Getting a laptop, please help

[AmberLV]

I want some advice, but wasn't sure where to put this thread. I'm not sure which would be better for me. The main purpose of the laptop is PSE 5.0 and Premier Elements 3.0 (and portability).

I'm getting a laptop and I have 2 options.

First option is a Toshiba Satellite P100-ST1072 and I need some advice. Here is what I think we have decided on...

CPU: Intel® Core™2 Duo* Processor T7200 (2.00GHz, 4MB L2 Cache, 667MHz FSB)
Memory: 2048MB PC5300 DDR2 667MHz SDRAM (1024MBx2)
Video Card: NVDIA GeForce Go 7600 with 256 MB discrete graphics memory
Vista Home Premium

Question about Toshiba...

Which HDD do I get? I have an external hard drive that is 250 GB, 7200 rpm. Space isn't a huge issue but I don't want to always be tied to the external. What is more important? The extra space or speed? I don't know how much speed really effects things.

a. 120 GB with 5200 rpm
b. 160 GB with 4200 rpm (extra $50)
c. 100 GB with 7200 rpm (extra $80)


Option #2...

I can get an HP for an extra $150 with all of the same except

Video card is 512 MB

The HD options for the HP are
a. 120 GB 5400rpm
b. 100 GB 7200 rpm (extra $30)
c. 160 GB 5400 rpm (extra $70)

What are your thoughts on the 2 brands? Is the faster video card worth the $150 and HP brand? Which hard drive should I get?

Thanks for reading all of this and for the help!

[skstarkiller]

I have a Toshiba and use it all the time. If you don't plan to archive the video on your laptop, I'd go with the 100 GB @7200 so you will be less likely to have any stutters when you capture.

Is the 2048mb of Ram all that is available? If not, I'd spend the money and max out your RAM, No one ever compalined they had too much RAM!

[AmberLV]

That is the max ram that is available on both the HP and the Toshiba. I will definitely be storing the videos on my External HD and then deleting after they are burned to disk. Do you think that at 7200 rpm it will run hot? I've been told that it might run too hot. :confused:

[skstarkiller]

Na, it will get warm, but not so hot that it will hurt anything.

[chas3stix]

Amber,
Phil's right, you can never have too much ram. Vista requires a video card of at least 256Mb. Once again, more is better.(in this case)
Chas

[cindersister]

I recently purchased my laptop and had similar choices. I do know that toshiba is usually the guts of Gateway, Dell, and I believe HP. The extra video for the 150 is good... I personally would go with the HP If it has ALL of the same specifics as the Toshiba. I am not sure how sweet a deal it really is... but the more ram you have the better so you have a hard decision to make. Good luck!

[skstarkiller]

You could always do what I did... get a Mac Book Pro and max it out, then install a Windows partition with XP via bootcamp or use Parallels, so you can use PSE and PE and still have the benfits of having a Mac!

:)

[AmberLV]

Thanks! I don't know what we are going to get. The macs were too expensive for us.

[AmberLV]

Ok, I know I'm being a wierdo but I have one more question.

My BIL has convinced my husband that the HD with 7200 rpm and the larger graphics card are overkill for this laptop. He said that I won't see any improvements due to limitations of a laptop. Does that sound like it could have an ounce of truth or a load of crap?

[Carbone]

Thanks! I don't know what we are going to get. The macs were too expensive for us.


I recently did a feature by feature comparison between a Dell and a Macbook with a colleague at work. Similarly equiped, the Dell was 40$ more I think, or something that close. But on the software front, the Dell lost by about... 300$, because of the free iLife suite installed in every Mac. So, just don't compare price for price, you have too look at features too (camera, firewire ports, etc.)

Ray

[AmberLV]

For our next desktop we will most likely get a mac. I want a laptop with a 17" screen. Their 17" macbook pro starts at $2799. I'm looking at a total of around $2000 with the Toshiba and the HP. That is a huge difference! I really didn't even look any further.

[Carbone]

Ha... 17", yep, you're right, they're really more expensive. And unless you work with your computer, than getting a Macbook Pro is really not advisable.

Make sure your laptop has a FireWire. Because most MiniDV camera exports in FireWire only (I noticed you indicated you wanted PE on your laptop).

Ray

[epaul6]

Well here is my 2 cents. First of all smart choice with the MB L2 cache on the core 2 duo processor. They are significantly faster than the old single core P IV. I didn't see anything about the screen resolution in your post. You definitely want the highest available. As far as the hard drive is concerned you want the fastest speed you can afford. Elements reads and writes to the hard drive a lot (notice the file sizes). Elements does not need a top of the line color card but as a prior poster said Vista has high demands so the 256 appears to be the minimum required. If you are not running the latest games that should do.

[AngelicKim]

Thought I'd put in my 2 cents as well. Looked up the 17 inch Dell Inspirion for my brother the other day. After reading what the Toshiba and HP have I thought I would show you what I found for my brother at $1738

PROCESSORIntel® Core™ 2 Duo T7200 (2.00GHz, 4MB L2 Cache, 667 MHz FSB) (javascript:to_page_mod(1, 1, _Action);)OPERATING SYSTEMFREE Upgrade to Genuine Windows Vista™ Home Premium with 1GB of memoryLCD PANEL17 inch Wide Screen XGA+ Display (javascript:to_page_mod(1, 2, _Action);)MEMORY2GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHz (javascript:to_page_mod(1, 3, _Action);)HARD DRIVE120GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive (javascript:to_page_mod(1, 8, _Action);)OPTICAL DRIVE8x CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW) with double-layer DVD+R write capability (javascript:to_page_mod(1, 16, _Action);)VIDEO CARD256MB NVIDIA® GeForce™ Go 7900 GS


Just another option for you.

[Rachel]

Amber,

I have a Toshiba Satellite and am very happy with it. I two would go with the bigger ram and speed. My daughter has an HP not happy with it at all. She said the other day that she would not buy an HP computer. HP printers are very good. We have an HP printer and I use a canon for my computer. When I got my computer the store had the printer thrown in with the purchase.

Do hope you will like the Vista program. I am going to wait about a year to up grade to vista. Want them to work all of the problems out of it.