My daughter composes and plays piano.
She intends to study music composition in college and to create music for commercials etc (assuming she doesn't go straight into it, she has some contacts in that field already)
She needs a computer.
what do you recommend as "good enough"
we have some basic stereo recording equipment now but my ancient computer just can't keep  up.

I actually would not recommend a macbook.

They're too expensive and unless there is specific mac-only software that you are required to have,  a modern laptop PC is a better machine for lower cost today.

Microsoft Surface...whatever the latest version is.  

I was a PC guy.   Then I tried Macs for a while.  

I'm a PC guy with Macs that I don't even bother to turn on.  The idea that Macs are "better" is just fanboy hype and nonsense.  The truth is that Macs are just
simplified, call it dumbed down if you want to.   I do.   It's easier to appear to be competent with them because they're simpler by virtue of being locked down and limited
in their features and configurability.

It's easy to master a gadget that only has one button.    That's a Mac.  

I use my Mac only for updating my iphone.  Otherwise I leave it off.  It serves no other useful purpose.    And that's only because the itunes implementation for the PC is USELESS.

You don't use a computer for any sort of music production whatsoever, do you?

did i mention it is for my daughter?

anyway.

mac is kinda industry standard and most music schools require one specifically.  all their stuff is built around mac.

ordinarily I am right there with you.  all my shit is PC.

Consumer Reports recently pulled their recommendation for Microsoft Surface.  If that means anything to anyone... Since it was mentioned I thought I would provide a link.  

Microsoft Surface Not Recommended

I think a lot would depend on the types of software she might need to run.  Based on what you've said I am thinking a MacBook Air would be ok.   You can customize them for certain up grades on the apple site if something specific needs to be buffed.  

I have a macbook pro and have had no problems at all.   I am a mac guy though.  Full disclosure, I will never use anything PC voluntarily again  

And if you prefer the mac, that's fine.  Different folks, different strokes, etc...

To me, here's the difference:

Mac:




PC:

Don't wanna be that guy (already too late for that though ), but if your daughter already has contacts, why not have her ask them what they're using?

If she can start working with the right MacBook Pro immediately, why settle for something that is "good enough" for college?

I only say this because unless there is someone on this board who does specifically what she is wanting to do, you might end up getting the wrong recommendation.

she asked as well.  Its a lot of bones.  So trying to get maximum input.

Macs are the norm in the music industry because of latency.  It is darn annoying to pluck a note then hear it after a quarter of a second delay.  Apple became more serious about reducing delays between the input interface to producing the note, either through phones or speaker far earlier than Microsoft.

Most that I know use a MacBook Pro with 8GB memory and a graphics processor to offload the main CPU.  I don't since mine does not have a graphics processor, but I'm not recording and mixing multi-track arrangements (MacBook Pro, Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015).

The other popular Mac used is the iMac.  Never seen a Mac pro used so far.

I would recommend a MacBook Pro with 16GB, and 500GB SSD as the minimum.  Reason is you can run Windows in a VM much easier than with 8GB, At 250GB SSD, it will be struggle to keep the VM files on the SSD and still have good free capacity.   

If she is serious about composing, she'll need a backup drive.  I use a Samsung external SSD with drive level encryption for backups.... small and portable, plus encrypted in case it gets lost or stolen.

If you want recommendations from gigging musicians that have graduated from music college, check out Adam Neely's youtube channel and send him a message.  He recently purchased a new MacBook to replace his old one.  He might have something in one of his Q&A episodes.

I think you should look into what programs/software she will be using for sure.   Will she need a full Pro Tools rig?   Will she be recording/processing tons of tracks for her compositions?  

It would probably be helpful to have an idea of the requirements for the tools she will be using.   You can get a macbook air with a boosted 3.2 GHz dual core i7 with a 512 GB SSD, but is 8 GB DDR3 1600 RAM enough for her needs?  Those are the questions that can really only be answered with what she will actually run.  

Also look at Mac's refurbished stuff.  They are very good as well and can get you a better deal.  

Good luck.

imo MACs  are all "stranded" in build. buy the most loaded one you can because they are pretty much non upgrade able now a days and since it is for your daughter get the best protection plan you can for  4+ years while she is in school so if something happens it goes back to apple.

depending what the music stuff entails maybe get a mac mini off ebay for cheap and a nice windows laptop for $1k?  i have a mac mini that i got but never use if you want we can make a deal. its one of the older i5 i think and i put a ssd in it. still has 2gb of ram so that would need to be upgraded but other then that it was good for what little i used it for.

