one out with the heatsink on the air port out. generally in a place of high temperature change, condensation occurs on the heatsink where transient change is the most. however in a desktop, there are heatsink elements and multiple ways air can get in an out. in theory (have never tested it) you are more likely to fry a circuit with condensation problems in a desktop... in theory.
if you've spent money on a decent rackmount case, you could have spent that on a higher grade laptop. but as the previous message said, to each his own (chacun son gout). you can build a much higher power desktop/rack pc. but seriously, do you really want to lug a quadcore around to dingey smokey humid clubs? you'd be pretty silly to risk that type of investment unless you absolutely needed to and had the insurance for it. because a quadcore is what you would need to be one-up today's fastest laptops....
and yes, desktops/racks have a much higher upgrade path. a laptop can often upgrade drive space, memory and video, but thats about it. no mobo change there. but to say the only difference is in the case is not correct.
laptops are also structured to deal with humidity differently as there is only one air port in and one out with the heatsink on the air port out. generally in a place of high temperature change, condensation occurs on the heatsink where transient change is the most. however in a desktop, there are heatsink elements and multiple ways air can get in an out. in theory (have never tested it) you are more likely to fry a circuit with condensation problems in a desktop... in theory.
if you've spent money on a decent rackmount case, you could have spent that on a higher grade laptop. but as the previous message said, to each his own (chacun son gout). you can build a much higher power desktop/rack pc. but seriously, do you really want to lug a quadcore around to dingey smokey humid clubs? you'd be pretty silly to risk that type of investment unless you absolutely needed to and had the insurance for it. because a quadcore is what you would need to be one-up today's fastest laptops....
Posté Mon 21 Jan 08 @ 11:25 pm
paulettecerra
If your dragging a laptop around on a dolly, grocery cart or just kicking it down the street, it will fare much better than a PC even if it in a road case. Don't forget, Laptops are carried in a cushiony carry case. When it comes to the extra internal or External hard drive you need to hold all you music, video’s and karaoke files, you bump them, you loose them. Last week I lost a internal drive and my backup for my laptop in one night do to no giving them the respect it take to keep them healthy.
Posté Tue 22 Jan 08 @ 12:40 am
A Man and His Music
Look in my blog and see what I carry in and out of the club, 5 days a week and mobile on the weekend. It will be four years old in June. Well the case is different, and I added a bigger power supply. Upgraded the video card once. Three internal hard drives, and two external. Wait till you see the new one I'm building. I roll it around in one of these. I have another case without wheels on top of that, and a laptop hanging from the handle. In and out of the van twice a day. I treat all my equipment as if they make money for me. The same way a Pimp treats his Ho's. Sometimes you have to get rough, but for the most part, with care. They don't make money if they are all beat up.
Posté Thu 24 Jan 08 @ 4:19 pm
discobrian24
Paz learned a little there:) Not tryin to start a pissin match.
Posté Thu 24 Jan 08 @ 4:22 pm
A Man and His Music
I can pee longer then you.
Posté Thu 24 Jan 08 @ 4:29 pm
Tear Em 'Up
A Man and His Music wrote :
I can pee longer then you.
Maybe, but mine will go farther.
Posté Thu 24 Jan 08 @ 4:35 pm
A Man and His Music
TearEmUp wrote :
Maybe, but mine will go farther.
A Man and His Music wrote :
I can pee longer then you.
Maybe, but mine will go farther.
Only if you are pissing down hill.
Posté Thu 24 Jan 08 @ 4:53 pm
Tear Em 'Up
A Man and His Music wrote :
Only if you are pissing down hill.
TearEmUp wrote :
Maybe, but mine will go farther.
A Man and His Music wrote :
I can pee longer then you.
Maybe, but mine will go farther.
Only if you are pissing down hill.
Nope, uphill...into a strong wind...
Posté Thu 24 Jan 08 @ 4:56 pm
davefromlondon
I saw a pro sund guy with a rack of amps with springs used to essentially suspend the amps within the rack. I had a pc fail at a gig due to memory chip fail. it may or may not be due to road use....but it spooked me in to taking 3 machines now and thinking of springs
Posté Thu 24 Jan 08 @ 10:19 pm
Paz75
i had a rack, and lost a mobo to humidity. i replaced the mobo and it was fine and then it stayed in my recording studio and didnt leave. ive never said any one way is better, but simply discuss differences in how its made. its a personal thing. i used to despise laptops, why buy one when i can custom build a killer machine. now as i get older, im getting lazier i guess. i'll be buying a normal case again in a year when ive got my investment out of my alienware.
im sure it will work fine, but if youre in a gig and have condensed sweat dripping on you from the ceiling while you perform, i imagine you should be a bit worried.
im sure it will work fine, but if youre in a gig and have condensed sweat dripping on you from the ceiling while you perform, i imagine you should be a bit worried.
Posté Thu 24 Jan 08 @ 10:24 pm
