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May, 2025

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Do you guys use a desktop or a laptop for editing?

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RockNRollNghtClb
Posts: 2013 - Karma: 2,509
Right now I'm trying to decide if I should get a laptop or desktop for editing. I know I can get a desktop thats way more powerful than an MBP for a fraction of the price but without the mobility. Right now Ive got a refurbed macbook from like 2010 that runs decently fast, I upgraded the RAM from 4 to 8 but for editing it really cannot handle much. Ive got $1500 to spend on a computer, what would you guys do?

My thoughts are-

buy Eheaths computer for 1200, spend the extra 300 on a monitor and use my current laptop to go to classes and take notes etc.


buy a 13in retina MBP with a 2.6 processor and 8gb of RAM, which is obviously not as powerful as Eheaths but Ill be editing gh3 footy which I think the computer would be able to handle it fine.

option 3 buy other PC laptop?


thoughts?
11 years ago
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[tk]
Posts: 3863 - Karma: 1,906
Either get a desktop or a 15 in laptop. Your eyes will thank you for the bigger screen
11 years ago
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eheath
Posts: 61949 - Karma: 126,666
Desktop with 2 monitors is prime. I've done lots of editing with laptops too always get another monitor.

But you should buy my computer lol
11 years ago
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erikK
Posts: 3245 - Karma: 2,329
Since you already have a decent laptop I'd go with eheaths computer. You can buy two good monitors for it and still be under the price of a new mbp...

Unless your current mbp has really gone to shit I can't see why you'd replace it for a marginally better model right now
11 years ago
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eheath
Posts: 61949 - Karma: 126,666
erikKSince you already have a decent laptop I'd go with eheaths computer. You can buy two good monitors for it and still be under the price of a new mbp...

Unless your current mbp has really gone to shit I can't see why you'd replace it for a marginally better model right now


Yeah a 13" mbp is barely gonna be much of a difference from your current MBP. When I edited on a laptop, it was worth $3000 haha.

Not trying to push you to buy my computer, but it will be 10 times better for editing.
11 years ago
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RockNRollNghtClb
Posts: 2013 - Karma: 2,509
is there any good PC laptop options?
11 years ago
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eheath
Posts: 61949 - Karma: 126,666
RockNRollNghtClbis there any good PC laptop options?


meh

I looked at windows laptops in the past, to get something decent (anywhere close to the specs of a mbp) youre still spending 1000 +

People will recommend windows laptops for general use but those laptops are $500 and suck. Windows laptops have never impressed me, apple makes the best laptops.
11 years ago
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RockNRollNghtClb
Posts: 2013 - Karma: 2,509
pussyfootermeh

I looked at windows laptops in the past, to get something decent (anywhere close to the specs of a mbp) youre still spending 1000 +

People will recommend windows laptops for general use but those laptops are $500 and suck. Windows laptops have never impressed me, apple makes the best laptops.


damn well I guess Im buying your computer
11 years ago
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1337
Posts: 31078 - Karma: 29,667
desktops are SO worth it. Upgradeable, fast as fuck, you can toss 5 hard drives inside them, and use way better graphics cards. I love mine.
11 years ago
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edai
Posts: 4995 - Karma: 4,705
Yeah i would definitely say go with Heath's desktop, you'll love it for editing, I'd kill to have a desktop to edit with. Your laptop will be more than enough for any mobile use and the desktop will hold it down for everything else.
11 years ago
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Michael_Thatcher
Posts: 523 - Karma: 3,469
Eheath is selling a pretty solid computer for editing, although I think his price is still a little high. By the time you factor in shipping and paypal's cut, you're gonna be getting close to the top of your budget anyways.
11 years ago
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slowaimer
Posts: 278 - Karma: 1,510
The only downfall to a laptop is hard drive space in my opinion.
11 years ago
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lIllI
Posts: 1255 - Karma: 1,986
slowaimerThe only downfall to a laptop is hard drive space in my opinion.


That's easily solved by externals. The real problem is limited i/o.
11 years ago
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gravel
Posts: 5524 - Karma: 42,380
I edit with a 13 inch macbook pro and a 20 inch external monitor. It works just fine.

