Computer hardware question

[RumbleDiddy]

Hey Iv got a question for the more computer tech inclined people here. I tried looking up my answer on google but couldn't find anything specific enough. So heres my question, I have a toshiba satilite laptop Processor 2.1GHz Intel Core i3-2310M
Memory 4GB, 667MHz DDR3
Hard drive 500GB 5,400rpm
Chipset Intel HM65
Graphics Intel HD 3000
Operating System Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
Dimensions (WD) 15.0 x 9.8 inches
Height 1.2 - 1.5 inches
Screen size (diagonal) 15.6 inches
System weight / Weight with AC adapter 5.6/6.3 pounds
Category Midsize

And My cpu is spikes pretty bad once i get to maybe half a song done not even , what I was needing to know what will increase my cpu , I dont think adding more ram will do much so what kind of hardware for my lap top would I need to invest in to increase the performance? Or are any of the options not worth it with my computer ?? Any help would be appreciated , also I just had to to whipe my computer so theres no garbage or viruses on it atm so that wouldnt be why its not performing fast enough

[fragments]

Really the only thing that will increase CPU is upgrading the CPU to a faster one. I have a 4 Core AMD processor and "unlocking" the cores helped quite a bit with mine, at least for the 64bit plugs. RAM will only help when loading audio samples.

The only other suggestion I can make is bounce stuff to audio quickly. I work this way for both CPU saving and to make myself commit to sounds more quickly and not process the life out of them.

I think an external audio interface may help as well, I'm not 100% on this though.

[mthrfnk]

1)Use an ASIO driver, preferably with a proper soundcard/interface
2)Bounce stuff out to audio instead of leaving it in MIDI
3)Get a new CPU/PC.

You can't really "increase cpu" (unless you go down the route of overclocking), and if your CPU usage is spiking then more RAM won't really help.

Edit: ah shit fragments replied quicker haha.

[RumbleDiddy]

Thanx for the quick Reply, yea thats whut I was afraid of ( not much there is to do). Im thinking ill just freeze and flatten tracks untill I get a new computer, another quick question, So wuts a good cpu to have in a computer so I barley get any latency?

[mthrfnk]

Thanx for the quick Reply, yea thats whut I was afraid of ( not much there is to do). Im thinking ill just freeze and flatten tracks untill I get a new computer, another quick question, So wuts a good cpu to have in a computer so I barley get any latency?

I get latency even with an overclocked i7 and dedicated audio interface... it seems a lot of plugins I use aren't formatted for multi-core CPUs and FL is still not natively 64bit (well aside from the new Beta)
Having said that I tend to leave near-100% of stuff in MIDI and tend to use a large amount of automation/fx/mixer routing which doesn't help me

[VirtualMark]

An i3 isn't a bad processor, but it all depends on what software you're running. I don't think the i3 has turbo mode - if you switched to the latest gen i7 you should notice a lot of difference as they have turbo and hyperthreading.

Also make sure you have the latest patches for Windows, the latest drivers for your hardware and the latest BIOS for your motherboard. Any one of these can make a difference.

And while making music, it's often a good idea to turn everything else off. Disable anti virus, turn off wifi, unplug unused usb devices such as printers, usb drives, phones, scanners, etc. This is mainly to make sure that you get 100% cpu to your music.

Download Asio4All, it's way better than the Windows audio driver. Install it and select it in your DAW.

[benjam]

This might help as well http://game-booster.en.softonic.com/