Old Computer Gave Up The Ghost, New Incoming.

[Raven]

Yep, my old computer, 2011 17" MacBook Pro with as many upgrades as one can put in, has given up the ghost. Last couple weeks, it has been painfully slow even watching videos, much less editing them. Boot times were well over a minute (from the 15 to 20 secs I was used to). I had upgraded to 16GB RAM and a 1TB SSD... But, she lasted 5 years, which is longer than any computer I have had.

The replacement arrives today.

Alienware 17″ Laptop Computer

• 17.3 inch 4K UHD (3840 x 2160) IGZO IPS Anti-Glare 400-nits Display
• NVIDIA(R) GeForce(R) GTX 980M with 8GB GDDR5
• Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-6820HK (Quad-Core, 8MB Cache, Dynamically Overclocked up to 4.1GHz)
• 32GB Dual Channel DDR4 2133Mhz (16GBx2)
• 256GB PCIe SSD (Boot) + 1TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s (Storage)
• Intel 8260 2×2 802.11ac 2.4/5GHz + Bluetooth4.1
• Windows 10 Pro (64bit) English

This is my first foray back into the Windows world (at home, we have Win7 at work). It will be a change, and I will have to pick up a new video editing suite. Going to try out Adobe and see how well I can transition. A friend of mine said he would add me to his license list if I like it. My other option is the latest Sony Vegas. Nice having friends with unused licenses available.

I have been trying to work on a Microsoft Surface Pro 2. Nice little machine, but the key word is "little". I got it for blogging on the road, never as a main machine. I cannot wait for the new computer to be delivered and I start getting installs rolling.

 

[RoadSprock]

Good luck with the setup man, sounds like a good work horse of a machine. I get on best with Vegas, find it easier to use/find things.

 

[Reize]

The specs are decent, although I have to question the necessity of a laptop for editing and rendering when a desktop with the same or superior specs could be had for far less.

These alienware laptops don't come cheap.

 

[Raven]

The specs are decent, although I have to question the necessity of a laptop for editing and rendering when a desktop with the same or superior specs could be had for far less.

These alienware laptops don't come cheap.

I dont just edit motorcycle vids. most of what I do is on the road editing doing shorts and working with dailies. cant be draging a whole desktop around in the car to people's homes or parks or whatnot. A $2600 computer is replacing a $3700 computer from 5 years ago.

 

[SalvageSV]

I've got a Surface Pro 2 as well, and yeah ... while it could work for editing, it would be tough. Output it to a large display or 1080p TV though, and it's usable.

 

[Reize]

I've got a Surface Pro 2 as well, and yeah ... while it could work for editing, it would be tough. Output it to a large display or 1080p TV though, and it's usable.

How are you going to edit 4k videos on a Surface Pro 2 with only 8GB RAM

I never edit and render videos on anything other than a machine with an SSD, a second hard drive, 32 GB RAM, and a video card with CUDA enabled. And of course a beefy CPU.

 

[SalvageSV]

How are you going to edit 4k videos on a Surface Pro 2 with only 8GB RAM

I never edit and render videos on anything other than a machine with an SSD, a second hard drive, 32 GB RAM, and a video card with CUDA enabled. And of course a beefy CPU.

Must be nice ...

 

[Raven]

How are you going to edit 4k videos on a Surface Pro 2 with only 8GB RAM

I never edit and render videos on anything other than a machine with an SSD, a second hard drive, 32 GB RAM, and a video card with CUDA enabled. And of course a beefy CPU.

You really didn't read the post... the SP2 was for an emergency edit, and it was slow. It was not the replacement. The Alienware is the replacement, and it is performing better than I had hoped.

 

[Raven]

I've got a Surface Pro 2 as well, and yeah ... while it could work for editing, it would be tough. Output it to a large display or 1080p TV though, and it's usable.

I have used it while on a trip once before, but just to compile the videos off the cards and get them sorted. nothing more. I have used it for writing bolgs and uploading videos. The editing, not so much. But for the 2 videos I had to do this past weekend, it worked to get me through, considering the other PC was DOA. I like the portability of the SP2, but it is not a workhorse.

 

[SighBored]

Cool!