Video Editing Laptop

[AdamN]

Hey guys.

 

I run a 1-man video production business and I'm slowly working my way towards running the business while traveling full-time.

 

That's why I am currently looking for a small but powerful laptop that could handle up to 4k editing (using proxy if needed).

 

So far the best option I've come across is the New Alienware 13 with a configuration something like:

 

- i7 6700hq

- gtx 1060

- 32gb RAM

- 2x SSD drive

 

Do you have any other suggestions I should consider? The laptop has to be between 13' and 14'.

[tarfeef101]

7 minutes ago, AdamN said:

Hey guys.

 

I run a 1-man video production business and I'm slowly working my way towards running the business while traveling full-time.

 

That's why I am currently looking for a small but powerful laptop that could handle up to 4k editing (using proxy if needed).

 

So far the best option I've come across is the New Alienware 13 with a configuration something like:

 

- i7 6700hq

- gtx 1060

- 32gb RAM

- 2x SSD drive

 

Do you have any other suggestions I should consider? The laptop has to be between 13' and 14'.

Check out the Razer lineup of laptops, they have good options in that spec range that are nice and portable.

[Guest lilbman]

7 minutes ago, AdamN said:

Hey guys.

 

I run a 1-man video production business and I'm slowly working my way towards running the business while traveling full-time.

 

That's why I am currently looking for a small but powerful laptop that could handle up to 4k editing (using proxy if needed).

 

So far the best option I've come across is the New Alienware 13 with a configuration something like:

 

- i7 6700hq

- gtx 1060

- 32gb RAM

- 2x SSD drive

 

Do you have any other suggestions I should consider? The laptop has to be between 13' and 14'.

Good choice.

 

That being said, stress test it once you get it to ensure they didn't screw up your heatsink.  If you have super high core temp differences, then send it back and get a new one.  Be sure to do it within the return period.

[Guest lilbman]

2 minutes ago, tarfeef101 said:

Check out the Razer lineup of laptops, they have good options in that spec range that are nice and portable.

You can't add more RAM and it's far more expensive.

[AdamN]

3 minutes ago, lilbman said:

You can't add more RAM and it's far more expensive.

 

That's actually one of the reasons I stopped considering the Razer 14'. I feel like I want to have 32 gigs just to be sure.

 

7 minutes ago, lilbman said:

Good choice.

 

That being said, stress test it once you get it to ensure they didn't screw up your heatsink.  If you have super high core temp differences, then send it back and get a new one.  Be sure to do it within the return period.

 

I actually found out about this just today and that's why I'm reviewing my options.

 

In Poland Alienware 13 is not available and so I would have to first find a way to have it shipped here and then, should something be wrong, have a quick way of replacing it.

 

Unfortunately, I'm leaving for Asia in January and I'll be on the road for, probably, a few months.

[Shiv78]

DO NOT get a Razer Blade 14, thermal throttles like a bitch and the fans are extremely loud, even BEFORE the 'fix' to the throttling that turns them up even higher.

Get a Alienware 13 or something from MSI. This has a 1060, 6700HQ, 16 gigs of RAM, 4K display, and 512 SSD with a 1TB HDD. Also fairly slim and light, was reviewed by Linus

https://www.amazon.com/MSI-GS73VR-Stealth-Pro-4K-016/dp/B01IOHNQKQ?th=1

[AdamN]

2 minutes ago, Shiv78 said:

DO NOT get a Razer Blade 14, thermal throttles like a bitch and the fans are extremely loud, even BEFORE the 'fix' to the throttling that turns them up even higher.

Get a Alienware 13 or something from MSI. This has a 1060, 6700HQ, 16 gigs of RAM, 4K display, and 512 SSD with a 1TB HDD. Also fairly slim and light, was reviewed by Linus

https://www.amazon.com/MSI-GS73VR-Stealth-Pro-4K-016/dp/B01IOHNQKQ?th=1

 

I heard there were some heat problems with the MSI 14'. Plus apparently the build quality is kind of weak. I'm not sure if it would hold long if I was dragging it along 24/7.

[Guest lilbman]

57 minutes ago, AdamN said:

 

That's actually one of the reasons I stopped considering the Razer 14'. I feel like I want to have 32 gigs just to be sure.

 

 

I actually found out about this just today and that's why I'm reviewing my options.

 

In Poland Alienware 13 is not available and so I would have to first find a way to have it shipped here and then, should something be wrong, have a quick way of replacing it.

 

Unfortunately, I'm leaving for Asia in January and I'll be on the road for, probably, a few months.

If you can, I would wait until Alienware has their shit together with the heatsink issue unless you need it ASAP.  The Alienware 13 is definitely your best option.

