New Laptop for Me (Son of Million Year Old Dad)

CrankyCarrot on 28/06/2017 - 14:57
Last edited 28/06/2017 - 14:59

Now that dad has a shiny new laptop to complain about (he's literally complaining about how shiny it is), it's time to sort myself out with a new machine. So all you philanthropic OzBargainers who love to share the knowledge, here's what I'm after:

Budget is relatively flexible, but I'm basically aiming for around $1000…to maybe $1500 for something really nice (edit: Hell, since I plan to use this machine a lot I might even stretch to 2k, since that seems to be be where the consensus is on the max bang for buck amount to spend on a lappy).

This laptop is going to travel a fair a bit, in Aus and abroad. As such, I need it to be relatively lightweight and fairly robust. I write and type a lot, so a decent keyboard will go a long way with me too.

Spec-wise I'm going for the best my money can get me, say an i7 with a 8gb+ of DDR4 ram and a 256gb SSD drive. I'd prefer a matte screen since those reflections can get annoying when you're outdoors.

Primarily I want to be able to use this for editing video in something like Premiere Pro, and some Photoshop stuff also. I really have no idea about the specs needed for that, but I understand a good GPU can actually be of benefit. Does anyone else on these forums edit video, for fun or for a living, using a 14" notebook?

There were some good deals on the E470 like every other week before - would that be capable of editing 720p and up video?

Also, where's that final humpday e-Bay clearance sale everyone has been speculating about? The one where it's 20%+ off?

Cheers guys,

CC

Electrical & Electronics

Comments

  • jpv on 28/06/2017 - 15:09

    Personally I'm using a 2013 MacBook Pro but I can't justify spending 1.5k+ for a new MacBook Pro. Doing some research, I found that the Dell XPS or the HP Spectre are great options.
    My workmate had the XPS and he said it was the best since he travels around a lot. Most of the work was programming.
    This article might help you out with your decision.

    • CrankyCarrot on 28/06/2017 - 15:29

      Thanks jpv

      I'll check it out. I have heard MacBook Pros are the go-to for video editing, but as a lifelong PC user I'd feel more comfortable going for equivalent specs in a Windows based machine.

  • Zylam Marex on 28/06/2017 - 15:30

    For 2K I'd say you missed a pretty sweet deal:

    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/314852

    Was going to pull the trigger myself but I don't need a new machine right now and even then I was super tempted. The only downside is no touch screen. (If that's an issue for you).

    For now if you need something fast, I'd say maybe buy in the 1200 range locally from JB, you'd get something decent like an i5 (or maybe even i7) with 8GB ram, possible SSD (even if it doesn't have one you can add one yourself) however anything under 1600 is kind of heavy and maybe an obstacle for you.

    On the other hand maybe just keep an eye on ozbargain for something similar like the one above. Lenovo I know usually have some decent deals frequently.

  • scrimshaw on 28/06/2017 - 15:36

    T470 is on sale for $1299 (lousy base config with 1366 x 768 display and 4G RAM)
    $1499 if you want FHD display and 8G RAM, 256 SSD storage.

    http://www3.lenovo.com/au/en/laptops/professional/thinkpad-t…

    Very solid build quality made for business usage.

    It has Thunderbolt 3 via USB Type C interface. Offer ends 30 Jun

    Related Lenovo laptops on sale
    E570p (15 inch behemoth with strong Quad core processor and Nvidia 1050 Ti graphics)
    E470 (14 inch, dual core Core i7-U laptop with mainstream 940mx GPU)

    • CrankyCarrot on 28/06/2017 - 15:39

      TBH I'm really only starting out with video editing as a 'hobby that may turn into a career' at this stage.

      I'd be using footage shot from my amateur, but presumably capable, Moto G4+.

      Those E470s that are always on sale (at around $700-$800) aren't good enough to edit video on?

      • scrimshaw on 28/06/2017 - 15:43
        +1

        For short 20-30 minute videos I think a dual core i7 processor should be adequate.

        If you intend to edit longer high bitrate movies shot from a dedicated video recording camera, you should probably seek a Core i5-HQ CPU.

        (In case you didn't know, the "HQ" at the end of a CPU model name indicates it's a high performance quad core part, which outperforms a "U" model)

        In terms of build quality, I think the T-series is probably your best bet. Will stand up to punishment (being dropped or squashed in your luggage bag for example.)

        The E470 is not as tough…

        • CrankyCarrot on 28/06/2017 - 15:45

          Yeah, no feature-length stuff for me… yet.

          I did not know that about the HQ vs U model CPUs. So an i5 can be better than an i7. This is what I post on here (and Whirlpool) to learn.

        • CrankyCarrot on 28/06/2017 - 15:46

          "The E470 is not as tough…"

          It may not be durable, but spec-wise could it stand up to the task? Say 20-30 min vids at 720p?

