As DJing technology becomes more and more prevalent in the DJ scene, more and more DJs are DJing from their laptops. With the hundreds of great DJ programs out there this makes sense. Why spend $4000 on Pioneer CDJs and a mixer when you can just fire up some DJ software on your computer and discover how to dj.
So a lot of new DJs will flock out and buy a laptop so they can start digital DJing. They’ll run down to the local Best Buy (if you’re in the states or the UK) and buy the cheapest laptop they can find. But is that really the best decision for you DJing? Here’s some advice on buying a laptop for DJing.
Ahhh laptops. They come in all shapes and sizes! There are literally thousands of brands and models to choose from. How do you choose? Well based on the fact that you’re learning how to become a DJ there are a few criteria you’ll need to keep in mind when shopping for a DJ laptop:
Best DJ Laptop Tip – #1
The most important feature of your DJ laptop is that it MUST NOT crash. There is nothing worse than having a laptop die right in the middle of a buildup or some other time during a dj set. I remember seeing Sasha live at the Winter Music Conference in Miami. The crowd was going wild. The energy in the room was really starting to build. It was going to be the party of the conference. Then out of nowhere, just as a track was about to kick back in after a buildup the music cut out.
The room came to a grinding halt. All two thousand or so people stopped whatever they were doing and turned around to look at the DJ like he was an idiot. Can you imagine 2000 people staring at you like you just screwed their night up? Whats even worse is that it took a good 10 minutes to get his computer booted back up and then to get his DJ mixing software (Ableton Live) booted back up. This is every DJs nightmare and if you’re just learning how to DJ this is not how you want your first gig to go.
To avoid this you need a computer that will NOT crash EVER. And that challenge is that PCs are notorious for crashing at the worst time. And to make matters worse, a lot of the DJ software you’ll be DJing off are very heavy, big programs so your computer is likely to crash.
To avoid this you have to go with a Mac. Apple computers rarely ever crash. Mine has never crashed in the middle of a mix and I have played hundreds of shows on mine! PCs crash all the time. If you want to avoid crashing, but a mac for your digital DJing.
Best DJ Laptop Tip – #2
My first DJ laptop has another issue. Not only would it crash (yes, it was a PC) whenever I had a gig, it also had a lack of ports on the side. Ideally you want to be able to hook your computer up to a number of different components at the same time. A digital DJ controller, a midi-keyboard, different DJ effects units, visual displays and other great tools for your DJing.
Make sure that the side of the computer you’re about to buy has at least:
-2 USB inputs
-A display input to attach another screen
-A fire-wire cable
-A CD drive (standard)
-And a stable power plug
With these features you’ll never be limited on the number of devices you can use with your digital DJ laptop!
Best DJ Laptop Tip – #3
I learned this tip over many years. A lot of computers have glossy screen finishing. This means that the computer screen will be very shiney. When you’re working on your computer during the day on your dj mixes or whatever, this glossy finish reflects a lot of light. The result is that your screen can be very hard to see and you will have to strain your eyes to see. This results in eye-strain over time and the result is that you may have to wear glasses. I do for this reason.
This glossy screen can also work against you when you’re DJing live at a party or in a club as well! The lights from the club which are very bright and coloured can bounce off of your screen in a blinding manner.
For these reasons I highly recommend that you buy a computer that has a matte-finish on its screen. This reflects a lot less light and will be a lot easier for you to see.
Digital DJ Laptop Conclusions
Based on those individual points I highly recommend that you purchase a Mac as your laptop for DJing. They never crash. They don’t ever get viruses which can wipe out your music collection, they have all of the plug-in ports you’ll ever need and some come with a matte-finish.
To be honest with you Macs are a little more expensive than PCS and I know what its like starting out short on money. But as an example, I bought the cheapest Mac laptop 8 years ago and its still running like a dream today and I beat the hell out of it when I DJ and I’m working on it every day.
You can buy the least-expensive, smallest version like this 13″ Macbook Air.
Whatever you buy I wish you the best with your new DJ laptop! 
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Hey great info, i played at an elementary school the other night and my computer froze. I have an new HP envy the beats edition… Its awesome what it came out was that I had some Ipads plugged in as turn tables and it must have been to much or something… What do u think about my laptop , is it good enough for djing?
I had a Envy Beats Edition also just sold it got a Mac Pro and love it,no more problems with crashes
I think when it comes down to it, you can use whatever laptop you prefer, Windows or Mac. It depends on how well you take care of your equipment so it don’t die on you. I have friends who don’t take care of their computers and theirs always having problems but I have my hard drives nearly full and my computer runs like a champ and I had my computer for ages. Just because I take care of it like its a $300,000 car!
The laptop you use for djing should only be used for djing, this way you limit chances for crashes. Install only necessary software, get rid any kind of unneeded programs. Just the basic essentials to make the laptop turn on and run and your dj software.
you must have stock in apple. or maybe this article is years old. macs do crash pal. i have seen them myself. i work with mac as my main computer and also have a lenovo edge. the 2 of these laptops are use just for dj, video, karaoke. that’s it. i have never suffer a crash with my mac but at the same time i had never suffer a crash with my pc either in 4 years. important to have enough ram and good video display. keep the pc of the internet the virus they make is mainly directed to effect pc’s. they don’t hardly make virus for mac’s (they do exist). pc’s have way more bells and wistles. i had disable lots of things i do not need on my lenovo have work solid for 4 years now. myth =mac’s don’t crash? WRONG they will and have crash just like a pc. important to have a backup separate cd player or mp3 player ready to play in case of a crash. computers are not bullet proff, DO NOT BELIVE THE HYPE!!!!
Yes it’s true Mac do crash, but not as often as PC, I have Mac Book Pro 15′ 2010 model, and I’m really happy with it, all you have to do Is dedicate it to music only! All I have there is Serato, Abelton Live, and some VSTs and of course a lot of music and Samples, that’s it! Keep it clean and it won’t crash, plus don’t forget to have at least 20GB of free space! It’s not really necessary, but believe me it helps your computer to perform better, plus if you use Macs, you need all kinds of adaptors, like USB hub, mini display port connector for 2nd monitor, sometimes you need Fire Wire 800 to 400 and vise versa adaptor for example to connect your interface and more.
I use my MAC book for DJing. It has only 2 USB ports. Fortunately, there is no need to use a mouse which will require another port. haha
Anyway, thanks for sharing man!
What about with linux?? software dj run on it? linux doesn’t crush..
“I highly recommend that you purchase a Mac as your laptop for DJing. They never crash. They don’t ever get viruses which can wipe out your music collection, they have all of the plug-in ports you’ll ever need and some come with a matte-finish.”
I find this statement to be uneducated, and incorrect. Macs crash, in fact I have had my mac crash multiple times. Macs get viruses as well, but since people don’t use the operating system as much a Windows, (PC means personal computer, is your mac not a personal computer?) viruses aren’t made for it as much. That’s why you see norton for sale at Apple stores. I also find macs to not have enough USB ports, which are essential. Though, that isn’t a very good argument since you can just buy a usb hub to add around 3-5 more ports.
I agree with most all of the above how ever 2 very important factors were overlooked, having a solid state Hard-drive is a must if you don’t expect to crash, this is because solid state drives are flash memory, a regular hard-dive has way too many moving parts making it more likely to crash.
The other thing in the list is RAM (random access memory) most computer come with 2-4, but having less than 4 is a bad start on my opinion, the more RAM you have the most things you can do simultaneously, and the less stress is put on the computer.
-Geovanni Montichello
Listen yer nutZ if uou thinkyou a big mac aint better than ressees pcs. Big MAC IS DOPE FRESH BOUYES