Anybody Here Laptop/Computer Savy?

[Blackdevil77]

I'm on the hunt for a new laptop. I want a windows based machine to be able to run HPtuners. Budget is 2k, I'd be using it to organize and play my music (about 150+ gb worth) typical internet surfing, and video editing.

Also, anybody know of a good video editing software that automatically syncs audio to video like Final Cut Pro does? I record the audio with a separate audio recorder and have to sync the audio with the video.

[RTexasF]

I'm sure you will get as many opinions as there are brands. I would suggest Lenovo for something of that caliber/expense.

[LSNAutoDetailing]

Sounds like a MacBook Pro candidate. If your hp tuners are windows based, you can always load VM Fusion and run a Windows VM.

[Audios S6]

Are video and associated audio stored on a separate external/network drive? It's ridiculous how fast storage gets eaten up these days. Can you do the same with your personal audio and play from an external drive? Just looking for ways to avoid needing a large capacity internal drive since it would be ideal to have an SSD (rather than platter) for the operating system and main programs; large capacity SSDs are still relatively expensive in laptops.

How many years do you plan to use this machine?

I don't have any good recommendations, but those two factors should help the experts pin down a good option or at least provide some good criteria to look for.

[DetailKitty]

Sounds like a MacBook Pro candidate. If your hp tuners are windows based, you can always load VM Fusion and run a Windows VM.

Yup- my husband uses HP Tuners on his MacBook Pro.

[natewood70]

$2,000 is a pretty good budget, and looking at HP Tuners VCM Editor (assuming that is what you run) it has pretty reasonable minimum requirements.

Video editing seems to really be where you'll need the extra "umph," so a lot of great options out there.

If it were me, I would go with a Lenovo X1 Carbon. You can get one built out with these specs:

Processor: Intel Core i7-6600U
RAM: 16 GB
Storage: 512 GB SSD
Screen Size: 14" 2560x1440

The price tag on this is $1,570.50 according to Lenovo's site, so you might be able to find it cheaper... But for me, Lenovo has always been rock solid when I have compared it to others like HP, Toshiba, and Dell. I don't mess with Mac's personally. My wife does, and her Macbook works for what she needs, but for me I can't come around to comparing raw specifications and shelling out an additional 25% just because it has an apple logo.

Do you have any sizing requirements for the screen or weight? Do you want a touchscreen? That will also help to drive the conversation to a better suited product for your needs and wants.

[Blackdevil77]

Sounds like a MacBook Pro candidate. If your hp tuners are windows based, you can always load VM Fusion and run a Windows VM.

I don't have it yet but I think they're all windows based. I like the Macbook Pro's but dollar for dollar, they're extremely expensive. That's what I have now, a late model 2011 Macbook pro. Worked very well for years. It's just recently starting to s*** the bed, I've taken it back and forth to the apple store several times. They'll fix it up and it'll start running like crap again within a few months. I think it's just tired, it's gotten countless hours of use, every since day since I bought it 6 years ago.


Are video and associated audio stored on a separate external/network drive? It's ridiculous how fast storage gets eaten up these days. Can you do the same with your personal audio and play from an external drive? Just looking for ways to avoid needing a large capacity internal drive since it would be ideal to have an SSD (rather than platter) for the operating system and main programs; large capacity SSDs are still relatively expensive in laptops.

How many years do you plan to use this machine?

As long as it runs. I'm hoping for 5 years at least.

I don't have any good recommendations, but those two factors should help the experts pin down a good option or at least provide some good criteria to look for.

I have my music backed up to an external hard drive, but I want to keep the music on the laptop just for convenience of use. As for videos, I'd probably only keep some on the laptop. Once they're uploaded to Youtube or burned onto a disc, there isn't much reason for me to keep it on my laptop. I'd probably just put those on an external as well just for safe keeping. I want it to last as long as possible. I'm hoping for at least 5 years out of it.


$2,000 is a pretty good budget, and looking at HP Tuners VCM Editor (assuming that is what you run) it has pretty reasonable minimum requirements.

Video editing seems to really be where you'll need the extra "umph," so a lot of great options out there.

If it were me, I would go with a Lenovo X1 Carbon. You can get one built out with these specs:

Processor: Intel Core i7-6600U
RAM: 16 GB
Storage: 512 GB SSD
Screen Size: 14" 2560x1440

The price tag on this is $1,570.50 according to Lenovo's site, so you might be able to find it cheaper... But for me, Lenovo has always been rock solid when I have compared it to others like HP, Toshiba, and Dell. I don't mess with Mac's personally. My wife does, and her Macbook works for what she needs, but for me I can't come around to comparing raw specifications and shelling out an additional 25% just because it has an apple logo.