 

On the other hand, you can get one ASAP.  If your heatsink issue isn't as severe as others(5-10 degrees celcius difference) then you'd be fine with undervolting it to be on the safe side instead of returning it and getting a new one.

[AdamN]

1 hour ago, lilbman said:

If you can, I would wait until Alienware has their shit together with the heatsink issue unless you need it ASAP.  The Alienware 13 is definitely your best option.

 

On the other hand, you can get one ASAP.  If your heatsink issue isn't as severe as others(5-10 degrees celcius difference) then you'd be fine with undervolting it to be on the safe side instead of returning it and getting a new one.

 

I'm gonna call my country's Dell tomorrow and find out if they can actually get one for me.

 

By the way, is the heatsink issue a big one? I'm trying to figure out how long it might take them to take care of it.

 

Also, is it also present on the 15' and 17' as well or is it just the 13'?

[Guest lilbman]

1 hour ago, AdamN said:

 

I'm gonna call my country's Dell tomorrow and find out if they can actually get one for me.

 

By the way, is the heatsink issue a big one? I'm trying to figure out how long it might take them to take care of it.

 

Also, is it also present on the 15' and 17' as well or is it just the 13'?

It depends.  Some people only report a difference of 5 degrees celcius, but I have a difference of over 20 degrees celcius.  Alienware claims it only affects 1% of all units, yet everyone with a current gen Alienware product has an issue.  It is fixable tho-heres a guide to fixing the 15 R3.  I don't see why it would apply to the 13 R3 http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/warning-some-i7-6820hks-and-i7-6700hq-have-uneven-core-temps-due-to-uneven-heatsink.797477/

 

Yeah, it's present across all models, mainly the 15 R3 from what I know.

[AdamN]

49 minutes ago, lilbman said:

It depends.  Some people only report a difference of 5 degrees celcius, but I have a difference of over 20 degrees celcius.  Alienware claims it only affects 1% of all units, yet everyone with a current gen Alienware product has an issue.  It is fixable tho-heres a guide to fixing the 15 R3.  I don't see why it would apply to the 13 R3 http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/warning-some-i7-6820hks-and-i7-6700hq-have-uneven-core-temps-due-to-uneven-heatsink.797477/

 

Yeah, it's present across all models, mainly the 15 R3 from what I know.

 

Cheers, thanks for the help.

 

I'll check with Dell tomorrow and if the availability will be an issue I think I'll just get the 14" MSI and get it over with. If so, I'll probably get the Alienware R4 when they come out. :-)

[Guest lilbman]

7 minutes ago, AdamN said:

 

Cheers, thanks for the help.

 

I'll check with Dell tomorrow and if the availability will be an issue I think I'll just get the 14" MSI and get it over with. If so, I'll probably get the Alienware R4 when they come out. :-)

https://www.amazon.com/MSI-GS43VR-Phantom-Pro-006-i7-6700HQ/dp/B01IO9Y30G You mean this one?  I don't know how good the panel is, which is most important when it comes to photo editing.  I wouldn't get it unless you absolutely have to.  the 13 R3's OLED panel is amazing for sure, so I'd stick with that unless you have no other choice.

 

I don't think the R4 will come out til Q1 of next year because Kaby Lake quad cores won't be out til then.

[AdamN]

27 minutes ago, lilbman said:

https://www.amazon.com/MSI-GS43VR-Phantom-Pro-006-i7-6700HQ/dp/B01IO9Y30G You mean this one?  I don't know how good the panel is, which is most important when it comes to photo editing.  I wouldn't get it unless you absolutely have to.  the 13 R3's OLED panel is amazing for sure, so I'd stick with that unless you have no other choice.

 

I don't think the R4 will come out til Q1 of next year because Kaby Lake quad cores won't be out til then.

Yeah, that's the one. From what I read the color display is very accurate, so it should be enough for now.

 

Just like you said though - I'm aiming for Alienware 13" and I'm gonna get the MSI only if there's an availability problem. It's a shame that I don't have more time to spare. By 20th of January I need to buy whatever is available. Right now I only have an old Dell Vostro (i3, 8gb RAM, 740M GPU) and I can't really do any heavy lifting with that setup.

[Guest lilbman]

3 minutes ago, AdamN said:

Yeah, that's the one. From what I read the color display is very accurate, so it should be enough for now.

 

Just like you said though - I'm aiming for Alienware 13" and I'm gonna get the MSI only if there's an availability problem. It's a shame that I don't have more time to spare. By 20th of January I need to buy whatever is available. Right now I only have an old Dell Vostro (i3, 8gb RAM, 740M GPU) and I can't really do any heavy lifting with that setup.

I agree.  Hopefully you can get your hands on the 13 R3.  I would have gotten one but they don't have the lights on the sides and the battery life wouldn't be as great.

