Video Editing Laptop - Am I Asking Too Much?

[Callum88Adam 0]

I'm looking to build a laptop for good large sized DV video editing as well as everyday use. I've got a guy who will custom build it, but he doesn't know much about video editing demands. Looking around here I've put together the best of all the advise given. The only thing I haven't chosen is a graphics card - Advice? What do you think? A bit over the top? What would you change?

(The hard drive is purposely very large as I will often be away from my PC for months in different countries. I have ~ 40GB music and a large amount of games and movies)

Processor: At least 1.2GHz

Operating System: Microsoft Windows with Office

Memory: At least 512Mb

Hard Drives;
Internal: 60 GB Minimum, 80GB Preferred (7200RPM if possible)

External: 100 GB Minimum, 7200RPM, FireWire Linked, Mains Powered

Screen: Widescreen, 15” Minimum

Optical Drive: DVD RW / CD-RW

Specialist Ports: FireWire (IEEE 1394) Card, Dual Monitor Output, Audio / Video Out, Media Card Readers

Accessories: Docking Station, 2x Charger Cables, Laptop Carry Case, 2nd Battery

Why Jump Out A Plane?
Have You Seen The Legroom Out There!!!!!!!

[mattjw916 2]

Personally I'd go with a pre-built system from a reputable manufacturer with a warranty. If you insist on building it I'd at least double the RAM and buy as much processor as you can afford. You are going to need way more than 1.2Ghz unless you enjoy waiting for stuff to encode.

NSCR-2376, SCR-15080

[Icon134 0]

For video editing I would go for more Physical RAM I know Avid Free DV requires at least 1 Gig of Ram and you'd be even better off with 2-4 gigs at least (if you can get one with that much.)

Also, you might consider an AMD Turion 64 bit processor as it is more likely to be forward compatible with future Operating Systems.

Livin' on the Edge... sleeping with my rigger's wife...

[alw 0]

So far you've gotten some good advice. At least a 2.8 GHz processor - 2 gig mem, You ar going to be disapointed with the external hard drive and the on board hard drive, which is just a fact of the state of the art.

Consider an alternative. I'm guessing that you are more interested in portability than battery operation. If that is correct, consider a 2U rack mount chasis and 3U rack mount case used for music electronics - rugged and portable.

With that kind of set up you can load up with 2 or 3 200 GIG SATA hard Drives, a kick ass dual core processor, plenty of RAM, and a top of the line video card. Even an accelerator card like an RTX 100.

But what about the keyboard and monitor? you ask.
You can purchase a combo 1U and put it in the same case. Carry on luggage size and all the comforts of a desktop. Bigger than a latop, but for serious video an viable solution.

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Every day is a bonus - every night is an adventure.

[bob.dino 0]

I've found that video-editing on my laptop is CPU-bound. DV only comes out of your camera at 25Mbps, which any decent HD will keep up with.

The two critical factors are CPU and physical memory. Get a bare minimum of 1GB RAM, and preferably more. I'm not completely current on the latest processor models from Intel & AMD, but a CoreDuo Intel chip more than likely would do nicely. Note: Processor MHz/GHz is not the be-all and end-all of determining the speed of the processor.

As long as the video card doesn't use system memory, you'll be fine. It's not critical.

[bob.dino 0]

Eek. There's a big difference between a 1-2Kg laptop and 15Kg of rackmountable steel. I'd vote overkill on that one.

[dragon2 0]

Depending on how uch you want to save, you're going to need more harrdrive space than that.

however, doesn't have to be firewire, usb2 works fine too and is often cheaper and easier to find.

It's own mains for the ext hd, not necessary, I can edit off a laptop harddrive in a usb2 case too, it's handy for on the road, though more expensive than a big external harddrive, per GB.

Mainly you need: dvd writer, 1 gb memory, as much harddrive space as you can get, with 7200 rpm for big ones and 5400 (or faster) for small hd's. I found the ideo card isn't that big an issue I'm running a crappy shared-memory one and it works fine) however processor speed really really helps when rendering. Get a 2.4 P4 or similar, and get a good processor not a celeron-type.

ciel bleu,
Saskia

[br0k3n 0]

Buy a G4 powerbook.... job done....

Also with FCP 3, you can do real time video effects on a notebook, well a Powerbook....

Also you can get the G4 with a 15" 1152 x 768 widescreen display, compare that to say a 15" 1600 x 1200 display, and you choose which you would rather stare at for hours...

