Please, help me to choose a laptop

Basil0123

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Hi!

I need a laptop for video editing, in DaVinci Resolve (not only, but it's most demanding). Choosing from 3 variants: new Flex with Ryzen 7 4700u, used Yoga 720-15ikb (with i7-7700HQ and GeForce 1050) and Dell XPS 9575 (with i5-8305G and AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL). Yes, I want a convertible, 2-in-1, laptop, because it's very comfortable for me. First two variants have 16 GB RAM and 512 SSD, the last one, Dell, -- 8 GB RAM and 128 SSD. Prices are nearly the same.

Thank you very much in advance!
 
Hi Basil,

Could you post links to both the Flex and the Yoga please. Don't bother with the Dell as it's an old model from 2018 and is nowhere near the minimum system requirements for DaVinci Resolve. Also 128GB SSD I think is too small. Note the Yoga's GeForce GTX 1050 only has 2GB VRAM so you can probably skip that as well.

Minimum system requirements - Intel Core i7 or AMD Ryzen 7 CPU, 16GB RAM, 4GB VRAM dedicated graphics, NVMe M.2 SSD.
Recommended system requirements - Intel Core i9 or AMD Ryzen 9, 32GB or more RAM, 6GB or more VRAM dedicated graphics (GeForce GTX 1660 6GB minimum), NVMe M.2 SSD (256GB minimum).

What version of Resolve do you have? Also what size screen do you want and what's your budget? Any other must have requirements like backlit keypad and weight? I see you are open to buying a used machine. What condition used do you seek and what warranty length?

I'd suggest a manufacturer certified refurb from the Dell UK Outlet, or at eBay from an eBay Premium Service Trusted seller with 100% or close to that positive feedback, or Amazon Renewed.
 
Hi Basil,

Could you post links to both the Flex and the Yoga please. Don't bother with the Dell as it's an old model from 2018 and is nowhere near the minimum system requirements for DaVinci Resolve. Also 128GB SSD I think is too small. Note the Yoga's GeForce GTX 1050 only has 2GB VRAM so you can probably skip that as well.

Minimum system requirements - Intel Core i7 or AMD Ryzen 7 CPU, 16GB RAM, 4GB VRAM dedicated graphics, NVMe M.2 SSD.
Recommended system requirements - Intel Core i9 or AMD Ryzen 9, 32GB or more RAM, 6GB or more VRAM dedicated graphics (GeForce GTX 1660 6GB minimum), NVMe M.2 SSD (256GB minimum).

What version of Resolve do you have? Also what size screen do you want and what's your budget? Any other must have requirements like backlit keypad and weight? I see you are open to buying a used machine. What condition used do you seek and what warranty length?

I'd suggest a manufacturer certified refurb from the Dell UK Outlet, or at eBay from an eBay Premium Service Trusted seller with 100% or close to that positive feedback, or Amazon Renewed.
Thank you very much for the attention to my problem :) Very heartwarming to read such answer from the person, who I don't even know. Especially after troubles with Amazon and Ebay, where I tried to create accounts and place an order, but my attempts were unsuccessful.

That's why I am forced to choose from not so many variants. You've helped me to understand: I need a really powerful laptop :) Now I, most probably, will choose XPS 9575, but with i7 and 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB SSD. I'll try. If it doesn't fit my needs, I can, definitely, change it for another laptop.

Thanks for your help.
 
Hi @Basil0123

Happy to help :)

A 512GB NVMe M.2 SSD is a much better choice, 1TB if you can afford it. You don't need an account at eBay, you can buy as a guest. Just click the 'Buy it now' button and you'll see the guest option.

You really want to be thinking of gaming laptops, and you'll need a late model Intel CPU, either a 9th gen at a push, where the first number will be a 9, i.e. Core i7-9750H or 10th gen preferably, where the number will start with a 10, i.e. i7-10750H. Note the last letter is an H and this stands for high power (and low efficiency). Alternatively the AMD Ryzen 7 4800H is super quick, much faster than both the Intels.

You don't really want a CPU ending in a U if possible; U is ultra low voltage (and high efficiency), not ideal for intensive tasks where effortless power is required immediately.

