Need Custom Laptop for Adobe Premiere

You need a separate drive for you OS and programs. You want to keep this program drive separate from the drive you will use for your working data files.
 
So, this is about the 2TD Hard Drive that's included...
Are you saying I should have at least 2-2TB HDD's?
Is that what your saying?

I read that I can just patrician the hard drive where the OS would be and the software.
Because other than the OS, and the Adobe Premiere Software, I don't know what else Id need to be installing or saving on it

I do have an external 2TB Hard Drive. So, I dont know it that will help with anything.

Wait.. what about the other computers I mentioned before? How is that different for those?
 
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Keep it simple.

Advice is multiple drives are required.. 1x Drive for your OS and Applcication. 120 - 250 GB is more than adequate. (either SSD or Fast HDD)

Additional Drives for Media and Projects. Minimum of 2.
1 or 2 TBs are fine for each of these.

External drives can cause issues for directly editing from so Local Installled drives are advised.

(Use the externals for back ups and transfers etc)
 
Okay okay...

OH! I see what I did wrong. I though the 16GB DDR3 was also a hard drive. Thats just the RAM.
So, this computer has only 1 Hard Drive (2TB), while the others had two. (An SSD & a 2TD HDD)

So, If I were to go with this system, Id keep everything as it is and just purchase an additional SSD for the OS.
I gotcha.
 
I am SO close to figuring out what I need.

I just wanted to say, thanks a lot for all the help. I went from knowing absolutely nothing about computer stuff, to knowing a heck of a lot, all in 2 days.
I know what to look for now, and what to avoid. There are a lot of things that I don't know, but hopefully they aren't what I need or are looking for, so I don't need to worry about it. :) So, thanks again!

I understand why Id need multiple Hard Drives. But, due to my budget, I will only be able to afford 1 Hard Drive. (1 Main SSD for OS/Software & 1 HDD for everything else)
But, I will need help later down the road figuring out how to divide everything up, and how to keep my computer fresh and fast all the time. So, like right off the bat, if there is anything on the computer that needs to be gone, it should go.
I hear that when I go on websites, everything is stores, fonts, images, etc. Well, I should also know how to organize this and my files so its not littering my computer and slowing it down. But, when I get the computer soon, I will start a new question (thread) I guess, for some additional tips and help.

RAM QUESTION:
I have 16GB of RAM. Is that enough?
Is it best to have 4GBx4 or 8GBx2?

I will be buying the computer before I hit the road to College in the fall.
Hopefully I get it by the end of August. So, I am still browsing around comparing prices and seeing if I can improve on anything without going over the $2,000 CAD budget. (Not including the monitor/keyboard/mouse)

This is what I am currently at:

http://cdn.viglink.com/api/click?fo...E16883229326&jsonp=vglnk_jsonp_13435415244341
ORIGINAL $1,920
NEW =$2,025 (Yes, over my $2,000 budget, but hopefully I can sacrifice $25. Not including the taxes :Drogar-Thinking(DBG[SUB]​[/SUB])

Processor
Intel i7 3820

Graphics Card
Nvidia GeForce GTX 680

*Hard Drive
1[SUP]st[/SUP] – ………………………………………………………………………………………. OCZ Vertex 3-120GB SSD $105
2[SUP]nd[/SUP] – 2TB HDD

RAM
16GB DDR3 4x4

PSU
1000w

Optical Drive
Blu-Ray/DVD-RW Combo
 
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I still think you will be better off getting the first 3770 package. The better graphics card is all I'm seeing that is a reason to go for this 3820 package. The GTX680 over GTX670 is nice but I don't think you'll get enough extra performance for your dollar (mathematically 12%, in benchtests as little as 5%). Don't forget you will want to upgrade the OS to Windows 7 Professional (+$140). In articles I've read it has been implied that Windows Home can be a bottleneck (not explained in detail though) and is not backwards compatible with 32-bit software.

With your first option upgraded to Win7 Pro, 16GB and bluray will probably come out under $2000. But you can't go wrong with either. Currently there are only 2 cpus more powerful than the two you are looking out so you are right on the bleeding edge. You are paying a premium for either of these but I've been looking at similar options recently and I estimate that premium to be about $300-500 over the next option down and the extra performance is good value.

