Can my laptop handle editing?
 

Hey guys, I'm new to the forums and I'm looking for help because well, I'm not very tech-savvy. I was wondering if my computer would be able to handle post production work with my t2i video clips? Here are the specs: http://i49.tinypic.com/24n2zkn.jpg

The CPU isn't very fast but it is a Core 2 Duo. I have at the laptop the same specs almost as yours. T8100 with 3G of Ram an W7 64. It handles fine the files within Avid Media Composer. Of course there is no comparison with my desktop and the Q6600@3G and 8 G of RAM. But I think you can work. Which is your VGA?

Thank you for your reply. Would this be the info you're looking for? http://i45.tinypic.com/fngrj9.jpg

I bet your laptop will work BUT you should:

1. Use a 7200rpm hard drive. You can probably upgrade this.
2. Transcode your footage to an intermediate format or a low-res proxy file. AVID & Edius have their own intermediate formats, for Vegas & Adobe CS5 look into NeoScene.
3. See if it's possible to attach an eSata external drive or at the very least a Firewire external drive.

- the only thing that may be a problem is what looks like the built-in Intel graphics chipset/card, that can cause problems on some systems, but testing on your part will confirm that.

note: about 4 years ago, I was running Vegas on an old Pentium 4 system, 2GB RAM and fast hard drives. It edited HDV/Cineform files nicely, not perfectly, but it worked for basic editing and f/x. I still use that system for capturing and backing up video files. Your laptop beats that old system in many ways, with the exception of the fast hard drive and separate graphics card.

This is not so good as the onboard VGA's do not go well with Avid.
I always use an e-SATA when working seriously with the laptop.
Before 3 years I bought it for my wife, I look specifically to have an e-SATA port.
But for short works I can work fine on my laptop's disk.
You don't need any intermidate or proxy with MC 4.0.5.5.
I can work fine with @DNxHD 120 codec at green/yellow resolution.
But if you are not familiar anything will work fine for simple projects.

Or to put it more clearly, DNxHD is the intermediate file format included with Avid Media Composer, which is recommended should you use AVID. DNxHD also freely available for use in other NLEs.

However (again) you can't play files with DNxHD codec to a computer that do not have Avid codecs.
If you need universal compatibility you can export to JPEG codec or others or (and) using Sorenson
or other to make the file a 720p.mp4 or something.