Do you have any sizing requirements for the screen or weight? Do you want a touchscreen? That will also help to drive the conversation to a better suited product for your needs and wants.

Thanks for the recommendation, I'll look into the Lenovo. Hptuners is cake to run, it's the video editing that requires the most power. If I was set on a macbook pro, I'd just get a cheap laptop to run hptuners before I try to get hptuners to run on my mac. There are some $200 laptops that can run hptuners. Since I need a new laptop all together, I figured I'd get one that can do everything I need it to do.

I don't care too much about a touchscreen and a 15 inch screen would be nice. 17 is a bit big. 13 is nice and portable, but sometimes I wish I had more viewing area so 15 being nestled nicely in the middle seems good.

[Brandon Wetch]

What about the surface book? If your thinking MacBook, Apple is having an announcement at the end of the month. Just a few days and an overhaul on the retina MacBook Pro. Perfect time to buy one


-Mr. Slick.

[hdez]

Whatever is your final decision, keep in mind this:


HDDs are good and cheap for storage size but they are slow.
SSDs are like 5x the speed on average than HDD but not that cheap (2x-3x the price for GB)
There are hybrid HDD/SSD but I wouldn't recommend them


Since you are going to edit videos, a 512GB/1TB SSD would be ideal, unless you are editing massive videos.

My recommendation would be a Lenovo since they are very durable.

Lenovo T Series (http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/thinkpad/t-series/t560/#SYSTEM)
P Series (http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/thinkpad/p-series/p50s/?sb=:00000025:00003D41:). This has a dedicated GPU, which will allow you to process video editing more faster.

[Blackdevil77]

What about the surface book? If your thinking MacBook, Apple is having an announcement at the end of the month. Just a few days and an overhaul on the retina MacBook Pro. Perfect time to buy one


-Mr. Slick.

I was thinking that. I think the 27th they make the announcement. If the prices come down enough, I just might.

What is a surface book? Never heard of it

[Blackdevil77]

Whatever is your final decision, keep in mind this:


HDDs are good and cheap for storage size but they are slow.
SSDs are like 5x the speed on average than HDD but not that cheap (2x-3x the price for GB)
There are hybrid HDD/SSD but I wouldn't recommend them


Since you are going to edit videos, a 512GB/1TB SSD would be ideal, unless you are editing massive videos.

My recommendation would be a Lenovo since they are very durable.

Lenovo T Series (http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/thinkpad/t-series/t560/#SYSTEM)
P Series (http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/thinkpad/p-series/p50s/?sb=:00000025:00003D41:). This has a dedicated GPU, which will allow you to process video editing more faster.


I want an SSD for their durability. The speed is definitely a big perk. Yeah that's what I was thinking. 1TB would be great, but those are VERY expensive. I can get a XPS 15 with a 1TB SSD drive for $2,100. That's a smidge over my budget, but if it's really that good, I may be able to stretch it. I'm researching Lenovos right now.

[Brandon Wetch]

I was thinking that. I think the 27th they make the announcement. If the prices come down enough, I just might.

What is a surface book? Never heard of it

Made by Microsoft. A laptop that has a high res screen, SSD, and you can take the screen off the keyboard and use it as a tablet. Check it out because it's really nice


-Mr. Slick.

[Hiran]

Are video and associated audio stored on a separate external/network drive? It's ridiculous how fast storage gets eaten up these days. Can you do the same with your personal audio and play from an external drive? Just looking for ways to avoid needing a large capacity internal drive since it would be ideal to have an SSD (rather than platter) for the operating system and main programs; large capacity SSDs are still relatively expensive in laptops.
How many years do you plan to use this machine?
I don't have any good recommendations, but those two factors should help the experts pin down a good option or at least provide some good criteria to look for. I was thinking that. I think the 27th they make the announcement. If the prices come down enough, I just might.
What is a surface book? Never heard of it ....

[Brandon Wetch]

Are video and associated audio stored on a separate external/network drive? It's ridiculous how fast storage gets eaten up these days. Can you do the same with your personal audio and play from an external drive? Just looking for ways to avoid needing a large capacity internal drive since it would be ideal to have an SSD (rather than platter) for the operating system and main programs; large capacity SSDs are still relatively expensive in laptops.
How many years do you plan to use this machine?
I don't have any good recommendations, but those two factors should help the experts pin down a good option or at least provide some good criteria to look for. I was thinking that. I think the 27th they make the announcement. If the prices come down enough, I just might.
What is a surface book? Never heard of it ....

Have you heard of Microsoft surface? A tablet that has full ports and runs full Windows you can attach a cover and the tablet has a stand. The surface book starts at 1,500 and is a laptop that you can pull the 13 inch tablet off the keyboard base. It also comes with a stylus for artists or if you need to sign stuff. Both have touch screens of coarse


-Mr. Slick.