New PC for video editing - is laptop an option?

[ssm73]

I edit video and pictures (both from DSLR camera) with Premiere Pro and Photoshop on an IMac (model 2012), 3,1 GHz Intel Core i7, 16 GB 1600 MHz DDR3 ram, NVIDIA GeForce 650M 512MB.

I am buying a new PC. The specs is a bit of a jungle to me and I am looking for advice from someone with video editin experience. Is it possbile to buy an laptop to do video editing or should I buy a desktop PC? I am not able to build it myself.

Pricerange 8-12.000 kr. (= 1.000-1500 euros).

I would be gratefull for links to specific models. THANK YOU

Kind regards
SSM73

[redwudz]

Look for a laptop with a fast CPU, preferably a quad core, about 16GB RAM (See if you can add RAM if needed),
and a fairly large hard drive or SSD boot drive. USB 3.X would be nice, then you can add some fast external USB storage.

I can't really give you specific models and brands, but others probably can. Windows 10 is normal nowadays,
but you can add something like Start 10 if you don't like the regular W10 screen setup.

I'm using a Asus GL752VW-DH71 Laptop at present, but not really for video, though it does have the capability.

Also a large screen would help. 17" maybe. I prefer the higher end Asus laptops for reasonable cost and decent features.

But if you really want expandability, a desktop PC would be preferred. Especially if you are interested in future 4K video.

[DeJay]

I recently changed from a tower to a high specification laptop for video editing, it works with caveats. Laptop screens are notorious for not being too accurate and lack of really good ventilation stresses the CPU. An external monitor is advisable for colour correcting, but not too much can be done about the CPU temperature other than restricting the cores used for rendering. I don't, mobile CPUs are supposed to be able to withstand high temperatures, so I let it work at full tilt and wait for it to melt down. Best temperature so far, 99C!

I can't recommend a make or model, I use Linux and selected one guaranteed to work with it, in fact it came with my specified distribution installed. Would I do it again? Not by choice. Will I change it for another tower? Not unitl it breaks. There is nothing wrong with the results I get and, of course, it only gets hot when rendering, most editing is done using the GPU and it all runs quite cool then.

7th gen Intel i7, 16gb RAM, Geforce 1060 GPU.

[Cornucopia]

My 2 cents:
Agree with prev. recommends. Get i5 minimum or i7. 16GB or greater RAM (hopefully expandable). Nvidia 1060-1080 class GPU for hwr accellerated decoding and/or rendering, even of higher burden formats.
But, make sure to get 256GB or greater SSD for boot drive, along with USB 3.x ports for using a USB 3.x external drive for media (e.g. 2TB 7200RPM HDD). Don’t go with hdd for boot.
Make sure also to get a usb operated fan platform/tray/cradle (cost = ~$30USD). Heat is always an issue with laptops, but one of those extended the life of 2 of my laptops by 3-5 years.
Get an external large screen monitor/tv to do most of your home-based editing/cc on.
A shuttle mouse also speeds editing action up a lot.

Scott

[DeJay]

To add to what I said, I ran out of time yesterday!

I have a 500GB SSD and 1TB HDD, USB-A 3.1 and USB-C 3. I use 2 x 2TB USB 3.0 external HDDs to render from and to. I have a stand which is supposed to improve ventilation and help keep the CPU cooler. It doesn't. I always thought of the fan type trays as gimmics, but if one works for Cornucopia, maybe I'll invest in one. By the way, I do keep the vents, fans and heatsinks as clean as I possibly can.

One further thing. I find with the Nvidia driver installed, I get severe banding in clear blue skies sometimes, but it only shows up on the (15") laptop monitor, not the external one. It seems this is quite common on various platforms.

[redwudz]

My laptop has a i7 6th Gen 6700HQ (2.60 GHz) and it runs fairly warm, even at idle. I do have a attached cooler pad with two large fans as I use the laptop on my 'laptop' and I don't want to get burned. Even with that, the laptop exhaust works as a handwarmer on cold mornings.

I do all encoding/editing on the desktop PC in my computer details.

[DeJay]

Even with that, the laptop exhaust works as a handwarmer on cold mornings.

I use mine as a hair drier! I just ordered a fan type cooler, it will be interesting to see what difference it makes.

[raffriff42]

For my laptop (now retired, desktop FTW), I tried multiple USB-powered coolers and did careful temperature tests. They made a 2-6°C difference. A big "ghetto" cooling fan can make a 20°C difference. I ended up with an 8" (20cm) diameter clamp-mount, goose-neck fan with homemade ductwork to force the air into the laptop's cool air intake port.

[Cornucopia]

That's ingeneous, @raffriff42! Though even 5-6degrees can make quite a difference in the long term.

@DeJay, you shouldn't get increased banding with external displays (unless it is trying to do a duplicated mode desktop and is finding a hard time coming up with the lowest common denominator between 2 very different displays, or unless that 2nd display is truly sub-par). Could be just that the larger screen size is more fully exposing the already existing banding in the encoded video.

Scott

[DeJay]

Thanks Cornucopia, but it's the opposite. The banding is on the laptop display, not the larger external one. It's a bummer, because it doesn't show if I remove the Nvidia driver, but then the HDMI port (and the mini display ports) dies and I can't use the external monitor, which has built-in calibration and is as accurate as I can get it without specialist equipment. Theoretically I can set the lappy display up differently using the Nvidia controls, but it doesn't hold between re-boots. The best I can do is, if I take the laptop on my travels to do some editing as planned, is remove the Nvidia driver and set it (the display) up as close as possible, then re-install when I get back home.

The only stated difference is the laptop display is G-sync compatible, the external one is not. The obvious differences are the laptop display is darker and redder than the other one, but can be adjusted to look very acceptable, so all is not lost.

I'm not trying to put you off SSM73, but you asked for personal experiences of video editing on a laptop and these are mine.

[ssm73]

I want to thank everybody for your input. I was very helpfull.

Kind Regards