Computer Geeks Unite! Best laptop for Social Media/mulit-media biz owner!

[DeLorean]

Hi people. I am new to the forum!

I started a social media/online marketing biz and it has been doing pretty well. My crappy Toshiba Satellite, after only 8 months pretty much is :gun:. (I paid $428)

Anyways - I have been searching for a while now and everything points me to a gaming laptop, even though I won't be gaming on it. Here's what I now need it to do...

- Have 10-15 internet windows open at one time
- be able to run multiple programs at one time (firefox, word, excel, adobe, Photoshop for example)
- Have the capabilities of doing some video editing with Adobe Premiere (display graphics pretty important here)
- HD web cam with mic for online meetings etc.
- DVD burner
- Prefer 17 inch screen but can deal with smaller for a great laptop
- HDMI input
- Decent + security
- VGA port? Not sure...

Now I've figure I need at least an Core i7 Quad, with 2.4GHz +, at least 8GB RAM (prefer 12 I think) and 750+ HD (prefer 1TB), Hard drive speed of 7200
Do I need something with SSD?

Right now, my searches have led me to:
- MSI GT60 or GT70 (or any MSI really?)
- Lenovo Ideapad
- HP Envy
- Sony Series 7
- IBUYPOWER Valkyrie Series

These are all in the $1K - $1600 range - and that is ok - But the more bang for the buck is better

So I would LOVE love love to hear your suggestions. What would be the right computer for the above listed? Has anyone had experience with the laptops I listed? And what's the best place to buy online?
Thank you!!

 

[wolfeking]

I assume you need a laptop for being mobile? If so, then you are along the right tracks.

CPU: You only really need an i3 or above. Most of what you listed is heavier on RAM than CPU, with the exception of maybe photoshop.

I would take a look at Sager. In the $1600 range, you would be looking athttp://www.sagernotebook.com/index.php?page=product_customed&model_name=NP9130
- i7-3630qm
- GTX 670XM
- IC Diamond thermal paste
- 16GB RAM
- 128 GB mSATA SSD
- 1TB HDD
- Centrino 6235 wireless card (I tend to choose Intel for their driver support and build quality in Wireless cards).

That all comes to $1469. You likely won't find a better built, better supported unit for less.

 

[Origin Saint]

I happen to have a HP ENVY DV6-7214nr. I bought it on Black Friday of this year, so I've had it for a little over 2 months now. It costs around $1,250. It isn't customizable, it's one of their pre-made builds. Here's the specs real quick:
Intel Core i7-3630QM 2.3GHz quad core with hyperthreading
NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M with 2GB memory
8GB DDR3 1600MHz RAM
750GB 7,200rpm mechanical drive
15.6" 1920x1080 anti-glare screen
720p HP webcam
Integrated microphones
HDMI, VGA, 4USB (3 being 3.0)
A Blu-Ray drive that can RW to DVD and CD
It also has HP SimplePass fingerprint log-in, so that is pretty secure for the initial start-up security.

Personally, I game and edit videos and browse the internet all day, everyday. I play a 18.5GB 3000+ song iTunes library, hold a Skype voice call, and play World of Warcraft on High settings with no problems at all. The webcam can be slightly pixely on occasion, but it's pretty good, having Blu-Ray is amazing for entertainment purposes. The anti-gloss screen is a huuge plus and the full HD screen is a added bonus. Now, I don't run any Adobe software, but I know Windows Live Movie Maker can edit hours long videos while having other things running simultaneously.

So I think, if you're looking to keep it close to $1k, and get a ton out of a machine, then this is a great choice. If you want anymore information on it, let me know and I'll help you out in any way possible.

 

[DeLorean]

Hey, thank you for your reply - I haven't heard of Sager? Are they are pretty reputable brand? Also - what's your opinion if I do some video editing on there (Adobe Premiere)?
Also - yes I would be mobile. But at this point weight isn't much of an issue - I just rather have something that does what I need!

I assume you need a laptop for being mobile? If so, then you are along the right tracks.

CPU: You only really need an i3 or above. Most of what you listed is heavier on RAM than CPU, with the exception of maybe photoshop.

I would take a look at Sager. In the $1600 range, you would be looking athttp://www.sagernotebook.com/index.php?page=product_customed&model_name=NP9130
- i7-3630qm
- GTX 670XM
- IC Diamond thermal paste
- 16GB RAM
- 128 GB mSATA SSD
- 1TB HDD
- Centrino 6235 wireless card (I tend to choose Intel for their driver support and build quality in Wireless cards).

That all comes to $1469. You likely won't find a better built, better supported unit for less.

 

[DeLorean]

Hi! Thank you for the reply! I read somewhere this had some trouble with it's wireless - something like it didn't have dual band wireless? Do you know anything about it? And is it pretty bulky?

I happen to have a HP ENVY DV6-7214nr. I bought it on Black Friday of this year, so I've had it for a little over 2 months now. It costs around $1,250. It isn't customizable, it's one of their pre-made builds. Here's the specs real quick:
Intel Core i7-3630QM 2.3GHz quad core with hyperthreading
NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M with 2GB memory
8GB DDR3 1600MHz RAM
750GB 7,200rpm mechanical drive
15.6" 1920x1080 anti-glare screen
720p HP webcam
Integrated microphones
HDMI, VGA, 4USB (3 being 3.0)
A Blu-Ray drive that can RW to DVD and CD
It also has HP SimplePass fingerprint log-in, so that is pretty secure for the initial start-up security.

Personally, I game and edit videos and browse the internet all day, everyday. I play a 18.5GB 3000+ song iTunes library, hold a Skype voice call, and play World of Warcraft on High settings with no problems at all. The webcam can be slightly pixely on occasion, but it's pretty good, having Blu-Ray is amazing for entertainment purposes. The anti-gloss screen is a huuge plus and the full HD screen is a added bonus. Now, I don't run any Adobe software, but I know Windows Live Movie Maker can edit hours long videos while having other things running simultaneously.

So I think, if you're looking to keep it close to $1k, and get a ton out of a machine, then this is a great choice. If you want anymore information on it, let me know and I'll help you out in any way possible.

 

[wolfeking]

Hey, thank you for your reply - I haven't heard of Sager? Are they are pretty reputable brand? Also - what's your opinion if I do some video editing on there (Adobe Premiere)?
Also - yes I would be mobile. But at this point weight isn't much of an issue - I just rather have something that does what I need!

Sager are some of the best out there. They build chassis for Alienware, MSI, ibuypower and cyberpower. And best of all, their chassis are some of teh only ones that allow upgradability through standardized MXM connections on the GPU. If you buy now, you can feesibly go to a GTX 780m or GTX880m when they come out. That is something you can not generally do with HP and the rest.

You said you wanted to use adobe in the OP. That is why I choose that particular sager model. It has a Nvidia GPU which will be able to use CUDA acceleration to speed up your productivity.

 

[DeLorean]

Thank you for all your help. I ended up doing the MSI GT70 - the ratings and support were just better and reviews on Sagers blowing up and crappy support scared me - even though they seemed like great laptops!

Thank you!!

Sager are some of the best out there. They build chassis for Alienware, MSI, ibuypower and cyberpower. And best of all, their chassis are some of teh only ones that allow upgradability through standardized MXM connections on the GPU. If you buy now, you can feesibly go to a GTX 780m or GTX880m when they come out. That is something you can not generally do with HP and the rest.

You said you wanted to use adobe in the OP. That is why I choose that particular sager model. It has a Nvidia GPU which will be able to use CUDA acceleration to speed up your productivity.