Best laptop for editing under $1700

[thedevmehta]

Hey guys,

I am going off to film school in a couple of months, and I need a laptop to do my editing work, and also maybe some light gaming.

I am going to be using the following applications:

Adobe Premiere Pro

Adobe After Effects

Adobe Photoshop

Sony Vegas Pro.

DaVinci Resolve Lite

 

I am thinking about the Lenovo Y50 4K version, since reviews say that the 1080p version has poor colour reproduction.

Also, the Dell Inspiron 15 7000 series (2015).

 

It would be great if i got some advice on which laptop to get.

And also if the laptops mentioned above are good enough.

 

Games that I would want to play would be:

GTA V

Far Cry 4 

Battlefield Hardline, etc

 

Running these games at high settings isn't a priority. Even if the laptops manage to run these games at meduim or a bit high, it's okay, but the laptop should be fast enough for the above mentioned editing applications.

(Also, since I live in India, getting my hands on brands such as MSI or Asus is hard, especially the higher end ones.)

 

My preferred platform is Windows, since the highest end MacBook Pros cost a bomb here. (They're around $3000 completely maxed out)

 

Thanks in Advance! 

[Sir Asvald]

Hey guys,

I am going off to film school in a couple of months, and I need a laptop to do my editing work, and also maybe some light gaming.

I am going to be using the following applications:

Adobe Premiere Pro

Adobe After Effects

Adobe Photoshop

Sony Vegas Pro.

DaVinci Resolve Lite

 

I am thinking about the Lenovo Y50 4K version, since reviews say that the 1080p version has poor colour reproduction.

Also, the Dell Inspiron 15 7000 series (2015).

 

It would be great if i got some advice on which laptop to get.

And also if the laptops mentioned above are good enough.

 

Games that I would want to play would be:

GTA V

Far Cry 4 

Battlefield Hardline, etc

 

Running these games at high settings isn't a priority. Even if the laptops manage to run these games at meduim or a bit high, it's okay, but the laptop should be fast enough for the above mentioned editing applications.

(Also, since I live in India, getting my hands on brands such as MSI or Asus is hard, especially the higher end ones.)

 

My preferred platform is Windows, since the highest end MacBook Pros cost a bomb here. (They're around $3000 completely maxed out)

 

Thanks in Advance! 

With the budget, you could get a Desktop. Unless you need portability? 

[thedevmehta]

With the budget, you could get a Desktop. Unless you need portability? 

I had allocated the budget to a desktop, but turns out I have to move to another state to pursue filmmaking. So portability is a factor. I would be travelling from the hostel to college everyday with the laptop. So I need a portable solution.

With that kind of a budget, I would've built a kickass PC if I were to stay home.

So what do you suggest? 

The Lenovo comes with a GTX860m, and the Dell comes with a R7M270.

Do you think the graphics card would affect performance in After effects and premiere? 

The processors are at par with each other in both the machines.

[Sir Asvald]

I had allocated the budget to a desktop, but turns out I have to move to another state to pursue filmmaking. So portability is a factor. I would be travelling from the hostel to college everyday with the laptop. So I need a portable solution.

With that kind of a budget, I would've built a kickass PC if I were to stay home.

So what do you suggest? 

The Lenovo comes with a GTX860m, and the Dell comes with a R7M270.

Do you think the graphics card would affect performance in After effects and premiere? 

The processors are at par with each other in both the machines.

I think they are more CPU intensive the programs, BUT you could use CUDA on the GTX860M. 

 

For the PC

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($241.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($26.98 @ OutletPC) 

Motherboard: MSI Z97-GAMING 5 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($125.98 @ Newegg) 

Memory: Kingston Fury Black Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($109.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($117.88 @ OutletPC) 

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($52.49 @ OutletPC) 

Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card (2-Way SLI)  ($332.27 @ Amazon) 

Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card (2-Way SLI)  ($332.27 @ Amazon) 

Case: NZXT H440 (Black/Red) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($108.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($79.99 @ NCIX US) 

Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit)  ($87.98 @ OutletPC) 

Total: $1616.81

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-11 17:16 EDT-0400

[AfroLedgend]

@thedevmehta

 

For that budget you can get the Eurocom M5 Pro with an i7 4710HQ, a GTX 970m, a 2880x1620P AH-IPS matte display with 1000:1 contrast and 72% NTSC, 16GB RAM, 128GB M.2 SSD and a 1TB HDD (it can be fully configured to your liking on their site)

 

http://www.eurocom.com/ec/configure%281,257,0%29ec

[gh0st777]

for $100 more you could get an Alienware 15 at BestBuy.  May be a bit heavy for travelling compared to Lenovo Y50 or Acer V15 though.

