Laptop advice

[brianh1]

I wish to edit Digital Cam Corder Tapes and Photos via a Pinacle DV Studio I have installed on my home PC. The problem is that the Desktop PC is shared by the Family & access is limited. I have decided to purchase a Laptop which I can dedicate to my Video & Photography work.The problem is that I have researched the type that would most suit my requirements but there are so many. I would appreciate some advice.I know I will require at least the following:- 512 mb - 80gb Hard drive - 1gig Ram - Intel Pentium M 2/3 GHZ Processor - Firewire - 128 mb Graphics. I will need to be able to record the tapes onto DVD. So far Sony looks best but Fujitsu Amilo & HP Pavilion also look capable of doing the job.
ADVICE PLEASE

[stevie21]

It'd be much cheaper to get these specs on a Desktop PC. It'd maybe be worth looking online for some video editing forums

[bluedolphin]

With laptops u pay extra (sometimes a lot) for the portability...and the cpu is sometimes stripped down.... would a desk top be out of the question? Much easier and cheaper to get one than a laptop.....   and remember Sony will release a blue ray dvd handy cam early next year and Toshiba will also do the same ....blue ray but a different kind..... so perhaps do a bit more research before u splash out a lot of money ......and also have u looked into what Apple have on offer?

[Headtime]

You can edit to broadcast standard on a laptop. However as the other respondents have said, a desktop PC will be the cheaper option. I'd go for a Pentium 4 with as much Ghz as you can muster. 512/1024Mb of Ram. An 80 Gb hard drive is probably a little conservative. Bear in Mind that 3 hours of DV Video will take up 40Gb. I just filled my (new) computers 160Gb drive with video and everything else on the computer - For just one project. I've now spent �150 on a 250Gb firewire drive to store video. You could also use one of these, if you go down the laptop route. Laptops are fiddly, and you really need a mouse to operate Editing Software adequatley. Unless space in your home is a real issue, I would definitely recommend a desktop PC. Hope this is of some help.