[rewind]

I have a Dell Dimension 8400 PC which I have had since 2004. It still works okay but is getting quite slow and clunky loading programmes sometimes. I currently use it connected to my LCD HD TV.

I am going to replace it with a laptop and am looking for some advice. The main reason for my upgrade is that I have just bought a Panasonic digital camera (DMC-FZ48) which records full HD video. I know my current PC won't be able to handle HD video and as I am going to Vietnam in November, I want to be able to do some video editing when I get back.

So, my questions:

1. I am not saying I will be doing loads of video editing going forward but just so I know I am buying the right equipment to start with, I will ask this one now: PC or Apple MacBook? Which one is better in terms of video editing?

2. Depending on the answer to the above, are Ultrabooks worth the cost over laptops? I wouldn't be carrying it around with me but I like the idea of quick start up. I don't think the lack of an optical drive is an issue. I do still buy CDs for albums (not for singles!) but I can still get them in a digital form using my Dell.

3. What are the minimum specs I need to be looking at for my needs? I will only be using it for PC browsing, email, music and as I said HD video. Is something like this good? http://www.dell.com/uk/p/inspiron-14z-5423/pd

4. What makes of PC are good? I quite like the look of the Asus and Samsung range.

5. Finally, what could I use my Dimension 8400 for post upgrade? Could it act as some kind of extra storage server - I.e.could I turn it on and access it wirelessly from my laptop? The idea of me getting a laptop is to free up space but it seems a waste to throw it away!

I also have a Compaq NC6000 laptop which I acquired. I am going to see if I could trade it in anywhere but unfortunately the current Dixons Retail offer of £150 off Ultrabooks states the laptop has to be under 6 years old. Do you think there will be any offers in the future where I can get shot of it?


Sorry for all of the questions but I have been out of touch with the PC scene for quite a few years!

Thanks.

[TheBigM]

Ultrabooks are called so because of their thinness and lightness not because of performance. They perform well for ordinary day to day use but their low-voltage processors and onboard graphics aren't powerful enough for HD video editing (transcoding using Intel Quick Sync yes but that's more niche).

Apple Macbooks possess no innate advantage for video editing, only if you specifically want to use Apple software like iMovie or Final Cut Pro but if you are using third-party like Adobe Premiere Elements then a PC is fine.

Asus make some good powerful laptops. You need a hench CPU, a decent GPU and oodles of fast disk storage.

[rewind]

Originally Posted by TheBigM

Ultrabooks are called so because of their thinness and lightness not because of performance. They perform well for ordinary day to day use but their low-voltage processors and onboard graphics aren't powerful enough for HD video editing (transcoding using Intel Quick Sync yes but that's more niche).

Apple Macbooks possess no innate advantage for video editing, only if you specifically want to use Apple software like iMovie or Final Cut Pro but if you are using third-party like Adobe Premiere Elements then a PC is fine.

Asus make some good powerful laptops. You need a hench CPU, a decent GPU and oodles of fast disk storage.

Thanks. I will discount Ultrabooks because I also didn't realise their storage is small.

I own an Asus Android tablet and have been impressed by that so will research their laptops then.

[Gormond]

If you can afford it a 15" MacBook Pro is a good choice, it comes with a 3rd gen quad core i7 and a Nvidia Geforce GT 650M and you can fit it with an SSD for faster speed.

If you know anyone in education you can get it for £1288 with a 3 year warranty.

[rewind]

Hmmm - that is a bit out of my price range. I would probably go to £700 maximum. I would like something that looks nice as well and not your bog standard laptop design.

[Gormond]

Originally Posted by rewind

Hmmm - that is a bit out of my price range. I would probably go to £700 maximum. I would like something that looks nice as well and not your bog standard laptop design.

Check out the Lenovo Z580 - http://www.ebuyer.com/391228-lenovo-...laptop-m81d2uk (I have its little brother the G580 which cost £400 but doesn't have quadcore or dedicated graphics)

Its £745 with £100 cashback (just fill in a simple form) bringing the total to £645

- Intel Core i7-3612QM QC 2.1 GHz
- 8GB RAM + 1TB HDD
- 15.6 HD LED + Blu-Ray
- Webcam + NVIDIA GT 630M
- Windows 7 Home Premium 64
- Gun Metal grey

Again its Ivy Bridge so you will get USB3 and so forth. Also a good thing about Lenovos is that its easy to upgrade the RAM, HDD, Optical Drive and Wireless card.

