Best laptop for creative suite cs6?

[shinya9]

I will be heading to college in September and wish to buy a new laptop and install creative suite production premium on it. I need a computer which will run fairly smoothly with production premium  but possibly more importantly I need a computer which will last me my four years of undergraduate. My college offers special deals on apple and dell computers so I'm strongly considering buying a laptop from those brands but am willing to purchase my computer from another company if it's clear that the laptop would be longer lasting/good with production premium. I can afford a little above 2000 dollars for the computer but I won't likely be able to play around with the computer much to imporove things like memory so custimization is basically out. Here are the descriptions of four computers I was looking at were the macbook 15 and 13.3 as well as the new special addition 15r inspiration and the new xps 15. The new xps 15 at 2000 dollars seems the most powerful but my understanding is that macs have a longer lifespan. Any recomendations would be great thanks!

[John T Smith]

Some ideas for a Laptop Video Editing PC from past discussions

http://www.adkvideoediting.com/

http://www.sagernotebook.com/ - http://forums.adobe.com/thread/957472

.

For effective HD video editing, a laptop with the following

-at least the Intel sandy bridge 2720 or 2820 quad processor

-and nvidia graphics such as the 460m with 1Gig video ram

-1280x900 display with OpenGL 2.0-compatible graphics card

-and 8 or 16 gig ram and Win7 64bit Pro

-and 2 internal 7200 HDDs minimum

[coonasty]

just bought a sager notebook from xoticpc (clevo p170em model) and now that i got cuda working its really running my cs6 suite very nicely.  my specs:

i7 3720qm

8gig ram (added 16gig more i had for 24gig total)

the good 17" screen (whatever it was)

nvidia 675m video 2gig vram (add the cuda hack to pp and ae)

500gig hard drive (i added a 750gig that i already had)

already had win 7 64bit

and none of the extra non-sense charges that you can waste money on if u choose

total was just a tad over $1800 with the discounts.  i can go to 32gig ram later on if i choose, dont think ill notice much difference though.  cpu and video card can be upgraded later on when new faster stuff comes out for a cheaper price

also bought a 2 terabyte external g-raid thats im hooking up through esata and thats what im working my projects off of to switch between my hex core desktop when im home.  for video editing this thing runs better than i expected.  definitely will get years of great use with this setup

[UlfLaursen]

cmltech wrote:

nvidia 675m video 2gig vram (add the cuda hack to pp and ae)

Good to know, thanks. I have an HP Pro with a Quadro M card too, will try the hack on that one too.

/Ulf

[the_wine_snob]

I have been using a Sager 17" laptop for about 5 years now. When purchased, it was their "top-o-the-line," with 3x 250GB SATA II's, nVidia GTX 8800M 512k, and 4GB RAM (running XP-Pro, which was a "special order," as Vista was the choice then). I use it to edit SD material, plus do much of my initial PS Image work, InDesign and AI vector illustrations, plus Encore authoring.

Now, it is VERY long in the tooth, and for the same $'s, one can get much, much more. Looking at both Sager & ADK for a replacement, and am only waiting on a change in the Clevo MoBo's, before I make the change to Win7-64 and the new laptop.

I can say that the Sager T/S and C/S are great, and judging from the work that the ADK folk do on this forum, would certainly anticipate the same, or maybe even better from them.

The only downside to such a unit, is the power consumption with a 3x HDD I/O. For me, I only use the laptop on my patio, so I am plugged into AC. It is also a tad heavy, were I running through airports, or trying to juggle things on an airliner's tray table. One thing that I have noticed is that many newer airplanes, like the 737-800/900's have AC between the seats!

Good luck,

Hunt

[1982 GT]

I am looking at purchasing a laptop to run Production Premium CS6.  Below are the specs of a laptop that I'm thinking about - I would appreciate your feedback and thoughts as to wether or not this will handle CS6.

Thanks,

http://www.sagernotebook.com/index.php

[Bill Gehrke]

Welcome to the forum

If you want this class of laptop guaranteed and properly configured to your workflow and media contact one of our frequent forum contributors Eric at ADK who has helped many happy users of these forums.

[danolds]

I would suggest that you take a look at Lenovo's W530 Mobile Workstation models. They have solid processors, two drive slots, four memory slots, and are very durable. You can get a lot more machine for your money if you can handle some fairly simple upgrades on your own. I needed a laptop to handle Adobe a few years ago and here's what I did:

1. Shopped Lenovo's Outlet store and found a returned W510 (the best model at that time) that had the top processor/Quadro graphics combination. This saved about $500 vs. list price

2. Swapped out the memory, replacing the stock 4GB with 16GB to fill up all four DIMM slots. This was much less expensive than buying memory from Lenovo and works perfectly.

