Good laptop for video and audio editing?

Hi, now I know that laptops are frowned upon in the video and audio industry. My problem is that I need the portability. Don't tell me a macbook pro because that's not in my price range. I have a budget of $800 max.



The problem with mine now is that when I go to edit, it plays the video back choppy, not just a little, real bad. It has an Intel Celeron processor, and 3 gigs of ram. Also I've attempted to do recordings via audio interface with this. I've been told by a couple people that Vista is basically doomed, and that it would make more sense to get Windows 7. I won't go into the problems I've had with that, but it won't install the drivers that I need for the interface, and programs (protools le) are not compatible with it.



You can either refer me to a particular laptop, or help me out with some guidelines for buying. Like I said, I edit HD video footage, and do audio recording. I will be using programs such as Adobe Premiere, Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects. 3ds Max, and ProTools



I suck at knowing what to look for in computers. I know how to use them, but couldn't tell you the difference between an Intel i5 and i7 processor other than the number. I think hard drive speed and graphic cards might have something to do with playback issues, but I am not 100% PLEASE HELP!|||build your own, use a 5770 and AMD phenom II x4 955|||For Adobe CS5.5, don't speculate - check against Adobe's minimum system requirements, including tested and recommended graphics cards



http://prodesigntools.com/products/adobe…|||I would go for a Nice Dell Xps It has a 500GB hard drive Adobe Photoshop Hd graphics Intel i5 . Win7 ultimate . Http://dell.com/ Good luck $699.99|||hope you specified what program u use... but i know a laptop which is a bit powerful and it is custom made, starts at a price range of $999 dollars, and im sure it will be powerful for graphics and editing since it is a gaming laptop. http://www.alienware.com/Landings/laptop…



if your really tight in budget, you can try neo laptops http://www.neo.com.ph/products_elan.aspx|||First of all, it's not true that laptops are frowned upon, because these days EVERYONE uses laptops for EVERY purpose.



Now, I don't know how much you know about computers, so I'll mention a few facts you should know.



RAM = basically how much information your computer can process at a time, so more RAM will let you render faster and use more big programs at once (Side Note: NEVER run an internet browser while rendering...just don't..). So 4 GB is a fair amount for the price range you're looking for, I would say; you can then get a 64-bit operating system for really no extra cost, which would let your programs run more quickly with more going on within them, if you would get the 64-bit versions.



Then there is the processor. That will allow your overall computer system to take on a bigger load, in a way....basically a processor with around 2.5 GHz is decent, and if you can get more than that, that's also great.



Another thing is the video card; you HAVE to have at least a decent graphics/video card in order for your videos, preview time, and render to all be better. What not to get: integrated graphics (anything Intel...). I'm pretty sure most machines that have ATI or Nvidia integrated graphics will serve you fine, but 1GB, if you can find it for your price, is absolutely MAGNIFICENT.



Now, the laptop itself, do NOT get HP. Terrible reviews, and I have one and it bugs the $%#$ out of me. I really like Dell, if you find a good one, and Alienware computers--if you can manage to find an affordable one--are absolutely gorgeous, dream-level machines...but expensive as hell.



About the operating system, I don't think you can find Vista computers these days...VIsta is messed up, and Windows 7 is basically what Vista SHOULD have been if it would have been done right, so you shouldn't have any problems.



I suggest you get a laptop with a bigger screen, say 15.4 if you want to balance portability with size. I have a 13" and it's not the greatest. It works just fine for me with programs like Vegas; I just have to squint a bit, but most of the time I just connect it to second screen, and stretch the program over two monitors so that I have plenty of working space.



Ummmm what elsee...Try to look for an alternative editing program from Premiere, simply because I personally despise it :P There are just some really great ones out there that I think provide better flexibility.



The most important thing, though, is to just look around and try to find information online and the more you look the more you understand the technicalities and so on. That's the way I learned, really.



OH and one last tip: if you're buying online, ALWAYS look up coupons for the company you're buying from online. You can get all kinds of discounts, especially near holidays.



Good luck!