But you should buy Eheath's computer.
11 years ago
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Jwenz
Posts: 8893 - Karma: 7,634
I currently edit with a 15 inch MBP and external monitor. The major issue I have is the need for external hard drives and then of course daisy chaining them via firewire. Also just the ability to upgrade is not that optimal. I know for a fact that my next computer will be a desktop that I build. I will have way more options with getting what I want and it will be far less. A 13 inch mbp would not be worth it in my opinion as you already have a functioning laptop for note taking and such. And if you ever have to edit on the road or something your computer will likely work fine for said needs. Buying eheaths computer would be perfect as I know he has built it for editing specifically and there are a lot of options as far as upgrades in the future that wont run you too much money.

In short...buy the desktop
11 years ago
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eheath
Posts: 61949 - Karma: 126,666
Michael_ThatcherEheath is selling a pretty solid computer for editing, although I think his price is still a little high. By the time you factor in shipping and paypal's cut, you're gonna be getting close to the top of your budget anyways.


Please tell me how my computer is over priced I would love to hear your reasoning.
11 years ago
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Oxburger
Posts: 123 - Karma: 1,262
Usually I'll use my sub-par laptop to rough edit, mostly due to the fact I'm really far away from home when filming biking. Then once I'm home I edit on my workhorse desktop. Nothing can replace a pimped out desktop, but that being said It'd suck not having the portability of a laptop even if It's got a fraction of the editing power.

Aside from Editing I do a lot of heavy graphic work with photoshop and illustrator and would go insane if I had to use a laptop to do any work of that nature mostly just because of the ergonomics. I'd rather use pen and paper...
11 years ago
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Michael_Thatcher
Posts: 523 - Karma: 3,469
pussyfooterPlease tell me how my computer is over priced I would love to hear your reasoning.



A couple things come to the top of my head,

* based on your post I believe it's 18 months old? I'm not sure the exact date you purchased it, but the components are last generation. This isn't necessarily bad as they are still extremely suitable for editing, however there are newer, similar price equivalents that perform 10-15% better.

* Since it is a used computer, the person who purchases your computer will forfeit any warranties that may still be effective. Often, when you build your own computer (like you did), companies will offer long warranties on many of the parts (especially the power supply, case, and even the motherboard).

* I'm not completely sure about the components in your build (notably the SSD, CPU cooler, Hard Drive, and RAM), but some of them may or may not be off brand components, or ones that are more prone to failure. By building your own, you can be very specific about the quality of parts you select. I'm not suggesting your parts are bad, it's just unclear what you're selling.

* Some of the components wear over time (Notably the SSD, it has a limited number of writes. Also the graphics card has likely been heavily used if you've been utilizing it for your video editing)


I'm not saying it's a bad computer or anything, just that I wouldn't give you $1200 for it when I could build something that performed equal or better for video editing for about the same price, while at the same time getting brand new parts, warranties, and customer service.
11 years ago
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SIMPLE.
Posts: 1093 - Karma: 15,197
pussyfootermeh

I looked at windows laptops in the past, to get something decent (anywhere close to the specs of a mbp) youre still spending 1000 +

People will recommend windows laptops for general use but those laptops are $500 and suck. Windows laptops have never impressed me, apple makes the best laptops.


This is beyond untrue, people who buy Mac's don't do enough research to buy a windows computer. Mac charges a premium because of the brand they have created my own personal laptop runs i7 2.2Ghz quad core, 16gb of ram,2gb vram and 1tb hardrive on top of my 1tb eternal hardrive, most people will tell you this setup is basically the highest end for consumers and perfect for fast rendering and general editing in premiere pro and after effects . I bought it with editing and gaming in mind and it set me back 1,400$ because I had to replace my 1.8 ghz processor with a 2.2 . these same specs from mac will set you back nearly $2,500 which is an extra 1,100$ for an apple logo and an operating system that at the end of the days has the same amount of pros and cons as windows. I hope this helps you come to a decision, and I think you would likely want to look into a laptop for portability reasons, i.e. editing on the go. However, if you decide to go desktop, I would HIGHLY recommend taking the time to watch a few tutorials and build your own computer as it will save you a shit ton of money. Hope this has helped man, good luck!!
11 years ago
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gravel
Posts: 5524 - Karma: 42,380
SIMPLE.This is beyond untrue, people who buy Mac's don't do enough research to buy a windows computer. Mac charges a premium because of the brand they have created my own personal laptop runs i7 2.2Ghz quad core, 16gb of ram,2gb vram and 1tb hardrive on top of my 1tb eternal hardrive, most people will tell you this setup is basically the highest end for consumers and perfect for fast rendering and general editing in premiere pro and after effects . I bought it with editing and gaming in mind and it set me back 1,400$ because I had to replace my 1.8 ghz processor with a 2.2 . these same specs from mac will set you back nearly $2,500 which is an extra 1,100$ for an apple logo and an operating system that at the end of the days has the same amount of pros and cons as windows. I hope this helps you come to a decision, and I think you would likely want to look into a laptop for portability reasons, i.e. editing on the go. However, if you decide to go desktop, I would HIGHLY recommend taking the time to watch a few tutorials and build your own computer as it will save you a shit ton of money. Hope this has helped man, good luck!!


