Premiere Laptop at DVinfo.net

Daniel Lippman · December 25th, 2007, 01:00 PM

I'm planning on buying CS3 and setting it up. I had been planning to purchase a new computer, and figured out my pricing and everything. Seeing as I'm a student, and paying for all this by myself, it was going to be quite a stretch.

I now have an alternative. Someone has offered to give me their old laptop. Their laptop is quite a powerhouse. It's a media center edition Hp. It has DVI out, S-Video out, and a quality 17 in. screen. It has an expresscard slot, a decent amount of USB ports for external hard drives, and a four pin firewire slot. It's got a P4 processor and a gig of ram. It has an ATI video card(will look up what kind later). She'd also throw in two batteries, and it's all free and in excellent condition. I'll always be sure to backup my files, and if it fails on me, then I'll just go ahead and buy the computer I was planning to buy. In the meantime, if I get this, that frees up the money to buy CS3 ahead of my financial schedule. I was planning on buying the computer first, then saving up and buying the software about 6 months later. If I can go ahead and get the software, that'd be great, and I can save up to buy the computer later when this laptop is obsolete. I understand that a gig of ram isn't ideal, but with the money I'd save, I'd be willing to go out and buy another gig, or possibly two more gigs.
I'll only be editing SD on this, with my Panasonic AG-DVC20. I recently won approval for a grant, but I have yet to get approval for how much. It will be somewhere in between $500 and $2,000, so I might be upgrading my camera, but if I do it will almost definitely be to a DVX.

So to sum it all up, if I decide to get this laptop, then get CS3, will it be able to handle all my SD needs? Honestly, I'm currently editing on 512 mb with a Celeron D processor, so anything will be ok. If the program will run without crashing and can do basic stuff, I'll be good. Does this laptop fit minimum specs at least?

Sorry my post is so long. If I had more time I'd write a shorter one.

Adam Gold · December 25th, 2007, 05:59 PM

Here's what Adobe says:

System requirements
Windows
Intel® Pentium® 4, (1.4GHz processor for DV; 3.4GHz processor for HDV), Intel Centrino®, Intel Xeon® (dual 2.8GHz processors for HD), Intel Core™ Duo (or compatible) processor; SSE2-enabled processor required for AMD systems.
Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional or Home Edition with Service Pack 2 or Windows Vista™ Home Premium, Business, Ultimate, or Enterprise (certified for 32-bit editions only)
1GB of RAM for DV; 2GB of RAM for HDV and HD
10GB of available hard-disk space (additional free space required during installation)
Dedicated 7,200 RPM hard drive for DV and HDV editing; striped disk array storage (RAID 0) for HD; SCSI disk subsystem preferred.
1,280x1,024 monitor resolution with 32-bit video card; Adobe recommended graphics card for GPU-accelerated playback (see the full compatible hardware listing)
Microsoft DirectX or ASIO compatible sound card
For SD/HD workflows, an Adobe certified card for capture and export to tape
DVD-ROM drive
Blu-ray burner required for Blu-ray disc creation
DVD+-R burner required for DVD creation
OHCI compatible IEEE 1394 port for DV and HDV capture, export to tape, and transmit to DV device
QuickTime 7 software required to use QuickTime features
Internet or phone connection required for product activation
Broadband Internet connection required for Adobe Stock Photos* and other services

So based on this it looks like you might be ok.

Bill Hamell · December 25th, 2007, 06:56 PM

Without knowing what laptop you are getting it is hard to say.

However I am running PP2 on an HP9000 with no problems.

Bill

Daniel Lippman · December 26th, 2007, 09:27 AM

The machine is a HP Pavilion zd8000. The only thing I'm unsure about is whether it has a 7200 RPM hard drive, but I'll go look that up as soon as finish this post. I do know that is a 100 Gb, and I will most likely be getting an external firewire hard drive enclosure to use for backing up files and keeping footage and stuff on. I feel that's a reasonable investment, since that insures me against internal failure, and I can then move on to my next machine effortlessly. It has an expresscard slot, and I was planning on putting a sound card in there and then possibly spending some money on nice speakers. Would that be a good idea, or would I be better off with a nice set of headphones and an eSata card there?

