Best laptop for video editing

 

New member
Username: Videogirl

Usa

Post Number: 1
Registered: Mar-06
I do a lot of video editing not only for my classes and as a hobby but also for odd jobs around town and hopefully a career someday. I finally have enough money to buy a decent laptop for this purpose but I'm dumbfounded by all the different brands and jargon. I've been hearing a lot about the new apples and how they are the best for video editing but then again i've heard that i shouldn't buy one until all the kinks have been worked out of them. I need something soon! Can someone just tell me which one to buy with how much space for efficient speed and storage?
 

Gold Member
Username: Illuminator

USA

Post Number: 2743
Registered: Apr-05
http://laptopmag.com/Tools/Guide/Notebooks/index.asp

That is a very clear guide that should help you greatly.
 

Gold Member
Username: Project6

Post Number: 7249
Registered: Dec-03
Apple will work best for the application you are trying to do. Windows based laptops have more kinks in it when it comes to video and photo editing.
 

Bronze Member
Username: Bachatero07

Post Number: 97
Registered: Mar-06
i agree. i dont have much experiance on apples myself. but most of the architects and studio engineers in the world cant be wrong. windows based PC's have to many issues. a lot of issues arent even resolved yet by the time a new windows comes out with its own set of issues. If you can afford it, go with the Apple PowerBook G4 with either the 12" or 17" lcd screen.
 

Gold Member
Username: Illuminator

USA

Post Number: 2809
Registered: Apr-05
I've actually enjoyed my multimedia experience more on Windows as opposed to Macintosh OS. Final Cut Pro hasn't been very reliable for me as well as iMovie and LiveType, even Windows Movie Maker runs more stable. Photoshop CS runs okay on Macs, but runs much more flawlessly on my Windows OS. The difference being I haven't had the program freeze at all whereas the entire Mac freezes on me if the program freezes. Microsoft Office programs run the same on both, however. This is from using multiple G5's (iMac included) and G4's on a daily basis.

Something that might make Macintosh systems more desirable to professionals would be their bigger monitor sizes that are easy to purchase or come standard (especially the 20"+ Cinema Display sizes), but LCD's and larger size monitors can easily be hooked up to Windows...additionally I haven't been very impressed by the quality of Mac LCD's. The color is not very vivid and they even seem to suffer from low contrast ratios.

Keep in mind you won't be able to go everywhere on the internet because many sites aren't set up properly for Macintosh-based browsers. Even ecoustics' header directory doesn't function properly on Mac browsers.
 

New member
Username: Kaich

NottinghamUK

Post Number: 1
Registered: Apr-06
"Keep in mind you won't be able to go everywhere on the internet because many sites aren't set up properly for Macintosh-based browsers. Even ecoustics' header directory doesn't function properly on Mac browsers."

This is nonsense! I had Windows for years and use the net daily. In the last year I've switched over completely to Apple and in the last month, Intel Apple. I can go where I like on the web and everything looks exactly as it does on a Dell Windows XP Desktop. Apple are light years ahead when it comes to video editing and supertior in colour. As for 'Mac Browsers' what can you mean?? I use Firefox, Opera and IE on Dell and Apple.
 

Gold Member
Username: Illuminator

USA

Post Number: 2840
Registered: Apr-05
No offense, but Dell is not that great of a computer brand in the first place, of course Mac looks better in comparison to a Dell. As for the browsers, I'm talking latest Internet Explorer for Macs and Safari. After trying to go to numerous websites, few work completely on a Mac.

I'm curious, however. Why did you switch to Macintosh?


 

New member
Username: Nuskratch

Post Number: 1
Registered: Aug-06
Maybe the sites aren't built very well then?
A good website designer would test a new site on multiple broswers on Windows and Mac.
 

Gold Member
Username: Illuminator

USA

Post Number: 4398
Registered: Apr-05

quote:

A good website designer would test a new site on multiple broswers on Windows and Mac.




How many crappy websites have you seen that weren't made by good designers? Plenty.

It's a fact, you can't go everywhere on Mac's internet browsers.
 

Bronze Member
Username: Elmagico

Post Number: 32
Registered: Sep-06
BEST LAPTOP TO DO VIDEO EDITING WOULD BE APPLE HERE IS A LINK http://www.apple.com/macbookpro/
 

Gold Member
Username: Illuminator

USA

Post Number: 4798
Registered: Apr-05
Woo, more mac advocates without valid reasoning as to why they're better.
 

