Best 15" Video Editing Laptop

DavidBeier

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Jun 28, 2008
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I'm a filmmaker and I've come to the point of needing a new laptop for video editing, photoshop, and after effects work. For the last few weeks I've been searching through countless options but have hit a brick wall so I'm hoping someone here can offer some good suggestions.

While I know you always get more of a bang for your buck with a desktop, I've found that I really need a mobile editing solution (given how often I find myself stuck in different parts of LA or how often I have to take my work to different clients). I can't afford both a strong desktop and a laptop so I'm opting to get as good a laptop as I can.

My previous "desktop" replacement was a big mistake. I'm usually a guy who goes with the most affordable option and doesn't really worry about portability or form-factor. In 2010 I ended up getting a gigantic 19 inch HP laptop that weighed a ton and looked hideous. It was so damn big that that I needed a special giant bag to take it places and it was incredibly painful on my shoulder. As a result, I hardly took it anywhere.

Since I'm likely to use my new laptop for the next four years or so, I really wanted something that would be sleek, portable, but powerful enough to run everything I needed. It thus seemed that a 15 (or 15.6) inch laptop was the optimal combination of portability and power (as I find a 13 inch screen a bit small for graphics work). For video/graphics work, I've always been told that a quad core processor is important and 16 gigs of RAM is a must (you can never have too much RAM). A discrete graphics cards is also quite important and nVideo is preferable is it most Adobe and Avid programs are built to work with it. Also, at least a 7200 RPM drive is important.

Anyway, I few weeks ago I did a quick search and settled on the HP Envy 15 Touchsmart. I was able to up the specs on the website to get a i7 4700 Quad; GeForce GT 470m; 16 Gigs of RAM, and a 5400 hybrid drive with 8 gigs SSD (these were pretty much maxed out settings). It ended up coming to around $1140 or so (also added the backlit keyboard and some other upgrades). I got the laptop in the mail and really liked the form factor. It was slightly heavier than I'd hoped (5.6 pounds) but it was still workable. I also loved that they gave it a sleek feel, similar to a macbook, and allowed the laptop to get slimmer towards the end like an ultrabook. It feels pretty smooth and portable.

Unfortunately, there are two small problems with this guy. 1.) Even with a hybrid drive, the 5400 rpm just isn't cutting it. I knew I needed a 7200 rpm drive but friends suggested that a hybrid 5400 would be almost as good (wrong). 2.) The screen has lousy viewing angles and lousy contrast ratio. I guess I didnt' realize how bad the viewing angles could be on touch screen laptops. No matter how much I play with the tilt of the screen, part of it is always slightly too dark or too bright because of the angle. Side it side isn't bad but horizontal and vertical sucks. The colors are nice and it's very sharp but the blacks never feel like a true black and the contrast is very weak. I've tried to ignore this but, since I'm doing so much graphics work on the laptop, it's becoming a real issue. I've got another week to return this laptop to HP for a refund. I was thinking of just buying a 500 gig SSD drive and calling it a day but I've heard many have had real issues trying to put an SSD into this laptop as the Windows 8 Recovery through HP doesn't seem to work unless you clone the old disc. Also, putting in an SSD doesn't fix the screen.

After my screen problems I went to a few store and found that many touch screen laptops had awful viewing angles. I've since looked at a few potential replacements for my HP but have yet to make a choice. Here is what I'm looking at but what's holding me back:

Asus N550JV: Right now this seems to be the highest recommending multimedia laptop. The $999 model has i7 4700mq, GT 750M, a DVD drive, and a 5400 RPM drive. For this to work, I'd need to make upgrades so I'd order a specialized model from some place like Computer Upgrade King so that I could have a 500 gig SSD, a blu-ray drive, and 16 gigs of RAM. This would bring the total to around $1500 (which is a lot but worth it for a good device). I have one or two things holding me back fro this one. The first is that I think, despite a ton of reviews saying it had one of the best touch screens around; I found a model at best buy that was still a little disappointing (it it wasn't a N550JV but looked to have the same body). The model I held also seemed a little bulkier than I'd like (and I don't like the silver keys on a silver plate look). That said, the reviews have been steller so I may have to just bite the bullet and upgrade this guy. If only I could find a place where I could look at the screen again to make sure I knew what I was gettings.

