Editing Performance Differences between a Notebook and a Desktop Computer

Please list the differences in performance between a Notebook computer and a Desktop computer when editing video. Any information is greatly NEEDED!!! PLZ give me all you guys got on this topic!

Which notebook and desktop computer? The ultimate for video editing of course is the Mac Pro.

Any type of mac notebook or desktop

Duh! This is a mac forum!

Anyway, the list goes like:
Mac Mini | Macbook Air > Macbook > Macbook Pro | iMac > Mac Pro

The last three are suitable for video editing...

You have to compare apples with apples etc, or oranges with oranges. What laptop and what desktop? You cannot compare a G3 iMac with say a G4 Titanium laptop.

Perhaps you mean a 2.5GHz laptop and desktop or similar?

lets say out of the current line of desktops and laptops... Would you notice a significant difference between an imac and a mac book? Both with similiar specs

All things being equal, the faster hard drive would win. Especially with video which is disk intensive. Go with a desktop. Laptop hard drives are slow(er).

phoenixgnome said:

Please list the differences in performance between a Notebook computer and a Desktop computer when editing video. Any information is greatly NEEDED!!! PLZ give me all you guys got on this topic!

Click to expand...

We need more info.

What kind of video editing do you plan on doing? What software do you plan on using? DO you plan on using an external drive to work off of, or are you doing smaller work that will be able to run off the internal drive? Will the files be off an AVCHD camcorder or anything else that will not run in native form and thus be very processor intensive?

iMovie 6 and iMovie 7 (aka iMovie '08) are very user friendly video editing programs that don't have a steep learning curve. 6 has more features, though will NOT edit AVCHD video. 7 is much more stripped down but it WILL edit AVCHD video.

Final Cut Express is now $199, and well worth it over iMovie, IMO, for any kind of video editing beyond very simple stuff. FCE 4.0 now edits AVCHD video, however no longer comes with soundtrack, and a few other features that some people liked in FCE 3.5. The learning curve is steeper than iMovie, but you can get the hang of it in a few hours and it's very powerful for what you pay.

Finally, the Final Cut Studio bundle is the most complete, most professional software option. It also should be, at $1299.

iMovie is less intensive for a computer to work with, but also less powerful. It will run smoothly on a less powerful computer. Programs like FCE and FCS require more processing power, more ram, and faster drives to run smoothly without bogging down, dropping frames, ect.


So...for simple video editing, you can get away with something like a low-level iMac, Macbook, or even Mac mini while using iMovie. But if you're going to be working with large projects and or AVCHD video and using an external drive....you'd be wise to pick up a machine with a FW800 port, a better video card (not integrated with minimal RAM like the Mini or MB line), and a faster processor.

Especially working with FCE or FCS renders can take eons with slower machines.

FWIW, i'm using a Macbook 2.0GHz, 2GB RAM to edit AVCHD video on FCE 4.0. I have an external 7200RPM FW400 drive as my main scratch disk. This is the bare minimum setup i'd recommend for something like that. The computer ran *fine* using iMovie for simple editing. But the more software power you're using, the more hardware strength you need to back it up. My machine runs these tasks without drama. But i'm strongly considering upgrading to an iMac or MB Pro very soon. I didn't buy the MB with video editing in mind, and unless you're just using it with iMovie to do simple stuff, I wouldn't go that route either.

Hope that helps.

-Nick

I would need a computer to do editing video at a wedding to show during the reception I'm currently using CS3... would I need to switch to another software? Would a mac be a better solution than a PC??? Let me know your thoughts!!!

phoenixgnome said:

I would need a computer to do editing video at a wedding to show during the reception I'm currently using CS3... would I need to switch to another software? Would a mac be a better solution than a PC??? Let me know your thoughts!!!

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What format does the camera record in? SD, HD? DV tapes? AVCHD Drive?

Do you mean that you're shooting footage at the reception, or you physically have to do video editing there? Seems like a terrible way to work if that's the case.

-Nick

SD with DV tapes... I will be editing video before the reception

Well if you're doing on-location editing then a notebook is your best bet since a desktop is a bit of a pain to lug around - not to mention they're safer to transport. Your ideal setup for editing would be a MacBook Pro, but if you're on a very tight budget then a top end MacBook may do the job as well. Either way it'd be best to run on an external hard drive for safety, mobility and the space.

Mac's can run Adobe software but I'm not sure if it's a "one disc fits all" package or if you need to buy the software for a specific platform. In my personal opinion I find Final Cut Express/Pro to be a bit superior to Adobe Premier although there are quite a few similarities. If you're doing wedding videography as more of a hobby or favor kind of deal than an actual profession, perhaps investing in Final Cut Express ($199) is a wiser choice than Final Cut Studio ($1,299).

