new laptop needed

[geoffdown]

hi not 4x4 related but thought i would ask here if i was buying new laptop should i go for a win 7 or win 8 and what best to look for if i want it to edit movies not pro but just family i was looking at an i5 with 6 to 8gb of memory but would a dedacated graphics card help or is it just over kill please help by the way my last laptop lasted 5-6 yrs

 

[Terranical]

hi not 4x4 related but thought i would ask here if i was buying new laptop should i go for a win 7 or win 8 and what best to look for if i want it to edit movies not pro but just family i was looking at an i5 with 6 to 8gb of memory but would a dedacated graphics card help or is it just over kill please help by the way my last laptop lasted 5-6 yrs

Not an expert on pc's by any means, but I recently changed our desktop for a new one and the advice I was given was that Win 8 is aimed at tablets and other touch screen systems, and for a standard keyboard-operated system Win 7 is a better bet, so that's what I went for. Seems to tick all the right boxes and not too much of a change from XP which my old one had. Bruce

 

[jims-terrano]

I prefer Windows 7 but you won't be able to avoid Windows 8 or 8.1, think you'll be lucky to buy a Windows 7 machine in main stream shops now. I've just got a new work lappy and that's 8, I'm used to it and can drive it but much rather have 7.

 

[trophymick]

I've just bought a refurbished desktop from Microdream, it came loaded with Windoze 7, can't fault the product or their service.:thumbs

They do laptops as well, worth a look.

http://http://microdream.co.uk/home/

 

[arcascomp]

I used Windows 8 on a laptop/tablet combined thing for work and have just rebuilt my main work desktop with Windows 2012 server which is very 'Windows 8 esque' and after an initial bleerch moment, I've got to quite like it. Generally speaking I think the underlying OS is a bit better than Windows 7 but either will do what you want and both will be light years better than Vista ever was.

Separate graphics cards are mostly an advantage when it comes to large 3D work as they take all the hard work from the CPU, but the other advantage of them is they have their own memory so don't reduce what's available to you as a end user.

My laptop is an i5 with 4Gb of memory and built in graphics - haven't tried video editing, but it's not bad at DSLR image editing and the touch screen with digitiser pen makes that a nice extra help. I would recommend you get at least an i5 and preferrably as much memory as you can manage because even home video is now often HD quality and will use up all you have and more.

 

[geoffdown]

thanks for the info guys i was looking at something like this http://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/GRADE_A_-_Lenovo_Z580_1475680.html or should i go for less ram and intergrated graphics for a touch screen i5

 

[clivvy]

Windows 8 is OK if you can cope with having to go between the Metro screen and the desktop - but not having the start button any more. OR, You can have windows 8, and install a start button that will do away with Metro, which is what I use for work and it runs like a dream. Windows 8 is actually quite good, what ruins it is the lack of the start button, and the metro screen. The metro screen is great for touchscreens, but that's it. for a desktop ,is just a PITA.

As for movie editing, RAM, RAM , RAM. get as much as you can. Core i3 or i5 will be more than adequate, and you don't need dedicated graphics for that sort of work as its CPU and memory intensive - as said above dedicated graphics only really becomes important for games and some high end 3d graphics work and rendering, but even then its more the CPU and memory that is important for the rendering.

 

[geoffdown]

Windows 8 is OK if you can cope with having to go between the Metro screen and the desktop - but not having the start button any more. OR, You can have windows 8, and install a start button that will do away with Metro, which is what I use for work and it runs like a dream. Windows 8 is actually quite good, what ruins it is the lack of the start button, and the metro screen. The metro screen is great for touchscreens, but that's it. for a desktop ,is just a PITA.

As for movie editing, RAM, RAM , RAM. get as much as you can. Core i3 or i5 will be more than adequate, and you don't need dedicated graphics for that sort of work as its CPU and memory intensive - as said above dedicated graphics only really becomes important for games and some high end 3d graphics work and rendering, but even then its more the CPU and memory that is important for the rendering.

So if I install the start button app I dont need touch screen and a i5 with with 6gb or more butwhat will say i5 with dedicated graphics and just 4gb will that be ok and in a few months get more memory as u cant upgrade graphics or cpu as easy as memory just dont no what to do please help

 

[bry]

For my money,i would go for as much ram as possible,And a dedicated Graphics card..

 

[geoffdown]

For my money,i would go for as much ram as possible,And a dedicated Graphics card..

yes but cant really afford max ram graphics and i5 was thinking i5 cpu graphics and c how 4gb of ram goes if too slow its easy to buy more ram does that sound logical heads in a mess with look at so many diff laptops

 

[clivvy]

So if I install the start button app I dont need touch screen and a i5 with with 6gb or more butwhat will say i5 with dedicated graphics and just 4gb will that be ok and in a few months get more memory as u cant upgrade graphics or cpu as easy as memory just dont no what to do please help

yeah, window s8 is MUCH better with a start button added (there is an official Windows start button update, but its crap), I use this one at work and we use it on all our work PCs - no trouble at all with it http://www.classicshell.net/

so yeah, you could go for a lower spec machine and upgrade later BUT you really ought to check what spec RAm is in the PC, and then go to Crucial.com and find out how much an upgrade will be. As said, you want as much RAm as possible. You will be able to upgrade the CPU subject to the Motherboard spec, so don't worry too much about that. If you find the dedicated graphics isn't up to scratch, easy, just buy a dedicated graphics card, £50, and slot it in, easy, plus your resident IT guys on here are on hand to help you out :thumbs

