jvaske093
I'm looking for a laptop that will be able to handle some short film video editing. It wouldn't be used exclusively for that and I'm looking for something below $800
Answer
Video editing machine needs both a powerful Processor & Graphic card.
Asus, Dell, HP etc...You should compare them all, but you find Acer totally dominates this price range, in terms of gear it gives that translates to overall performance.
I suggest having a look at the Acer Aspire 15" http://www.dpbolvw.net/l8122biroiq59EA9A9A576AA6EFD?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newegg.com%2FProduct%2FProduct.aspx%3FItem%3DN82E16834115795%26nm_mc%3DAFC-C8Junction%26cm_mmc%3DAFC-C8Junction-_-Notebooks-_-Acer%2BAmerica-_-34115795&cjsku=N82E16834115795 . Comes with intel "Core i5-450M" (Dual Core) processor & nvidia "GT 330M" graphic card, its performance will be identical to $1,799 - 15" Macbook Pro.
If you like it bigger & even more powerful, Acer Aspire 17" http://www.jdoqocy.com/qn72uoxuowBFKGFGFGBDCGGCKLJ?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newegg.com%2FProduct%2FProduct.aspx%3FItem%3DN82E16834115792%26nm_mc%3DAFC-C8Junction%26cm_mmc%3DAFC-C8Junction-_-Notebooks-_-Acer%2BAmerica-_-34115792&cjsku=N82E16834115792 . Comes with the new amd "Phenom II N830" (Triple Core), this is equivalent to "Core i5 540M" & Radeon "HD 5650" which is faster than GT 330M, means this machine's graphic ablility will be faster than Macbook Pro.
Video editing machine needs both a powerful Processor & Graphic card.
Asus, Dell, HP etc...You should compare them all, but you find Acer totally dominates this price range, in terms of gear it gives that translates to overall performance.
I suggest having a look at the Acer Aspire 15" http://www.dpbolvw.net/l8122biroiq59EA9A9A576AA6EFD?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newegg.com%2FProduct%2FProduct.aspx%3FItem%3DN82E16834115795%26nm_mc%3DAFC-C8Junction%26cm_mmc%3DAFC-C8Junction-_-Notebooks-_-Acer%2BAmerica-_-34115795&cjsku=N82E16834115795 . Comes with intel "Core i5-450M" (Dual Core) processor & nvidia "GT 330M" graphic card, its performance will be identical to $1,799 - 15" Macbook Pro.
If you like it bigger & even more powerful, Acer Aspire 17" http://www.jdoqocy.com/qn72uoxuowBFKGFGFGBDCGGCKLJ?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newegg.com%2FProduct%2FProduct.aspx%3FItem%3DN82E16834115792%26nm_mc%3DAFC-C8Junction%26cm_mmc%3DAFC-C8Junction-_-Notebooks-_-Acer%2BAmerica-_-34115792&cjsku=N82E16834115792 . Comes with the new amd "Phenom II N830" (Triple Core), this is equivalent to "Core i5 540M" & Radeon "HD 5650" which is faster than GT 330M, means this machine's graphic ablility will be faster than Macbook Pro.
Laptop video card replacement?
Poke'peach
I have a Toshiba Satellite A505 laptop with a i3 cpu that runs at 3 ghz and 5g of ram and dual core processor. Can I upgrade the video card?
Answer
The only upgradable parts of a laptop is the RAM if there are available slots on the mother board, increasing the Hard Drive capacity if it is compatible with your Toshiba system, and having a new fan put in to replace the old one. For the Processor, good luck, if you can find one that is compatible with the chipset & other components of your system which should also be able to fit in your mother board. Unlike desktop computers which are upgradeable, for laptops, what you bought is strictly what you get. You can try looking for cheap shops, but you'll end up paying more in the long run.
My suggestion, just save up your money for now and when you have saved up then buy one that you wont need to upgrade in the long run.
