Good spec laptop to run Rekordbox?

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danepak

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#323437 2-Dec-2025 17:44

Took up DJing recently. Installed Rekordbox on my MSI laptop with Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-10210U CPU @ 1.60GHz (2.10 GHz) with 16gb ram.

Sometimes it does lag a bit and ChatGPT tells me that the specs above can be close to the limit when using Rekordbox.

ChatGPT also tells me that the HP Victus 15-fb3089AX 15.6" FHD 144Hz NVIDIA RTX 3050 Gaming Laptop
AMD Ryzen 7 7445H - 16GB RAM - 512GB SSD will provide a much better experience.

AI can say a lot of things and it's often correct, but as I'm looking at spending over $1k on this laptop, I would prefer to run this past the Geekzone community too.

The CPU on my current laptop is around 70-83% when I run Rekordbox.

I also got this from ChatGPT:

Why Rekordbox tends to “struggle” even when minimum specs are met

Even though Rekordbox’s official minimum (or older recommended) specs might say something modest (dual‑core 2.0 GHz + a few GB RAM) support.pioneerdj.com+1 — real‑world use is more demanding for several reasons:

Even idle or “only UI / browsing” Rekordbox can use a non‑trivial amount of CPU, especially with newer versions or large libraries. forums.pioneerdj.com+1
Audio mixing, effects, live waveform rendering, possibly video/lighting features — all add up, requiring sustained CPU cycles and stable performance.
Laptops with “U‑series” or power‑efficient CPUs (like i5‑10210U) tend to throttle or struggle under sustained load — the CPU isn’t tuned for heavy continuous processing.
Background OS tasks, disk I/O, USB audio controller overhead, audio buffer management — all contribute to CPU load beyond what the minimum spec assumes.

So “meeting the minimum” only guarantees basic functionality — not smooth or professional‑grade performance.

networkn

Networkn
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#3439661 2-Dec-2025 23:51

I am reading a 'modern' Intel 8th gen or higher or Ryzen 5, 7 or 9 with 16GB memory. If you want to do lights/effects/video as well, dedicated graphics.

You haven't said you actual budget, but right now you could probably get something pretty good (consumer grade) for $1500, perhaps less. I'd spend to your budget, laptops aren't that easy to upgrade.

I'd probably get the Asus Vivobook over the HP Victus though the specs are solid on the HP.

danepak

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#3439663 3-Dec-2025 00:05

networkn:

I am reading a 'modern' Intel 8th gen or higher or Ryzen 5, 7 or 9 with 16GB memory. If you want to do lights/effects/video as well, dedicated graphics.

You haven't said you actual budget, but right now you could probably get something pretty good (consumer grade) for $1500, perhaps less. I'd spend to your budget, laptops aren't that easy to upgrade.

I'd probably get the Asus Vivobook over the HP Victus though the specs are solid on the HP.

Hi, trying to keep it around $1k.

From what I can see, the Asus Vivobook comes with Ryzen 5 whereas the HP has Ryzen 7.

elpenguino

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#3439714 3-Dec-2025 09:44

Main thing in my experience is to turn off all the Windows power saving features in the Power Plan section (or whatever its called).

Turn everything up to 11

Most of the posters in this thread are just like chimpanzees on MDMA, full of feelings of bonhomie, joy, and optimism. Fred99 8/4/21

danepak

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#3444841 17-Dec-2025 08:55

The reason for the high CPU usage was due to the STEM function being switched on. STEM basically allows you to separate vocal, instruments, drums and bass in a track. When I switched it off, the CPU usage went down a lot!

I did however end up getting a Ryzen7 laptop with 32GB and 1TB. This runs like a dream!

elpenguino

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#3445116 17-Dec-2025 23:56

danepak:

The reason for the high CPU usage was due to the STEM function being switched on. STEM basically allows you to separate vocal, instruments, drums and bass in a track. When I switched it off, the CPU usage went down a lot!

I did however end up getting a Ryzen7 laptop with 32GB and 1TB. This runs like a dream!

That should do the trick. I use a 16 GB/ i5-1135G7 and with the windows power settings turned up, I don't get any glitching.

Rock on.

Most of the posters in this thread are just like chimpanzees on MDMA, full of feelings of bonhomie, joy, and optimism. Fred99 8/4/21

Goosey

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#3445121 18-Dec-2025 07:05

The DJs I know, all run their laptops specifically for the task.

i.e. they refrain from everyday use so as to not bloat it with unnecessary programs taking up resources in the background.

they are also very careful with notification and update settings (being they switch off / update manually).

system sounds are also a killer… to live performances, so be wary of that too.

and most importantly, they run clean and tidy directories for the audio files and carry a copy or two of this on removable media (and some carry a spare device incase their main laptop decides to poop itself / damaged in the line of duty.

the show must go on..

power filters / surge guards are also recommended as are high quality power strips (remembering mains hum is a show killer when not using good ground earth principles (use one mains power source not multiple)).