Imagine you have the money to either buy a brand new XPS highly spec'd laptop or a brand new DJM-800.... You desperately need both.... Which one do you pick?!

I'd never buy a DULL so it'd be the mixer.

What Pulse said ^

Get an HP. In addition to looking super dope, they're pretty reliable

The 800 can make you $$$$ by playing at gigs; will the lappy make $$$ for you??

They both have the ability to generate quite a bit of Johnny Cash. I'm starting back to college in the next week or so and the laptop I have is working at prehistoric speeds so I think I'll go for that and get the 800 for Xmas. Can I ask why ye don't approve of Dell Computers? I understand there are a lot of people here who work in IT so any info would be much appreciated. And if you can't post a response here then could you please mail your info to me {gmcm87@hotmail.com}. Thanks guys!

I would go for the new laptop first since its for college. Load it w/ Ableton music software and get ready for the DJM-800 mixer for christmas. your lucky, I wish I had both! By the way I have a Dell XPS410 desktop, its works great! I would look at both Dells and HP laptops and see witch one you like best.

HP is crap too. They're about looks, not about working well.

I work in a big box retailer in the computer tech room; we see more HP's in there than any other kind of laptop. Not to mention that their systems come preloaded with so much garbage useless software that whatever power the system might have had (that's not getting eaten by Vista) is chewed up by the preload.

That said, yes Dell is generally crap.

Reasons:

1) Unless you buy a million dollars of gear a year from them (and I've worked for companies that do) their customer service is crap. Oh wait, even IF you buy a million dollars of gear a year from them, their customer service is crap.

2) The systems are completely and utterly un-upgradeable. Sticking anything in them that isn't Dell brand will cause no end of headaches. This takes all the fun out of owning a PC - if I wanted something I couldn't customize and upgrade, I'd buy a Mac.

Those two reasons alone keep me away from Dell. HOWEVER, I must give them props for being one of the only (if not THE only) major PC manufacturer who will preload (some of) their systems with Linux and (last time I checked) still offer an XP option. So they do listen to their customers; sort of.

-r-

Or Lenovo. Lenovo's are pretty good.

I call shenanigans on that. Lenovos were okay at best when they were IBM slabs, but now they've sold the name to some Korean company and the quality is nowhere near as good.

Let me pre-empt the next question (the next question being "alright, WHAT DO you recommend?") by offering the following:

1) Toshiba is still king in my books. I have 2 and have never had anything but minor problems with them (that were mostly my fault anyway, like catching a virus from looking at pr0n). I must whine slightly about their lack of XP support for their new systems, but that's circumventable given time and a little effort. They may not be pretty like an HP (although they've improved recently), but they're solid.

2) As much as I may want to, I can't fault Macbooks. They're expensive, but the hardware failure rate from the factory is so retardedly low it's not even worth mentioning. Downside is (possibly) learning a new OS, and the fact that there's not nearly as many software options out there as for PC's, and except for RAM, they can't be upgraded (but what notebook can?). BIG UPS to them for the magsafe power connector; DAMN I wish they'd license that tech to other computer manufacturers (but when has Apple ever licensed ANYTHING?)

3) Others to consider are Fujitsu and, if you have the dough, a Panasonic Toughbook. They're called that for a reason - the US Army uses them (I believe) for all their field ops. How's THAT for a recommendation?

-r-

I'm right there with Ryan's list, but a reversal on the 1/2.

Since I bought my MacBook Pro, I've never looked back and will likely never consider another non-Apple laptop. It's the dogs bollocks. The bees knees. The insert-your-own-saying-here. Yes, it does cost more but I've been more satisfied as an Apple owner than I was a Toshiba owner.

Panasonic Toughbooks are used by police departments all over the world. They're frickin' expensive but they have features which no others do - full dust and liquid spill protection, magnesium framing, a HANDLE. They are built to be indestructible, but you pay for peace of mind.

Guys, that info has been great! Thanks for all the input!

Really? I heard the Leonov's were still pretty good. This makes me

Ok I'm just going to annoy pretty much every one here now.... I just bought the laptop.... no surprise since I'm starting back in college.

But, and here is the good part, thanks to a generous tax rebate and my 21st birthday {today!} I now have a DJM-800 on order!

You may describe my current mood as "happy"!

Congrats, and Happy B-Day.

BTW, your experiences may differ from others with lappys and gear. I have had some gear go down that shouldn't have and other stuff last that shouldn't have.

If you buy the best of what you can afford, and work with it to improve your skillz and money position; you can buy one of those expensive golden delicious machines like Pulse has....

The only reason why I purchased a lap-top was so I could run cd/vinyl emulation. I saw that every dj who used "Serato" had a Mac-book. they all told me about the reliability and the smooth compatibility based on I tunes layouts.So I went with it. No regrets. However, I was never warned about how pricy they were. It was also interesting to know that the Rane company's serato is so compatible with the mac program... The Rane company is also based not too far from where I live which is also the home for microsoft/pc. Now for the mixer, I think the skilz make the mixer. Unless it was a crap brand entry level type.