Just remember these: The 1st thing you should look for on the computer surface is A LOGO STICKER for NVIDIA or ATI MOBILITY RADEON just below the keyboard. This SHOWS that the laptop has A DEDICATED GRAPHICS CARD (for AutoCAD & Adobe Photoshop). Diablo III, the game I would love most to play runs on 3D graphics & is rumored to need at least 1GB GRAPHICS MEMORY (lower graphics memory = CHEAPER laptop price), so always check the system requirement specs on the game's box (ex. SIMS 3; see if your laptop meets all the requirements). For gamers, double check from the list on this link, make sure the GRAPHICS CARD you get on the laptop IS ONLY from the HIGH END or MIDRANGE listed:
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Grapâ¦
Next important aspect is the RAM (memory). If you're in designing & you need to run applications like AutoCAD or softwares for editing photos and videos, you have to make sure that the laptop has AT LEAST 2GB DDR2 RAM modules in it (the more, the better; DDR3 & DDR5 are faster & newer types of memory modules that came out).
But what makes a computer really run fast? It is it's processor! So if you really want your processor to have computing prowess & you're able to run different applications simultaneously, make sure it's AS EFFICIENT AS an Intel Core 2 Duo Processor (Centrino 2 is a Core 2 Duo featuring power saving capabilities; Quad Core is for gaming fanatics). A Core 2 Duo is like having 2 motors running the computer each independent of the other w/c means for a Quad Core, it's like 4 motors are running the machine (that means it will run faster & more efficient even if its frequency is lower to that of a Core 2 Duo). Intel: Core 2 Duo, Centrino 2, Quad Core, Core i-3, Core i-5 & Core i-7 are all very much faster & better than an Intel: DUAL CORE, PENTIUM, CELERON, ATOM & their more affordable AMD counterparts. Just make sure you have AT LEAST 2GHz of speed on your processor.
Core i-3, better than Core 2 Duo
Core i-5, better than Core i-3 in interactive social networking & creating home videos
Core i-7, better than Core i-5 in designing your own website
The HDD (Hard Disc Drive) should be at least 320GB.
The average laptop LCD screen size is 15.4". If you want something smaller than that w/ these facts I just shed some light on, expect the price to go higher (ex. for 13.3" & 14.1" LCD screens).
FOR the best PRICEs, go to Fry's Electronics, MicroCenter, CostCo & BestBuy's web sites for updates & COMPARISON.
FYI: I always tell my customers, a laptop's battery is similar to a cell phone's. You charge it when it's depleted & you unplug the adapter when it is already fully charge (this will prevent the battery from getting overcharged & extend the life of the battery). So for less hassle, I always advice my customers to just remove the battery if they plan to use the computer for long hours straight (more than 1 hour) and just run it on AC power alone so as not to overcharge it & shorten the battery life.
FYI, laptop, as the name itself... well, I really don't use it on my lap b'coz sometimes our leg, the bed cover or some clothing may already be blocking the air vent without our knowledge.
Also, if your computer is running a lot of applications that means that the HDD (Hard Disc Drive) is moving very fast and any minute (small) movements of your legs creates vibrations inside (which we wont see from the outside) that causes damage to the HDD discs, and eventually in a long time (when the damage is too much and in some cases the HDD makes a sound) the hard drive will crash. So, if your laptop came with a HDD protection utility, just like what Toshiba and HP has, you can always lower down the sensitivity level to level 2 or 1 but never completely disable the protection utility to prevent the HDD from getting damage from the inside and use the computer on a stable surface. Now, like what I always tell my customers, to always create a restore point (every last day or first day of the month) and make sure that you constantly back-up any important pictures, documents or files from your HDD to a Flash Drive/Thumb Drive or writable DVD±R or an external HDD, so that you will not lose any of these info just in case something bad happens.
The only upgradable parts of a laptop is the RAM if there are available slots on the mother board, increasing the Hard Drive capacity if it is compatible with your Toshiba system, and having a new fan put in to replace the old one. For the Processor, good luck, if you can find one that is compatible with the chipset & other components of your system which should also be able to fit in your mother board. Unlike desktop computers which are upgradeable, for laptops, what you bought is strictly what you get. You can try looking for cheap shops, but you'll end up paying more in the long run.