Your approach to storage is a good idea. Start off with an SSD for boot drive and 2TB for storage and add a raid array later (2 or 4 hard drives) when you need it. The 2TB will meet your needs for a while. Best practice is to have a boot drive, source drive (files from your camera) and output drive (for rendered files) at a minimum. You might even want a hard drive just for intermediates. The reason this is good is because at any given time you are reading from one drive and writing to another so each does half the workload of a drive that is both reading and writing.

I'm trying to justify the extra cost for one of these systems myself at the moment. You should be future proofed for 3 years with one of these beasts. Let us know what you end up with and how it performs.
 
Does it really make THAT much of a difference if I go for the 3770 over the 3820?
I know its a 3rd gen, and the other is the first version of the new kind, but other than that will it differ much. In speed? Will it be a big noticable difference?
The thing is, this is a pre-built package and swapping several parts is not very likely because ill loose the savings cost in the bundle. If I'd go with the first package, I'd have to swap out 3 or so parts, and I don't know if they will.

Yes, the other has a better graphics card, but it also has a blu ray reader which is what I also was going to get sometime anyways.
 
Understand a Blu-Ray reader is just that, a read only drive. you will not be able to record blu-ray on it. If you do plan to record you need a BD-RW or BD-RE

Your computer list shows a Blu-Ray/DVD-RW combo. More often then not that description means blu-ray read only, DVD read/write. If it could write Blu-Ray there is little need to note DVD as a BD-RW can do both. Make sure it can write Blu-Ray if that is the path you are working to.
 
I know its a read only. That would be fine for now, as I don't need a burner NOW.
I dont know 100% if I will need the burner, but I believe I will sometime if say I'm making a film for a film festival, or something like that.

But, I actually did realized that I can't get just a blu Ray burner for cheap. It'll be pretty much the same as a reader/writer. So, I guess its best to get a combo pack.

Then again, not that big of an issue. This is the least of my worries. Get a Blu Ray reader or writer, or nothing at all. Although I would still like to have the reader for watching movies at least. More focused on the processor speed and stuff like that.
 
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You say that I should upgrade 'Windows 7 Premium' to 'Professional' because its 64bit, and stuff that is 32bit wont work.
Well, what are some things that I would be able to use that's 32bit? I want to make sure I want to swap the OS for a more expensive kind.

Looking at the laptop I am currently using, (the one with half the screen hanging off - yup) it says I have 'Windows Premium a 64bit. So, I dont know... So far I have not had any troubles downloading anything. Not that I download a lot of stuff or have, but never had a problem so far.
 
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DDirector said:
Does it really make THAT much of a difference if I go for the 3770 over the 3820?
Click to expand...

It will make no difference that you will appreciate. That is the point I was trying to make. Without going for a server class system or render farm set up these are both amongst the highest spec'd machines you can buy. In fact a lesser system would still do what you want but price-wise I don't think the savings are worth it to go less. An i7-2700K or 2600K would perform in the same performance bracket overclocked (they are designed for overclocking) and would save you a hundred bucks or so but anything less would show a significant performance drop for only 200-400 saving. What you will find more important are the graphics card (the difference between the two are also negligible) a Quadro graphics card is desirable but costs a bit more, RAM 16-32GB and harddrives.

But the long story short is that with both of the systems you have looked at, you can't go wrong. We are splitting hairs between them. Personally I would go for whichever is cheapest. You are talking no more than 5-10% difference in render time (if that) and specs don't always tell the whole story. Performance enhancing is less about speccing up and more about removing bottlenecks (this is why we are pushing hard drives - a common bottleneck in write intensive applications). You can always upgrade later.

As for Windows Professional...if everything you want to use on it already works on home premium then don't worry about it. You can always upgrade later at the same price. I forgot you're in high school. Many of us older folk have favourite legacy software for specific tasks that either can't be found anymore or has been ruined in later editions. It has been implied in a number of online articles I've read recently (studying for my own build) that Home can present a bottleneck but none that I can recall actually detailed what the problem is. And microsoft seems to have gone the apple route and only provide information in promotional pamphlet style these days. I haven't been able to find any detail that isn't bullet point generalisations.
 
