Looking for a laptop that will run CS5 without hiccups.

J

Jordan_S

Veteran
My research so far has mired me in threads on other boards that consist of lengthy techno-babble arguments. No thanks. Adobe's requirements seem to have resulted in bickering among hardware experts.

Just looking for a manufacturer and model. Preferably if you use/have used it. I like Sony and Asus but it need not be. Could be a Dell with the right options.

Want to keep it under $2000 for sure. The cheaper, the better, but I'm willing to invest in a good screen, etc.

If you want to sell a used laptop that meets the above-stated requirements, please pm me.

Thanks in advance for assistance.
 
Any high end laptop will run CS5 without hiccups.

No laptop will edit AVCHD/DSLR footage natively without hiccups.
 
Thanks for the replies. Please excuse my questions below if they demonstrate ignorance, which is probably the case. Haven't bought a computer in four years and haven't kept up with what's what. If it's more convenient to post a link for recommended reading on getting caught up, please feel free to do so.

You like Toshiba, Jason? My wife had one and it didn't last more than two years due to overheating problems. Just one experience. My Vaio's motherboard died a few weeks ago after five years but my wife uses an older Vaio of mine that's six years old. I'm currently using a weaker Vaio that I found at a pawnshop four years ago. But the brand doesn't really matter so much, right? The internals come from a variety of sources, correct?

Is it worthwhile to get full HD if you're only using the laptop's screen?

Phil: I'd like to find out more about what you're saying. How bad are the hiccups? Before effects or after?
 
Honestly, I have had bad luck with laptops the last several years. I've used HP (who I will never buy another laptop from), acer, asus, and gateway the last 3-4 years. Of my big laptops, all have failed, or have overheating issues or one thing or another. Maybe I'm just unlucky :)

Have a little netbook that is still ticking along.

I haven't used a toshiba... Brand can be somewhat important... At least there will be a body of evidence in terms of how one company's customer service/support is over another, and if one company has a habit of releasing shitty products.

Other than that... I'd recommend looking at some that have been out long enough where you can find a decent amount of user reviews and make sure any reports of issues are isolated, and not common to the model across a base of users.

Anyways... If I were looking at one in your price range, I would probably consider one of those toshiba, based on specs/price... I'm not really in the loop though, and would probably try a different brand, just b/c at this point (if it were me). I know Barry likes Lenovo a lot for price:performance ratio. Or, at least he did, last time I read him talking about laptops. Might be worth looking into as well.

Later,
Jason
 
Editing h.264 footage will just not be very smooth. Effects will further slow it down but it depends on the effect (Colorista won't even play).

Is a laptop a requirement? You'd get way more computer if you went the desktop route.
 
I'd rather get a desktop but I live in Israel, where computer prices are obnoxious, so a friend will bring one to me from the U.S. I actually brought a desktop a number of years ago on the plane but it was a very stressful experience (taking care of it, not knowing if I'd have to pay customs fees, etc.).

Thanks for reminding me about Barry and Lenovo, Jason. I had been searching for a thread in which he had mentioned having success with a laptop. Couldn't recall the brand.

edit: I think the reason laptops can't edit h.264 natively is because none are available with graphics cards that Adobe recommends.

Looking at the Alienware M15x or maybe a 17x. Just need to figure out the specs. I'm OK continuing to transcode to DNxHD. I guess, like with the Vaios, I'm a sucker for a sexy laptop. But, really, I like the fact that I can still capture with firewire, it's got an esata port, and an expresscard slot (which I use for two external hard drives using an esata connection). Dell packs a lot into these and they've got some deals in their outlet store.
 
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I think the reason laptops can't edit h.264 natively is because none are available with graphics cards that Adobe recommends.
Click to expand...

The graphics card is not used for simple playback. Only certain effects are accelerated on the GPU.
 
If you can find a laptop that has a NVIDIA Quadro 5000M, you'll probably be able to edit native H.264/AVCCAM footage just fine.
 
Do you think there's a reason to pay $150-$300 more for an i7 instead of an i5, i3, or Core 2 Duo processor?

I'm looking at systems only having 1GB of dedicated graphics and at least 4 GB of RAM. Is it better to have more RAM than a newer processor? Or the reverse?

