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video editing laptop

Talk about computer software/hardware problems, related to digital video or otherwise.

video editing laptop

Postby stanatou » Sat Aug 23, 2014 4:01 pm

I've had both a desktop (personal) and laptop (employer) available for several years. I had to leave the laptop behind :( when I retired :yh: recently and the desktop is well past it's prime. I've decided to replace both with a single laptop and I've been looking for one that's capable of editing video...so far with no real success. It appears that vendors (Dell, HP, etc) are no longer configuring laptops with 7200 rpm harddrives. The trend seems to be the hybrid drives but these spin at only 5400 rpm and I think that would still be an issue when working with video. Has anyone here used one of these hybrid drives?

The other option is an SSD but I would prefer to stay with a conventional HDD (at 7200rpm), primarily because of the cost. In the past I've seen some very capable laptops in the Dell outlet for under $1000 and had hoped to stay in that range. Any ideas and/or suggestions on where I might find a suitable laptop would be much appreciated.


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Re: video editing laptop

Postby _Paz_ » Sat Aug 23, 2014 4:38 pm

I'm using a Lenovo W701 (17 inch) Thinkpad and often wish the screen was larger. Lenovo stopped making this size so I won't be able to get another when this one bites the dust.

A brand I've heard is good for editing video is Sager.

http://www.sagernotebook.com/index.php?page=category_browse&selected_cat=2

I think another is Clevo, but at the moment, I can't get any links to Clevo notebooks to open. Not sure if my internet access is being squirrelly or what.
Lenovo W70l; 1.6 GHz, i7 quad core, Win 7, 64 bit, 16 gigs DDR-3 RAM; NVIDIA Quadro FX 2800; Two 1T 7200 internal drives; BluRay burner
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Re: video editing laptop

Postby Peru » Sat Aug 23, 2014 5:15 pm

From the Adobe Premiere Pro Hardware Forum:
https://forums.adobe.com/thread/1555820
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Re: video editing laptop

Postby Ron Hunter » Sun Aug 24, 2014 5:49 pm

Be sure to check the outlet/refurbished section of whatever vendor you choose. I was able to get a retina MacBook Pro for $300 off the new price by buying a refurb with the same 1yr warranty and AppleCare that a new one has.

I would avoid the 5400rpm drives. You also need to consider the editing software you plan to use...32 bit or 64 bit? Be sure you have the specs of that software in hand when selecting your next machine, and be sure to "exceed" those requirements.
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Laptop: MacBook Pro (retina), 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, Final Cut Pro X, Motion 5.
Cameras (in use): Panasonic GH4/Canon HFR400/Canon HV30, GoPro HD Hero2.
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Re: video editing laptop

Postby stanatou » Wed Aug 27, 2014 10:43 pm

Thanks for the replies and suggestions. I've checked them all out. The front runner (as of tonight) is a Lenovo W540. It's a bit more than I what I thought I would have to spend but it does have everything I want. In reading some of the reviews, it seems some people are real upset with the keyboard layout...the numeric key pad pushes the main keyboard to the left so it's off center. Any opinions on Lenovo?

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Re: video editing laptop

Postby _Paz_ » Thu Aug 28, 2014 5:04 pm

Are you a touch typist? If not, I doubt the off center keyboard would make a big difference. If yes, then keep in mind that the IBM Thinkpad keyboards of the past have been highly regarded for their tactile quality.

I went to Lenovo's site and looked at the W540. The site does not mention being able to use 1T drives. I have one 2.5 inch 500GB drive and three of these 7200 RPM drives:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0097LG9U8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


All four of my 2.5 inch laptop drives fit interchangeably in this case, which makes use of either the eSATA (faster) or USB3 connection:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003XEZ33Y/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I'd suggest you call Lenovo sales and find out what size drives fit the W540.

My laptop has a fabulously high definition monitor that unfortunately is RGB LED. It is VERY bright and colors are oversaturated unless the monitor is both calibrated AND set up for color management in Firefox, and at the perfect angle for viewing. I WISH I'd been able to get an IPS monitor instead, like the one I had on my first laptop, an IBM Thinkpad T43-P, and I see that it is a possible selection with the W540. I'd definitely go for that.

Built in color calibration is also offered. It is built into mine and is worthless. I turned it off. Then I tried both the Spyder3 and the XRite i1 Pro Display. Both were good. I currently use the X-Rite and with all the settings set correctly, my prints match my monitor very well. How important that may be to you depends on how much image editing you do. I don't think video editing is color managed in Premiere Elements, although there is a great deal of manipulation that can be done in Premiere Pro.

I bought the extended warranty and WOW, am I glad I did. Twice I've had to send my laptop to Lenovo. I called them and the next day either UPS or FedEx brought me a box and packing to send it in for repair. It is shipped and insured at Lenovo's cost, overnight. They've replaced my fans, motherboard and speakers.

Recently I had a blue screen shutdown and had to reinstall my OS. Once done, I couldn't get connected to the internet. I called and tech help (an American I could understand and who could understand me) stayed on the phone with me for almost 3 hours, downloading drivers to Mr. B's laptop that I then transferred to mine via Compact Flash card. Eventually we connected my laptop via the ethernet cable and tech help helped me finish downloading drivers. Then I needed to download Windows Updates and that took quite a while. After that, I still couldn't get connected via wireless. I was struggling with it when the phone rang and it was the tech help guy calling back to see how things went. He helped me get it working with my wireless connection.

When I've had to send my laptop in I've been able to keep my hard drives, so all my information was safe. I can't say enough good things about Lenovo's service. My only regret is that my extended warranty probably won't be renewed next time due to the age of this machine. I particularly love this laptop because mine has a built in Wacom tablet which I use constantly. I don't believe Lenovo sold enough of the W701s to continue production. If they did, I'd definitely buy Lenovo again, and in fact, when Mr. B needed a new, basic laptop for surfing the web, we went with Lenovo.

Good luck with whatever you choose,

Paz
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Re: video editing laptop

Postby stanatou » Mon Sep 01, 2014 9:49 pm

I finally found what I wanted in the Dell outlet shop. :exc: It's a Latitude very much like my old work laptop and has everything I wanted. I should have it in hand by week's end.

Thanks for the support and suggestions.

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