Egg Born Son said:
...I forgot you're in high school.
Click to expand...
Actually, in my last year of college. ;)

Honestly I haven't really looked at the 2700K or 2600K's. Probably should have, but, eh. I dont know.
Like I said, I am running on the premium right now, and haven't had any troubles. I may run into some problems in the future, but what exactly that would be, no idea. I dont think any new editing software or add-on run on 32bit. So, I don't think it will make a difference. Unless if you really convince me.
 
Adobe CS Suite since CS5... is 64-bit so you are fine.

Quicktime is 32 bit.

I am sure you will be fine with what you are doing...but the best time to do something and mabe stretch a little ..is up front.
 
DDirector said:
Actually, in my last year of college. ;)
Click to expand...

Sorry :) All the same to me, I've been out a lifetime (well a dog's lifetime anyway!) How on earth do you have any money in the last year of college? I'd been eating nothing but 2 minute noodles for the six months before I entered the workforce. Still struggling to put the money together now (although these days that is admittedly in part due to an ebay addiction...and my contribution to the GFC - avoid loans and creditcards, seriously!).

Check out the 2600K in particular, probably the best bang for buck option out there but I think you already have the two best options lined up. It works best with the Z68 chipset and you might save $200 on motherboard, cpu and ram but on the downside will need tweaking (not hard) to get the maximum performance. Personally I'm currently torn between the 3770 and the 2600K, or an interim laptop while I hold out for the next generation in 6-12 months (for now I'm only trying to meet CS4 specs myself, CS5.5/6 is currently out of my budget and CS4 meets my requirements in the meantime). If I build a desktop (tower more or less the same budget as you) I want it to be able to handle my next 3-5 years needs.

The other option you have is to buy second hand once you know what you want. A lot of people have eyes bigger than their wallet and overcommit to gaming systems (and then realise the rent is due). For $2000 you might be able to pick up someone's $3000 3-month old gaming system. Most such systems will be higher spec than your pre-builds and although are optimised for gaming with some configuration will perform even better. You might even be able to sell/swap a high end gaming graphics card for a good Quadro CUDA.

Haha, you're trying to narrow down and I'm throwing more out there! :)
 
So, turns out from Newegg I have to have my computer shipped to me. This is costing me $67. I dont see why there is no option for pick up as I am located probably less than 30minutes away from their company. UGH!!
This is throwing me off and killing me!

I also need to buy an extra SSD as one isnt included, but then shipping is way more expensive. ($81)
So, I will just buy that separately at a local store.

But what I want to know is, are the computers pre-built and ready to go?
Like is everything already installed such as the OS? Because as you guys said, I want that on the SSD, not the 2TB HDD.

Also, are all the required cables included?
 
So, I contacted Newegg, and I cant swap any parts and stuff. They told me it comes straight from the manufacturer, so that go me thinking, why not just get it from them?
I tried it out, and this is the best system I could come up with.


Price: $2,012 with shipping (Cheaper than Newegg as it doesnt have an SSD - without OC upgrades)
*Price is in USD, so CAD it should be roughly the same, but im not sure about customs

Processor
Intel i7 3820 3.6GHz

Graphics Card
Nvidia GeForce GTX 680

Hard Drive
1[SUP]st[/SUP] – 120GB Corsair 555mb/s SSD (Data)
2[SUP]nd[/SUP] – 2TB Sata III HDD

RAM
Corsair XMS 16GB DDR3 4x4

PSU
Standard 1000w

Optical Drive
12x Blu Ray Writer

Operating Systems
Windows 7 Premium

ADDITIONAL
+Wireless Keyboard/Mouse Combo
+Microsoft Office

I can also get (worth it?);
Sound Absorption Foam +$30

Pro Overclock (10% or more) +$19
Extreme Overclock (20% or more) +$50

+Superclocked Graphics Card +$13


UPDATE:
So, I guess I'll have to pay customs with that. So, in the end, the price will be pretty much the same if I get it from newegg or directly from the company.
 
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