So here's a few to give you an idea of what I mean.

a) Grade A1 refurb from Laptops Direct - Asus ROG Zephyrus M £1090 although note it doesn't have a camera.
b) Certified manufacturer refurb as new with 1yr manufacturer warranty from Euro PC on eBay - HP Omen 15-en0770ng £1200
c) Here's a good certified refurb from the Dell UK Outlet with 12 month gtee - Dell Outlet G5 15-5590 £1104
 
-- As an eBay Associate, AVForums earns from qualifying purchases --
Good suggestions from Carbon 60 but does it have to be a laptop? You often get better performance in a desktop for the same cost as a higher end laptop IMO.
 
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Thank you very much, again :)

Yeah, now I'm looking especially for Ryzens. You've asked about Flex 14, on Ryzen 4700u: this model was tested in DaVinci Resolve (). This processor is energy-efficient but it also has 8 cores! And is very good rated in comparison even with very powerful and expensive Intels. If I understand correctly. And laptops with it can be compact, not expensive, and can be, as this Lenopvo, 2-in-1. I don't know how it will work in very stessful conditions, but editing 4K videos is maybe something like this?

How do you think: is this laptop a good variant? I prefer smaller notebooks, because just typing texts during travel, in parks and so on is for me important. Of course, if I can't find a good enough option, that will combine these two moments: mobility and enough power for video editing, I would choose a more powerful machine. But if it's possible...

If not possible, then the variant that has suggested Tim is the best, I think.
Hi @Basil0123

Happy to help :)

A 512GB NVMe M.2 SSD is a much better choice, 1TB if you can afford it. You don't need an account at eBay, you can buy as a guest. Just click the 'Buy it now' button and you'll see the guest option.

You really want to be thinking of gaming laptops, and you'll need a late model Intel CPU, either a 9th gen at a push, where the first number will be a 9, i.e. Core i7-9750H or 10th gen preferably, where the number will start with a 10, i.e. i7-10750H. Note the last letter is an H and this stands for high power (and low efficiency). Alternatively the AMD Ryzen 7 4800H is super quick, much faster than both the Intels.

You don't really want a CPU ending in a U if possible; U is ultra low voltage (and high efficiency), not ideal for intensive tasks where effortless power is required immediately.

So here's a few to give you an idea of what I mean.

a) Grade A1 refurb from Laptops Direct - Asus ROG Zephyrus M £1090 although note it doesn't have a camera.
b) Certified manufacturer refurb as new with 1yr manufacturer warranty from Euro PC on eBay - HP Omen 15-en0770ng £1200
c) Here's a good certified refurb from the Dell UK Outlet with 12 month gtee - Dell Outlet G5 15-5590 £1104
 
-- As an eBay Associate, AVForums earns from qualifying purchases --
Unfortunately, I can't find this Lenovo Flex in my country. Even in used condition. Then maybe it's rational to wait... Or use Ebay: there I can find one, for a little over 700 dollars, new.
 
Hi Basil,

I only joined AVForums a week ago and keep forgetting it's got members from all over the world, so I didn't notice you were in Russia, especially as your written English is really excellent. I'm afraid I don't know anything about what currencies you use.

I found some other 14" laptops with the 7 4700U in Russia although the prices aren't in Dollars (do you mean US Dollars?) -

Acer Swift 3 with 1TB SSD.
Asus VivoBook S14 M4331A - M4331A-EB384T with 512GB SSD, and M4331A-EB276 with 256GB SSD.
Asus ZenBook 14 UM425IA with 512GB or 1TB SSD.
There's lots here.
 
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Hi again,

I watched that YouTube video but did he produce it using a 4700U? Also he said the 4700U has 16 threads but it actually has 8. See here.

I looked at the minimum spec from a different source, the actual developer Blackmagic Design, and they said 2GB dedicated graphics rather than 4GB.

Also, using their forums search feature with keywords +Ryzen+7+4700U and searching exclusively in the DaVinci Resolve forum there have been numerous problems with video playback but the solution is to use AMD driver version 21.2.3. See the last post (March 17th) on this page.

Another laptop and CPU you could consider is the new Yoga Slim 7 14ARE05 with Ryzen 7 4800U from Lenovo Russia.

Whichever laptop you buy you could test its ability to run DVR using the Puget Systems benchmark test Free Edition for personal use here.
 
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Hi again,

I watched that YouTube video but did he produce it using a 4700U? Also he said the 4700U has 16 threads but it actually has 8. See here.