New member
Username: Nuskratch

Post Number: 2
Registered: Aug-06
So, where can't you go using a mac browser then? I have both a mac and pc, and prefer the mac for video editing because I prefer to use Final Cut. That's just personal preference though, in fact the only reason I have a pc is to test websites cross-browser/platform.
 

New member
Username: Asa_pro

Post Number: 1
Registered: May-07
So far we heard a lot about the Mac's not much on what PC laptops to consider. Sarah if your still confused, What software are you familiar with? What video format DV,HDV,HD etc? Are you purely editing video or are you compositing as well?
Buy a system that meets your needs and thats within your budget.
Kind Regards
 

Silver Member
Username: Gavdawg

Upstate, New York

Post Number: 706
Registered: Nov-06
I myself also use a mac to do video editing. I use both Final Cut and iMovie.
 

New member
Username: Wweraw98765

Post Number: 2
Registered: Jun-07
I bump Gavins post, (apple) macs are great for video editing. Although you can also do video editing on a pc but either way your going to need a dual or quad core processor and a lot of ram, and hdd space, fast hard drive if possible, christ this could go on forever.

Dustin
 

New member
Username: Stubbyd

Post Number: 1
Registered: Jun-08
I am a long term (as in >20yrs) user of multiple platforms (MAC, PC and *nix) and have zero hangups about any of them and use all of them on a regular basis.

Personally I use a MAC for video editing but I know folks from the local college whom use their PC's because they have plenty of RAM, GPU power and fast hard drives. And even though they use MAC's at college they won't consider one for elsewhere.

That said, I was perusing the web for something else entirely recently and came across this beauty from Alienware. {http://www.alienware.co.uk/product_detail_pages/area-51_m9750/area-51m_overview.aspx?SysCode=PC-EU-LT-A51M9750&SubCode=SKU-DEFAULT

So if you really want a PC based architecture to do vid editing, then get out the bank loans and get spending. In short, if you prefer windows then there is nothing stopping you but I would still go with an Intel MAC box.

Hope this helps?
 

New member
Username: Rueberm

Post Number: 1
Registered: Nov-08
Ok... Just googled this.. Looking past the age old question of Mac vs Pc... Which is a different topic.

What PC laptop would anyone recommend? Alienware?

For those of you confused on the Mac PC thing.... Both of them work great. Both of them have qwerks. I would sugest looking at what software you want to use. If you Like FCP... get a Mac. If you like Avid of Adobe products get a PC. In my opinion they are more stable on a PC. Macs in theory should be more stable than a PC but there are always exceptions. I build servers and editing workstations.... I have never had any major problems with my systems (PC). I have had a lot of problems with over the counter PC's.
 

New member
Username: Joe121

Post Number: 1
Registered: Jul-10
For the past 10yrs im using windows movie maker. but now im having HD videos to edit and i cant do tht on windows coz its realy slow. i am not at all exposed to apple MAC. BUT I HAVE HEARD THAT ITS TOTALY A DIFFERENT WORLD N DOES MAGIC. im using acer aspire 5210.. can some1 give me an advice to wat i shud Buy....
 

Gold Member
Username: Illuminator

USA

Post Number: 5479
Registered: Apr-05
I think the only reason people think Macs are so magical for editing is because they just seized the marketing opportunity. At the time, Microsoft was all about marketing to business people, the learning community, etc. But they never really had a lot going with video editing. Even though PCs are just as good, Mac just decided to steal the marketing space.
 

Gold Member
Username: Doreenakadj

Canada

Post Number: 5785
Registered: Dec-06
sarah grace
what ever software you're using now (if you're using a PC now), that software will not work on a Mac.

Just saying
 

New member
Username: Dollface243

Post Number: 2
Registered: Nov-10
Maybe the sites aren't built very well then?
A good website designer would test a new site on multiple broswers on Windows and Mac
 

Gold Member
Username: Illuminator

USA

Post Number: 5501
Registered: Apr-05
Wow dollface, thanks for PLAGIARIZING someone else's post and further ruining the quality of this forum.
 

New member
Username: Boxvder

Post Number: 1
Registered: Mar-11
Honestly i much prefer using a pc for video editing I use sony vegas. I much prefer it over final cut or imovie. As for the whole
Website thing. Most websites arenot designed for safari the defaul
browser of macs.
 

New member
Username: Aekroeger

United States

Post Number: 1
Registered: May-11
I personally prefer PC to MAC. I used FCP all through High School and much prefer Adobe Premiere Pro. Premiere CS5 is much better for file formats both importing & exporting. My roommate cant even import an Avi into FCP and I can even import FCP project files. It is also much more customizable and personalized. I don't know about laptops and I am inquiring as well, I have a home built PC. Alienware is good, but evem more overpriced than MAC. I've heard HP isn't bad for an editor on a budget.
 