My suggestion, just save up your money for now and when you have saved up then buy one that you wont need to upgrade in the long run.
Just remember these: The 1st thing you should look for on the computer surface is A LOGO STICKER for NVIDIA or ATI MOBILITY RADEON just below the keyboard. This SHOWS that the laptop has A DEDICATED GRAPHICS CARD (for AutoCAD & Adobe Photoshop). Diablo III, the game I would love most to play runs on 3D graphics & is rumored to need at least 1GB GRAPHICS MEMORY (lower graphics memory = CHEAPER laptop price), so always check the system requirement specs on the game's box (ex. SIMS 3; see if your laptop meets all the requirements). For gamers, double check from the list on this link, make sure the GRAPHICS CARD you get on the laptop IS ONLY from the HIGH END or MIDRANGE listed:
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Grapâ¦
Next important aspect is the RAM (memory). If you're in designing & you need to run applications like AutoCAD or softwares for editing photos and videos, you have to make sure that the laptop has AT LEAST 2GB DDR2 RAM modules in it (the more, the better; DDR3 & DDR5 are faster & newer types of memory modules that came out).
But what makes a computer really run fast? It is it's processor! So if you really want your processor to have computing prowess & you're able to run different applications simultaneously, make sure it's AS EFFICIENT AS an Intel Core 2 Duo Processor (Centrino 2 is a Core 2 Duo featuring power saving capabilities; Quad Core is for gaming fanatics). A Core 2 Duo is like having 2 motors running the computer each independent of the other w/c means for a Quad Core, it's like 4 motors are running the machine (that means it will run faster & more efficient even if its frequency is lower to that of a Core 2 Duo). Intel: Core 2 Duo, Centrino 2, Quad Core, Core i-3, Core i-5 & Core i-7 are all very much faster & better than an Intel: DUAL CORE, PENTIUM, CELERON, ATOM & their more affordable AMD counterparts. Just make sure you have AT LEAST 2GHz of speed on your processor.
Core i-3, better than Core 2 Duo
Core i-5, better than Core i-3 in interactive social networking & creating home videos
Core i-7, better than Core i-5 in designing your own website
The HDD (Hard Disc Drive) should be at least 320GB.
The average laptop LCD screen size is 15.4". If you want something smaller than that w/ these facts I just shed some light on, expect the price to go higher (ex. for 13.3" & 14.1" LCD screens).
FOR the best PRICEs, go to Fry's Electronics, MicroCenter, CostCo & BestBuy's web sites for updates & COMPARISON.
FYI: I always tell my customers, a laptop's battery is similar to a cell phone's. You charge it when it's depleted & you unplug the adapter when it is already fully charge (this will prevent the battery from getting overcharged & extend the life of the battery). So for less hassle, I always advice my customers to just remove the battery if they plan to use the computer for long hours straight (more than 1 hour) and just run it on AC power alone so as not to overcharge it & shorten the battery life.
FYI, laptop, as the name itself... well, I really don't use it on my lap b'coz sometimes our leg, the bed cover or some clothing may already be blocking the air vent without our knowledge.
Also, if your computer is running a lot of applications that means that the HDD (Hard Disc Drive) is moving very fast and any minute (small) movements of your legs creates vibrations inside (which we wont see from the outside) that causes damage to the HDD discs, and eventually in a long time (when the damage is too much and in some cases the HDD makes a sound) the hard drive will crash. So, if your laptop came with a HDD protection utility, just like what Toshiba and HP has, you can always lower down the sensitivity level to level 2 or 1 but never completely disable the protection utility to prevent the HDD from getting damage from the inside and use the computer on a stable surface. Now, like what I always tell my customers, to always create a restore point (every last day or first day of the month) and make sure that you constantly back-up any important pictures, documents or files from your HDD to a Flash Drive/Thumb Drive or writable DVD±R or an external HDD, so that you will not lose any of these info just in case something bad happens.
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