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Should I get a new pc for video editing, or just a video editing app?

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Ian_abaco said:
I haven't posted any videos recently, in the past I used windows movie maker and it worked really well.

But my two old pcs aren't doing very well, one is xp and the other w7.
Click to expand...
Hi Ian,

Exactly which PC do you have that's running Win7 ? Knowing that could help others to help you decide.

Also:
  1. Is it a retail copy of Win7 where you have the installation discs and product key for it?
  2. Or is it an OEM version of Win7 that came with your PC? If it's an OEM version of Win7, did you make a restore disc (CD or DVD) that you can use to do a fresh install with?
  3. If you didn't make a restore disc, do you still have the recovery partition on the system hard drive?
If it's a 64bit PC running Win7 and you have the means to do a fresh install of Win7, then the cheapest route for you that will really boost your PC's performance may be to buy a SSD and install it as your system drive. Then do a fresh install of Win7 to get rid of the quirky problems that you may have had.

I seriously doubt that a $129 laptop could be useful for video editing. And with a tiny 11.5 inch screen, it will be a real headache to use for video editing.

BTW, if it's a retail copy of Win7 and you want to run Win10, then run a Microsoft compatibility check for Win10 on that PC. If it passes the compatibility test, you can upgrade a retail copy of Win7 to Win10 for free. I just did that on the new build PC that I'm using to type this.

Sky
 
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skyglider said:
If it's a 64bit PC running Win7 and you have the means to do a fresh install of Win7, then the cheapest route for you that will really boost your PC's performance may be to buy a SSD and install it as your system drive. Then do a fresh install of Win7 to get rid of the quirky problems that you may have had.
Click to expand...
Installing an SSD made a huge improvement on my Windows XP computer that has few other upgrade options. It extended the life of that machine by two or three years, saving a bunch of money.
 
skyglider said:
BTW, if it's a retail copy of Win7 and you want to run Win10, then run a Microsoft compatibility check for Win10 on that PC. If it passes the compatibility test, you can upgrade a retail copy of Win7 to Win10 for free. I just did that on the new build PC that I'm using to type this.
Click to expand...
Just for the OP's information, I had a Windows 7 laptop that didn't pass the compatibility test but could still be upgraded to 10 using a Media Creation Tool rather than online. Still working fine, upgraded to the latest Windows 10 release.

(I would back up any PC before doing a Windows 10 upgrade, just in case anything goes wrong and it's necessary to revert to 7.)
 
I have the restore disk and have reinstalled several times and the quirks continue. Could more ram really fix it?
 
skyglider said:
Hi Ian,

Exactly which PC do you have that's running Win7 ? Knowing that could help others to help you decide.

Also:
  1. Is it a retail copy of Win7 where you have the installation discs and product key for it?
  2. Or is it an OEM version of Win7 that came with your PC? If it's an OEM version of Win7, did you make a restore disc (CD or DVD) that you can use to do a fresh install with?
  3. If you didn't make a restore disc, do you still have the recovery partition on the system hard drive?
If it's a 64bit PC running Win7 and you have the means to do a fresh install of Win7, then the cheapest route for you that will really boost your PC's performance may be to buy a SSD and install it as your system drive. Then do a fresh install of Win7 to get rid of the quirky problems that you may have had.

I seriously doubt that a $129 laptop could be useful for video editing. And with a tiny 11.5 inch screen, it will be a real headache to use for video editing.

BTW, if it's a retail copy of Win7 and you want to run Win10, then run a Microsoft compatibility check for Win10 on that PC. If it passes the compatibility test, you can upgrade a retail copy of Win7 to Win10 for free. I just did that on the new build PC that I'm using to type this.

Sky
Click to expand...
UPDATE:

You may have a limited budget but if you can swing $380 ($354.99 + $24.34 shipping), how about a PC with these specs:
  1. Intel Core i7 Up to 3.9GHz
  2. 16GB RAM
  3. 480GB SSD
  4. Windows 10 Pro
  5. DVD +/- RW drive
  6. VGA and Display Port built-in Intel HD graphics 2500
  7. Wired keyboard and mouse
  8. Ethernet but no WiFi
This is a small PC with little room for expansion though one user says he was able to install a 2TB HDD using a SATA power splitter (see amazon questions)

The catch is that it is a refurbished PC but it does come with a 1 year parts and labor warranty from the seller Refurbtek. I clicked on Refurbtek and it has 100% positive reviews in 12 months.