I'm just asking, is there any software required for the course that doesn't exist in a PC version?   As for audio latency, something tells me that this is not a concern
with modern PC laptops.  

I priced out new Macbooks recently and it was positively exciting.  Not in a good way.  Like in an "I'm going to be broke for months" way.  They're very proud of their stuff.


Yeah, if the coursework requires software that is only available on a Mac and that compatibility is a true requirement,  you're stuck.  But if a PC will check all the requirements
boxes, it'll do it for a lot less money, I'll bet.

Serious reply for you -

15" Macbook Pro
512 GB SSD
16GB ram

That will last her many years.  My 2013 is not yet ready for an upgrade and I regularly use this for music.

New that is 2K.

This is on Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/Apple-MacBook-15-4-Inch-Laptop-Yosemite/dp/B00PZLRWVE/ref=sr_1_20?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1506208951&sr=1-20&keywords=macbook+pro+15

Www.sweetwater.com, no tax, free shipping.

That one should work ok.  Since it has the dvd drive I believe that makes it pre-2013.   That is when they did away with the drives built into the macbook pros.  I do not know much about that processor.   I guess it depends on what kind of parts it was upgraded with.   The RAM is a little slow and it has an L2 cache.    I have no idea how that translates to real-time performance.  

I think it would work, but it may be a little sluggish compared to newer laptops?  Hopefully, somebody will have more knowledge.   My technical knowledge is limited.  I am only speaking from experience using both platforms extensively.

not that looks to be good but you loos out on the better screen but i think it may be fine. my issue is if it has/can get the apple warranty on that.

if buying new i would think something like this would be best all rounder. could probably drop to a 256 ssd if she doesn't save much stuff or has an external drive. issue with most apple laptops is they don't have much if at all upgrade paths so you have to buy what you need at the start.

B&H  Apple 13.3" MacBook Pro (Mid 2017, Space Gray)

I record, mix, and master on a mid-2009 macbook pro. I use Reaper (I prefer it to pro tools) SW. The macbook was a hand-me-down from my daughter; the wifi was not working, and it had been dropped so badly the unibody frame was bent and the hinges needed repairing. She used it all thru college and it was beat to heck. I got her a new one, then took the old one, fixed the hinges, maxed out the ram, added a fast 500MB SSD, and replaced the little wifi card. It has been a solid performer for me ever since.

Before that I was using a Lenovo thinkpad, and had to jack up the buffers to get it to work with more than a few tracks. Also latency was much higher. When I switched to Mac I had to replace a few plug-ins, but otherwise was off to the races with it.

PC for engineering, Mac for art. I do both.

There is nothing a Mac can do that a PC can not do when it comes to music recording and production. All the Pro Tool software runs just fine on a PC with the correct specs. 

It's latency that is the issue.  To get a Windows notebook without latency problems, there will be no price advantage.

Try here.


Laptops

a 2014 macbook pro with lots of ports

http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/macbook_pro/specs/macbook-pro-core-i7-2.5-15-iris-only-mid-2014-retina-display-specs.html#macspecs1

Connectivity includes 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, two USB 3.0 ports, two "Thunderbolt 2" ports, an HDMI port, an audio in/out port, and an SDXC card slot.



the latest mbpro with 4 usbc/thunderbolt ports is a dongle host,
you can't plug in a usbA stick without a dongle

Yes, I agree with you. I should've made a more pointed statement at the outset, like "you're not the sole college kid showing up to audio lab with a Microsoft Surface, are you?"

Shoot, maybe there are college kids using PCs for music school now. I don't know. What I do know is that touring bands use MacBooks to play their backing tracks in concert. That's just what they do, and after a point I have to assume that there's a reason for it.

If you use a Focusrite Scarlett interface, you won't have latency issues with a PC.

But either way you go, make sure that you can swap hard drives and memory. Newer Macs and some newer PCs have that stuff hard soldered to the motherboard in individual components. And for music production, you don't need bleeding edge. I'm running the Dell that I bought a few years ago with a 3rd gen i5 and 8gb of ram. It works fine. I've ran Reaper, Helix Native, and EZDrummer2 all at the same time without any performance issues. If I were to upgrade to Superior Drummer 3, I would probably have to upgrade my RAM, but for now, meh. The only issue I've had was that I wore out the original hard drive, and since I cheaped out on the replacement and bought a Seagate instead of a Western Digital, the hard drive puts out enough RF interference that it comes through my guitars that have hot pickups. I get annoying clicks and pops in my recordings because of it.

Oh yeah, and as a side note, ASIO4ALL is an indispensable if you go with a PC.
http://www.asio4all.com