3. Bought a hard drive carrier for the Ultrabay slot (cost about $20 if I remember right). Then I bought a SSD to use as main drive and moved stock 300GB drive to the Ultrabay carrier - giving me two internal drives.

I've been using this system for a few years now and am very happy. It won't render as quickly as a desktop or a laptop that's using desktop processors or GPUs, but it has enough battery life (9 cell internal battery plus add-on 'slice' battery underneath) to handle a cross country flight without dying. All in, I think I ended up spending less than $2k on the hardware, upgrades, and accessories.

[JFPhoton]

.....look at the other post today ,"deciding on CPU and Memory for Laptop",by Peter Studt. You will see how he eventually bought a new Asus.  His model just posted the highest laptop score on the video editing benchmark test, "PPBM5"....go to that website and look.

I saved a lot of money 2 years ago buying an Asus.....compare them to the Sagers, Clevos, Lenovos,etc. before deciding.

key factors :  fastest i7 laptop CPU you can get

                         best NVidia 6xx series laptop GPU you can get.....more GPU memory, the better, esp. for After Effects....if 3 or 4GB possible, go for it!!

                         minimum 2 internal SATA III HDD bays......~ 256 SSD for OS,Programs, and pagefile only.....larger SSD : 512GB Marvell controlled Crucial M4 or better in 2nd bay for media, and rest of files.

                         Or, Seagate Momentus XT 750GB in 2nd bay for media....will be slower than SSD.

                         Min. 1920x1080 screen that is at least 17.3 inches.......smaller screens too hard to see without straining.

                         Max out system memory .....min. 16 GB, but, 32GB best....min. 1600 speed.

                         Hi-speed external port like eSATA or, USB 3 for external drives

                         HDMI port for viewing timeline window on an HDTV,or, external,large monitor

[danolds]

I looked at the ASUS back when I bought the Lenovo, but the 17" screen was too big for me. I had to be able to use the system on planes and a 15" screen is about as big as you can go - unless the guy in front of you feels like reclining. There are also some other Lenovo features that were important to me as a business user that would probably be less important to someone else.

I'd definitely agree with the comments about about getting the fastest CPU possible and a system with four DIMM slots. I'd also agree the GPU memory is important and more is better. Dual drive bays are a great feature, but make sure that the secondary drive bay operates at full speed. On some systems, the speed of the secondary bay was capped since they figured it was mainly going to be used with the DVD/CD drive.

You'll see some systems with Displayport output rather than HDMI. Don't worry about that, you can get a HDMI/Displayport adapter for a few bucks.

[sinfony78]

what exactly is the use of the second drive. is it to store all the media files? i'm just curious as to why one partitioned drive wouldn't be sufficient

[cc_merchant]

See Tweakers Page and all the other articles.

[sinfony78]

what do you guys think of these specs and price? Toshiba Qosmio x70 for $1900. I'm going to assume USB 3.0 and no Firewire, but I'll double check.

• Intel® Core™  i7-4700MQ Processor (6M Cache, up to 3.40 GHz) with Intel® Turbo Boost Technology  
• Windows 8.1
• 16GB DDR3L 1600MHz SDRAM (8GB + 8GB)  
• 500GB HDD (7200rpm, Serial-ATA)  
• 256GB mSATA solid state drive (SSD)  
• 500GB 2nd HDD (7200rpm, Serial-ATA)  
• 3GB GDDR5 NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 770M w/NVIDIA® Optimus™  Technology
• Blu-ray Disc™ RE  with SuperMulti DVD±R/RW Double Layer drive  
• Premium Frameless LED Backlit Raised Tile Keyboard with 10-Keypad (black)
• 17.3" FHD TruBrite® LED Backlit Display (1920 x 1080)
• Wi-Fi® Wireless networking (802.11b/g/n)+ Bluetooth 4.0

[danolds]

It's a good configuration, I think. I went out and looked at the new Lenovo W540 and while it would be in the ballpark on most of the specs, the Toshiba definitely looks to be less expensive. Plus the GPU on the Toshiba looks to be better than the GPU on the Lenovo.