 

Just remember to stress test it for issues and if you have issues but don't think you would be able to do a repaste or undervolt, return the Alienware and grab the MSI.  I would repaste mine but I don't feel like screwing up my expensive computer.  I'll undervolt it eventually.

[AdamN]

I spoke to Dell and they said that they can get one for me, so - success!

 

I will definitely test it for any kind of issues once I get it. I'm gonna be traveling for at least a few months without coming back home, so I need to make sure that I have a flawlessly running workstation.

 

Thanks for the help!

[Pendragon]

On 12/11/2016 at 4:54 PM, lilbman said:

I don't see why it would apply to the 13 R3

it uses a similar heatsink design.

 

On 12/11/2016 at 2:01 PM, lilbman said:

If you can, I would wait until Alienware has their shit together with the heatsink issue unless you need it ASAP.  The Alienware 13 is definitely your best option.

It's basically confirmed they won't. Without a group of enthusiasts testing and benching these things, people wouldn't have noticed. Also Dell isn't going to spend millions in R&D and in recall when instead they can just release a bios patch that limits speeds for the GPU and CPU and call it a day. Granted, on a 6700HQ and 1060 the effects are not noticeable as there is no OC headroom on the CPU side and the 1060 is far cooler than a 1070.

[Guest lilbman]

3 minutes ago, Pendragon said:

it uses a similar heatsink design.

 

It's basically confirmed they won't. Without a group of enthusiasts testing and benching these things, people wouldn't have noticed. Also Dell isn't going to spend millions in R&D and in recall when instead they can just release a bios patch that limits speeds for the GPU and CPU and call it a day. Granted, on a 6700HQ and 1060 the effects are not noticeable as there is no OC headroom on the CPU side and the 1060 is far cooler than a 1070.

Linus used it and approved of it.

 

If's it is Linus approved, it's good enough for anyone.

[Guest lilbman]

4 hours ago, AdamN said:

I spoke to Dell and they said that they can get one for me, so - success!

 

I will definitely test it for any kind of issues once I get it. I'm gonna be traveling for at least a few months without coming back home, so I need to make sure that I have a flawlessly running workstation.

 

Thanks for the help!

No problem!  Good to hear that you can get one!

[Pendragon]

2 minutes ago, lilbman said:

If's it is Linus approved, it's good enough for anyone.

That's so far from the truth. Everyone has different needs for their machines. Linus also approves the Razer Blade 2016. Whereas all his reviews are based on the perspective of a office use machine (which is what Linus uses it for). You will have a fundamentally different experience both as a gamer, professional and a regular customer. 

[Guest lilbman]

1 minute ago, Pendragon said:

That's so far from the truth. Everyone has different needs for their machines. Linus also approves the Razer Blade 2016. Whereas all his reviews are based on the perspective of a office use machine (which is what Linus uses it for). You will have a fundamentally different experience both as a gamer, professional and a regular customer. 

 It doesn't matter at this point, he already ordered an Alienware 13 R3.  Stop fighting a battle you've already lost.

[Pendragon]

Just now, lilbman said:

 It doesn't matter at this point, he already ordered an Alienware 13 R3.  Stop fighting a battle you've already lost.

LOL. out of his two choices that he was considering the aw13 is a better pick. i'm just informing him with facts. there's no point in telling someone great choice without all the info on hand. 

[AdamN]

It looks like getting the 13" version might be more of a problem than I initially thought. I will still be talking to Dell but just in case I want to review other options.

 

Given that I need something very durable I think I'd rather skip MSI, get a bigger backpack and buy Alienware 15".

 

If I were to buy it I would probably go for a maxed out version - GTX 1070, i7 6820HK, 32GB RAM.

 

The only thing I can't decide on is the display. Should I go for FHD or UHD?

 

edit: After doing some reading I might actually go for 6700HQ CPU...

[Shiv78]

6 hours ago, AdamN said:

The only thing I can't decide on is the display. Should I go for FHD or UHD?

 

with a 1070, you could handle decent 4K gaming. FHD will increase your battery life by a lot thought, if that makes a difference to you. For editing 4K is godlike

[AdamN]

5 hours ago, Shiv78 said:

with a 1070, you could handle decent 4K gaming. FHD will increase your battery life by a lot thought, if that makes a difference to you. For editing 4K is godlike

These were actually the things I was thinking about :

1. 4k will be much better for editing

2. I don't think battery really matters that much since for video editing I will be hooked up to power all the time anyway

 

So the only question would be about the quality of that 4k screen.

[Shiv78]

18 hours ago, AdamN said:

So the only question would be about the quality of that 4k screen.

Regardless, probably better than the 1080p option!