Looking for a 15.6 inch portable video editing Laptop under 900$

cire311

Estimable
Nov 13, 2015
11
0
4,560
Hows it going guys, I currently own a fairly powerful desktop (AMD Radeon R9, 16GB RAM, AMD 8 Core) But with college, I'm rarely at home to use it. I'm looking for a 15.6 inch Laptop with a great battery to survive the day. I often head out and work on video editing, which I'd enjoy to do on a portable device. Also some Mid to low quality gaming too. Thing is, I only got around $900 to invest in the machine. I happened to look at a few, any of these good?

- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834152949&cm_re=MSI_gp-_-34-152-949-_-Product
- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=34-319-808
- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA6R42AF3784&cm_re=lenovo_gaming_laptop-_-1TS-000E-001H5-_-Product
Or any other machines?
I appreciate a response and thanks!
 

jbaker22

Honorable
Sep 22, 2013
180
0
10,710
The MSI is the best. It has a better gpu. The lenovo has a gpu equivalent to a 920m. The msi has a 950m. Lenovos still have spyware, and their batteries stop holding a charge with in months.
 

cire311

Estimable
Nov 13, 2015
11
0
4,560


So, the MSI is the best option? How long does it old the battery charges for? Right now I have using an old Toshiba from 5 years ago and it doesn't hold a charge. I'm worried that's the same for my new Laptop.
 

jbaker22

Honorable
Sep 22, 2013
180
0
10,710
It is rated to last 8 hours, but i trust notebookcheck.net's review a lot more. They say " At best, we clocked in just above 2 hours on minimum brightness, Power Saver profile, and integrated graphics active." I called MSI the best out of your pick. If you want to spend less and get more battery life, get the ASUS K501LX-NH52 for $700.On reddit tjorky said "I spent a lot of time writing earlier this week and got 8 hours out of it." That is referring to the Asus.
 

cire311

Estimable
Nov 13, 2015
11
0
4,560

Thanks a ton for the research on the topic! I noticed the ASUS K501LX-NH52 has an I5 Processor, would I be demanding too much from it if I used it for video editing with Sony Vegas?
 

jbaker22

Honorable
Sep 22, 2013
180
0
10,710
Integrated gpus are not powerful enough for video editing. The Asus I showed still seems like a great deal. Besides, you will not want to edit videos while you are not plugged in. It will be slower since it will be in power savings mode and it will not last 8 hours.
 


Depends on how often special are used in video editing. Video editing is primarily CPU dependent, the GPU will only be used when you are doing any kind of video transition effects. However, if you want to play games then it is generally a good idea to get a dedicated GPU even though integrated graphics is good enough for many (but not all) games on low / medium settings depending on the resolution.

The MSI laptop has the most powerful CPU and GPU of the three. However, the Core i5 4210H is rated to consume up to 45w of power which is 3x more than "u" model Intel CPUs like the i7-6500u in the IdeaPad 500. While the i5-4210H will provide better performance, it will also drain the battery a lot faster.

The recommended Acer Aspire V15 Nitro has a quad core i7-6700HQ that is also rated to consume up to 45w of power. While the laptop is light (a little over 5lbs), it has sacrificed battery capacity to achieve such a low weight which can mean a short battery life.
 
Based on the specs for ASUS E551LA-XB51 I would say that it is possible the laptop can last up to 8 hours; I generally knock off at least 1 hour from the "claimed" battery life. The laptop has a i5-4200u CPU which consumes up to 15w which helps prolong battery life. The screen resolution is only 1366x768 which draws less power than a 1080p screen because it has few transistors (less power draw). It also has a 9-cell 87WHr battery which is a pretty high capacity battery.

The one problem with the laptop is the low resolution screen. I tend to prefer laptops with 1080p screens because it allows me to see a lot of information on the screen. Not sure how that will affect you for video editing.
 

cire311

Estimable
Nov 13, 2015
11
0
4,560


This is tough, all of these laptops listed seem to have their own advantages and disadvantages. Looks like I have to do some research! I'll keep you all posted if anything comes to mind

 

cire311

Estimable
Nov 13, 2015
11
0
4,560

cire311

Estimable
Nov 13, 2015
11
0
4,560

Thanks a ton for the research! I thought everyone just went off to other things. Overall this machine looks like everything I'm looking for. I'm just curious about the battery life, as I haven't found anything regarding it.