EDIT: Cashback ends on the 12th so you have to purchase before then to get £100 off.

[rewind]

Originally Posted by Gormond

Check out the Lenovo Z580 - http://www.ebuyer.com/391228-lenovo-...laptop-m81d2uk (I have its little brother the G580 which cost £400 but doesn't have quadcore or dedicated graphics)

Its £745 with £100 cashback (just fill in a simple form) bringing the total to £645

- Intel Core i7-3612QM QC 2.1 GHz
- 8GB RAM + 1TB HDD
- 15.6 HD LED + Blu-Ray
- Webcam + NVIDIA GT 630M
- Windows 7 Home Premium 64
- Gun Metal grey

Again its Ivy Bridge so you will get USB3 and so forth. Also a good thing about Lenovos is that its easy to upgrade the RAM, HDD, Optical Drive and Wireless card.

EDIT: Cashback ends on the 12th so you have to purchase before then to get £100 off.

Thanks. Do I need a spec as high as that? The Blu-Ray drive seems a bit OTT for what I need doesn't it? Would the model you own not be sufficient?

Thanks for the link though.

[TheBigM]

Originally Posted by rewind

Thanks. Do I need a spec as high as that? The Blu-Ray drive seems a bit OTT for what I need doesn't it? Would the model you own not be sufficient?

Thanks for the link though.

Where would you be putting your edited HD videos?

[c4rv]

Originally Posted by TheBigM

Where would you be putting your edited HD videos?

view directly / stream from hard drive. I've had a HD camcorder for over a year and so far never had the need to burn a blu-ray disc.

[rewind]

Originally Posted by c4rv

view directly / stream from hard drive. I've had a HD camcorder for over a year and so far never had the need to burn a blu-ray disc.

Yeah this - I wouldn't be burning them and I think that only comes with a Blu-Ray player anyway. I would just put them on YouTube/Facebook or just leave them on the hard drive.

[John259]

Originally Posted by rewind

I have a Dell Dimension 8400 PC which I have had since 2004. It still works okay but is getting quite slow and clunky loading programmes sometimes.

Have you tried the obvious "sping cleaning"? Uninstall unwanted programs, delete unwanted files, give the hard disc(s) a defrag, use a reputable registry cleaner, etc? Maybe that will bring it back to an acceptable speed and save you a lot of money.

[TheBigM]

Originally Posted by rewind

Yeah this - I wouldn't be burning them and I think that only comes with a Blu-Ray player anyway. I would just put them on YouTube/Facebook or just leave them on the hard drive.

Uploading a 1080p home movie to Youtube/Facebook would take forever. Less than 1% of the country has real upstreams greater than 5Mb I reckon.

If that's your intended target, I would probably save them in 720p format locally, downscale and upload as 480p videos.

[rewind]

Originally Posted by John259

Have you tried the obvious "sping cleaning"? Uninstall unwanted programs, delete unwanted files, give the hard disc(s) a defrag, use a reputable registry cleaner, etc? Maybe that will bring it back to an acceptable speed and save you a lot of money.

No but to be honest because I have my PC connected to my TV it isn't always the most comfortable so think I am due for an upgrade!

Thanks though.

[Gormond]

Originally Posted by rewind

Thanks. Do I need a spec as high as that? The Blu-Ray drive seems a bit OTT for what I need doesn't it? Would the model you own not be sufficient?

Thanks for the link though.

You may be right, the G580 is a great machine, there are 2 versions on ebuyer, one at £450 with 4GB ram and 500GB HDD and £470 with 6GB ram and 750GB HDD.

Ofcoarse you can upgrade these things easily at a later date if you so please and as with the other laptop the G580 is entitled to cash back (£50) if you buy before Sunday.

The main difference is dual core vs quad core and dedicated graphics vs integrated although the Intel HD 4000 is a decent integrated GPU and is plenty fast for me, even manages the latest 3D games at low/med settings.

[rewind]

In comparison, is the basic Macbook Pro (the £999 one) massively over priced?

Or would something like this refurbished one be good? http://store.apple.com/uk/product/FD313B/A#overview

[Gormond]

Originally Posted by rewind

In comparison, is the basic Macbook Pro (the £999 one) massively over priced?