And the best bit about about the G4, no freak'n Micro$oft os in site.... which you might not think is a big deal, but after you gone 2hrs into a render only to get "XXX is not responding" for the 10th time, you will soon get fed up with it... which is something to consider, if your hoping to produce

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good large sized DV video editing

on a laptop your render times could be huge...

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--+ There are 10 types of people in the world: Those who understand binary, and those who don't.. --+

[YISkyDive 0]

I dont know what problems you might have had with MS OSes- but I have very rarley had a problem with adobe premier 6.0 and pro7.0 and XP.

My video editing laptop was a 2.2P4 "M" not centrino- the mobile P4. It worked very acceptebably at 512MB, 40GB 5200 HD and go gefore440MX graphics card. Render took a little time- but all in all very acceptable for 2 years ago- it kept up with my 2500 athlon XP.

The problem with Mac is all (in my opinion) it does well is video and animation. Its fairly expensive- so I never looked into it.

Im hoping to get a really good video editing laptop soon- but to get good rendering speeds and the latest technology your looking at 2 grand at least. Gah prices sucks. Oh well.

On the windows comments- if you maintain it its really not a problem. I have yet to get a serious case of spy ware that system restore hasnt fixed. Its a BEAUTIFUL addition.

[alw 0]

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Eek. There's a big difference between a 1-2Kg laptop and 15Kg of rackmountable steel. I'd vote overkill on that one.

Depends on what you are wanting to do. Production pro video with fast turnaround vs. personal short clips. I'm just saying there are alternatives to laptops.

You don't mind the weight while it sets on the bench.
You do mind the wait while it sets on the bench!

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Every day is a bonus - every night is an adventure.

[br0k3n 0]

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I dont know what problems you might have had with MS OSes- but I have very rarley had a problem with adobe premier 6.0 and pro7.0 and XP.

Your lucky...

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The problem with Mac is all (in my opinion) it does well is video and animation.

well i think your next comment explains this perfectly,

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so I never looked into it

I used to use PPro running on XP and it worked fine, there were problems from time to time, but nothing a reboot didnt fix... although i tended to find the bigger your project go, the more unstable it became...

Anyway having just completed a 3hr production using a dual Processor G5, i can honestly say, thats me converted, Im not going back... just Motion is enough to keep my using the Mac.. well of course FCP is awesome, and also the compete lack of viruses and spyware, and the fact it never crashes also is a bonus...

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--+ There are 10 types of people in the world: Those who understand binary, and those who don't.. --+

[tso-d_chris 0]

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The problem with Mac is all (in my opinion) it does well is video and animation. Its fairly expensive- so I never looked into it.

Macs do nearly everything (except gaming) better than their Windows counterparts. If you compare prices of equivalent machines, you will find the Macs to be consistently less expensive than, for example, Dell.

The lack of viruses and spyware is an added bonus that will save you time and energy otherwise spent on maintenance.

For Great Deals on Gear

[mattjw916 2]

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Macs do nearly everything (except gaming) better than their Windows counterparts.

I roffled at that. That's just your opinion, lol.

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The lack of viruses and spyware is an added bonus that will save you time and energy otherwise spent on maintenance.

Mac laptops often self-destruct and incur pricey repairs due to hardware failure. My brother had to basically throw his away because of this.

Viruses and Spyware aren't that big of an issue if you don't troll teh intarweb for teh g0ats3x and pr0n all the time and keep up to date with patches.

Historically Apples have always been among the most expensive machines, but you get what you pay for IMHO, which is generally good stuff.

NSCR-2376, SCR-15080

[skyflyingbecca 0]

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keep up to date with patches.

Those fuckers are always screwing up my laptop. Have to do a system restore every frickin time.

I'm trying to get into editing but I can't get vegas running because it said I need some framework which I downloaded but not through the MS patch, and the patch keeps screwing it up. If anyone can help plz send me a PM, I would be eternally grateful

I have a CHEAP $600! two year old HP poc I found at Circuit City, one of the cheapest ones there after rebates. It has a 2.8ghz processor and the 256 ram I upgraded to 1g almost immediately for cheap. I also have 30 gigs and I thought my machine was outdated being 2 years old.... You are def gonna want the higher numbers, at least what I have, or you will be screaming a lot. Or you will be wasting a lot of money for a whole new one soon.

"I know it's friday night, but come on. Surely there's something better to do than yell at people on the internet?" - Tom A.

[Callum88Adam 0]

Thanks to everyone for their input, it's been really helpful. I'm just about to finalise my order, and with your advice it should be one awesome laptop!

Why Jump Out A Plane?
Have You Seen The Legroom Out There!!!!!!!