You can see this PC along with other i7 refurbished PCs at amazon via this link:

Lenovo ThinkCentre M92p Business Desktop Computer - Intel Core i7

Look for the one that says:
Lenovo ThinkCentre M92p Business Desktop Computer - Intel Core i7 Up to 3.9GHz, 16GB RAM, 480GB SSD, Windows 10 Pro (Certified Refurbished)

This would not be a good PC for upgrades but it would be infinitely better than a $129 laptop.

I have no previous knowledge of Refurbtek but the reviews look good at 100% positive in the last 12 months. So buy at your own risk.

$.02,
Sky
 
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skyglider said:
You can see this PC along with other i7 refurbished PCs at amazon via this link:

Lenovo ThinkCentre M92p Business Desktop Computer - Intel Core i7

Look for the one that says:
Lenovo ThinkCentre M92p Business Desktop Computer - Intel Core i7 Up to 3.9GHz, 16GB RAM, 480GB SSD, Windows 10 Pro (Certified Refurbished)
Click to expand...
Keep in mind that computer contains an i7-3770 which is a perfectly fine CPU (I have one here), but it is now 5 yrs old and that is presumably the age of the rest of the design too. That's why it is so discounted. Perhaps it's the right $$ tradeoff for some, but mid-range (not particularly expensive) modern chips are quite a bit faster these days.
 
jfriend00 said:
skyglider said:
You can see this PC along with other i7 refurbished PCs at amazon via this link:

Lenovo ThinkCentre M92p Business Desktop Computer - Intel Core i7

Look for the one that says:
Lenovo ThinkCentre M92p Business Desktop Computer - Intel Core i7 Up to 3.9GHz, 16GB RAM, 480GB SSD, Windows 10 Pro (Certified Refurbished)
Click to expand...
Keep in mind that computer contains an i7-3770 which is a perfectly fine CPU (I have one here), but it is now 5 yrs old and that is presumably the age of the rest of the design too. That's why it is so discounted. Perhaps it's the right $$ tradeoff for some, but mid-range (not particularly expensive) modern chips are quite a bit faster these days.
Click to expand...
Way better than a $129 laptop, would you agree? If my max budget was $380, I would buy this PC that comes with an i7 quad core CPU, 16GB ram, 480GB SSD and Win10 Pro.

If the original poster has a slim HDD that could fit, he could install that right away for data storage (he/she needs to confirm that it's possible first though). Or just run with the 480GB SSD until more funds become available to buy a 2TB or larger internal HDD, and then transfer the data on the SSD to the HDD.

Thanks,
Sky
 
Last edited:
Ian_abaco said:
Thoughts on this laptop for video editing? https://www.bestbuy.com/site/asus-2...-matte-black-aluminum/6077505.p?skuId=6077505

And suggestions for anything better at the same price or something a little cheaper but still sufficient?
Click to expand...
That i7 is a mobile processor, not at all the same thing as a real i7.

It still has processor graphics that can't ever be upgraded to a real graphic card.

You can't add, ever, anything else inside that case.

And, again, no one can tell you if that is sufficient unless you disclaim what software you're going to be running.

Is there a reason you are limiting your search to laptops and mobile devices only? Was this such a horrible suggestion?
Ian_abaco said:
Ian_abaco said:
You should be able to snap together a decent PC for under $1000, especially if you re-use some of the components from your Windows 7 machine.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Ian_abaco said:
Thoughts on this laptop for video editing? https://www.bestbuy.com/site/asus-2...-matte-black-aluminum/6077505.p?skuId=6077505
Click to expand...
The good

Going by the Asus site , this laptop appears to have an IPS screen with 100% sRGB coverage. (I don't see "IPS", but Asus mentions 178 degree viewing angles.) The screen has 1920 x 1080 resolution and rotates between laptop and tablet configurations.

