People who are already making beats ask me this a lot. The number one thing I tell them is that it really doesn’t matter what you use as long as you can use it. Macs don’t sound better then PCs. I’ve worked in million dollar studios but can still say that most of the time, especially when it comes to song writing and making simple beats, I prefer my home studio. It doesn’t matter if you have a million dollar studio or a $500.00 laptop that can barley run 5 tracks in fruity loops. It dose not matter if you have rooms full of gear. Its best to have only what you need.
For me it makes sense to have it all in one and have the ability to quickly record multiple live sources when necessary. This may or may not work for you. You'll have to figure out what works for you with lots of trial and error, while continually expanding what your capable of. At the end of the session it will be your knowledge, both musically and technically, that you put into your equipment that will fuel your creativity and shape sounds. I've written a little bit about the gear in my current home studio setup and have tried to provide links so you can learn more. I didn't want to get too technical myself and reveal how much of an audio nerd I can be :D
