New laptop Build Advice

davetheshrimpguy

Prominent
Dec 20, 2017
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510
I need a laptop to record and edit video. Not professionally, or high volume. Will need to upload to a site when done.

Will be teaching and presenting seminars with some video and lots of PowerPoint slides.

Also, would like to stream while recording if possible.

Could do it with a desktop, but prefer a laptop.

Can anyone suggest minimum CPU/SSD/RAM/GPU Would like to be less than $2,000.

Also, what other hardware might be required? I have cameras.

Thanks for any response.
 
Solution
Hello, Dave:

You seem to be headed straight for a medium-strength workstation like a ThinkPad P-series, Dell Precision or HP zBook.

From Amazon US, here are 3 such workstations starting with the $1,900 15.6" ThinkPad P51:
https://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-ThinkPad-15-6-Business-Laptop/dp/B071JC1H71/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1513856115&sr=1-1-spons&keywords=thinkpad+p51&psc=1

Highlights include a quad-core 7th gen i7 CPU with a 4GB Quadro M1200M GPU. Storage is a 512GB M.2 SSD and a 2TB HDD, and 16GBs of RAM will afford serious multi-tasking and complex project runs. Weight is around 6lbs and the 90Whr battery should give you at least 10 hours of real-life work.

The display is a 2K IPS panel which is the ideal choice for...
Hello, Dave:

You seem to be headed straight for a medium-strength workstation like a ThinkPad P-series, Dell Precision or HP zBook.

From Amazon US, here are 3 such workstations starting with the $1,900 15.6" ThinkPad P51:
https://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-ThinkPad-15-6-Business-Laptop/dp/B071JC1H71/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1513856115&sr=1-1-spons&keywords=thinkpad+p51&psc=1

Highlights include a quad-core 7th gen i7 CPU with a 4GB Quadro M1200M GPU. Storage is a 512GB M.2 SSD and a 2TB HDD, and 16GBs of RAM will afford serious multi-tasking and complex project runs. Weight is around 6lbs and the 90Whr battery should give you at least 10 hours of real-life work.

The display is a 2K IPS panel which is the ideal choice for this laptop size.

Then there's this $1,990 15.6" HP zBook:
https://www.amazon.com/Ultrabook-WorkStation-Touchscreen-Processor-1920x1080/dp/B0752YYTHT/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1513856836&sr=1-2-spons&keywords=hp+zbook+15.6&psc=1

Better portability at 4.18lbs and a 2K touch-screen (but it's not IPS). Slightly less mechanical storage and the battery is only 51Whr. The GPU is an AMD unit with 2GBs of VRAM.

Finally, this $2,000 15.6" Dell Precision is worth looking at:
https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Precision-Generation-i7-6820HQ-UltraSharp/dp/B01IWL9R8E/ref=sr_1_13?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1513857298&sr=1-13&keywords=dell+precision+15.6

A slightly less powerful 6th gen CPU and a 2GB Quadro M1000M GPU. Storage is also less, but it does combine a very fast 512GB SATA SSD with an even faster 256GB M.2 SSD. Then you get 32GBs of RAM which you're unlikely ever to use fully - but nice to have. At 3.93lbs and with a decent 56Whr battery it emerges as a very light and portable productivity rig.

The 2K UltraSharp IPS panel is part of the reason why this Dell and similar models are consistently more expensive than comparable ThinkPads. Nothing wrong with Lenovo's or HP's panels but Dell offer a wider range of high-quality panels that are appreciated by professionals in the photography and graphics fields. As such, it may not be that relevant to your work schedule and therefore not worth the extra cost - it's totally up to you.

High-end ThinkPads like this P51 are popular because they combine very good build-quality with an affordable price tag - meaning if you wreck this computer getting a new one will be less painful, financially, compared with a comparable Precision. The zBook is very popular among professionals in construction and engineering and seem to enjoy a very loyal following who hold on to zBooks for decades almost.

In terms of connectivity, the Precision has HDMI and Thunderbolt 3 ports but no VGA port, the zBook has VGA and DisplayPorts but no HDMI, and the ThinkPad has HDMI and miniDisplayPorts but no VGA. So, for your particular work schedule I suspect you're going to need some kind of adapter no matter what.

I've used Amazon US but you can of course use the manufacturers' web shops and customize these laptops to your specific liking, but shipping times are usually 6 weeks or more. On Amazon you can often get these machines within 7 to 10 days.

Cheers,
GreyCatz.
 
Solution