A couple of recommendations you might want to investigate to cut costs even more:

1. Order the Toshiba with the smallest amount of memory possible. Then go out and purchase good quality name brand memory and install it yourself. I think that the Toshiba has four memory slots, right? I would bet that you could get much more memory for your money if you bought it in the aftermarket (buy directly from Amazon or the memory vendors, they all have tools that will tell you exactly what you need or can use.)

2. I'd buy the system with just a single spinning drive - the 500GB drive listed above, and then buy the SSD separately. Again, you'll get a much better price on the SSD. Installation is pretty easy, but unless you've done it before, I'd suggest getting a SSD that has what they call a 'migration kit' to make it even easier.

Hope this helps, and enjoy your new computer.....

[JFPhoton]

......not bad for almost $2,000......but, you can probably do a little better. 32GB system memory would be better...esp if you use After Effects. There are a few laptops that have TWO mSATA SSDs in RAID 0 to provide maximum speed for OS, programs and pagefile. As spinning HDDs in a laptop top out at 120 -125 MB/sec., using SATA III SSDs can provide a huge speed improvement.....although, you must read more about "steady-state" performance,compared with a fresh SSD. Of course, a desktop system would be WAY better if you don't absolutely NEED a laptop. Forget "editing on a plane".....most laptops will THROTTLE BACK on the CPU under battery power, no matter WHAT you set the "power options" to. You will have to be "plugged in" to edit. Also, laptops cannot be "overclocked" to increase performance like you can do on a desktop.

     Check out Asus models as well.....sometimes you can save on a "refurbished" model. Be careful about the EXACT memory that is needed, if you want to ADD memory yourself.....with the Haswell CPU, sometimes only EXPENSIVE lower voltage sticks HAVE to be used AND sometimes the whole laptop needs to be disassembled in order to reach all the memory slots !! Using a laptop can be done......I do it.....with 3 separate SSD drives and using a LARGER external monitor together with the laptop screen. Actually, NOW you can buy CHEAP 32" HDTVs to use as a monitor....this gives you an idea of how your work will look on an actual TV in addition to how it will look on a computer display.

[danolds]

For me, I use the second drive to store documents, media snippets, and things like that. Once you start doing a lot of multimedia stuff, you'll find out that it takes up a lot of space. I'm sure I could manage it better, of course, but the Lenovo gives me the option for another internal drive. It's been hugely helpful for me.

[the_wine_snob]

The 17" display was a consideration for me too. However, I had been using the 17" Sager, and as my eyes are getting older and more tired, I stuck with it.

Now, with 1 - SSD and 2 - HDD's, plus that big screen, the ADK is NOT a lightweight laptop, but I knew that going in. Fortunately, I use it as a "portable," and would not want to run through an airport with it swinging around my shoulder. Also, I think that it might mash a traytable on an airplane.

That is a drawback (along with short battery life - I plug into AC) of a laptop for editing Video, or even Images in Ps.

I see threads about people editing Video on a 13" iMac thingie. Obviously they have younger eyes.

Hunt

[kandiimann]

Hi everyone, I need a very powerful laptop for after effects and I'm having a very hard time finding the perfect one. I can spend up to $3000 and I want RAM previews to load as fast as possible. Any ideas?

[kandiimann]

what do you guys think of this one  from http://www.adkvideoediting.com/laptop.asp with the following specs

Case	ADK - 8600 HW: 17.3" 1920 x 1080 Full HD (16:9) LED Backlit LCD (Matte) Backlite
Power Supply	Included
Processor	Intel - i7 4800MQ 2.7GHz 6M cache Quad Core with HT (turbo to 3.7GHz)
Memory	ADK - 32Gig (4x8gig) 1600 11-11-11-28 Sodimm Lifetime Warranty
Operating System	Microsoft - Windows 7 Pro 64 bit OEM
Recovery Software	Paragon Backup & Recovery 12 Suite with ADK recovery Flash Drive.
OS/Programs Drive	Samsung - 256 GB 840 Pro 2.5" Internal Solid State Drive
Source Drive	Western Digital - 750G 7200RPM Hard Drive 16meg cache 5 yr warranty
Render Drive	None
Cache/Storage	None
Removable Media	None
External Raid	none
Raid Controller	None
FW/USB/e-Sata	None
DVD-RW/BDR	Included CD-RW/DVD read/write
Graphics Card	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870MX w/6GB GDDR5
Video I/O	None
NIC	Included Wired 1GB and Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC and Blue Tooth 4.0
Mouse	None
Warranty	Standard 1 yr Parts and Labor Lifetime Tech Support
Converter	None
Audio Interface	None
Audio Software	NONE
NLE Software	NONE
Plug-ins/DSP	NONE
Laptop 8600 HW Price: $2,832.00 Description: 15 and 17 inch 4nd Gen Intel (Haswell) Quad Core i5, i7 Laptop. up to 32 gig ram and 4 internal HDDs, on board TEXAS INSTRUMENTS FIREWIRE 400

can anyone reccomend something better?