 

[clivvy]

yes but cant really afford max ram graphics and i5 was thinking i5 cpu graphics and c how 4gb of ram goes if too slow its easy to buy more ram does that sound logical heads in a mess with look at so many diff laptops

ahh sorry, you looking at Laptop?

ok, be careful then, because you CANT upgrade the graphics. RAm yes, CPU probably but wont be required. You will need a laptop with a decent cooling fan, one that's not noisy, because as you render your videos, it will heat up.

What size laptop you after? minimum 15", ideally widescreen for movie editing. Check how many RAM slots the laptop has, again, check what type of RAM the laptop has because this will affect how much an upgrade will be. You want at least TWO RAm slots under the laptop fully accessible (don't get a laptop where the RAM is under the keyboard).

 

[geoffdown]

yeah, window s8 is MUCH better with a start button added (there is an official Windows start button update, but its crap), I use this one at work and we use it on all our work PCs - no trouble at all with it http://www.classicshell.net/

so yeah, you could go for a lower spec machine and upgrade later BUT you really ought to check what spec RAm is in the PC, and then go to Crucial.com and find out how much an upgrade will be. As said, you want as much RAm as possible. You will be able to upgrade the CPU subject to the Motherboard spec, so don't worry too much about that. If you find the dedicated graphics isn't up to scratch, easy, just buy a dedicated graphics card, £50, and slot it in, easy, plus your resident IT guys on here are on hand to help you out :thumbs

but this is a laptop i want didnt know u can upgrade the grahpics on 1 so easy:nenau

 

[solarman216]

but this is a laptop i want didnt know u can upgrade the grahpics on 1 so easy:nenau

not sure I am reading things right, but I have a lap top with 8 and can swap between start and current screen just by pressing the (4 square button), Rick

 

[The Patrolman]

All depends on your budget. my son bought an i5 to run 3D games and it is well quick! My mother used an antique of a pc for video editing and that was great. Video editing shouldn't require too much processing speed as you're not editing real time!
i5 4Gb would be awesome for your needs but a 12yr old gamer would whinge like hell.
What do they know about waiting for a PC to do something. In my day I had to wait 14minutes for a 16K game to load on a ZX81-----from a tape----"what is a tape" i hear them think! FFS:lol
F' me they can Pause TV. I had to use a broom stick to change tv if I wanted to select one of the other 3 channels without leaving my seat
Rant...Rant...:augie

 

[clivvy]

but this is a laptop i want didnt know u can upgrade the grahpics on 1 so easy:nenau

nope - see my other comment, I got confused thinking you wanted a desktop...

 

[geoffdown]

ahh sorry, you looking at Laptop?

ok, be careful then, because you CANT upgrade the graphics. RAm yes, CPU probably but wont be required. You will need a laptop with a decent cooling fan, one that's not noisy, because as you render your videos, it will heat up.

What size laptop you after? minimum 15", ideally widescreen for movie editing. Check how many RAM slots the laptop has, again, check what type of RAM the laptop has because this will affect how much an upgrade will be. You want at least TWO RAm slots under the laptop fully accessible (don't get a laptop where the RAM is under the keyboard).

how can i tell where the ram slots r before i by the laptop

 

[clivvy]

how can i tell where the ram slots r before i by the laptop

well, MOST have a slot underneath. So if you had the laptop to look at, you'd turn it upside down. You will see a couple of slots, or one big panel with small screws. Underneath that are the memory slots but the laptop spec will tell you if you are looking online.

so for example the one you have linked has two slots - both are currently taken up with 2 x 4GB ram chips, so no room to upgrade because the laptops maximum is 8Gb.

http://www.crucial.com/uk/upgrade/Lenovo-memory/IdeaPad/IdeaPad+Z580-upgrades.html

 

[geoffdown]

All depends on your budget. my son bought an i5 to run 3D games and it is well quick! My mother used an antique of a pc for video editing and that was great. Video editing shouldn't require too much processing speed as you're not editing real time!
i5 4Gb would be awesome for your needs but a 12yr old gamer would whinge like hell.
What do they know about waiting for a PC to do something. In my day I had to wait 14minutes for a 16K game to load on a ZX81-----from a tape----"what is a tape" i hear them think! FFS:lol
F' me they can Pause TV. I had to use a broom stick to change tv if I wanted to select one of the other 3 channels without leaving my seat
Rant...Rant...:augie

thanks for the info did the i5 have dedicated graphics and yes i no about slow when i was 10yrs i was given a spectrum 128k with tape:lol

 

[arcascomp]

Pah! Spectrum 128 - try getting 3d Moster Maze to load up on a ZX81, or even worse, typing in long, long lines of hex code from a 'Your Computer' magazine, just to play some lame game!