You'd get a decent amount of RAM (16 GB) and HDD space (2 TB).

You'd get a 8th-generation, mobile, quad-core Core i7 processor (the Core i7-8550U). It is a low-power (15W TDP) CPU that should be fine for most things, but that may throttle under heavy load (sustained video encoding). Still, if you had been looking at last year's low-power CPUs, those would have offered only two cores.

The bad

No SSD. Possibly no way to add one internally, except by substituting a SATA notebook SSD for the HDD. (Addendum: One poster on the Best Buy site claimed that there is a M.2 slot – so you can add a NVMe SSD without removing the hard drive – but I have no verification of that.)

The ugly

Ports are OK but not great – one HDMI, two USB-A (USB 3.0), one USB-C. The USB-C port does not have the Thunderbolt enhancement. Theoretically either HDMI or USB-C could allow the connection of a single external UHD/4K monitor, but I don't see a specification saying what external resolutions this machine supports.

Asus lists the built-in card reader as SD/SDHC. This might mean that to pull in stuff from SDXC cards, you would need an external card reader.
 
Bobthearch said:
Ian_abaco said:
Thoughts on this laptop for video editing? https://www.bestbuy.com/site/asus-2...-matte-black-aluminum/6077505.p?skuId=6077505

And suggestions for anything better at the same price or something a little cheaper but still sufficient?
Click to expand...
That i7 is a mobile processor, not at all the same thing as a real i7.

It still has processor graphics that can't ever be upgraded to a real graphic card.

You can't add, ever, anything else inside that case.

And, again, no one can tell you if that is sufficient unless you disclaim what software you're going to be running.

Is there a reason you are limiting your search to laptops and mobile devices only? Was this such a horrible suggestion?
Bobthearch said:
Bobthearch said:
You should be able to snap together a decent PC for under $1000, especially if you re-use some of the components from your Windows 7 machine.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
How do you tell if the processor is mobile or not? I am not limiting my search, I am only searching with the limited knowledge that I have gained in the last few days on this subject.

Not sure on what software I would use. Perhaps windows movie maker or another recommended affordable one.
 
skyglider said:
skyglider said:
Hi Ian,

Exactly which PC do you have that's running Win7 ? Knowing that could help others to help you decide.

Also:
  1. Is it a retail copy of Win7 where you have the installation discs and product key for it?
  2. Or is it an OEM version of Win7 that came with your PC? If it's an OEM version of Win7, did you make a restore disc (CD or DVD) that you can use to do a fresh install with?
  3. If you didn't make a restore disc, do you still have the recovery partition on the system hard drive?
If it's a 64bit PC running Win7 and you have the means to do a fresh install of Win7, then the cheapest route for you that will really boost your PC's performance may be to buy a SSD and install it as your system drive. Then do a fresh install of Win7 to get rid of the quirky problems that you may have had.

I seriously doubt that a $129 laptop could be useful for video editing. And with a tiny 11.5 inch screen, it will be a real headache to use for video editing.

BTW, if it's a retail copy of Win7 and you want to run Win10, then run a Microsoft compatibility check for Win10 on that PC. If it passes the compatibility test, you can upgrade a retail copy of Win7 to Win10 for free. I just did that on the new build PC that I'm using to type this.

Sky
Click to expand...
UPDATE:

You may have a limited budget but if you can swing $380 ($354.99 + $24.34 shipping), how about a PC with these specs:
  1. Intel Core i7 Up to 3.9GHz
  2. 16GB RAM
  3. 480GB SSD
  4. Windows 10 Pro
  5. DVD +/- RW drive
  6. VGA and Display Port built-in Intel HD graphics 2500
  7. Wired keyboard and mouse
  8. Ethernet but no WiFi
This is a small PC with little room for expansion though one user says he was able to install a 2TB HDD using a SATA power splitter (see amazon questions)

The catch is that it is a refurbished PC but it does come with a 1 year parts and labor warranty from the seller Refurbtek. I clicked on Refurbtek and it has 100% positive reviews in 12 months.

