5400 rpm drive

M

Mavoz

Well-known member
Hi, I'm in the position where work is buying me a laptop computer related to my job ....I would like to be able to use it for the odd bit of mini dv video editing with Premiere Pro 2.0...but my trouble is the recommended supplier we have has a great system and great price available ....with 2 catches:

5400 rpm drive only
No dedicated Firewire

Will a 5400 rpm drive cope with video editing?
Will a PCMCIA firewire solution work ok?

Or should I really just try and get a different notebook?

(I've specced up a Dell machine with just the additions of dedicated firewire and 7200rpm drive...and the cost goes up by nearly a third over what I can get the Acer for)

Thanks for any advice!!

Full Specs of machine that is a great deal is:

Acer TravelMate 5625WSMi - B Centrino Duo Performance Desktop Replacement
Standard:
* Intel Centrino Duo mobile technology
* Intel 945PM Express chipset
* Long life Lithium Ion battery up to 3.5 hrs life
* NVIDIA GeForce Go 7300 with up to 256MB TurboCache
* Intel High-Definition audio support, built-in speakers, microphone, S/PDIF support
* Built-in 56Kbps international fax/modem
* 10/100/1000 LAN & 802.11a/b/g Wi-Fi with SignalUp
* Integrated Bluetooth 2.0 EDR (Enhanced Data Rate)
* Integrated 1.3 mega pixel Acer Orbicam with 225-degree rotation
* FineTouch ergonomic keyboard with launch & programmable keys
* Built-in touch-pad with ergonomic buttons and 4-way integrated scroll key
* Acer Disk Anti-Shock Protection (DASP)
* 5-in-1 card reader (SD, MMC, MS, MS Pro, xD)
* Four USB 2.0 ports
* Weight: 3.79 kg
OPERATING SYSTEM:
Genuine Windows XP Professional
CPU:
Intel Core 2 Duo T7200 (2.0GHz, 4MB cache, 667MHz FSB)
SCREEN:
17" WXGA+ high-brightness widescreen (resolution 1440 x 900 @ 16.7 million colours)
MEMORY:
1024MB PC4200 DDR2-SDRAM
MEMORY 2:
None
HARD DRIVE:
120GB (5400rpm) hard drive
OPTICAL DRIVE:
DVD-Super Multi Dual Layer drive
PC CARD:
1 Type II slot
CARRY BAG:
TravelSlim (17")
PRODUCTIVITY SOFTWARE:
No additional software
WARRANTY:
3 years Pickup and Return Service - Supplied by United Electrical
 
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Everything I've ever read says that 5400 is NOT fast enough for video.

As far as PCMCIA firewire cards are concerned, I use one for my external drives without any issues. Howerver, I don't use it to capture through, I use the onboard firewire port. I believe I initially used it to capture through with no problems, but had some issues playing out to my external monitor with it.
 
5400 Will Edit SD, but Dont even think about some HD, Im not sure about capturing it either. (HD or SD)
 
You should be OK with both the 5400 RPM drive and the PCMCIA 1394 interface for SD work on a notebook, but to really get PPro 2 to run smoothly, it should be run on a high end desktop machine. If you can throw more resources at it, double the RAM to 2 GB if the budget allows.
 
I agree with khmus. A 5400 drive is fine for Standard Def. It's when you get into HD that a 7200 drive becomes necessary.

I edit on a laptop currently and I'm fine with my configuration:

60GB 5400RPM HDD + 7200RPM external drives
2GB RAM
Intel P4 3.6GHz processor.

This is what you really need for Premiere Pro 2. I have to say though that you don't really have to have a desktop to edit SD. You could edit just fine- I have been for a year and 1/2. Editing HD on a laptop is plausible, but not recommended. You don't really need a dedicated firewire port either. Just get some USB 2.0 Drives. Technically speaking, they are just as fast as FW400.
 
ChrisLyon said:
. I have to say though that you don't really have to have a desktop to edit SD. You could edit just fine- I have been for a year and 1/2. Editing HD on a laptop is plausible, but not recommended. You don't really need a dedicated firewire port either. Just get some USB 2.0 Drives. Technically speaking, they are just as fast as FW400.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the feedback...I have my own PC at home for regular editing - I just wanted something that I could use for the occasional school job...(eg. Graduation Video Highlights etc)

Regarding USB 2....how does one go about capturing from a regular Mini DV camera without firewire? Is there a adaptor available from USB 2 to Firewire? (Apparently a lot of the new laptops don't even have firewire ports...so what is the go here?)

Thanks,

Matt
 
Are you kidding? Most laptops today have firewire. It's just not the standard 6-pin you would see on a desktop computer. It looks more like the one found on your camera. It's called 4-pin. Check it out and see if you have one.

But if it is the case that you have no firewire, there is no FW->USB that I know of. The best option is to get a PCMCIA card with firewire ports on them like you mentioned in your OP.
 
ChrisLyon said:
Are you kidding? Most laptops today have firewire..
Click to expand...

Actually that's what I would have thought too...our local supplier just went through all the models they have available (Acer/Toshiba/Fujitsu from memory) and said he was struggling to find any models that had firewire....

...I guess I may have just made the mistake of believing a salesman! He also seemed to think most video editing was moving towards USB 2 and not firewire these days....hmm...must say I was sceptical of that claim too...since all the cameras and video editing I have worked with has been via firewire...
 
Yeah. That's a negative, Ghost Rider. Until you start to see pro cameras loose firewire then you can't trust what he says. He was probably thinking 6-pin. That's my guess.

Check again with someone who knows what they are talking about. This means don't trust anyone at Best Buy or Circuit City. I used to work at Suckit City. I had to teach everyone in the technology department about computers when I started working there because we had customers walking out because no one new anything.
 
I do still see a lot of laptops (PC) without firewire. The consumer industry never really grasped firewire as much as USB, the main exception actually being camcorders. If it wasn't for mini DV, who knows if it would have become as standard. Another unrelated, annoying thing is that (PC) laptops usually have the 4 pin port which sucks if you have any bus powered firewire devices. That shouldn't effect you, but in either case you can simply pick up one of those PCMCIA cards for $20. Then you have extra ports in case you want to pop a drive on too. Sure you can edit at 5400, but it wont be as fast, especially if its your main drive and its fragmented.
 
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