Or would something like this refurbished one be good? http://store.apple.com/uk/product/FD313B/A#overview

You would be better off sticking to an Ivy Bridge laptop rather than an old Sandy Bridge for various reasons (better graphics, better SSD support, USB3, faster / lower power CPU...).

The £999 MacBook Pro has pretty much the same spec as a £400 G58 Lenovo.

2.5GHz dual-core Intel Core i5
Turbo Boost up to 3.1GHz
4GB 1600MHz memory
500GB 5400-rpm hard drive
Intel HD Graphics 4000

The MacBook has a much better enclosure not to mention a better screen and trackpad and lasts about 50% longer on a charge, it also has OSX. You would have to decide for yourself if this is worth the extra £600 (or £459 if education discount).

[rewind]

Originally Posted by Gormond

You would be better off sticking to an Ivy Bridge laptop rather than an old Sandy Bridge for various reasons (better graphics, better SSD support, USB3, faster / lower power CPU...).

The £999 MacBook Pro has pretty much the same spec as a £400 G58 Lenovo.

2.5GHz dual-core Intel Core i5
Turbo Boost up to 3.1GHz
4GB 1600MHz memory
500GB 5400-rpm hard drive
Intel HD Graphics 4000

The MacBook has a much better enclosure not to mention a better screen and trackpad and lasts about 50% longer on a charge, it also has OSX. You would have to decide for yourself if this is worth the extra £600 (or £459 if education discount).

Thanks. Gone for the MacBook Pro. Managed to get it for £880 so although a lot of money I have always fancied a Mac so thought I would treat myself on my 0% credit card!

[Gormond]

Originally Posted by rewind

Thanks. Gone for the MacBook Pro. Managed to get it for £880 so although a lot of money I have always fancied a Mac so thought I would treat myself on my 0% credit card!

I'm sure you will be happy with your purchase, Macbook Pros are great machines (how did you get it for £880?).

Let us know how you get on with it

[curiousclive]

Originally Posted by rewind

I have a Dell Dimension 8400 PC which I have had since 2004. It still works okay but is getting quite slow and clunky loading programmes sometimes. I currently use it connected to my LCD HD TV.

I am going to replace it with a laptop and am looking for some advice. The main reason for my upgrade is that I have just bought a Panasonic digital camera (DMC-FZ48) which records full HD video. I know my current PC won't be able to handle HD video and as I am going to Vietnam in November, I want to be able to do some video editing when I get back.

So, my questions:

1. I am not saying I will be doing loads of video editing going forward but just so I know I am buying the right equipment to start with, I will ask this one now: PC or Apple MacBook? Which one is better in terms of video editing?

2. Depending on the answer to the above, are Ultrabooks worth the cost over laptops? I wouldn't be carrying it around with me but I like the idea of quick start up. I don't think the lack of an optical drive is an issue. I do still buy CDs for albums (not for singles!) but I can still get them in a digital form using my Dell.

3. What are the minimum specs I need to be looking at for my needs? I will only be using it for PC browsing, email, music and as I said HD video. Is something like this good? http://www.dell.com/uk/p/inspiron-14z-5423/pd

4. What makes of PC are good? I quite like the look of the Asus and Samsung range.

5. Finally, what could I use my Dimension 8400 for post upgrade? Could it act as some kind of extra storage server - I.e.could I turn it on and access it wirelessly from my laptop? The idea of me getting a laptop is to free up space but it seems a waste to throw it away!

I also have a Compaq NC6000 laptop which I acquired. I am going to see if I could trade it in anywhere but unfortunately the current Dixons Retail offer of £150 off Ultrabooks states the laptop has to be under 6 years old. Do you think there will be any offers in the future where I can get shot of it?


Sorry for all of the questions but I have been out of touch with the PC scene for quite a few years!

Thanks.

With a new one

[rewind]

Originally Posted by Gormond

I'm sure you will be happy with your purchase, Macbook Pros are great machines (how did you get it for £880?).

Let us know how you get on with it

Thanks!

Pixmania are selling it for £899 plus £13 off plus 3% cashback.

[RobinOfLoxley]

Should be £859.42 then!

[whoever,hey]

Originally Posted by RobinOfLoxley

Should be £859.42 then!

Maybe they actually meant plus £13!

[rewind]

£6 delivery too.

[whoever,hey]

Wow, bargain.