I looked at the minimum spec from a different source, the actual developer Blackmagic Design, and they said 2GB dedicated graphics rather than 4GB.

Also, using their forums search feature with keywords +Ryzen+7+4700U and searching exclusively in the DaVinci Resolve forum there have been numerous problems with video playback but the solution is to use AMD driver version 21.2.3. See the last post (March 17th) on this page.

Another laptop and CPU you could consider is the new Yoga Slim 7 14ARE05 with Ryzen 7 4800U from Lenovo Russia.

Whichever laptop you buy you could test its ability to run DVR using the Puget Systems benchmark test Free Edition for personal use here.
Hi,

and again: thank you very much! I truly appreciate your attention and support!

It is very helpful. I looked through the site of the Pudget Systems and found some results of the configurations I'm interested in. It's, however, slightly confusing, besause I can't understand now, how many specifically GPU effects I'm using in DaVinci Resolve.

And then: how good will be this Lenovo with Ryzen 4800U? The processor is a beast: 8 cores, 16 threads, it's one the best options, I think. But no dedicated GPU: how important is this moment? I'm trying to understand.

Same variant -- Lenovo (not Yoga Slim -- Ideapad) with 4800U, very light-weight, with QHD-screen, with 16 GB RAM and 512 SSD -- will cost me around 1 000 dollars. New. I can order it in Russia, it's available.

Also I've found a used Dell XPS 9570. It has a touch-sensitive 4K-screen (it will be really good for video editing, I hope), i7-8750H, GTX 1050 Ti Max Q, 16 GB RAM, 512 SSD. The price is the same. And now I'm choosing... :) How good is this processor -- i7-8750H? 6 cores, 12 threads. Probably, it's worse than Ryzen 7 4800U, but this XPS has a slightly better screen and -- what, maybe, is more important -- a dedicated graphic card.

What do you think?

Thank you very much, again.
 
Interestingly, I've already had an opportunity to test XPS 9575 in DaVinci Resolve. And it was not very comfortable to use. It was strange, because problems occured even with a Full HD video. XPS 9575, if I understand correctly, has i7-8705g with 4 cores, 8 threads and Vega GL -- dedicated graphic card with 4 VRAM. Proccessor is slower, significantly, than i7-8750H. GPU is maybe even better.

While testing, I was monitoring the work of CPU and GPU. Strangely, GPU was loaded only for about 15%. CPU -- nearly for 60% (with 4K video, 24 FPS). I've heard that the free version of DaVinci uses CPU more, and the studio version will use GPU more actively. I will update to studio version soon.

Well, the CPU was loaded only for 60%. What does it mean? Why doesn't it work for all its power? Is it possible, that working for 90% it will provide a better, more smoothly playback? But how can I make it run faster? :)
 
It will be nice to have a laptop with a good screen. I wanted to use 14 or even 13 inches models, but now I'm not sure. They are lighter, of course, but not so comfortable for eyes. Okay, the ideal is impossble :) So I can choose a bigger laptop, that's not a problem. But not heavier than 2 kg, I think.
 
Hi,

It's impossible for me to give you the answers you want because there are so many variables. I'm just guessing rather than helping. I'll say this though, for 4k editing forget that XPS 9575, it's a total non-starter. Read this thread for more info.

Despite that Youtube vid, from what I've read, for 4k editing (with DVR Studio) you need a high-end gaming laptop with a 10th gen fast CPU i7-10750H minimum, 16/32GB RAM and most importantly a dedicated GPU min 8GB VRAM i.e. GeForce GTX 1080.

I really think you'd be better off registering with the Blackmagic Forum and asking there in the DaVinci Resolve section, they're the guys who can really help you.
 
Hi,

It's impossible for me to give you the answers you want because there are so many variables. I'm just guessing rather than helping. I'll say this though, for 4k editing forget that XPS 9575, it's a total non-starter. Read this thread for more info.

Despite that Youtube vid, from what I've read, for 4k editing (with DVR Studio) you need a high-end gaming laptop with a 10th gen fast CPU i7-10750H minimum, 16/32GB RAM and most importantly a dedicated GPU min 8GB VRAM i.e. GeForce GTX 1080.

I really think you'd be better off registering with the Blackmagic Forum and asking there in the DaVinci Resolve section, they're the guys who can really help you.
Thank you! I'll register there right now :)
 

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