You can see this PC along with other i7 refurbished PCs at amazon via this link:

Lenovo ThinkCentre M92p Business Desktop Computer - Intel Core i7

Look for the one that says:
Lenovo ThinkCentre M92p Business Desktop Computer - Intel Core i7 Up to 3.9GHz, 16GB RAM, 480GB SSD, Windows 10 Pro (Certified Refurbished)

This would not be a good PC for upgrades but it would be infinitely better than a $129 laptop.

I have no previous knowledge of Refurbtek but the reviews look good at 100% positive in the last 12 months. So buy at your own risk.

$.02,
Sky
Click to expand...
I will certainly check it out, thank you. I am a little leery of refurbished but am not unwilling to consider the option. I greatly appreciate the help. I'm one of those people that would rather spend no money, but on the other hand could justify spending a bit high for my income to pursue something that I believe in. I'm considering financing through best buy to get a decent laptop for video editing. If you have a chance please let me know if there is something on their site that you would reccomend.
 
Ian_abaco said:
Bobthearch said:
Ian_abaco said:
Thoughts on this laptop for video editing? https://www.bestbuy.com/site/asus-2...-matte-black-aluminum/6077505.p?skuId=6077505

And suggestions for anything better at the same price or something a little cheaper but still sufficient?
Click to expand...
That i7 is a mobile processor, not at all the same thing as a real i7.

It still has processor graphics that can't ever be upgraded to a real graphic card.

You can't add, ever, anything else inside that case.

And, again, no one can tell you if that is sufficient unless you disclaim what software you're going to be running.

Is there a reason you are limiting your search to laptops and mobile devices only? Was this such a horrible suggestion?
Ian_abaco said:
Ian_abaco said:
You should be able to snap together a decent PC for under $1000, especially if you re-use some of the components from your Windows 7 machine.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
How do you tell if the processor is mobile or not? I am not limiting my search, I am only searching with the limited knowledge that I have gained in the last few days on this subject.

Not sure on what software I would use. Perhaps windows movie maker or another recommended affordable one.
Click to expand...
Right in the product description: i7-8550U mobile processor

Also, a search for the model number turns up the intel website .

Very few laptops or mobile devices have desktop- or workstation-grade processors. Mobile processors are designed specifically to use less electricity and run cooler.
 
Ian_abaco said:
Bobthearch said:
That i7 is a mobile processor, not at all the same thing as a real i7.
Click to expand...
How do you tell if the processor is mobile or not? I am not limiting my search, I am only searching with the limited knowledge that I have gained in the last few days on this subject.
Click to expand...
The type of computer is a hint. The advantage of mobile processors is that they require less electrical power and generate less heat. These things are important for mobile use, and for desktop use in situations where cooling capacity may be limited. So:
  • Laptops and tablets almost always use mobile processors.
  • All-in-one desktop machines and compact-form-factor desktop machines frequently use mobile processors.
  • Large desktops seldom use mobile processors.
A good source for Intel CPU information is ark.intel.com . You can find CPUs either by model number, or by (Type + clock frequencies + # cores). For each CPU description, you'll see lines like
  • Vertical Segment: Mobile
  • # of Cores: 4
  • # of Threads: 8
  • TDP: 15 W
That TDP is a measure of how much heat the chip is allowed to generate. E.g.,
  • Retina MacBook Air (dual-core) – 7 W
  • Asus laptop (quad-core) – 15 W
  • 13" Retina MacBook Pro (quad-core) – 28 W
Now we turn our attention to the i7-8700K. It's an 8th-generation hex-core desktop Core i7 that has a TDP of 95 W. With the extra cores and higher thermal ceiling, it should be able to get more work done than the mobile CPUs in any of these three laptops. If it is located inside of a large A/C-powered desktop with beefy cooling, the 95 W power usage might be a reasonable tradeoff for the extra speed.