Asus N56JR: Like the previous Asus but with slightly better specs but no touch capability. I personally would like touch to future proof the laptop (and I've enjoyed it for web browsing on my HP). Also, I'm already planning to upgrade the N550J to be as powerful as this guy.

Lenova IdeaPad Y510P. OK, I know this has amazing specs and everyone loves it. I agree the specs are fantastic. Dual SLI 750M seems a bit overkill (I play some games but am not a huge gamer). However, it still lacks a touch screen and I ABSOLUTELY HATE THE DESIGN. It's huge. It's heavy. It feels cheap. And the look of it is actually distracting to me (and would drive me nuts when doing graphics stuff). I'm not saying that every laptop has to be as pretty as an ultrabook or macbook but this thing is just big and fugly.

Samsung Ativbook 6/Ativbook 8 Touch: These seem like the exact same laptop. I love their form factor (very light and sleek); and the monitor seems like the best touch screen I've seen. The processor is a 3rd gen i7 quad core but it benches about as well as the 4700mq. The real issue is that it only has a ATI card (which After Effects and Avid don't like); only has 8 gigs or RAM, and doesn't have a full SSD drive. I also can't find any places that easily upgrade or customize these guys (like the Asus) so it looks like I'd be stuck with these specs. It's a shame as I love the design and would gladly pay more than the $1000 starting price for a more powerful option.

Dell Inspirion 15: I LOVE THE DESIGN of this. Like a macbook but nicer in some ways. The touch screen also had good viewing angles and a great contrast ratio. I've heard the colors aren't super accurate but they looked really good to me (should check more on that). I also love that it has an 16 gigs or RAM, GeForce GT 750m, and a 256 gig SSD. Two problems though (which is a shame as I REALLY wanted this one). 1.) The precessor is only an i7 4500 dual core. Everyone I know says having a quad core is important for video editing and the CPU benchmarks show that the 4500mq fall a fair bit behind it's quad core brother (4700). The other issue is that the SSD only goes up to 256 gigs. I know I'd fill this up fast so I'd need to add another drive (maybe just a 500 gig 5400 rpm for slower programs and media files); but there are no customization options for this guy and no only tutorials on how to open it up. I've also read some reviews that suggest the CPU and GPU end up getting throttled by the OS for some reason. It's a shame as I LOVE the look and feel of this laptop.

MSI GS60 Ghost: Really tempted by this one. It's super thin and sleek but still has AMAZING specs. i7 4700, 16 gigs of RAM, GeForce GT 860M. What's best, it comes with a 128 gig SSD AND a 750 gig 7200 RPM drive. That means I could install the super processor intensive stuff on the SSD and the 7200 rpm drive would still be fast enough for everything else. The only issue is that it's expensive ($1700) and has no touch screen. I love the specs and portability so much that I would be willing to pay that much if it was also touch but, without that feature, it's a harder pill to swallow.

Gigabyte P35k: Very similar specs to the MSI and very similar form factor/size. It's a little less powerful but I can customize it through a place like GenTech PC so it will have all the specs I need (16 gigs of RAM, SSD and 7200 RPM drive, ect). Reviews say the build quality isn't as good as it should be (which I can live with) but the screen is also non-touch which is annoying for this price.

Dell XPS 15 Touch: Ok, this is the perfect laptop for me. Great form factor. Great specs. i7 4700; GeForce GT 750m; 16 gigs RAM, SSD. The problem is the price. The $1800 version (which is already near the limits of my price range) only has a 32 m sata gig SSD (and a 5400 RPM 1 TB). 32 isn't enough for the operating system and programs I'd need to run fast. It also doesn't look like there's an easy say to upgrade the mSata (no customization options or tutorials online). Thus I'd have to go with the 500 gb SSD version which is about $2300 and that is simply too much for me to justify.

