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4GodnWV

I recently acquired a Nanopad2. Plugged it into my Kronos via cable provided. Worked great. Haven't tweaked anything, but the pre-sets all seem to be working just fine.

It came with instructions for connecting it to a computer and a code to download software. Since I don't currently have a computer to use with my Kronos, (I have an I-pad) I thought it prudent to ask about system requirements before purchasing one.

I am planning on adding a Roli Seaboard Rise to my set-up soon. It requires Intel i5 2.5GHz and 8mb ram or greater. I can get a laptop with 500Gb or even 1T and a 14" screen fairly cheap.

Although I am sure that would be sufficient for the Nanopad2, I would also like enough computer to be able to download EXs libraries and maybe even use a DAW program at some point in the future (currently using my Kronos for live performance. Not doing any recording)

Thoughts, tips, ideas, from anyone would be appreciated.
Tia, 4God

GregC · Posted: Mon May 15, 2017 4:58 pm Post subject:

thats a big and very important question.

You might clarify what your computer platform of choice is ( what OS) to get more specific replies . I read you are thinking laptop

And budget, too. In general, you want to over reach on spec , as your requirements will increase plus much of todays software is resource hungry.
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4GodnWV · Posted: Mon May 15, 2017 5:10 pm Post subject:

PC w/Windows 10 is what I am looking at either an HP of a Dell (Roli requires 7 SP1 or later) doesn't have to be a laptop, but that seems easier to mount for live use. (Maybe not) 300-500 will buy what I am thinking of.

Ksynth · Posted: Mon May 15, 2017 5:28 pm Post subject:

Get a 7th generation Intel cpu based PC.

The prices are really quite attractive compared to lesser cpus such as the i5

Better to have the extra power in case you get into DAWs etc
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GregC · Posted: Mon May 15, 2017 5:46 pm Post subject:

BobTheDog · Platinum Member Joined: 21 May 2007 Posts: 1535

i5s and i7s both come in 2 and 4 core versions. Most desktop ones nowadays are 4 cores most laptop ones are 2 cores.

The main difference is that i5s don't support hyper threading although some of the mobile 2 core ones do.

So the basic difference between an i7 and the i5 is hyper threading support.

Hyper threading nowadays works pretty well so should give you a performance boost but the cheaper 4 core i5s are pretty nifty.

Also the more recent intel processors offer pretty good performance, I just got a Surface pro 4 i7 (2 cores with hyper threading) and it benchmarks at around a 1/4 of my 2013 12 core mac pro and twice as fast as my 2011 MacBook pro i7. Pretty impressive for a mobile 2 core.

SanderXpander · Platinum Member Joined: 29 Jul 2011 Posts: 7860

I don't think there are many i5 quad cores. On single threaded operations (like unzipping a file or converting an MP3) there isn't a great difference between i5 and i7 running at the same GHz number. An i5 can even be marginally faster. Most DAWs take advantage of multi-core processing though (plugins can run on different cores etc) which makes i7 quad cores the preferred choice.

I don't know that 7th generation (KabyLake) is any better than 6th, I think the main difference is an upgrade to the embedded video chip which is irrelevant for DAWs. You may be able to get 6th generation chips (SkyLake) for cheaper because they're slightly older. Generally speaking there haven't been giant increases in power since 4th gen (Broadwell), not like there used to be at least.

4GodnWV · Posted: Tue May 16, 2017 12:58 am Post subject:

K - spoke with the IT guy from my wife's workplace. He gave me a basic idiot's guide.

If I understood correctly:
1. The i3 is dual core and the i5/i7 are quad core (which is probably why Roli demands at least an i5 for the Seaboard)
2. i5 are gonna spin in the 5-6k range / i7's are gonna be at least 7200 rpms
3. SSD is a better way to go anyway. Moving parts wear out.
4. There isn't enough memory in the world! If 4 Gb is minimum and 8Gb is recommended, I need at least 16. 32 if I can afford it.
5. Probably 500Gb is as small as I will find. 1T better.
6. I'll get more bang for my buck with a desktop, monitor, and keyboard than a laptop. Plus, desktops are cheaper and easier to work on if a problem occurs. Laptops can break your heart if something goes wrong.

What do you guys think?

BobTheDog · Platinum Member Joined: 21 May 2007 Posts: 1535

SanderXpander · Platinum Member Joined: 29 Jul 2011 Posts: 7860

I agree only with the last point and even that's debatable.

1. As was already pointed out, some i7s are dual core only and even some i5s are quad core (but most are dual core).

2. I don't know what you mean with rpms, it sounds like RPM (rotations per minute) which in computer context usually refers to the spin speed of a HDD, it has nothing to do with CPUs.

3. Yes and no, an SSD is more reliable up to a point (especially for a laptop - it's more shock resistant). It's also a lot faster, but more expensive. If you don't need the extra speed (e.g. for large sample library streaming as on Kronos) you can save a bunch by using traditional HDDs. It's still nice to have an SSD for the boot drive but you don't need a huge one - 256GB is plenty. You could use a 1TB regular drive for storage at a fraction of the cost.
All that said, if money is no objection, I prefer SSDs.

4. This really depends on what you'll be doing. 8GB runs any modern OS comfortably with lots of room to spare for apps. If you're planning to load lots of synths and especially sample libraries, 16GB or 32GB (or 64GB) could be beneficial. If you're planning to mainly use hardware synths and occasional DAW stuff, most of the time the RAM will just be sitting there doing nothing, adding no benefit whatsoever to your process. At current prices, 16GB seems reasonable to start with but I wouldn't pass up a good deal on a system with 8GB unless you already know you'll be using a lot of sample libraries. I did plenty of Kontakt/Komplete productions on my previous system with 8GB and never ran out of RAM.

5. I don't know what you mean by "as small as you will find", disks come in any size basically. Especially with expandable desktops. See my point 3.

6. While generally true there are also laptops that can be easily serviced (e.g. Clevo). However they are probably not for the novice.

BobTheDog · Platinum Member Joined: 21 May 2007 Posts: 1535

SanderXpander · Platinum Member Joined: 29 Jul 2011 Posts: 7860

4GodnWV · Posted: Tue May 16, 2017 12:01 pm Post subject:

@Sander - you wrote:
"I don't know what you mean with rpms...

LOL - prolly cause I don't know what I mean either. I was asking questions based on what I could remember, and in turn tried to convey his responses here the same way.

I think I have mixed up CPU speed and hard drive speed. I know he did say that 'something' was turning and that the bearings eventually wear out. At that point he also said that an SSD was faster and would last 100 years. (I assume he was exaggerating)

Sigh...another learning curve.

4GodnWV · Posted: Tue May 16, 2017 12:38 pm Post subject:

@Bob - you wrote:
"I think a 4 core i7 with a 512GB sad would do you fine..."

Basically I want to run the software that comes with the Roli:
Equator - Roli's software synthesizer and sound engine
Strobe2 - a software polysynth
Bitwig - DAW
Again, my primary interest is running Equator in live performance.

I also want to able to download EXs libraries for use on the Kronos. I have no idea how much space they take.

btw - you wrote "sad" - is that a typo for SSD or something else?

SanderXpander · Platinum Member Joined: 29 Jul 2011 Posts: 7860