On the other hand, I would not want a CPU that is as hot as a 100 W incandescent bulb sitting in my lap. I have a laptop with a 5 W Core-M and even it can get toasty – not hot enough to burn, but enough to be uncomfortable – at times.
 
Last edited:
[snip]
skyglider said:
The catch is that it is a refurbished PC but it does come with a 1 year parts and labor warranty from the seller Refurbtek. I clicked on Refurbtek and it has 100% positive reviews in 12 months.
Click to expand...
[snip]

If one is considering refurbished PCs, then Dell has a lot of choices too. For the last 10 years or so all my company's PCs have come from outlet dot dell dot com.
 
Tom_N said:
Ian_abaco said:
Thoughts on this laptop for video editing? https://www.bestbuy.com/site/asus-2...-matte-black-aluminum/6077505.p?skuId=6077505
Click to expand...
The good

Going by the Asus site , this laptop appears to have an IPS screen with 100% sRGB coverage. (I don't see "IPS", but Asus mentions 178 degree viewing angles.) The screen has 1920 x 1080 resolution and rotates between laptop and tablet configurations.

You'd get a decent amount of RAM (16 GB) and HDD space (2 TB).

You'd get a 8th-generation, mobile, quad-core Core i7 processor (the Core i7-8550U). It is a low-power (15W TDP) CPU that should be fine for most things, but that may throttle under heavy load (sustained video encoding). Still, if you had been looking at last year's low-power CPUs, those would have offered only two cores.

The bad

No SSD. Possibly no way to add one internally, except by substituting a SATA notebook SSD for the HDD. (Addendum: One poster on the Best Buy site claimed that there is a M.2 slot – so you can add a NVMe SSD without removing the hard drive – but I have no verification of that.)

The ugly

Ports are OK but not great – one HDMI, two USB-A (USB 3.0), one USB-C. The USB-C port does not have the Thunderbolt enhancement. Theoretically either HDMI or USB-C could allow the connection of a single external UHD/4K monitor, but I don't see a specification saying what external resolutions this machine supports.

Asus lists the built-in card reader as SD/SDHC. This might mean that to pull in stuff from SDXC cards, you would need an external card reader.
Click to expand...
Great summary Tom_N. Good catch on SDXC.

The i7-8550U is decently fast at 8311 Passmark, but who knows about thermal design and how much it would throttle down at heavy load. Video rendering is linear, so this might not be a major problem.

SSD only would be too small for video work. Video files are huge!

Theoretically the Intel UHD 620 can support up to three UHD monitors, but in this laptop, there is only the one HDMI port. UHD refresh rate might be limited by HDMI.

Ian, instead of Go Pro you should check out the DJI Osmo Pocket vide camera, which is also small, with a more rectilinear lens. Very low priced.
 
Last edited:
Ian_abaco said:
I will certainly check it out, thank you. I am a little leery of refurbished but am not unwilling to consider the option. I greatly appreciate the help. I'm one of those people that would rather spend no money, but on the other hand could justify spending a bit high for my income to pursue something that I believe in. I'm considering financing through best buy to get a decent laptop for video editing. If you have a chance please let me know if there is something on their site that you would reccomend.
Click to expand...
Is there a reason you want a laptop instead of a desktop PC with monitor?

If it's for portability, the largest size laptop screen for that which is "somewhat" easy to carry around I think would be a 17" diagonal screen. But I've done a lot of video editing for wedding and slide show videos and that is way too small a screen IMO. I won't do video editing on a small laptop screen. A 22" or 24" screen would be the smallest size screen I would consider but even that is on the small size.

You could buy a large monitor and connect it to a laptop via HDMI cable and that could work but the laptop would have to have a 360 degree rotating or detachable screen to be able to use the laptop's keyboard with an external monitor. An alternative would be to place the laptop on the side and use a wireless keyboard and mouse in front of the external monitor. But it would be a hassle to plug in and remove the power cord and monitor cable to use the laptop though. Also an external USB3 hard drive would need to be plugged in and removed for the large files for video editing.

For photography and video editing, a stationary desktop computer with a large IPS screen and not have to manage cables all the time would be the most convenient.

Sky
 
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