New Razer Blade 14': Looks amazing. Amazing specs. Similar to the Dell, TOO MUCH MONEY!!! The 128 gig SSD version cost $2200 (already too much) and the bigger SSDs cost even more. Also, 14 inches is a bit smaller than I'd wanted.

And that's about it. If I return my HP, I have to do it soon (by 8 or 9 days). I can't find the right option yet so I'm hoping that there is some laptop I've missed that fits my needs or you guys may know of one coming out. Or you guys can let me know if my concerns about certain laptops listed here are unfounded. Thanks!!!
 
Solution
Wow, a lot of information there. So this is my two cents on a few of the models you've picked out:

Anyway, I few weeks ago I did a quick search and settled on the HP Envy 15 Touchsmart. I was able to up the specs on the website to get a i7 4700 Quad; GeForce GT 470m; 16 Gigs of RAM, and a 5400 hybrid drive with 8 gigs SSD (these were pretty much maxed out settings). It ended up coming to around $1140 or so (also added the backlit keyboard and some other upgrades). I got the laptop in the mail and really liked the form factor. It was slightly heavier than I'd hoped (5.6 pounds) but it was still workable. I also loved that they gave it a sleek feel, similar to a macbook, and allowed the laptop to get slimmer towards the end like an...

g-unit1111

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Moderator
Wow, a lot of information there. So this is my two cents on a few of the models you've picked out:

Anyway, I few weeks ago I did a quick search and settled on the HP Envy 15 Touchsmart. I was able to up the specs on the website to get a i7 4700 Quad; GeForce GT 470m; 16 Gigs of RAM, and a 5400 hybrid drive with 8 gigs SSD (these were pretty much maxed out settings). It ended up coming to around $1140 or so (also added the backlit keyboard and some other upgrades). I got the laptop in the mail and really liked the form factor. It was slightly heavier than I'd hoped (5.6 pounds) but it was still workable. I also loved that they gave it a sleek feel, similar to a macbook, and allowed the laptop to get slimmer towards the end like an ultrabook. It feels pretty smooth and portable.

Touch screen laptops are not in any way shape or form good for anything that requires CPU horsepower, and for video editing you're going to need a lot of it. The main reason is because these laptops are made for ultra low power specifications and do not meet the needs of even their basic laptop requirements in terms of CPU horsepower, and they're only good for the most basic of tasks. Plus the limited RAM allotment will make it frustrating in the long run.

Asus N550JV: Right now this seems to be the highest recommending multimedia laptop. The $999 model has i7 4700mq, GT 750M, a DVD drive, and a 5400 RPM drive. For this to work, I'd need to make upgrades so I'd order a specialized model from some place like Computer Upgrade King so that I could have a 500 gig SSD, a blu-ray drive, and 16 gigs of RAM. This would bring the total to around $1500 (which is a lot but worth it for a good device). I have one or two things holding me back fro this one. The first is that I think, despite a ton of reviews saying it had one of the best touch screens around; I found a model at best buy that was still a little disappointing (it it wasn't a N550JV but looked to have the same body). The model I held also seemed a little bulkier than I'd like (and I don't like the silver keys on a silver plate look). That said, the reviews have been steller so I may have to just bite the bullet and upgrade this guy. If only I could find a place where I could look at the screen again to make sure I knew what I was gettings.

If you're going by store reviews as a means of evaluating laptops, I would say don't. You can't accurately sum up what a laptop can do in a few paragraphs on a Newegg review. Try a site like Tom's or Anandtech for far more in depth reviews on laptops.

MSI GS60 Ghost: Really tempted by this one. It's super thin and sleek but still has AMAZING specs. i7 4700, 16 gigs of RAM, GeForce GT 860M. What's best, it comes with a 128 gig SSD AND a 750 gig 7200 RPM drive. That means I could install the super processor intensive stuff on the SSD and the 7200 rpm drive would still be fast enough for everything else. The only issue is that it's expensive ($1700) and has no touch screen. I love the specs and portability so much that I would be willing to pay that much if it was also touch but, without that feature, it's a harder pill to swallow.