No matter which notebook you choose to get (assuming you choose to get one to begin with), I highly recommend getting at least a mouse, if not an external monitor as well. The external monitor would come in especially handy if you're using a regular MacBook cause the 13" leaves much to be desired when trimming timelines (in my humble opinion). The mouse is a much easier means of making adjustments than a trackpad, so the extra $49 bucks (if you get an Apple Mighty Mouse) is a worthy investment.

And in regards to your question about a Mac being better to edit on than a PC, my answer is unequivocally: "yes". I've used both machines extensively and the Mac has proved itself time and again as a stable, quick and powerful editing tool.

As a professional with over 25 film credits (IMDb ) on my resume and not simply a biased Mac user on a Mac forum, my sole intention here is to provide the truth to some of the misleading and obvious uneducated replies I've read to both the author of this thread and anyone else interested.

Actually what matters most with editing video on today's computers (Mac or PC) is screen size. Well processor speed will make a difference however any new Mac laptop (excluding MacBook Air) or Mac desktop will do the job - Especially if you're a one-man-band editor (as "phoenixgnome" led me to believe s/he will be). With that said, if you're going to use a laptop and I think that may be your best option, I would suggest a (portable) external hard drive such as one of the "On The Go" models sold by Other World Computing. There are other's as well.

Now for the simple ( unbiased ) truth;

Many of the great new features promoted in Final Cut in the last few years have been available in other software for a long time. The biggest drawback to Final Cut is the $1,300 editing package that requires a $3,000 computer. With that said, anyone considering a Mac should realize that as long as new versions of Final Cut Studio require a faster computer, Apple will be in the middle of it - Desktop and laptop. But let it be known - There is no proof the Mac is better than a PC for video editing. None. End of story.

Okay, now that I've shared the truth, as an unbiaes professional, I edit on a Mac Pro and MacBook Pro using both Avid and Adobe. For the record, the best bang for the buck is Adobe. Not just Premiere Pro as an editing application, but the entire Adobe Production Creative Suite -- a series of apps that truly work together as a suite to address almost any content creation or delivery need. And when you consider that Photoshop and Illustrator are part of that suite, remember: These are the apps that really built the Mac's reputation as a content creation platform. You are buying the best value for your money.

Another fact to consider; A Final Cut Studio user still needs to buy some Adobe apps. An Adobe Production bundle user doesn't need to buy anything from Apple.

In the end, all experienced editors ( whatever level, home based or professional ) need to buy the apps that make them most productive. And sometimes, that means sticking with what you know as opposed to taking on a new learning curve.

dacameraman said:

Actually what matters most with editing video on today's computers (Mac or PC) is screen size.

Click to expand...

I agree with this entirely, if you don't believe me, check out my set up in the set up thread.

Now for the simple ( unbiased ) truth;

Many of the great new features promoted in Final Cut in the last few years have been available in other software for a long time. The biggest drawback to Final Cut is the $1,300 editing package that requires a $3,000 computer. With that said, anyone considering a Mac should realize that as long as new versions of Final Cut Studio require a faster computer, Apple will be in the middle of it - Desktop and laptop. But let it be known - There is no proof the Mac is better than a PC for video editing. None. End of story.

Click to expand...

Semi-True

Okay, now that I've shared the truth, as an unbiaes professional, I edit on a Mac Pro and MacBook Pro using both Avid and Adobe. For the record, the best bang for the buck is Adobe. Not just Premiere Pro as an editing application, but the entire Adobe Production Creative Suite -- a series of apps that truly work together as a suite to address almost any content creation or delivery need. And when you consider that Photoshop and Illustrator are part of that suite, remember: These are the apps that really built the Mac's reputation as a content creation platform. You are buying the best value for your money.

Another fact to consider; A Final Cut Studio user still needs to buy some Adobe apps. An Adobe Production bundle user doesn't need to buy anything from Apple.

In the end, all experienced editors ( whatever level, home based or professional ) need to buy the apps that make them most productive. And sometimes, that means sticking with what you know as opposed to taking on a new learning curve.

Click to expand...

Personally I think that the Final Cut is the way to go best bang for your buck. Personally I think apples color grading software alone is worth the move to apple vs adobe. I have the entire line up of apple video pro products (final cut studio and shake) along with most of the adobe cs3 products, (photoshop, after effects, illustrator, etc.). As said above though its what you know, and how comfortable you are with editing, and how into it you are going to get.