        • scrimshaw on 28/06/2017 - 15:54

          @crankycarrot:

          They both have the same CPU type, but the E470 has the added bonus of discrete GPU. However, since kaby lake can natively transcode H265 video, the ROI on a discrete GPU is not really that high. The choice of CPU is way more important in your case. But they're the same…so…

          So you shouldn't expect much difference between the two systems, performance wise. Of course, the E-series is better for gaming, if you're into that sort of thing.

        • CrankyCarrot on 28/06/2017 - 15:57

          @scrimshaw:

          I'm definitely into gaming, when I can snatch away the time.

          So one of the new Kaby Lake CPUs can negate the need to offload any real work to the GPU when editing video?

        • enzioFirenze on 28/06/2017 - 16:17

          @crankycarrot: if you are doing 720p editing, that's a piece of cake for any recent laptop with at least i5 + 8GB, graphics card isn't going to add much, it'll get progressively resource intensive as you increase the resolution and 4k is a separate ballpark altogether and a PC is recommended. Heck my 6800k with 64GB RAM and 1080ti stutters when I edit 4k videos.

        • CrankyCarrot on 28/06/2017 - 19:24

          @enzioFirenze:

          Ah, good to know. Since I'm returning to editing video after a 10 year hiatus, I just want to start with simple things and (re)learn the basics.

          Photoshop wouldn't be anywhere near as resource intensive, right?

  • CrankyCarrot on 28/06/2017 - 15:43

    Added incentive here is the TRS Refund scheme as I may well be headed overseas within the next 2 months. Should be another 10% off, so around $100-$200 with my budget.

  • CrankyCarrot on 28/06/2017 - 15:55

    PS There's no way I can make do with anything under 1080p. Those machines with good specs and sub FHD screens boggle the mind (ie Dad's Acer Aspire F1 with SSD, i5, 8gb RAM and… 1366 x 768 screen!)

    • scrimshaw on 28/06/2017 - 15:57

      high resolution displays are essential for video editing. Most professional youtubers would edit video on a display greater than 1080p (usually either on a single 4k monitor, or two smaller monitors side by side).

      • CrankyCarrot on 28/06/2017 - 16:02
        +1

        Really? Most people would only be watching on a 1080P feed at best, no?

        I sort of figure if I'm going to go and try and be a Youtube celebrity, my content would have to be appealing enough at 720p to get the numbers to justify spending any more on hardware to up my game to 1080p+

        I don't think higher res will make my goofy travel videos any more funny. In fact I myself am way more attractive at a lower resolution.

        • CrankyCarrot on 28/06/2017 - 16:03

          I'm a 360p 7.5 and a 1080p 4.

        • enzioFirenze on 28/06/2017 - 16:19

          @crankycarrot: mate if you upload the video at 1080p, it'll reflect better when you watch it in 720p than a native 720p video.

        • CrankyCarrot on 28/06/2017 - 19:31

          @enzioFirenze:

          That's counter intuitive.

          Ok, so then I need a machine that can do 1080p then. Maybe I'll have a look at all the i5HQs out there. Would be nice to have a zippy CPU anyway.

          Do you edit on a laptop or desktop only?

        • enzioFirenze on 28/06/2017 - 23:33

          @crankycarrot: I do 4K so it's mostly desktop, Premiere is actually better, DaVinci Resolve stutters endless at times, Photoshop is a breeze in a laptop as well.

        • CrankyCarrot on 29/06/2017 - 17:10

          @enzioFirenze:

          Good to know about Photoshop. I've only ever used Premiere anyway - definitely can't stomach stutters/dropped frames.

        • enzioFirenze on 29/06/2017 - 17:52

          @crankycarrot: yeah it sucks, I think it's an issue with Davinci though cz I think I kinda have a good gig so it should work, Premiere works effortlessly.

        • CrankyCarrot on 29/06/2017 - 18:22

          @enzioFirenze:

          Do you think there's any real advantage or need for a touchscreen in a laptop?

        • enzioFirenze on 29/06/2017 - 18:31

          @crankycarrot: for your needs, not really. It helps if you get something like Surface for Photoshop but the typical touchscreen laptops aren't good for drawing on them so I don't think it'll be beneficial for you mate.

        • CrankyCarrot on 29/06/2017 - 19:23

          @enzioFirenze:

          Yeah, seems that way.

  • CrankyCarrot on 29/06/2017 - 18:28

    This really makes me think a touchscreen laptop is a bad idea. I plan to mostly carry a mouse with me for extended sessions of whatever.

    https://www.laptopmag.com/articles/dont-buy-a-touch-screen-l…

  • HeWhoKnows on 29/06/2017 - 22:26

    Very nice one going very cheap at Australia Post right now.
    Why would you need anything better???
    And resale value is still crap after 3 or 4 years no matter what you get

  • CrankyCarrot on 30/06/2017 - 20:28

    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/316233

    Seriously considering that E570P that's available for under 1k now…

    Even though it's way bulkier than what I was previously aiming for. At least I should have no troubles editing 1080P video on the sucker…

    Aaaannnd it appears to be sold out. So they only had 10 of these things?

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join