1) Do you know what a run-on sentence is? Because there are a whole lot in there.

2) I bought a refurbished MacBook Pro 2012 13" with an i7 2.9 GHz Intel Core with 8gb of RAM for $1,200 and it slays editing. So you're pulling numbers out of your ass AND you can get a comparable, if not better, Apple laptop for the price of a nice Windows one. Also, the Mac OS is SO much goddamn more intuitive, aesthetic, and navigable, I vastly prefer it over Windows.
11 years ago
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eheath
Posts: 61949 - Karma: 126,666
gavinrudy1) Do you know what a run-on sentence is? Because there are a whole lot in there.

2) I bought a refurbished MacBook Pro 2012 13" with an i7 2.9 GHz Intel Core with 8gb of RAM for $1,200 and it slays editing. So you're pulling numbers out of your ass AND you can get a comparable, if not better, Apple laptop for the price of a nice Windows one. Also, the Mac OS is SO much goddamn more intuitive, aesthetic, and navigable, I vastly prefer it over Windows.


Gavin did you seriously just compare youre i7 2.9ghz comp vs my 3.2ghz overclocked to 4gz 6 core i 3970k computer? just checking


32gb of ram cost $600 alone, again, just saying,

Did i mention its OSX or windows7?
11 years ago
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gravel
Posts: 5524 - Karma: 42,380
pussyfooterGavin did you seriously just compare youre i7 2.9ghz comp vs my 3.2ghz overclocked to 4gz 6 core i 3970k computer? just checking


32gb of ram cost $600 alone, again, just saying,

Did i mention its OSX or windows7?


Nah, I was comparing it to that kid's windows i7 2.2 GHz 16gb laptop.

I'm veeerrryyy well aware that your desktop shits all over my computer hahaha.
11 years ago
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raymondcabral
Posts: 747 - Karma: 1,094
Buy Heath's computer, that thing's pimpin. And on the whole windows vs mac thing, I personally prefer Windows, but I think it's just a personal opinion. I also think the price on his computer is pretty decent for the components he has in it.
11 years ago
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SIMPLE.
Posts: 1093 - Karma: 15,197
gavinrudy1) Do you know what a run-on sentence is? Because there are a whole lot in there.

2) I bought a refurbished MacBook Pro 2012 13" with an i7 2.9 GHz Intel Core with 8gb of RAM for $1,200 and it slays editing. So you're pulling numbers out of your ass AND you can get a comparable, if not better, Apple laptop for the price of a nice Windows one. Also, the Mac OS is SO much goddamn more intuitive, aesthetic, and navigable, I vastly prefer it over Windows.


Clearly you don't use after effects as ur great processors ill only take u so far. 8gb is shit ram to be honest. Rendering will be no where near as good as with 2gb vram and 8gb ram. And I'm not pulling numbers out my ass as clearly I wasn't taking about second hand computers. If I was, PC would still wreck Mac for what u get for the price ur paying. Thanks for coming out though.
11 years ago
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SIMPLE.
Posts: 1093 - Karma: 15,197
gavinrudy1) Do you know what a run-on sentence is? Because there are a whole lot in there.

2) I bought a refurbished MacBook Pro 2012 13" with an i7 2.9 GHz Intel Core with 8gb of RAM for $1,200 and it slays editing. So you're pulling numbers out of your ass AND you can get a comparable, if not better, Apple laptop for the price of a nice Windows one. Also, the Mac OS is SO much goddamn more intuitive, aesthetic, and navigable, I vastly prefer it over Windows.


Clearly you don't use after effects as ur great processors ill only take u so far. 8gb is shit ram to be honest. Rendering will be no where near as good as with 2gb vram and 8gb ram. And I'm not pulling numbers out my ass as clearly I wasn't taking about second hand computers. If I was, PC would still wreck Mac for what u get for the price ur paying. Thanks for coming out though.
11 years ago
2 2
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SIMPLE.
Posts: 1093 - Karma: 15,197
SIMPLE.Clearly you don't use after effects as ur great processors ill only take u so far. 8gb is shit ram to be honest. Rendering will be no where near as good as with 2gb vram and 8gb ram. And I'm not pulling numbers out my ass as clearly I wasn't taking about second hand computers. If I was, PC would still wreck Mac for what u get for the price ur paying. Thanks for coming out though.