New member
Username: Texdig

Post Number: 1
Registered: May-11
Though Sarah is long gone and never had the decency to respond or thank any of us hard d's trying to help her, I just want everyone to understand that Macs are MAGIC machines. They are a gazillion light years ahead of pc's which have kinks and that's why all the architects and studio engineers in the universe use them ... you can't argue with those technical insights.

Meanwhile, I'll just tolerate editing 12 plus layers of AVCHD on a Toshiba Qosmio (windows7) laptop... it just works.
 

New member
Username: Rueberm

Post Number: 2
Registered: Nov-08
Paul, My wife has been trying to convince me of the same thing for years. The truth is that we have just as many problems with her computer as we do with any other computer. I don't see how Macs are so much better when all of the component manufactures make components for PC's. The only difference is the OS. For that sake I hope you were joking. It is very hard to see when someone is using sarcasm in a post.
 

New member
Username: Alleninch

Ca Usa

Post Number: 1
Registered: Jul-11
I use windows o s at work i have not seen a single mac yet.The companies i work for do the instant replay many types of sports including nfl redzone stats broadcast
 

New member
Username: Charles_roberts

Post Number: 1
Registered: Jul-11
Hum, I like to edit video, but Windows have many software, I don't know how to use
 

Silver Member
Username: Djsmith

Post Number: 549
Registered: May-11
down load Windows Live Essentials 2011

http://explore.live.com/windows-live-essentials?os=other
 

New member
Username: Texdig

Post Number: 2
Registered: May-11
https://www.ecoustics.com/electronics/forum/computers/208626.html#POST1951435 ...yes, michael, I was making fun, not cool, sorry ... As I re-read it, it did come off typical Mcfan. Yes I use a high powered laptop on windows and no, of course it's not limited by problems. Those days are well over, except for those not practicing good housekeeping. Perhaps those folk should stick with their proprietary computers and let us enjoy our untethered personal computers instead of getting ticked off and soap boxing their bizzarre love for a brand. Doing good work and pushing brand YOU is what the digital revolution is for ...not pushing coorporate hype with a band of monkeys. There's lots of good reading about emotional maturity accessible from both platforms. What's with the latest version of Final Cut? Some working media pros are dropping it's latest x version saying it has been dummied down and disappoints.
 

New member
Username: Cliff_satherley

London, London United Kingdom

Post Number: 1
Registered: Jul-11
Hey Paul,
I am also looking for a Laptop to do video editing, Ive been advised by friends to look at either the new top end MacBookPro 15" or the Dell XPS 17 L702x (I think thats the one not sure).
But my problem is I dont have a preference, only what's familiar, most places I have worked for have had Macs suits as there base for Editing. But I have also used windows based Editing suits just not as much. But operate perfectly I just I know windows have come along way now.
Im just wondering why Mac seems to be preferred over Windows and Which is best option laptop wise for me?

Any help would be great!
 

New member
Username: Texdig

Post Number: 3
Registered: May-11
I bought last year ...the outstander (between Asus Republic of Gamer, Dell's Alienware, and Toshiba Qosmio) was pretty much the Toshiba Qosmio x505 890 ... it serves me well, can even handle 10 layers of HD source material ...but that slows it down alot(what do you expect?) NOW they have significantly faster graphics and if you run Premiere Pro with it's Mercury playback engine, it must be uncanny... read the specs and reviews on the following and spend a little time seeing if ANY other laptop comes close, even at twice the price ...I know I want one!!! It's beautiful but realize it's big and heavy...a real machine. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004GTNCRO
 

New member
Username: Rueberm

Post Number: 3
Registered: Nov-08
10 Layers... that is impressive. I switch over to After Effects after 6 or 7. I looked at the Toshiba for an editing computer.
I thought that Clevo had the best offering of high end laptops
I think Boxx Computers uses Clevo as their manufacturer.
I ended up building a Supermicro Desktop for the power. It has a SSD hard drive in it. It makes a supper snappy OS... Programs open fast!
 

New member
Username: Texdig

Post Number: 4
Registered: May-11
Newer Toshibas are dropping the eSata out ...dumb. The Clevo sure is nice in it configurability! Thanks for the heads up!
 