Daniel Lippman · December 26th, 2007, 11:03 AM

I just found out that the laptop does have a 5,400 RPM hard drive. I also found out that it has a discrete sound card already, and as well as an expresscard slot, also has the older standard of PC Card. Will this have any effect on it, if I run the OS and CS3 off of the 5,400 RPM drive and have an external 7,200 RPM drive for my media?

Ervin Farkas · December 27th, 2007, 07:39 AM

Surely, a faster hard drive is better, but not crucial - there are other things that can speed up your editing process more than a 7K rpm hard - for example reformatting it and installing only the minimum software you need.

I have an old Sony Vaio (about 4 years old) - I freaked out when I found that the hard only rotates at 4200 rpm, but it still edits SD just fine with PPRO 2 despite the fact that due to hardware limitations I can't install more than 512 megs of RAM.

Daniel Lippman · December 27th, 2007, 08:17 AM

What I'm most worried about is whether the program will be able to work without crashing. I've heard some bad things about premiere in that regard, but most of the time it turns out to be hardware/software incompatibility. I can live with long render times.
Does the program ever have a problem with crashing on your computer Ervin?

Ervin Farkas · December 27th, 2007, 08:23 AM

Unfortunately there is no such thing as "Premiere never crashes"... yes, I had a crash or two with both 1.5 and 2.0, but nothing out of the ordinary.

Daniel Lippman · December 27th, 2007, 10:00 AM

I understand that "never" is a pipe dream, but if it's rare, then I'm okay with it. I've had another option come up that I'd like you guys' opinion on. I have to option of using another machine(I know, they're just popping up like weasels in that one carnival game with a hammer). This ones a tower with firewire and four USB hubs. It also has a P4 processor, but I'm not sure what speed. It's been almost never used, and is running XP. It literally has been underused so much that I wouldn't even need to reformat and reinstall XP. The only downsides are that it doesn't have a video card, all the USB ports are 1.1, and it has less than 256 mb of RAM. I don't know what speed the hard drive is, but I do know that this computer is also a HP, and it was purchased soon after the laptop. Would there be any advantages to using this, such as better cooling and therefore better performance, or does it look like the laptop would be better. I would obviously add more RAM to it, and I guess at some point soon I would have to buy a video card, though I only really have money for one under $100. It seems to me like the laptop would be better, but if I'm wrong, please tell me. I just wanted a second opinion on this one. Thanks again guys.

Ervin Farkas · December 27th, 2007, 10:14 AM

Daniel,

I'm afraid both machines are way too old for CS3. I would rather consider finding a copy of 1.5 or 2.0 - there is not much in CS3 that you will miss as a beginner videographer compared to older versions. Both of these are very powerful editors, quite adequate for SD work - you might also consider a lighter program like Vegas as long as you're tied to older computers. (Vegas is lighter as far as requirements put on the computer and has pretty much everything Premiere has - you can still pick up a new copy but older version like 6 for under $100).

Personally, I would rather invest in a new camera and stay with an older NLE.

Shawn McCalip · December 27th, 2007, 04:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daniel Lippman

I have to option of using another machine(I know, they're just popping up like weasels in that one carnival game with a hammer). This ones a tower with firewire and four USB hubs. It also has a P4 processor, but I'm not sure what speed. It's been almost never used, and is running XP. It literally has been underused so much that I wouldn't even need to reformat and reinstall XP. The only downsides are that it doesn't have a video card, all the USB ports are 1.1, and it has less than 256 mb of RAM. I don't know what speed the hard drive is, but I do know that this computer is also a HP, and it was purchased soon after the laptop. Would there be any advantages to using this, such as better cooling and therefore better performance, or does it look like the laptop would be better. I would obviously add more RAM to it, and I guess at some point soon I would have to buy a video card, though I only really have money for one under $100. It seems to me like the laptop would be better, but if I'm wrong, please tell me. I just wanted a second opinion on this one.

I'd stay away from the tower, since by the time you're done upgrading it to edit video efficiently, you will have spent enough to just flat out buy something new that would do the job better. That laptop you're looking at seems like it will do a pretty good job for you- although I would recommend buying a RAM upgrade to get yourself up to 2GB. Yes, you'll only be doing SD, but that extra gig will make a big difference. Fortunately, RAM upgrades aren't too expensive either.

