Whats the Best Laptop for Video and Photo Editing?

Forums › Laptops and mobile computers › Whats the Best Laptop for Video and Photo Editing? - Budget Max $2500

Wyvern

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Master Geek
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#54418 17-Dec-2009 10:18

Can anyone please provide some advice on how I get the best bang for my buck here?

Actually I'm trying to help my bro out here... Hes going to be using Avid software and will be editing both still photos and HD videos (hes a photographer and cameraman).

Budget is an issue so he cant go over the $2500k mark. He'd prefer a Laptop rather than desktop as he is mobile and will be working on different locations.

Perhaps a...

Macbook Pro 15 inch - NZ$ 2,899.00
2.53GHzIntel Core 2 Duo
4GB Memory
250GB hard drive
SD card slot
NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics

.. could get extra external storage to beef it up? Can a Mac run Avid though? Should the budget be blown to stretch for a Mac?

or a

Studio XPS 16 - NZ$ 2,199.00
Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor P8700 (2.53GHz/ 1066 FSB/ 3MB Cache)
Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium 64bit (English)
4GB (2 X 2GB) Dual Channel 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM
500GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive
Obsidian Black 15.6 " 1080p WUXGA (1920x1080) WLED Full HD Display w/ 2MP cam
1GB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4670

or any other suggestions?

Help much appreciated!

Cheers,
A.

Wyvern

freitasm

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#283381 17-Dec-2009 10:56

Checked some of the HP dv7 models?

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vinnieg

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#283415 17-Dec-2009 11:45

+1 on the Dv7 models :)

Could you budget in another $49?

XPS16 configured with more Ram, iCore I7 Instead

Genuine Windows? 7 Home Premium 64bit (English)
Intel? Core? I7-720QM Processor (1.6GHz, turbo up to 2.8GHz, 6MB L3 Cache)
Microsoft(R) Works 9.0 (Does Not Include Microsoft(R) Office 2003/2007 Software)
1-year XPS Premier Service with 1-year CompleteCover
McAfee(R) Security Center 10 (Multi Language) - 2 Years
6GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM (1 x 2GB + 1 x 4GB)
500GB SATA 7200RPM Hard Drive
Slot Load 8X DVD+/-RW Drive with DVD+R double layer write capability
ATI Mobility RADEON(R) HD 4670 - 1GB
Dell 1520 Wireless-N card
15.6" Edge to Edge Full High Definition (1080p) Display with TrueLife(TM )-Obsidian Black

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vinnieg

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#283416 17-Dec-2009 11:46

Oh and if you get the XPS16, get the red edition for free ;)

Everyone knows, red goes faster

I have moved across the ditch. Now residing in Melbourne as a VOIP/Video Technical Trainer/Engineer.

browned

636 posts

Ultimate Geek
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#283431 17-Dec-2009 12:23

Another option I see.

Asus N61JA-JX046X Notebook
Core i5-430M 2.4GHz
4GB RAM
500GB HDD
16" TFT
DVD writer
WLAN
Bluetooth
Win 7 Professional

Just on 2K including.

But the best thing you can get to speed up a notebook would be a decent size SSD. I see a few HP Elitebooks have them in your price range.

HP EliteBook 6930p, Core 2 Duo P8700 2.53 GHz, 2GB RAM, 80GB HDD, 14.1" TFT, DVD writer, WLAN, Firewire, Win XP Pro, SSD, with Windows 7 Professional Licence for $2650 including.

HP Probook 5310m, Core 2 Duo SP9300 2.26 GHz, 2GB RAM, 128GB HDD, 13.3" TFT, No optical drives, WLAN, Bluetooth, Win XP Pro, SSD, 3G, with Windows 7 Professional Licence for $2580 including.

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vinnieg

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#283462 17-Dec-2009 15:20

The Asus you just mentioned has a 5730M which would be very suitable for video/photo editing too :)

I have moved across the ditch. Now residing in Melbourne as a VOIP/Video Technical Trainer/Engineer.

AncestralGeek

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#283567 17-Dec-2009 22:40

Is the i5-430M already released or is it scheduled for a late January launch. Also it may be clocked at 2.26GHz rather than 2.4GHz.

The N61JA is going to worth a look though.

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browned

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Ultimate Geek
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#283637 18-Dec-2009 09:27

The i5 and i7 cpus are damn powerful and we just built a CAD PC at work with an i7, 12GB ram, and ATI 5750 video card. It is an awesome machine....but....the first build with a 1TB Seagate HDD had nothing on our specially ordered Super *Talent 64GB SSD with Trim.

You would not believe how much of a difference it made and one would expect an even bigger performance increase moving from a 2.5" laptop drive to an SSD. Run OS/Pagefile on the SSD and it will be damn quick.

Anyway no stock would suggest it is not available yet but soon will be. http://www.ascent.co.nz/productspecification.aspx?ItemID=384545

Wyvern

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Master Geek
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#283648 18-Dec-2009 09:52

Thanks heaps for all your help people :) ... Am busy looking into all your suggestions now... one question though...

Is Asus a good enough brand? I'm used to looking at Sony, Tosh, HP, Apple and maybe Dells when it comes to laptops but I'm not sure how reliable others like Asus are.... they are certainly cheaper than others huh!

Wyvern

browned

636 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 36

#283654 18-Dec-2009 09:57

Asus comes with a 24 month return to base warranty, most others will only supply one year by default.