Laptop advice: Priority on read and write times

GooManGroup

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Mar 21, 2013
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Hi all! I am in need of a new laptop and through my research I’m very happy to have stumbled onto this website. I currently have a dying HP Pavilion dv7 from 2008 or 2009 running Vista. (The motherboard is going and I’ve been using an external monitor for about 6mo) So yeah... it’s time to move on to a new machine. But since I have an external monitor at home and at work I have the luxury to do research first.
I produce a radio talk show and my typical computer usage is as follows: 1) I multitask a lot. Typically 2 different browsers open with up to 10 tabs each. 2) I sometimes have up to 5 different Adobe Audition programs open. (Each with over 4 hours of audio loaded) 3) I often put my machine to sleep and continue my work at home 4) I occasionally need to edit and post 3-5 min YouTube videos.
I have always used PC computers and my job has ‘Windows only’ written programs... but I’m not opposed to trying a Mac.
I think a hard drive’s read and write time is the most important feature for me. Most of my waiting comes from loading a 4+ hour radio show, and saving 10-20min segments.

1. What is your budget? I’m sure I can’t get what I need for under 1k, so a realistic budget is $1,000 - $2,000 maybe even up to $3,000 if I beg the wife!

2. What is the size of the notebook that you are considering? Open to 13”, 15”, or 17”

3. What screen resolution do you want? 1080HD would be nice, but not necessary

4. Do you need a portable or desktop replacement laptop? Desktop replacement

5. How much battery life do you need? I’m almost always plugged in working at a desk.

6. Do you want to play games with your laptop? If so then please list the games that you want to with the settings that you want for these games. (Low, Medium or High)? Gaming is not important on this machine, but in the past I have been known to kill the occasional goblin or orc.

7. What other tasks do you want to do with your laptop? Occasional video editing (less then 10xs a year)

8. How much storage (Hard Drive capacity)? If the laptop has a single bay then I’d want at least a 500gb SSD. I like the thought of having dual hard drives (like a 250-500mb SSD with a 750mb 7,500rpm HDD) I also use a couple external drives, so if it saves me money I’d be open to a single 500mb SSD. Are there any recommendation on a laptop that has a 100-250mb mSata and HDD?

9. If you are considering specific sites to buy from, please post their links. Open to all suggestions

10. How long do you want to keep your laptop? 4 years or more would be nice

11. What kind of Optical drive do you need? DVD ROM/Writer,Bluray ROM/Writer,Etc ? Optical drive is not a priority.

12. Please tell us about the brands that you prefer to buy from them and the brands that you don't like and explain the reasons. I have no brand loyalty

13. What country do you live in? USA

14. Please tell us any additional information if needed. I’m sure I’ve said too much already, HA! Thanks in advance for any knowledge you may share.


 

scottiemedic

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Feb 10, 2010
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Find one that you can have 2 drives in, then get a 256GB SSD for the speed and moderate room, and load a 750GB or 1TB data drive to move everything to after used on SSD. Get a WD Black for the HDD, very snappy in a laptop.
 

GooManGroup

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Mar 21, 2013
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I forgot to ask a couple questions about the newest technology.

1. Do I need a system with i7 quad core or is that over kill?
2. Is there a big difference between 1333MHz and 1600MHz RAM?
3. If I look at the Mac route, can I get away with MBA?
 

scottiemedic

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Feb 10, 2010
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1. For what you are doing, I wouldn't think an i7 is overkill at all.
2. The CPU is 'native' for 1600MHz RAM, so go with that given the choice.
3, No MBA, they only have 128 or 256GB SSDs which will be fast, but give you NO storage room, then you'll be depending on a slow external for more room. You'd probably need a 17" MBP with dual drives.