Laptop for travelling photographer/videographer/casual gamer.

[Takingthemike]

Hi guys,

I am looking for a new laptop to replace my current laptop which is struggling with the task of video and photo editing.
I am living in Manchester for another year but I plan on moving overseas and travel around Canada for at least a year (hence the need for a laptop over a desktop).

My requirements are:
Premiere Pro and Davinci Resolve to process and grade 1080p footage, maybe 4k in future.
Lightroom and Photoshop for 24MB RAW photo files.
Some gaming as I won't be taking any Playstation/Xbox to Canada.

I have saved two quotes, the cheaper options and the more expensive future-proof option. I use the term future-proof as I hear the GPU can be replaced on the Vortex? That is the one thing that is slowing down my current laptop, if I could replace the card I would.

I plan on using a small SSD for the OS and software for quick boot-time and to work on current projects, then move finished projects to a slower HDD.

Cheaper option:

Chassis & Display Defiance Series: 15.6" Matte Full HD IPS LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU) Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Mobile Processor i7-4720HQ (2.60GHz, 3.5GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM) 16GB KINGSTON SODIMM DDR3 1600MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 970M - 3.0GB DDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 11
2nd Graphics Card NONE
Memory - Hard Disk 250GB Samsung 850 EVO SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (upto 540MB/sR | 520MB/sW)
2nd Hard Disk 500GB SERIAL ATA III 2.5" HARD DRIVE WITH 32MB CACHE (7,200rpm)
RAID NONE
mSATA/M.2 SSD Drive NONE
2nd mSATA/M.2 SSD Drive NONE
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive NONE
External DVD/BLU-RAY Drive NONE
Memory Card Reader Integrated 6 in 1 Card Reader (SD /Mini SD/ SDHC / SDXC / MMC / RSMMC)
Thermal Paste STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card Intel 2 Channel High Def. Audio + MIC/Headphone + SoundBlaster X-Fi MB3
Bluetooth & Wireless GIGABIT LAN & KILLER™ 1525 WIRELESS GAMING 802.11N + BLUETOOTH 4.0
Wireless Router/HomePlugs NONE
USB Options 4 x USB 3.0 PORTS (1 x POWERED, 1 e-SATA COMBINED)
Battery Defiance Series 4 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (60WH)
Power Lead & Adaptor 1 x UK Power Lead & 180W AC Adaptor
Keyboard Language DEFIANCE SERIES BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD WITH NUMBER PAD
Operating System Genuine Windows 8.1 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence
Windows 10 Upgrade FREE Upgrade to Windows 10 with all Windows 7 & Windows 8.1 Purchases*
DVD Recovery Media Windows 8.1 (64-bit) DVD with paper sleeve
Office Software NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Carry Case NONE
Laptop Cooling Stands NONE
Stand-Alone Monitor NONE
Additional Keyboard NONE
Notebook Mouse INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Gaming Mouse Pad NONE
Game Streaming NONE
External Speakers NONE
Webcam INTEGRATED 2.0 MEGAPIXEL WEBCAM
Headsets NONE
Surge Protection NONE
Printer NONE
External Hard Drive NONE
Warranty 3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Home Installation NONE
Dead Pixel Guarantee NONE
Insurance 1 Month Free Laptop Insurance inc. Accidental Damage & Theft
Delivery STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time Standard Build - Approximately 4 to 6 working days
Pricing Information
Price (excluding VAT) £965.00
Price £1,158.00

More expensive future-proof option:

Chassis & Display Vortex Series: 15.6" Matte Full HD LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU) Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Mobile Processor i7-4810MQ (2.80GHz) 6MB
Memory (RAM) 16GB KINGSTON SODIMM DDR3 1600MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 970M - 6.0GB DDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 11
2nd Graphics Card NONE
Memory - Hard Disk 250GB Samsung 850 EVO SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (upto 540MB/sR | 520MB/sW)
2nd Hard Disk 500GB SERIAL ATA II 2.5" HARD DRIVE WITH 8MB CACHE (5,400rpm)
mSATA/M.2 SSD Drive NONE
2nd mSATA/M.2 SSD Drive NONE
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive 2nd/3rd HDD HARD DRIVE OPTICAL BAY CADDY (12.7mm)
Memory Card Reader Internal 9 in 1 Card Reader (MMC/RSMMC/SD: Mini, XC & HC/MS: Pro & Duo)
Thermal Paste STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card Intel 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Bluetooth & Wireless GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® AC-7260 HMC (867Mbps, 802.11AC) + BLUETOOTH
Wireless Router/HomePlugs NONE
USB Options 3 x USB 3.0 PORTS + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT AS STANDARD
Firewire 1 X 1394a FIREWIRE PORT
Battery Vortex 15.6" Series 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (5,200 mAh/76.96WH)
Power Lead & Adaptor 1 x UK Power Lead & 180W AC Adaptor
Keyboard Language INTEGRATED BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD WITH NUMBER PAD
Operating System Genuine Windows 8.1 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence
Windows 10 Upgrade FREE Upgrade to Windows 10 with all Windows 7 & Windows 8.1 Purchases*
DVD Recovery Media Windows 8.1 (64-bit) DVD with paper sleeve
Office Software NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Carry Case NONE
Laptop Cooling Stands NONE
Stand-Alone Monitor NONE
Additional Keyboard NONE
Notebook Mouse INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Gaming Mouse Pad NONE
Game Streaming NONE
External Speakers NONE
Webcam INTEGRATED 2.0 MEGAPIXEL WEBCAM
Headsets NONE
Surge Protection NONE
Printer NONE
External Hard Drive NONE
Warranty 3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Home Installation NONE
Dead Pixel Guarantee NONE
Insurance 1 Month Free Laptop Insurance inc. Accidental Damage & Theft
Delivery STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time Standard Build - Approximately 4 to 6 working days
Pricing Information
Price (excluding VAT) £1,096.67
Price £1,316.00