New member
Username: Cliff_satherley

London, London United Kingdom

Post Number: 2
Registered: Jul-11
Thanks for getting back to me Paul...I do know I will get a better deal by choosing a PC over a Mac, I just trust mac computers a lot more to be more secure is all (I know that probs isnt true)...
My big problem is that a lot of computer talk is nothing but gobbledygook to me as im a very visual person (sorry) so stuff to do with CPU's, Graphics cards and Processors washes straight over my head (unfortunate I know).

So to put it bluntly I simply don't know whats the good (the best) or whats crap (not up to scratch).
I do know I need a lot of RAM, Powerful CPU and a top end Graphics Card to handle what I want to do but how can I compare?

Sorry if im being a little bit illiterate at this kind of thing...
 

New member
Username: Texdig

Post Number: 5
Registered: May-11
Ram and CPU speed are said to be more important than graphics card however you want stability and compatibility. Check on the graphics cards recommended for use with Premiere Pro's mercury playback (if using PPro). It takes lots of searching and forum discussion to weed out the best ...don't know any short cuts and need to catch up on the latest myself ! Just found this...direct and pertinent to PPro: http://ppbm5.com/News.html
 

New member
Username: Shafiq_riser

Post Number: 1
Registered: Aug-11
juz buy a mac and bootcamp. but if u r a bit cheapscate, go to this link
http://www.hackintosh.com
 

New member
Username: Warfywings

Post Number: 2
Registered: Aug-11
If you are looking for a laptop for video or image editing purposes then Mac is the ultimate choice for it. But you can also go for Sony VGN FZ21E, Toshiba Saterlite p2001EE, or Dell XPSM130 notebooks that provide excellent speed and storage capacity.
 

Bronze Member
Username: Kevinwhite

Post Number: 20
Registered: Aug-11
Apple's products perform well especially in video editing area. Video editing tools like FCP is no doulbt the best one for professional work.

In a word, Apple is more suitable for work while Windows does well in home entertainment and personal application.
 

New member
Username: Habegnan

Post Number: 1
Registered: Oct-11
I have lots of videos of trips and family stuff that I want to edit and burn to a DVD. I am looking for a laptop that will let me do video editing but is also good for browsing the web, etc. I am thinking of a mac but I am used to the pc. Will there be too much of a learning curve to try editing on a system I'm not used to?}
 

Platinum Member
Username: Project6

Post Number: 16002
Registered: Dec-03
The learning curve is not very steep on a Mac. it is actually very simple to use. You will take to it very quickly.
 

New member
Username: Rueberm

Post Number: 4
Registered: Nov-08
Operating systems are really easy to learn. I grew up with PCs and my wife has a Mac. Her parents are Mac people and are in need of a new computer. I couldn't believe my ears when my wife told them not to get a Mac. She said "for the money PCs are just as good." And by the way KevinWhite is wrong. A ton of people have moved away from FCP and are now using Adobe Premier. This will run the same on a Mac and a PC. Traditionally Avid has been the top dog in editing. Some of there stuff in the past has been Mac compatible and most of it has been PC compatible. There is a ton of software out there. Figure out which one you want to use, Find out it it is PC, Mac, or Linux compatible and then choose from there. FCP is still a good program to edit with. If you want to use it you need a Mac. If you are going to be working in 3D especially with CAD files you are probably going to need a PC.

I would say the exact opposite of what KevinWhite stated.
"In a word PCs are more suitable for work while Apple does well in home entertainment and personal applications." They are more and more a "gadget" company and have forgotten about their pro users.
 

Platinum Member
Username: Project6

Post Number: 16039
Registered: Dec-03
Explain this claim..."forgotten about their pro users". How did you come about this conclusion?
 

New member
Username: Rueberm

Post Number: 5
Registered: Nov-08
No problem. FCPX has lost many features from it's previous version. It was a big deal once it came out. One of the most famous complaints was on the Conan O'Brien show. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxKYuF9pENQ. Just today I saw that FCP was coming out with yet another update to bring back functionality, namely multicamera editing. My comment was to point out that it took a long time for FCPX to come out and many people were disappointed. It didn't take long for the ipad2 to come out after the original ipad. This kind of thing frustrates those of us who edit video for a living.
 

Platinum Member
Username: Project6

Post Number: 16047
Registered: Dec-03
I find that odd. I've always viewed Mac as some niche for the specialized user, specially those that are involved in the multimedia field.

But, since they put back the user functionality, it may mean they are listening to the professional users. But then again, if they are cycling thru waves of removal for a new version and return for the updates and such, it could just be a revenue maker.
 

New member
Username: Arifpoetrayunar

Post Number: 1
Registered: Feb-12
The learning curve is not very steep on a Mac. it is actually very simple to use. You will take to it very quickly.
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