Ervin brought up a good point too about picking up an older version of Premiere Pro. I just bought the CS3 bundle, and for what I'm doing, it's very similar to the previous version. I'm sure you'd be able to save a few bucks if you picked up a used copy. As a student, you may even be able to purchase a student version for a lot less- unless you're planning to make money off of whatever it is that you're doing. Good luck!

Daniel Lippman · December 29th, 2007, 08:38 AM

I'm not sure if I understand why an earlier version would be any better. Did it have lower minimum specs? Also, I've been looking up the history of it and trying to figure this out. So there is no CS2 for production, correct. Previously it was Adobe Video Studio Production Premium Package, etc. Could anyone point to a link of where I could find it, because I haven't found anywhere that sells it, and I can't find it on Amazon or eBay either. Since I'm a student, I would prefer to get CS3, as I can pick that up ridiculously cheap. I think I will get it, and also add a gig of ram to the laptop, and then I'll be set. If I win this grant, I'll then use that money to upgrade my computer, as I'll already have the program. I'll just only be able to do not intensive editing.

Shawn McCalip · December 29th, 2007, 01:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daniel Lippman

I'm not sure if I understand why an earlier version would be any better. Did it have lower minimum specs? Also, I've been looking up the history of it and trying to figure this out. So there is no CS2 for production, correct. Previously it was Adobe Video Studio Production Premium Package, etc. Since I'm a student, I would prefer to get CS3, as I can pick that up ridiculously cheap. I think I will get it, and also add a gig of ram to the laptop, and then I'll be set.

Yes, the earlier versions have lower minimum system requirements, and they will run a bit more smoothly on your system. Also, I think lots of us call it the CS2 bundle even though Adobe did in fact call it the Production Bundle or the Premium Production Bundle because that bundle contained Photoshop CS2 and the respective versions of the other programs with it.

Also, when a new version comes out, the software company will typically have any remaining copies of the previous version pulled from store shelves and stocks. That's why it's difficult to find older versions.

Since you're a student and you'll be able to get a screaming deal on the educational version of CS3, go for it.

Daniel Lippman · December 29th, 2007, 06:32 PM

I know that Adobe has a demo on their website, but nobody I know has been able to get it to work. Is there anyway I could try out the software on this computer, i.e. have a copy of the demo on CD mailed to me, or visit a shop or something? Thanks again for all the help so far.

Duane Burleson · December 29th, 2007, 11:05 PM

I think you will find that the laptop will have 2 512mb ram modules installed. So to go to 2 Gigs of ram you will need to remove the installed ram and buy 2 1gb modules. But, ram is very cheap now.

a 2GB kit is just $56 at http://www.crucial.com/store/listpar...d8000%20Series

Duane

December 25th, 2007, 01:00 PM	#1
Daniel Lippman New Boot Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Orlando, Florida, USA Posts: 21	Premiere Laptop I'm planning on buying CS3 and setting it up. I had been planning to purchase a new computer, and figured out my pricing and everything. Seeing as I'm a student, and paying for all this by myself, it was going to be quite a stretch. I now have an alternative. Someone has offered to give me their old laptop. Their laptop is quite a powerhouse. It's a media center edition Hp. It has DVI out, S-Video out, and a quality 17 in. screen. It has an expresscard slot, a decent amount of USB ports for external hard drives, and a four pin firewire slot. It's got a P4 processor and a gig of ram. It has an ATI video card(will look up what kind later). She'd also throw in two batteries, and it's all free and in excellent condition. I'll always be sure to backup my files, and if it fails on me, then I'll just go ahead and buy the computer I was planning to buy. In the meantime, if I get this, that frees up the money to buy CS3 ahead of my financial schedule. I was planning on buying the computer first, then saving up and buying the software about 6 months later. If I can go ahead and get the software, that'd be great, and I can save up to buy the computer later when this laptop is obsolete. I understand that a gig of ram isn't ideal, but with the money I'd save, I'd be willing to go out and buy another gig, or possibly two more gigs. I'll only be editing SD on this, with my Panasonic AG-DVC20. I recently won approval for a grant, but I have yet to get approval for how much. It will be somewhere in between $500 and $2,000, so I might be upgrading my camera, but if I do it will almost definitely be to a DVX. So to sum it all up, if I decide to get this laptop, then get CS3, will it be able to handle all my SD needs? Honestly, I'm currently editing on 512 mb with a Celeron D processor, so anything will be ok. If the program will run without crashing and can do basic stuff, I'll be good. Does this laptop fit minimum specs at least? Sorry my post is so long. If I had more time I'd write a shorter one.