Anyone with a 17" laptop willing to state it's worth an extra $200 over a 15"?
 
there was time single CPU isnt fast enough to do audio production with all the plugins in realtime. but that is the past now. if you own a quadcore theres very little chance u will run out of cpu unless u are using non cpu optimized plugins all the way.

for video and visual effects... i dont think theres anything as too fast unless you are editing 480p only material.

get i7 and 8GB of ram... 4GB isnt quite enough with premiere cs5

put money on the CPU first instead of 17in lcd
15 is okay, better than not having enough power, unless the 17in is much more accurate than 15... than.. it depends
 
Just plunked down the cash for a refurbished Alienware M17X10 with an I7-740QM,M17XR2, 8gb RAM, 640 gb hard drive, 1 gb graphics card...this will be by far the most powerful computer I've ever owned...the 17" screen is going to be quite welcome...I have no excuses for not creating a submission for VillainFest...

Thanks for the help, y'all.
 
Is LED worth $100 more than CCFL?

Is LED worth $100 more than CCFL?

Not happy at all with Dell. What was sent did not match what was ordered. First three times I called, I was disconnected after being placed on hold. Unstated reason: not during business hours. Next call, after waiting 10 minutes, I was told that their system was down and that I should call back "in a couple hours". Then, next call: spent 30 minutes on hold getting tossed around. Bottom line is it's going back. I cannot recommend Dell at all.

I'm comparing two identical Asus laptops with the sole difference being the screen. One is LCD and one is CCFL. Is LED worth $100 more???
 
I'd choose a Macbook Pro. I have a 17", dual core (not new i7 or whatever) and it runs smooth.

I added a Sonnet raid via the Expresscard34 and its perfect. I edit footage from Canon 7d (h264) and a Sony Xdcam Ex1.
 
I won't go on about how infuriating it was dealing with Dell. Suffice to say, I will never buy a Dell again.

Ordered a refurbished Asus G51Jx-X5 from good ol' B&H. Just have to wait for them to reopen.

1.6GHz Intel Core i7-720QM
6 GB RAM 1066MHz DDR3 (Some units, I've read, arrive with 1333MHz) 8 GB capacity
nVIDIA GeForce GTS 360M with 1GB GDDR5 SDRAM
1920 x 1080
2 Hard Drive Bays, 1 500GB 7200 RPM installed
4x USB 2.0 (A)
1x eSATA
1x FireWire-400 (4-Pin)
1x VGA
1x HDMI
1x ExpressCard/54 Slot

At the risk of looking like a fool to anyone who chances this thread in the future, when such a system will seem like child's play, I paid $900.

Quite pleased and I know there will be no problems whatsoever dealing with B&H [edit (May 29): I was very wrong about this. Read below.]

It'll also be nice to be able to render some projects that I've finished editing.
 
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Although B&H's listing of the specs said there are two hard drive bays, that was not the case. I've written to B&H's customer service department. It will be interesting to see how they respond. The following is my letter:

I bought the refurbished Asus G51JX-X5 laptop that was advertised on your site as having a second hard drive slot. However, that is not the case. The bay looks like it was originally intended for an extra HD, but is occupied by installed memory. More importantly, ASUS has removed the connector, so there is no way to hook it up to the motherboard.

I don't want to return the laptop because it is now with me in Israel; however, now I'm responsible for shipping both ways ($45) for an internal hard drive I ordered based on your information about the computer. Obviously, there was a need to send it back. A refund of $45 is in order because it was B&H's error. In fact, you have another unit for sale now with the same exact (and incorrect) listing info.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.
 
Sorry for being late about this, but if you want to run CS5 and do 5D MkII without a hiccup. Well I got a Asus G73S and it will do it all. Under $2000 from Fry's. It has i7 processor with tubo boots, 8 megs of ram, 2 hard drives and a Nvidia card with 1.5g of memory. Just check Asus web site. What great about this design is that the hot air goes out from the back.
 
Three days later, I received this reply:

We will have to do research and see what happened here and where the mistake lies. If we made an error and there was some misinformation then a discount might be in order, pending supervisor approval. We will be sure to keep you advised and certainly appreciate your correspondence and patronage.

BH Used Dept.
 
Didn't receive an update from B&H a week later, so I sent this email:

BH Used Dept. ,

Have you completed your research?

Although the sales page disappeared from your site after I bought it, it has remained under Google's cache and it clearly states that there are two hard drive slots under B&H's description of the laptop's specifications.

Jordan

I attached a pdf of Google's cache.
 
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