[UlfLaursen]

kandiimann wrote:

what do you guys think of this one  from http://www.adkvideoediting.com/laptop.asp with the following specs

Case	ADK - 8600 HW: 17.3" 1920 x 1080 Full HD (16:9) LED Backlit LCD (Matte) Backlite
Power Supply	Included
Processor	Intel - i7 4800MQ 2.7GHz 6M cache Quad Core with HT (turbo to 3.7GHz)
Memory	ADK - 32Gig (4x8gig) 1600 11-11-11-28 Sodimm Lifetime Warranty
Operating System	Microsoft - Windows 7 Pro 64 bit OEM
Recovery Software	Paragon Backup & Recovery 12 Suite with ADK recovery Flash Drive.
OS/Programs Drive	Samsung - 256 GB 840 Pro 2.5" Internal Solid State Drive
Source Drive	Western Digital - 750G 7200RPM Hard Drive 16meg cache 5 yr warranty
Render Drive	None
Cache/Storage	None
Removable Media	None
External Raid	none
Raid Controller	None
FW/USB/e-Sata	None
DVD-RW/BDR	Included CD-RW/DVD read/write
Graphics Card	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870MX w/6GB GDDR5
Video I/O	None
NIC	Included Wired 1GB and Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC and Blue Tooth 4.0
Mouse	None
Warranty	Standard 1 yr Parts and Labor Lifetime Tech Support
Converter	None
Audio Interface	None
Audio Software	NONE
NLE Software	NONE
Plug-ins/DSP	NONE
Laptop 8600 HW Price: $2,832.00 Description: 15 and 17 inch 4nd Gen Intel (Haswell) Quad Core i5, i7 Laptop. up to 32 gig ram and 4 internal HDDs, on board TEXAS INSTRUMENTS FIREWIRE 400

can anyone reccomend something better?

I have never had a laptop from ADK (since I live in Denmark), but I know you will get very competent and excellent support form the guys there in relations to run Adobe products on it, and the guys from ADK hang out here too and help a lot of people reg. hardware for PPRO along with Bill, CC, John and others

Ulf

[Bill Gehrke]

You beatme to ADK!

As I have said before talk to Eric at ADK.  If you insist on something with all the potential off the shelf look at the new ASUS G750JH as a good  starting point.  Memory and disks can readily be added by anyone.

[kandiimann]

actually now im really considering this msi (with i7-4900MQ), it looks PERFECT, what do you think? http://www.xoticpc.com/msi-gt70-dominatorpro888-p-6941.html?wconfigure=yes

[Bill Gehrke]

I finally remember why the last time I suggested not going with an MSI laptop.  At that time (on another laptop that the power adapter for that particular model was only 120 watts where other vendors for the same configuration was an 180 watt "brick".  That is not the case with the model you have chosen.  It looks pretty good and has great expansion capabilitiies.  The only thing I am concerned with that GTX 880M, it seems like a weakling to me.  From the specifications I would prefer a GTX 780M see my post 9

[kandiimann]

wow i just checked and for the adk laptop i was talking about originally, the best video card they offer is the 880m.. that has to be a good sign

[Trevor.Dennis]

I replaced my aging Dell XPS (17inch something) with an MSI GT70 around about the time the CC subscription model went live.  It has the 180W PSU (it really is the size of a brick), but I suspect Bill would not approve because it has a pair of 128Gb SSDs in a raid0 for the boot drive.  Otherwise the spec is 3630QM, GTX680M and 16Gb RAM.

It has never been given serious use with PP, but it works very smoothly with a single track of 1080 H.264.  Things certainly load very quickly.  Crystal Disk Mark showed better than 800Mb/s for continuous thoughput, but I can't remember its 4K performance.

It has had some serious Photoshop use, and while it was very usable, I can't say I never had to wait for anything.  But you can't compare laptops with the sort of desktop system the sort of person who uses this forum for build advice would put together.

What I would say though, is after having to use that laptop for two weeks while my main system was out of commission, I have no idea how people cope using some of the low spec equipment we read about on the Photoshop forum.