There are a few elements that I need to keep in order to continue what I already use it for. For ease of use, the new laptop will need the following features:
- At least 2 USB Ports
- SD Card Port
- CD/DVD Drive
- Video Editing Software (mine has Windows Movie Maker)
- At least 4GB of Memory (I have an External Hard Drive for the big stuff)
There's a lot of new stuff in the world of Laptops since I got mine. Touch screens, tablet things, click-in keyboards, but I really just need something that's going to be reliable and last me a long time again. I'm tentative to try out the new tech since it seems like the going trend is "Replace electronics every year because the newest next-best-thing is out!"... and I've never followed that mindset. It's gotta last me, gotta get the job done.
I plan on getting a new laptop this week and I'm loading up my external hard drive with anything I need off of this before it goes kaput. Thanks in advance for any advice!
For video editing, there is a great program called Lightworks. I think for your needs, the free trial version is probably fine (you can only save at 720p).
ReplyDeleteFor a laptop, Lenovo makes good laptops. Also, HP's Envy line is good. It just depends on the amount of $$$ you have to spend. Video Editing can be fairly demanding of the computer, so if I were you, I would probably want to spend at least $800 for a good investment.
Cheers!
Memory or storage? Memory is RAM, stoarge is hard drive space.
ReplyDeleteWhatever you do, don't buy a Lenovo. They put all kinds of drivers and crap on their computers that interfere with stuff, not to mention the whole blow up with them breaking web security completely earlier this year.
ReplyDeleteEverything is about the same these days. I'd just go look at Dell's website first and find something that looks good. Shoot me an email with the model and I'll look it over. This will give me an idea of price and specs and I can give you some alternatives.
I've had good experience with Sony and HP. My family has been using the same Sony VAIO desktop since 1999, and it only started showing its age around 2012. I've also been using HP laptops that were new back when Windows XP was the 'latest and greatest', and those suckers also have lasted.
ReplyDeleteI'd recommend buying a computer and then buying a copy of Windows 7 OEM.
Then, run DBAN (Darik's Boot And Nuke ) on it.
Install the OEM copy of Windows, and you'll be free from all of the bloatware that Microsoft'll cram onto the hard drive.
Boot & Nuke. I like the sounds of that!
DeleteMy best recommendation for the price is dell. I have a almost 3 year old Inspiron that is still running strong.
ReplyDeleteHere's one that will last a long time spec wise. http://www.dell.com/us/p/inspiron-17-5749-laptop/pd?oc=fncwh2434s&model_id=inspiron-17-5749-laptop
This has everything you need, a massive 17 inch display, and is pretty thin from the pictures. It's rocking a 5th gen i5, which while seems a bit slow is said to be pretty snappy. The reviewers say that the touchpad is a little iffy, so you might want to use a mouse with this (but with video editing, I can't see doing that without a mouse personally)
Also, 4gb of memory is unrelated to the external hard drive :P
You can download movie maker onto this, or buy the 80 dollar photoshop/premiere bundle with your laptop, from dell anyways. I have premiere elements 10 and it offers great features in a nice editing workspace.
Normally I'd highly recommend building a PC but since you're using a laptop that's out of question.
Shoot, I'm pretty much a whiz when it comes to down PCs but I personally hate laptops, never really used one that worked very reliably so I can't really go in depth here(I'm a desktop person). It will take some research to find one that suits you but I'll personally recommend ASUS, Dell, HP, and Lenovo. I would find a site where you can compare your choices between them and see which one you like best within your criteria. Maybe if any local stores have them on display you can try them out too.
ReplyDeleteWindows 8.1(Assuming that's what most PCs have now) should have Movie Maker, but if by some chance it does not, its free on Microsoft's site. Provided you end up hating 8.1 for some reason(I can only imagine why...) Windows 10 is right around the corner and its free, so it should be more familiar, only because I'm assuming you have something below Windows 7.
I will note that I seem to find a crap ton of bloatware on most laptops and that would be one thing you would want address off the bat so your computer won't slow down as much later in its life. Just go straight to Add & Remove Programs and begin the exodus of garbage.
Good hunting.
Pretty much anything but Acer, Toshiba, Emachines, and HP are good in my opinion. The first three have bad quality hardware, and I've had multiple friends with new HP laptops with bad hinges.
ReplyDeleteI'd look into what they sell at Costco. They have a decent selection for a fair price, and have better warranties and return policies than other sources.
asus is a wonderful brand. have three of them,one for work one for fun and one for travel.
ReplyDeleteI would stay away from Lenovo, at least if you're expecting the same quality as an IBM ThinkPad. Ever since Lenovo took over the ThinkPad brand from IBM, the quality has dropped.
ReplyDeleteHP and Toshiba are good choices.
No matter the brand, I would focus on a laptop with a dedicated GPU (has its own video memory and doesn't have to share memory with motherboard's RAM) and an Intel processor, due to Intel's prevalence in the laptop market.