# Using an All In One (AIO) computer for DAW and Mixing.



## Jackal_King (Oct 2, 2021)

I'm thinking about getting an All-In-On computer for my music composing and wondering for those who has one if it's any different than using a laptop with similar RAM and storage? Using a lap has it's pros but I just need a bigger screen to work with. I've been checking out Dell for some time now and want to get a 16GB RAM with 512GB-1TB SSD. I recently bought a Samsung T7 1TB external hard drive to run my sample libraries on (particularly 8Dio and Spitfire since they currently take up the most usage). Asus has one that's pretty affordable with similar specs but I'm not sure how reliable they are.


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## hoxclab (Oct 2, 2021)

XPS Tower


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## digitallysane (Oct 2, 2021)

Jackal_King said:


> Asus has one that's pretty affordable with similar specs but I'm not sure how reliable they are.


Asus support is awful.


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## Justin L. Franks (Oct 3, 2021)

AIO's typically use low-end to mid-range laptop CPU's. They are not at all ideal for music production, especially for orchestral composing. For example, the Dell AIO's best available CPU is the i7-1165G7 with only 4 cores / 8 threads, running at 2.8 GHz max (the 4.7 GHz spec is the max turbo frequency for a single core for short periods).


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## Technostica (Oct 3, 2021)

Justin L. Franks said:


> AIO's typically use low-end to mid-range laptop CPU's. They are not at all ideal for music production, especially for orchestral composing. For example, the Dell AIO's best available CPU is the i7-1165G7 with only 4 cores / 8 threads, running at 2.8 GHz max (the 4.7 GHz spec is the max turbo frequency for a single core for short periods).


I am not a fan of AIOs but don't know the current market. 
You quoted the base frequency for that chip as the all-core Boost frequency is up to 4.1 GHz. 
It will depend on the cooling and TDP setting, so you need to read reviews to see how it behaves in a particular system.


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## Jackal_King (Oct 4, 2021)

Justin L. Franks said:


> AIO's typically use low-end to mid-range laptop CPU's. They are not at all ideal for music production, especially for orchestral composing. For example, the Dell AIO's best available CPU is the i7-1165G7 with only 4 cores / 8 threads, running at 2.8 GHz max (the 4.7 GHz spec is the max turbo frequency for a single core for short periods).


Well, that kind of stinks. I didn't know that AIOs had low end components that wouldn't be useful for music composing. Well, I may have to rethink this and maybe get a more powerful laptop. I was trying not to go the tower route and get a PC.


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## Technostica (Oct 4, 2021)

Jackal_King said:


> Well, that kind of stinks. I didn't know that AIOs had low end components that wouldn't be useful for music composing. Well, I may have to rethink this and maybe get a more powerful laptop. I was trying not to go the tower route and get a PC.


The poster that stated that was wrong with a number of points. 
Dell sell all-in-one systems with 6 and 8 core desktop CPUs in some models. 
Other manufacturers may do the same.


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## Jackal_King (Oct 4, 2021)

Technostica said:


> The poster that stated that was wrong with a number of points.
> Dell sell all-in-one systems with 6 and 8 core desktop CPUs in some models.
> Other manufacturers may do the same.


The guy I talked to at Best Buy told me that using it for music wouldn't be that much different that using it on a laptop. RAM and chip was my biggest concern because I was trying to get at least a 16GB RAM. Dell or HP were my main choices but was leaning toward Dell. My libraries will be mainly running from an external SSD to run smooth rather than having it all in the C drive.


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## Technostica (Oct 4, 2021)

Jackal_King said:


> The guy I talked to at Best Buy told me that using it for music wouldn't be that much different that using it on a laptop. RAM and chip was my biggest concern because I was trying to get at least a 16GB RAM. Dell or HP were my main choices but was leaning toward Dell. My libraries will be mainly running from an external SSD to run smooth rather than having it all in the C drive.


Some Dells use the 65W 8 core desktop chips but others use 4 core laptop chips. 
It's possible that Best Buy only sell the home versions rather than the higher spec business models. 

If your country has a Dell Outlet Web store, have a look there for the business class models.


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## Jackal_King (Oct 4, 2021)

I


Technostica said:


> Some Dells use the 65W 8 core desktop chips but others use 4 core laptop chips.
> It's possible that Best Buy only sell the home versions rather than the higher spec business models.
> 
> If your country has a Dell Outlet Web store, have a look there for the business class models.


I'll check that out since I'm in the U.S. It won't be until the spring until I get one, so I still got some time.


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