This is my dream laptop. The price tag is a bit steep but the small form factor for a 15.6" screen and SSD and HD drives included is well worth the cost. And the customizable Steelseries keyboard is beyond sweet. :lol:

Dell XPS 15 Touch: Ok, this is the perfect laptop for me. Great form factor. Great specs. i7 4700; GeForce GT 750m; 16 gigs RAM, SSD. The problem is the price. The $1800 version (which is already near the limits of my price range) only has a 32 m sata gig SSD (and a 5400 RPM 1 TB). 32 isn't enough for the operating system and programs I'd need to run fast. It also doesn't look like there's an easy say to upgrade the mSata (no customization options or tutorials online). Thus I'd have to go with the 500 gb SSD version which is about $2300 and that is simply too much for me to justify.

Two things on this one:

1. Again, touch screen laptops do not use the same CPUs that their regular laptop counterparts do. This one may be an exception but most touch screen laptops use the "i7-XXXXU" designation, where most regular laptops use the "i7-XXXXM" CPU designation. That means the CPUs are better, but for video editing you really want a desktop especially X79 since CPUs can handle more cores and more RAM than their laptop counterpart can.

2. You do not come out ahead purchasing a 500GB SSD. The cost per GB is simply not justifiable.

New Razer Blade 14': Looks amazing. Amazing specs. Similar to the Dell, TOO MUCH MONEY!!! The 128 gig SSD version cost $2200 (already too much) and the bigger SSDs cost even more. Also, 14 inches is a bit smaller than I'd wanted.

The Razer is a sweet laptop indeed but the high price tag is a major turn off. Not to mention the higher up in price you go on laptops, the more they depreciate in value extremely quickly and when you go to sell your laptop for a new one, you won't get half of what you paid for it. Especially since on most laptops just about the only thing you can upgrade on these systems is the RAM and primary hard drive.
 
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DavidBeier

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Jun 28, 2008
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18,510
Thanks for the info.

Touch screen laptops are not in any way shape or form good for anything that requires CPU horsepower, and for video editing you're going to need a lot of it. The main reason is because these laptops are made for ultra low power specifications and do not meet the needs of even their basic laptop requirements in terms of CPU horsepower, and they're only good for the most basic of tasks. Plus the limited RAM allotment will make it frustrating in the long run.

Understood. But that's why I'm trying to focus on ones which have more RAM. As for the CPU, it appears as though they have the same processors as the non-touch varients.

If you're going by store reviews as a means of evaluating laptops, I would say don't. You can't accurately sum up what a laptop can do in a few paragraphs on a Newegg review. Try a site like Tom's or Anandtech for far more in depth reviews on laptops.

Not looking at user reviews; only pro ones. The Asus N550J is the only one that seems to get glowing ratings as a mutlimedia machine. I guess the Lenovo Idea Pad Y510 also did but, once again, I despise its size, form-factor, look, and lack of touch. Here are some of the reviews that have lead me towards the N550J.

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Asus-N550JV-CN201H-Notebook.98311.0.html
http://www.trustedreviews.com/asus-n550jv-laptop_Laptop_review
http://www.laptopmag.com/reviews/laptops/asus-n550jv.aspx
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2424878,00.asp
http://www.computershopper.com/laptops/reviews/asus-n550jv-db72t

And here's one of a few that call it a great multimedia machine: http://www.laptopmag.com/best-laptops.aspx

This is my dream laptop. The price tag is a bit steep but the small form factor for a 15.6" screen and SSD and HD drives included is well worth the cost. And the customizable Steelseries keyboard is beyond sweet. :lol:

Glad I'm not the only one who thinks The MSI GS60 looks amazing. I just wish the damn thing would ship so I can take a look at the screen. The thing which I learned from my first buying experience is that professional reviews can help you with benchmarks and specs but you need to really see the damn thing to evaluate the form-factor and the screen.