 

http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product/dell-alienware-15-6-gaming-laptop-epic-silver-intel-i7-4710hq-128gb-ssd1tb-hdd-16gb-ram-win-8-1-eng-anw15-5350slv/10361618.aspx?path=c9ec9b7d650ecdbcc588acf504939e53en02

[D2ultima]

I think they are more CPU intensive the programs, BUT you could use CUDA on the GTX860M. 

Not without modified drivers

 

@thedevmehta

 

For that budget you can get the Eurocom M5 Pro with an i7 4710HQ, a GTX 970m, a 2880x1620P AH-IPS matte display with 1000:1 contrast and 72% NTSC, 16GB RAM, 128GB M.2 SSD and a 1TB HDD (it can be fully configured to your liking on their site)

 

http://www.eurocom.com/ec/configure%281,257,0%29ec

No, that's going to be terrible for the CPU heavy programs like vegas etc.

 

for $100 more you could get an Alienware 15 at BestBuy.  May be a bit heavy for travelling compared to Lenovo Y50 or Acer V15 though.

 

http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product/dell-alienware-15-6-gaming-laptop-epic-silver-intel-i7-4710hq-128gb-ssd1tb-hdd-16gb-ram-win-8-1-eng-anw15-5350slv/10361618.aspx?path=c9ec9b7d650ecdbcc588acf504939e53en02

HQ chips are a no-no for what he wants.

 

Adobe Premiere Pro

Adobe After Effects

Adobe Photoshop

Sony Vegas Pro.

DaVinci Resolve Lite

 

Games that I would want to play would be:

GTA V

Far Cry 4 

Battlefield Hardline, etc

 

(Also, since I live in India, getting my hands on brands such as MSI or Asus is hard, especially the higher end ones.)

What I've bolded has told me your only choice is a P770ZM or P750ZM from Clevo. No other laptop will perform without throttling for you except the P17xSM-A, but that would need more work done on it that I am not sure if you are willing to do.

 

As you live in india, I don't know where you're getting it. I also don't know the price of clevos where you are, nor what they cost to you. If you're willing to import and paying $1700 USD for the LAPTOP not including shipping to your country, then it could be done.

 

Please note: ANY OTHER LAPTOP YOU LOOK FOR that I have not mentioned here *WILL* either overheat or power-limit throttle the CPU in the bolded applications, especially if you're doing some heavy work.

[thedevmehta]

Not without modified drivers

 

No, that's going to be terrible for the CPU heavy programs like vegas etc.

 

HQ chips are a no-no for what he wants.

 

What I've bolded has told me your only choice is a P770ZM or P750ZM from Clevo. No other laptop will perform without throttling for you except the P17xSM-A, but that would need more work done on it that I am not sure if you are willing to do.

 

As you live in india, I don't know where you're getting it. I also don't know the price of clevos where you are, nor what they cost to you. If you're willing to import and paying $1700 USD for the LAPTOP not including shipping to your country, then it could be done.

 

Please note: ANY OTHER LAPTOP YOU LOOK FOR that I have not mentioned here *WILL* either overheat or power-limit throttle the CPU in the bolded applications, especially if you're doing some heavy work.

As I've said, I'm a student. That too in India.

Chances of getting my hands on brands such as Eurocom and Clevo are rare to none.

Also, I haven't made myself clear.

I'm still learning Premiere Pro and After Effects.

In Premiere, I'll be mostly just doing basic things like cutting and assembling my clips, sound and some colour grading.

In After effects, I'll be doing Chroma Keying, working with typography, motion tracking, stabilizing, etc. No heavy work with things such as multiple 3D Layers or such. (I won't be learning after effects in college, but I love the application)

 

My needs are kind of high, but also minimal when it comes to these applications.

I'll be using this laptop only for my personal projects and practicing my skills. They have multiple editing studios in my college for all the sem projects and exams. So I need not worry about it's capability of handling these applications doing hardcore stuff. I just need it to work in scenarios with light to moderate workload.

 

Thanks again!

 

Edit: Clevo has some of it's models available in retail in India.

Since hardly anyone here depends on laptops for their hardcore use, it might be hard to get my hands on a high performance model. 

Everyone just uses an iMac or a Mac Pro for their editing use.

 

Edit 2: Clevo isn't available here. Even if it is, there would be no after sale service. That would be a wastage of $1700 if something goes wrong.

[techguru]

https://www.pugetsystems.com/laptop.php

http://www.digitalstormonline.com/gaming-laptops.asp

http://www.velocitymicro.com/gaming-laptops.php

http://www.originpc.com/gaming/laptops/

http://www.falcon-nw.com/laptops

http://www.maingear.com/custom/computers/custom-built-laptops.php

http://www.sagernotebook.com/home.php

https://www.venomcomputers.com.au/blackbook/

some of the better gaming / powerful laptop makers

[techguru]

also take a look here

http://www.xoticpc.com/custom-gaming-laptops-notebooks-intel-4th-generation-mobile-haswell-processors-ct-95_51_421.html

[D2ultima]

In Premiere, I'll be mostly just doing basic things like cutting and assembling my clips, sound and some colour grading.

In After effects, I'll be doing Chroma Keying, working with typography, motion tracking, stabilizing, etc. No heavy work with things such as multiple 3D Layers or such.

 

My needs are kind of high, but also minimal when it comes to these applications.

I'll be using this laptop only for my personal projects and practicing my skills. They have multiple editing studios in my college for all the sem projects and exams. So I need not worry about it's capability of handling these applications doing hardcore stuff. I just need it to work in scenarios with light to moderate workload.

That is a pretty heavy workload . If you try that on a HP laptop it'll clock your CPU to 0.8GHz. I can tell you from experience.

That bolded one is a bit CPU intensive, but it would probably work with HQ chips I suppose.

 

If that's the case, then other things might work okay. But I still suggest getting a laptop with very good cooling for these things. Blast Furnace Haswell is very very hot, especially in mobile form factors, and I would rather you get a better machine than not. I understand you about the warranty though. From my experience, older alienwares (not sure about new ones excepting the AW13) are the top notch for CPU cooling. ASUS also do cooling very well, but there IS a chance of getting a "lemon". I don't know how easy it is to get them.

[thedevmehta]

That is a pretty heavy workload . If you try that on a HP laptop it'll clock your CPU to 0.8GHz. I can tell you from experience.

That bolded one is a bit CPU intensive, but it would probably work with HQ chips I suppose.

 

If that's the case, then other things might work okay. But I still suggest getting a laptop with very good cooling for these things. Blast Furnace Haswell is very very hot, especially in mobile form factors, and I would rather you get a better machine than not. I understand you about the warranty though. From my experience, older alienwares (not sure about new ones excepting the AW13) are the top notch for CPU cooling. ASUS also do cooling very well, but there IS a chance of getting a "lemon". I don't know how easy it is to get them.

I currently have an Acer E1-572G which runs on a 1.6-2.6 GHz Intel i5 4200U dual core processor with an AMD 8750M GPU with 4 gigs of RAM. 

It handles motion tracking kinda decent. So I don't think the i7 4710HQ would have any problems with it. The processor has a clock speed of 2.5-3.5 GHz. Also, the Lenovo has 16 gigs of RAM in it's 4K version.

[D2ultima]

It handles motion tracking kinda decent. So I don't think the i7 4710HQ would have any problems with it.

What you have is a low-end experience, and these programs won't crash or anything with lower end experiences. So, even a throttling 4710HQ would be a better experience. I suppose in this regard, you would be just fine, though I hate recommending anything that I know won't work as it's supposed to.

[thedevmehta]

What you have is a low-end experience, and these programs won't crash or anything with lower end experiences. So, even a throttling 4710HQ would be a better experience. I suppose in this regard, you would be just fine, though I hate recommending anything that I know won't work as it's supposed to.

So what you're saying is the 4710HQ will work, but will not too at the same time? 

And also, what are your thoughts on the i7 5500U Processor? Will that be able to perform better than the 4710HQ? The 5500U is a Broadwell processor. 

 

Edit: These are the requirements given by my universtiy. (Check Image)

 

[D2ultima]

So what you're saying is the 4710HQ will work, but will not too at the same time? 

And also, what are your thoughts on the i7 5500U Processor? Will that be able to perform better than the 4710HQ? The 5500U is a Broadwell processor. 

You should read my mobile i7 CPU guide to understand better.

