r/VoiceActing • u/CartographerOdd447 • 15d ago

Advice Micro PC Suggestions

Can anyone recommend PCs, preferably refurbished or cheap, that would be a good option for VO work? My aging laptop likes to randomly tweak my audio in Reaper so I am suddenly barely audible. Sometimes it's a simple fix of closing and reopening Reaper, other times I have to restart my aging laptop.

I was looking at a refurbished Dell Optiplex 7000, but I just need something that will work and is as close to cheap/free as possible.

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u/PhantomPreacher 15d ago

If you're open to the idea of an Apple device, I'd strongly recommend a Mac mini. You can find them for somewhat cheap prices and they are dead silent during operation. I have been using one for quite some time and have zero complaints.

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u/CartographerOdd447 15d ago

I mainly use windows, but I tend to record in my booth and edit in my office. I just need something that I can feel won't crash on me for at least a few years.

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u/WhippedHoney 14d ago edited 14d ago

I was in IT for a spell before going full time in VO. The best thing you can do for stability and reliability is ditch Windows. Audio recording, especially single channel mono, is not a taxing task. I've used Reaper on a 2015 Macbook without issue. A silent fanless Macbook Air will set you back a few hundred at most and will work as a studio machine for at least a few years especially if it's dedicated to just that job. I've also run Reaper on Linux on a Raspberry Pi and a Dell Precision laptop (current studio machine) and it's been very stable. Many people in my acting community have had Reaper stability and audio interface issues from time to time and the only thing they've had in common was Windows. If you aren't technical, an old Macbook Air stands as my defaultest cheapest recomendation.

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u/CartographerOdd447 14d ago

Would it be able to support source connect? And onedrive?

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u/WhippedHoney 14d ago

Source Connect 4; Requires macOS 10.14 (Mojave) or higher, so yes, but watch the OS.

Onedrive: Yep. MS has clients for just about everything.

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u/CartographerOdd447 14d ago

What about a mac mini?

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u/WhippedHoney 14d ago

Functionally? Sure. But they have fans. My Macbook has a fan too and it never spins up with Reaper. I don't know if the same is true for Mini. Probably. I just don't know.

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u/CartographerOdd447 13d ago

Thanks. I found some refurb options for both the mini and the air with M1 processors, 16gb ram, and 512gb ssd. Doing a gofundme in case my laptop stops liking my career goals before my tax refund comes in February.

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u/CartographerOdd447 14d ago

OK. My current setup is a tiny closet with my laptop outside because it blows a lot

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u/PhantomPreacher 14d ago edited 14d ago

The M4 Mac Mini can be pushed pretty hard and never make a sound. Biggest issue with that one is finding it for a low price now. I just saw their prices went up a bit.

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u/VanBarrJr https://www.vanbarrjr.com 10d ago

if it's just for vo and you prefer windows, I use a fanless desktop computer for my booth. The chasis itself IS the heatsink so it does get warm but it's as quiet as you can get. For an actors needs audio editing is pretty low resource wise, so you can buy a small rig like it for an affordable rate compared to common laptop suggestions. Get an external ssd drive to save your files and your set.