1. Again, touch screen laptops do not use the same CPUs that their regular laptop counterparts do. This one may be an exception but most touch screen laptops use the "i7-XXXXU" designation, where most regular laptops use the "i7-XXXXM" CPU designation. That means the CPUs are better, but for video editing you really want a desktop especially X79 since CPUs can handle more cores and more RAM than their laptop counterpart can.

I'm confused though as I don't see "u" designation in mos to the touch laptops I mentioned (like the 550J) The only one which has a "u" is the Dell Inspirion 15 (with a 4500u dual core instead of quad core) which is why I'm pretty much ruling it out.

As for desktop vs laptop; believe me I'm with you. I know there's way better options for less money on the non- mobile front. The problem is that the last four years of free lance work in LA have shown me I really need a mobile solution. I'm constantly rushing to different meetings with potential clients or having to squeeze in some editing/graphics work while I'm on set for another project. Just the other day I brought a client a temp cut of a title sequence while they were on set and was frustrated because couldn't make any adjustments to it as it was created on my desktop and my tablet certainly couldn't work in After Effects. I really need something that gives me flexiblity.

2. You do not come out ahead purchasing a 500GB SSD. The cost per GB is simply not justifiable.

If I could have purchased an a cheap one on my own and then installed it I could have lived with that. The premium that dell charges though isn't worth it. Personally, I think the best solution is to have a 120-240 gig SSD for the hard drive and some programs and pair that with a 750 gig or 1tb 7200 rpm drive. That's what I love about the GS60 configuration and that's what I would do to the NV550JV if I got one.

The Razer is a sweet laptop indeed but the high price tag is a major turn off. Not to mention the higher up in price you go on laptops, the more they depreciate in value extremely quickly and when you go to sell your laptop for a new one, you won't get half of what you paid for it. Especially since on most laptops just about the only thing you can upgrade on these systems is the RAM and primary hard drive.[/quotemsg]

So, do you think it's smarter to take a cheaper laptop (like the Asus N550JV) and try to upgrade it or take a more expensive one (MSI GS60 or Gigabye P35k) and take it as is?

Thanks!!!
 

g-unit1111

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Not looking at user reviews; only pro ones. The Asus N550J is the only one that seems to get glowing ratings as a mutlimedia machine. I guess the Lenovo Idea Pad Y510 also did but, once again, I despise its size, form-factor, look, and lack of touch. Here are some of the reviews that have lead me towards the N550J.

I got a Lenovo Y500 last year and I love it, it's by far the best laptop I've ever had. It's a far cry from the older Toshiba Satellite that I was using and a lot smaller at that.

Glad I'm not the only one who thinks The MSI GS60 looks amazing. I just wish the damn thing would ship so I can take a look at the screen. The thing which I learned from my first buying experience is that professional reviews can help you with benchmarks and specs but you need to really see the damn thing to evaluate the form-factor and the screen.

If I won the lottery the MSI GS60 would be like first on my list of things to by. That's especially true about laptops is that you have to see them in person in order to really appreciate them, pictures don't do them justice.

I'm confused though as I don't see "u" designation in mos to the touch laptops I mentioned (like the 550J) The only one which has a "u" is the Dell Inspirion 15 (with a 4500u dual core instead of quad core) which is why I'm pretty much ruling it out.

As for desktop vs laptop; believe me I'm with you. I know there's way better options for less money on the non- mobile front. The problem is that the last four years of free lance work in LA have shown me I really need a mobile solution. I'm constantly rushing to different meetings with potential clients or having to squeeze in some editing/graphics work while I'm on set for another project. Just the other day I brought a client a temp cut of a title sequence while they were on set and was frustrated because couldn't make any adjustments to it as it was created on my desktop and my tablet certainly couldn't work in After Effects. I really need something that gives me flexiblity.

This list from Wikipedia explains all the differences between the CPUs: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultrabook