What is the lowest core 2 duo processor you would go with for Video editing?

Hi, I would like to buy a laptop for under $1000, but this is proving to be exceedingly difficult. There are compromises at every corner.

What would you include or exclude for a video editing computer?

17 inch screen?
2 gb ram?
2.0ghz core 2 duo/ 667mhz fsb
1.86ghz core 2 duo/ 533mhz fsb
1.73ghz core 2 duo/ 533mhz fsb

I was considering either an inspiron e1705 or a 1505, the differences being that the e1705 has a 17 in screen, the 1505 has 15, and the e1705 has a 256 nvidea 7900gs graphic card.
I have a $500 coupon for both, but i can't seem to keep the price low enough on the e1705 and still have enough for at least a 2ghz processor and 2gb or ram.
Is the video card on the e1505 good enough?

 

just make it 1 gb, and upgrade the ram later
its cheaper to get the ram somewhere else plus it is easy to put in

 

Realize that the speed difference between 1.86 GHz and 2.0 GHz is only 7.5% (approx) what's the price difference?

 

price difference is $200, so is that true? only 7.5%?? i think i'll just go with the 1.86 then, what do you think? is $200 worth it?

 

what is the difference between a 1.6ghz duo core and a 2.0ghz duo core

 

There is a difference.

It depends on how much data per-second a processor can handle.

Let's take the 1.6 ghz duo core. It will probably handle up to 2MB per second. I'm only giving you a basic, i'll post again for some more details on that.

2.0 ghz duo cores could handle up to 4MB per second. Like I said, i'll give you more details on my next post.

I got to go to the doctor...so yeah...brb...

 

There are three major differences. If the difference was only in clock speed, then yes, you'd be right. But there's also a boost to the FSB and double the Cache.

 

The Cache will provide a LOT of extra help. The T7200 is probably the best processor in terms of performance for price.

 

ok, I agree. But what do you think of screenwise? I'm ok with the screen on the e1505, but i don't know if i'm ok with the graphics card. The graphics card on the e1705 would be a nvidia 7900gs 256.

 

for video editing the extra cache is going to make more than a 7.5% jump in speed so go for the T7200

as for the video card, this will not do anything for video editing really, dunno wat the 1505 has but the 7900GS is a good high end card to have

 

The e1505 has a 256MB ATI MOBILITY™ RADEON® X1400 HyperMemory

So, what do you think of these two options - would you either go with:

a Dell Inspiron e1705 with a total, $1060 With
1.86ghz processor,
1gb ram,
80 gb hard drive,
dvd burner,
wireless-g,
17 inch,
geforce 7900 gs 256

or a Dell Inspiron e1505 with a total, $950 With
2.0ghz processor,
1gb ram,
best screen,
80gb hard drive,
dvd burner,
wireless-n,
15 inch,
256MB ATI MOBILITY™ RADEON® X1400

Which is the better value? notice I am doing this for video editing, some gaming, and i had to lower the processor on the 17 inch laptop.
Do you think I should spend the extra $200 to get the e1705 with a 2 ghz duo processor or should I go with the e1505 and be content with the lower end graphics card and smaller screen?

also, I will have to bring this laptop to college every day, so is the 17 inch even a good idea?

 

I'd go with the e1505 there, unless you're a hard-core gamer. For video editing, the faster the processor, the better. And I'd crank it up to 2GB of RAM in either case. And since you're gonna be carrying it, a 17in will get very old, very quick. I had a 15.4" that started to annoy me after a few months.

 

Yes get the E1705 with the 2ghz CPU, you are spending $200 more but you are getting a FAR superior graphics card and a bigger screen

that is better value than the E1505. even if u dont get the 2ghz CPU i would still go with the E1705 simply cuz doing video editing you probably want a nice large screen to watch them on. carrying it maybe harder but so wat you are getting so much more for so little $, join a gym

 

One of the areas you will notice a major difference in performance between the T5600 (1.86GHz) and T7200 (2.0GHz) processor is in video transcoding... so if your primary application is video editing I'd consider the T7200 to be non-negotiable.

1x1GB RAM should be fine... as was pointed out above, it's cheaper to upgrade it yourself post purchase.

Screenwise, I'd say that resolution is more important than screen size. Most video apps will feel a little cramped at WXGA (1280x800) but anything above that (ie: WXGA+ (1440x900)) should be fine. Alternatively, you can always invest in an external monitor down the track.

The ATI X1400 GPU will be plenty powerful, even for HD video on a dual monitor configuration. It's also quite acceptable for light to moderate gaming duties.

Overall, I'd probably go with the E1505... As Pita pointed out, carrying a 17" notebook gets annoying.