[PaulKolby]

 

I think they are more CPU intensive the programs, BUT you could use CUDA on the GTX860M. 

 

For the PC

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($241.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($26.98 @ OutletPC) 

Motherboard: MSI Z97-GAMING 5 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($125.98 @ Newegg) 

Memory: Kingston Fury Black Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($109.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($117.88 @ OutletPC) 

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($52.49 @ OutletPC) 

Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card (2-Way SLI)  ($332.27 @ Amazon) 

Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card (2-Way SLI)  ($332.27 @ Amazon) 

Case: NZXT H440 (Black/Red) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($108.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($79.99 @ NCIX US) 

Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit)  ($87.98 @ OutletPC) 

Total: $1616.81

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-11 17:16 EDT-0400

 

pretty sure he wants a laptop.......

[PaulKolby]

So what you're saying is the 4710HQ will work, but will not too at the same time? 

And also, what are your thoughts on the i7 5500U Processor? Will that be able to perform better than the 4710HQ? The 5500U is a Broadwell processor. 

 

 

4710hq is a quad-core while 5500u is a dual core

[AfroLedgend]

So what you're saying is the 4710HQ will work, but will not too at the same time? 

And also, what are your thoughts on the i7 5500U Processor? Will that be able to perform better than the 4710HQ? The 5500U is a Broadwell processor. 

 

Edit: These are the requirements given by my universtiy. (Check Image)

 

<img snip>

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This with i7 4710MQ, Quadro k620M, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD, 1TB HDD and 1080P screen and only 5lbs

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00T9TEC52?tag=notebookche0f-20

 

[D2ultima]

 

This with i7 4710MQ, Quadro k620M, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD, 1TB HDD and 1080P screen and only 5lbs

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00T9TEC52?tag=notebookche0f-20

 

No, it is not. It has an i7-5500U, which is a low-power CPU. It's not designed for anything but light workloads.

[AfroLedgend]

No, it is not. It has an i7-5500U, which is a low-power CPU. It's not designed for anything but light workloads.

Oh shit *derp face* my bad.

 

Edti: How about this; it's on sale now so it's only just over @thedevmehta s budget has a 4800MQ Quadro Q2100 8GB RAM 256GB SSD and a 3K screen weighs only 6lbs.

 

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HD7J76G/ref=psdc_565108_t3_B00T9TEC52

[D2ultima]

Oh shit *derp face* my bad.

 

Edti: How about this; it's on sale now so it's only just over @thedevmehta s budget has a 4800MQ Quadro Q2100 8GB RAM 256GB SSD and a 3K screen weighs only 6lbs.

 

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HD7J76G/ref=psdc_565108_t3_B00T9TEC52

Not only is that not a very good machine itself, but he needs something in India. He can't find a whole lot of things there.

 

Lenovo's workstation-class machines seem to be okay, but I can't vouch for that machine itself; far less if he could acquire it in india, and he wants it new so it has warranty.

[AfroLedgend]

Not only is that not a very good machine itself, but he needs something in India. He can't find a whole lot of things there.

 

Lenovo's workstation-class machines seem to be okay, but I can't vouch for that machine itself; far less if he could acquire it in india, and he wants it new so it has warranty.

What makes you say it's a bad machine? It has everything he needs and all reviews from laptopmag pcmag techradar and bhphotovideo all rate it 4/5.

[AfroLedgend]

http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptops-and-netbooks/lenovo-thinkpad-w540-1268137/review/2

 

Here is TechRadar's review @thedevmehta

[D2ultima]

What makes you say it's a bad machine? It has everything he needs and all reviews from laptopmag pcmag techradar and bhphotovideo all rate it 4/5.

Lenovo isn't exactly known for... high performance machines. I didn't say it was a bad machine though. I said it wasn't a very good machine. I was actually being quite literal there, but I see how it could have caused confusion . For example, in every way under the sun (except maybe battery life), a P750ZM is better. That's a "very good machine". Or I'd go so far as to call it an amazing machine.

[AfroLedgend]

P750ZM.

Is that a Clevo/Sager?

 

That CPU is not necessary for a notebook. The 4800MQ scores less than 60 points below the much more expensive and almost twice as powerful 4910MQ in cinebench. Also when configured with an SSD and the lowest tier Quadro the Clevo is over $150 over the budget set, and the Lenovo has a faster Quadro which is the main focus need of the laptop.