December 25th, 2007, 06:56 PM	#3
Bill Hamell Major Player Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Mystic Ct. Posts: 477	Without knowing what laptop you are getting it is hard to say. However I am running PP2 on an HP9000 with no problems. Bill __________________ Cinematographers Bring Shadow To Light

December 27th, 2007, 07:39 AM	#6
Ervin Farkas Inner Circle Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Atlanta/USA Posts: 2,515	Surely, a faster hard drive is better, but not crucial - there are other things that can speed up your editing process more than a 7K rpm hard - for example reformatting it and installing only the minimum software you need. I have an old Sony Vaio (about 4 years old) - I freaked out when I found that the hard only rotates at 4200 rpm, but it still edits SD just fine with PPRO 2 despite the fact that due to hardware limitations I can't install more than 512 megs of RAM. __________________ Ervin Farkas www.AtlantaLegalVideo.com

December 27th, 2007, 08:23 AM	#8
Ervin Farkas Inner Circle Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Atlanta/USA Posts: 2,515	Unfortunately there is no such thing as "Premiere never crashes"... yes, I had a crash or two with both 1.5 and 2.0, but nothing out of the ordinary. __________________ Ervin Farkas www.AtlantaLegalVideo.com

December 27th, 2007, 10:14 AM	#10
Ervin Farkas Inner Circle Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Atlanta/USA Posts: 2,515	Daniel, I'm afraid both machines are way too old for CS3. I would rather consider finding a copy of 1.5 or 2.0 - there is not much in CS3 that you will miss as a beginner videographer compared to older versions. Both of these are very powerful editors, quite adequate for SD work - you might also consider a lighter program like Vegas as long as you're tied to older computers. (Vegas is lighter as far as requirements put on the computer and has pretty much everything Premiere has - you can still pick up a new copy but older version like 6 for under $100). Personally, I would rather invest in a new camera and stay with an older NLE. __________________ Ervin Farkas www.AtlantaLegalVideo.com

December 25th, 2007, 05:59 PM	#2
Adam Gold Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Woodinville, WA USA Posts: 3,467	Here's what Adobe says: System requirements Windows Intel® Pentium® 4, (1.4GHz processor for DV; 3.4GHz processor for HDV), Intel Centrino®, Intel Xeon® (dual 2.8GHz processors for HD), Intel Core™ Duo (or compatible) processor; SSE2-enabled processor required for AMD systems. Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional or Home Edition with Service Pack 2 or Windows Vista™ Home Premium, Business, Ultimate, or Enterprise (certified for 32-bit editions only) 1GB of RAM for DV; 2GB of RAM for HDV and HD 10GB of available hard-disk space (additional free space required during installation) Dedicated 7,200 RPM hard drive for DV and HDV editing; striped disk array storage (RAID 0) for HD; SCSI disk subsystem preferred. 1,280x1,024 monitor resolution with 32-bit video card; Adobe recommended graphics card for GPU-accelerated playback (see the full compatible hardware listing) Microsoft DirectX or ASIO compatible sound card For SD/HD workflows, an Adobe certified card for capture and export to tape DVD-ROM drive Blu-ray burner required for Blu-ray disc creation DVD+-R burner required for DVD creation OHCI compatible IEEE 1394 port for DV and HDV capture, export to tape, and transmit to DV device QuickTime 7 software required to use QuickTime features Internet or phone connection required for product activation Broadband Internet connection required for Adobe Stock Photos* and other services So based on this it looks like you might be ok.

