Considering a Vaio S 13" for basic HD video editing?

So I have a lot of home videos that I really need to edit so we can share and enjoy them. Most are shot with my Panasonic 700 at 720p (AVCHD MT2) and or with my GoPro at 720 in MP4. Although HD video is hard to process I want to do very basic editing such as titles, transitions, music, etc.

I love how the MacBook Pro 13" looks and feels, but I rather not pay that and I really don't want to learn MAC OS. I've been researching the Sony Vaios S 13" since the dimensions are similar, but as any other product, I've found some criticisms. I also saw a very attractive Gigabyte U2442N/V but that does not have a DVD drive and its not sold in many places.

For my use I'm thinking I'll need:
-13"
-Thin and lite
-Hopefully an i7, but if an i5 is enough for my editing I'll save there
-6GB of DDR3
-500GB+ HD
-Nvidia 1GB video card
- DVD burner drive
- and the normal USB3, SD card reader, etc.

I started with a budget of $700 but now I'm thinking more like $1,000.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. :thumbsup:

 

Please don't cross-post, the "Which notebook should I buy" section was the appropriate place to ask

 

Dint mean to be redunctant, but I am leaning towards a Vaio and figured here I could get more specific info/opinions.

 

Do NOT buy extra RAM (memory) from Sony (way to expensive).
Just buy yourself a module of e.g. 4GB (SO-DIMM, DDR3-1333) and then you have 8 GB (4GB is already fixed soldered on mainboard). Memory can be added very easy.

 

If you want a thin-and-light with a standard voltage processor (rather than the down-clocked low voltage chips found in the ultrabooks) and a dedicated GPU with 1GB of video memory, then the Vaio S13 and Gigabyte U2442N/V are the only options which I'm aware of. If you can do without the GPU, then there are many other options available, including the Lenovo X230 and Macbook Pro 13". If, however, your video editing software is GPU accelerated (CUDA / OpenCL etc.) then the addition of a dedicated GPU will give you a dramatic performance boost over the standard integrated intel GPUs.

High performance components in a thin-and-light frame is going to cost you, regardless of the manufacturer. If you can deal with a 5+ pound system then there are many other options to consider, both more powerful and/or cheaper than the S13. On the Mac side, Apple doesn't sell a laptop with a dedicated GPU short of the $1800 15" Macbook Pro, and even that only has 512mb of video memory, you'll need to go up to $2200 to jump to a 1GB GPU.

In my opinion the S13A is the best all around performance-weight ratio system on the market. Using it as a baseline:

Want to go even lighter (and no DVD)?: Consider the Asus Zenbook Prime UX32VD, Sony Vaio Z.
>UX32VD - Lower end CPU and GPU, but in a beauty of a 3lbs frame with a glorious IPS display.
>Vaio Z - Standard voltage QUAD-CORE CPU in a 2.5lbs frame, there's nothing else like it. Display has an abnormally wide colour gamut. DVD drive and dedicated GPU available in an external dock. Costs an arm and a leg.

Don't need the dedicated GPU?: Consider the Lenovo X230 (no DVD), or Macbook Pro 13" (DVD)
>X230 - Even lighter than the Vaio S13, same standard voltage CPU, built like a tank, also available with an IPS display.
>MBP 13 - heavier than the other two, but nicely refined (as is Apple's way)

Willing to go up to the 4-5lbs range?: Consider the Lenovo thinkpad T430.
>4.5lbs workhorse, the Quaddro GPU will outperform the GeForce GPU in the VAIO S13 for a number of professional applications. However, the GeForce will outperform the Quaddro for most other applications (including games).

Willing to go up to the 5-6lbs range?: There's a whole range of options here, and I don't know enough about them to comment.

Have $2500 to spend?: Well, the Retina Macbook Pro packs a quad core CPU and a Geforce 650M in a 4.5lbs frame with the best display going. Just don't plan on ever upgrading it.

Don't want to compromise on any of that?: Get the Vaio S13A.

Cheers!

 

I am using S13 to edit clips of Panasonic TM700, GH2 and Sony A57 in Adobe Premiere Pro CS5.5.
GT640M (hacked) is powerful enough for smooth editing for most of the time except when I use AE.
The only problem I found is the resolution of the monitor of S13. I was unable to detect noise in some of my clips.
I have to re-edit and clear them up with neat video after watching my output in a 1920x1080 monitor.

 

That is probably not only because of resolution, but also screen size. I wonder if you can quickly spot noise on 13" 1080p screen compared to a 22" (or higher) screen.
But some people have great eyes (I tried 1080p on 13" once, but I find it bit on the small side -- OK you can change Windows's its DPI settings, but not all apps are working correctly with that)