Any input would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Takingthemike]

Does nobody have any comments on this? It basically comes down to Defiance vs Vortex. £300 for 3GB more video ram and more upgradable. But how upgradable are laptops anyway? How much difference does graphic card ram make?

 

[keynes]

Does nobody have any comments on this? It basically comes down to Defiance vs Vortex. £300 for 3GB more video ram and more upgradable. But how upgradable are laptops anyway? How much difference does graphic card ram make?

The only possible upgrade you could do is a GTX 980m since future GPUs may or may not be available since it is up to Clevo to release a BIOS upgrade which was not the case with previous chassis so not very likely to take place. Also replacing mobile GPUs is going to be expensive. The 2nd spec looks better with a better CPU but I would suggest getting a scorpio black as the secondary drive. My advice is to look at which one is most suitable for you in terms of weight, dimensions rather than upgradability.

 

[Takingthemike]

Thanks for that. The Defiance does have the better chassis for me. I have been disappointed in the past with how expensive upgrading GPUs was, I was hoping things would be better now but I guess not.
Going on that the Defiance will probably be better. The other CPU for the Defiance comes with Intel Pro Iris, but I guess I won't need or want to pay extra for this as I am already paying for a superior GPU? Or will the Pro Iris help regardless of the GPU?

I am happy to take your recommendation on the Scorpio Black and I am happy to install that myself, but why do you recommend that drive?

 

[SpyderTracks]

Thanks for that. The Defiance does have the better chassis for me. I have been disappointed in the past with how expensive upgrading GPUs was, I was hoping things would be better now but I guess not.
Going on that the Defiance will probably be better. The other CPU for the Defiance comes with Intel Pro Iris, but I guess I won't need or want to pay extra for this as I am already paying for a superior GPU? Or will the Pro Iris help regardless of the GPU?

I am happy to take your recommendation on the Scorpio Black and I am happy to install that myself, but why do you recommend that drive?

No need for upping the cpu.

Scorpio black performs faster and is generally more reliable, best 2.5" hdd on the market.

 

[Takingthemike]

Thanks SpyderTracks, from the feedback I have a revised my quote.

I guess my last question is how big does my primary hard drive need to be? I will be putting the OS onto the SSD but will games and programs also need to go onto this drive to perform well or can they be installed on the second HDD?

Hard Disk - 500GB Samsung 850 or 240GB Samsung 850? About £49 difference.

----

Chassis & Display Defiance Series: 15.6" Matte Full HD IPS LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU) Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Mobile Processor i7-4720HQ (2.60GHz, 3.5GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM) 16GB KINGSTON SODIMM DDR3 1600MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 980M - 4.0GB DDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 11
2nd Graphics Card NONE
Memory - Hard Disk 500GB Samsung 850 EVO SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (upto 540MB/sR | 520MB/sW)
2nd Hard Disk NONE
RAID NONE
mSATA/M.2 SSD Drive NONE
2nd mSATA/M.2 SSD Drive NONE
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive NONE
External DVD/BLU-RAY Drive NONE
Memory Card Reader Integrated 6 in 1 Card Reader (SD /Mini SD/ SDHC / SDXC / MMC / RSMMC)
Thermal Paste STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card Intel 2 Channel High Def. Audio + MIC/Headphone + SoundBlaster X-Fi MB3
Bluetooth & Wireless GIGABIT LAN & KILLER™ 1525 WIRELESS GAMING 802.11N + BLUETOOTH 4.0

 

[keynes]

How big they need to be depends on how much space you require, how many applications, size of those, any storage? For the operating system and main applications 250gb should be fine but for a £49 difference I would probably go for the 500gb SSD

 

[Takingthemike]

GTX 980m 4GB vs GTX 980m 8GB

For the last few days I have been researching and slowly putting together specifications for a laptop, it has now come down to the last question. With the GTX 980m, is it worth getting the 4GB version or the 8GB version.

I will be using the laptop for photo/video editing and some games with a 1080p screen. But in maybe a year or so I will be editing videos in 4K and probably be looking to get a 4K monitor.

My question is: how important is VRAM, is 8GB good for the future or am I wasting my money and should I stay with the 4GB version?