December 26th, 2007, 09:27 AM	#4
Daniel Lippman New Boot Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Orlando, Florida, USA Posts: 21	The machine is a HP Pavilion zd8000. The only thing I'm unsure about is whether it has a 7200 RPM hard drive, but I'll go look that up as soon as finish this post. I do know that is a 100 Gb, and I will most likely be getting an external firewire hard drive enclosure to use for backing up files and keeping footage and stuff on. I feel that's a reasonable investment, since that insures me against internal failure, and I can then move on to my next machine effortlessly. It has an expresscard slot, and I was planning on putting a sound card in there and then possibly spending some money on nice speakers. Would that be a good idea, or would I be better off with a nice set of headphones and an eSata card there?

December 26th, 2007, 11:03 AM	#5
Daniel Lippman New Boot Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Orlando, Florida, USA Posts: 21	I just found out that the laptop does have a 5,400 RPM hard drive. I also found out that it has a discrete sound card already, and as well as an expresscard slot, also has the older standard of PC Card. Will this have any effect on it, if I run the OS and CS3 off of the 5,400 RPM drive and have an external 7,200 RPM drive for my media?

December 27th, 2007, 08:17 AM	#7
Daniel Lippman New Boot Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Orlando, Florida, USA Posts: 21	What I'm most worried about is whether the program will be able to work without crashing. I've heard some bad things about premiere in that regard, but most of the time it turns out to be hardware/software incompatibility. I can live with long render times. Does the program ever have a problem with crashing on your computer Ervin?

December 27th, 2007, 10:00 AM	#9
Daniel Lippman New Boot Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Orlando, Florida, USA Posts: 21	I understand that "never" is a pipe dream, but if it's rare, then I'm okay with it. I've had another option come up that I'd like you guys' opinion on. I have to option of using another machine(I know, they're just popping up like weasels in that one carnival game with a hammer). This ones a tower with firewire and four USB hubs. It also has a P4 processor, but I'm not sure what speed. It's been almost never used, and is running XP. It literally has been underused so much that I wouldn't even need to reformat and reinstall XP. The only downsides are that it doesn't have a video card, all the USB ports are 1.1, and it has less than 256 mb of RAM. I don't know what speed the hard drive is, but I do know that this computer is also a HP, and it was purchased soon after the laptop. Would there be any advantages to using this, such as better cooling and therefore better performance, or does it look like the laptop would be better. I would obviously add more RAM to it, and I guess at some point soon I would have to buy a video card, though I only really have money for one under $100. It seems to me like the laptop would be better, but if I'm wrong, please tell me. I just wanted a second opinion on this one. Thanks again guys.

December 29th, 2007, 08:38 AM	#12
Daniel Lippman New Boot Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Orlando, Florida, USA Posts: 21	I'm not sure if I understand why an earlier version would be any better. Did it have lower minimum specs? Also, I've been looking up the history of it and trying to figure this out. So there is no CS2 for production, correct. Previously it was Adobe Video Studio Production Premium Package, etc. Could anyone point to a link of where I could find it, because I haven't found anywhere that sells it, and I can't find it on Amazon or eBay either. Since I'm a student, I would prefer to get CS3, as I can pick that up ridiculously cheap. I think I will get it, and also add a gig of ram to the laptop, and then I'll be set. If I win this grant, I'll then use that money to upgrade my computer, as I'll already have the program. I'll just only be able to do not intensive editing.

December 29th, 2007, 06:32 PM	#14
Daniel Lippman New Boot Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Orlando, Florida, USA Posts: 21	I know that Adobe has a demo on their website, but nobody I know has been able to get it to work. Is there anyway I could try out the software on this computer, i.e. have a copy of the demo on CD mailed to me, or visit a shop or something? Thanks again for all the help so far.

December 29th, 2007, 11:05 PM	#15
Duane Burleson Regular Crew Join Date: May 2006 Location: Sterling Heights, Michigan Posts: 105	I think you will find that the laptop will have 2 512mb ram modules installed. So to go to 2 Gigs of ram you will need to remove the installed ram and buy 2 1gb modules. But, ram is very cheap now. a 2GB kit is just $56 at http://www.crucial.com/store/listpar...d8000%20Series Duane