Sorry spelling mistakes left right and centre ^ meant that it will only take u so far. And I also meant 2gb VRAM with 16gb VRAM when I was talking bout after effects.
11 years ago
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lIllI
Posts: 1255 - Karma: 1,986
SIMPLE.Mac charges a premium because of the brand they have created


...and because unlike every PC laptop ever made, Apple laptops don't have a piece of shit housing that's thicker than a textbook.

Specs are only part of the equation. PC fanboys always fail to see this.
11 years ago
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Japaneezy
Posts: 1039 - Karma: 4,268
pussyfooterGavin did you seriously just compare youre i7 2.9ghz comp vs my 3.2ghz overclocked to 4gz 6 core i 3970k computer? just checking


32gb of ram cost $600 alone, again, just saying,

Did i mention its OSX or windows7?



Heaths cpu is quite balling for shure. His price aint that bad, but certainly not a bargain. What gpu is inside that desktop? Quadro's can help a lot more than Geforce's if its an Nvidia.
11 years ago
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.JakeThaDug.
Posts: 757 - Karma: 4,148
I have a MacBook Pro, 15 in. It has been very kind to me as when you go on a trip with the homies, you can get to editing when you are on your way home. With a desktop however, you must wait for the ride to be over, get home, upload the footage, then begin editing.
11 years ago
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123+ski
Posts: 2832 - Karma: 581
MacBook Pro was pretty good. 15" antiglare, quad core i7, 16gb ram, amd mobile graphics card, 7200 rpm drive. It was also very expensive.

Now I have a Mac Pro, it is better. 25" 2560x1080 screen, dual quad core xeons, 24gb ram, 250gb ssd, dual 500gb drives (raid soon). Adding a gtx 570 and USB 3.0, and I may look into over clocking. It is awesome for editing. If you don't need a laptop (I did originally for school), desktop is the way to go. The only downside is that it will make you not want to use a laptop again.
11 years ago
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eheath
Posts: 61949 - Karma: 126,666
gavinrudyNah, I was comparing it to that kid's windows i7 2.2 GHz 16gb laptop.

I'm veeerrryyy well aware that your desktop shits all over my computer hahaha.


sorry i was drunk ignore me being a douche


@Caleb.E "you do know you will never use you computer to that potential so yes, his laptop is just as good as yours"

What do you mean? you can respond after your ban, if you even see this, but my CPU hits 99% and i use all 32gb of ram when I export a video.
11 years ago
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markc
Posts: 367 - Karma: 540
you guys are talking mostyly about ram and processors but hard drives are probably even more important, Make sure you have a decent drive. A good SSD is pretty great for editing
11 years ago
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eheath
Posts: 61949 - Karma: 126,666
Mark_Cyou guys are talking mostyly about ram and processors but hard drives are probably even more important, Make sure you have a decent drive. A good SSD is pretty great for editing


SSDs are awesome for running programs on, if you can afford to buy something larger then 240gb you could run your scratch/current assets off of your ssd but in reality, most people are going to be running an external drive via usb3 with their assets and scratch and it will only be a tad slower.
11 years ago
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markc
Posts: 367 - Karma: 540
pussyfooterSSDs are awesome for running programs on, if you can afford to buy something larger then 240gb you could run your scratch/current assets off of your ssd but in reality, most people are going to be running an external drive via usb3 with their assets and scratch and it will only be a tad slower.


Yeah good point.
11 years ago
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Michael_Thatcher
Posts: 523 - Karma: 3,469
pussyfooterSSDs are awesome for running programs on, if you can afford to buy something larger then 240gb you could run your scratch/current assets off of your ssd but in reality, most people are going to be running an external drive via usb3 with their assets and scratch and it will only be a tad slower.


Did you ever setup and run a RAMDISK since you have 32gb of RAM? That could be pretty useful to you
11 years ago
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eheath
Posts: 61949 - Karma: 126,666
Michael_ThatcherDid you ever setup and run a RAMDISK since you have 32gb of RAM? That could be pretty useful to you


Nah, I've looked into it but wasn't worth it for me really, especially since I used it for work for awhile so I wasn't trying to do anything too risky especially with a somewhat sketchy hackintosh at the time.
11 years ago
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