NOTEBOOK or DESKTOP computer for editing?? What do YOU use?

A

AppaLuci

Active member
Just wondering most people here are using primarily for their editing.

I will be getting a new system (PC, Premiere). Of course I love the convenience of the laptop/notebook computer, but many have warned me that the speed, efficiency and reliability required for video editing of a laptop/notebook wouldn't come close to a desktop, not to mention the price. However, I would like to get more input from others out there, since laptops seem so good now. Are more of you who edit and produce professional projects doing it on a desktop (with perhaps a laptop as a second computer for the go), or are most of you depending on a laptop/notebook? What have you found are pros and cons? Are laptops just as good for major editing work? If so, which ones? And how much more to expect price-wise for the same specs?

Whatever anybody would like to contribute to this discussion is appreciated. Curiousity on this one is burning me up. My dad seems to really be anti-laptop and he wants to help me get set up with a new computer.... but I love the laptop for the mobility! Hmmmmmmmmm...
 
Hey, AllAroundFilmLV - I just looked at MacBook Pro specs and it appears to come as a dual core not even quad core... and 2 G RAM (upgradable). Sounds like the best laptop is still not the top of what's available. Unless I'm incorrect with what's current.
 
Get a desktop for your NLE.

By the time you get all your external drives , monitors, audio systems etc going ...a laptop aint that portable anymore.

...and they aint that grunty or expandable and the screens are single/small and the audio is rubbish and.........

why do you need to be portable anyway...

and listen to your Dad ( respect)
 
Ha ha, Shooter- my dad would love your advice! Well, I'm certainly not against it either, since I know you're probably right... after all, it's not like editing is something I do sitting in the airport waiting for a flight. Yeah, I'm just a very mobile person and I suppose somewhat reluctant to commit to being in one place too long! But on the other hand, something real powerful will get the job done in half the time so I can sooner be outdoors, right?!

Just was curious if there are pro's who do use laptops for their NLE work, and use them productively these days. Open to feedback from anyone. Thanks!
 
Well I was faced with the same question a few years back. I use premiere pro 2.0 and was considering a laptop. Be very careful of the specs on a laptop. Some may look great but fail to mention a 5400rpm hard drive, very bad for editing. When all is said and done I went with a desktop. (I could always get an acceptable laptop for partime portability later). The main reasons I went with a desktop was, as the previous post mentioned, monitors, external hard drives, and all my gear is beside it. Video editing is pretty intense as the projects get bigger especially with CC. As for the Macbook pro, I considered making the jump from pp2 to fcp on a mac so I took a job at an apple tech support centre to get a feel for the mac. very nice machine, really enjoyed it. but with the cost of apple mac pro, FCP and the combined learning curve I figured against going to mac. My MAIN reason for staying with pc is that if my mac went down MY CLIENTS suffer, not just me. if my optical drive goes down on a pc i can switch it out that day not so easy on a mac(it's gotta go in for service). Long story short. I work with what I know which is a desktop pc in PP2. hope that helps you a little.
 
I use a lappy, Toshiba Core2Duo 1.7ghz 2g ram with and ExpressCard RAID Striped, Presonus Inspire For audio, external Pioneer DVD Matrox Dualhead2go for external monitors ExKeyboard and Mouse, and when a want to go in the field i just take all the stuff off it and go :) Goes great with CS3
 
HP put out a laptop that will blow alot of desktops out my ass. Altho I use a desktop that I built for under 300ish. But mac<my anus after no shower for three weeks.
 
Steve2012- just wanted to say thanks for that input..it does help, and everyone else's too... I do appreciate the reliability and other aspects of the desktop, and yet, I truly am a mobile person. If there was a great laptop... and it sounds like there may be... I don't know, I suppose I'm still considering everything. If you could see my lifestyle at the moment you'd probably say get a laptop. But again, don't want to jip myself in quality, and I want to stay PC not Mac.... hmmm
 
only desktop for me... next one will be like a 2g unit.... gotta upgrade for the HD market lol...
 
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