ACER AS5672WLMI-166 Laptop

Video_guy · Post by **Video_guy** » Mon Aug 07, 2006 3:27 pm

I have been given the following ACER laptop from work with the following spec:

Intel Centrino Core Duo Mobile Processor T2300 1.66GHz
2GB DDRII SDRAM
120GB Hard Drive
DVD Super Multi Dual Layer Drive - To read DVDs and CDs and write CDs, DVD+, DVD-, large Dual Layer DVD and DVD-Ram
15.4" WXGA Acer CrystalBrite Widescreen TFT Screen
ATI Mobility Radeon X1400 with 512 MB of HyperMemory (128 Dedicated, 384 Shared)
Acer Orbicam 1.3 megapixel camera
Integrated wireless 802.11b/g
Integrated Bluetooth
Integrated 5-in-1 card reader
4 USB 2.0 Sockets
4-pin Firewire (IEEE 1394) Port
Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition Pre Loaded

I was just wandering if MSP8 would run ok ....... any ideas.

Chris.

heinz-oz · Post by **heinz-oz** » Mon Aug 07, 2006 11:25 pm

I would advise against a laptop for video work. From my own experience I know that you will have to tinker with the system to have an NLE run smoothly. You are very limited in that department with a laptop. Heat generation is another and laptop HDD usually are spinning very slowly as well. LCD screens don't give you a true representation of the video quality either, CRT's are better in that respect but a dual head video card with video overlay and second output to a TV is best.

On my video editing machine I run the MATROX Parhelia tripple head and wouldn't want to use anything else for the previewing of my video.

Terry Stetler · Post by **Terry Stetler** » Tue Aug 08, 2006 1:19 am

Well....I have a very similar Dell laptop and it works fine with MSPro8.

Using proxy files it can even handle HDV edits with little annoyance other than the proxy encoding time. For DV it zips right along. The one thing I might add is another HDD for use as a video drive.

Don't get me wrong; my main editing systems (8 of 'em) are desktops, some with the Parhelia or other Matrox triplehead cards & multiple displays like H/O, but sometimes you have to edit on the run and MSP8 does it nicely on laptops like these.

TIP: like any other editing software it works best running on a separate stripped down dualbooted OS install on its own partition. I used Partition Magic to free up a 30-40 gig partition for this, which it can do non-destructively on a big boot drive with enough free space.

All it has is XP Pro, the required drivers and my video software; MSPro8, Cool3D Studio, LightWave, PhotoImpact 11, WAX, VirtualDUB, the standalone MainConcept MPEG encoder, DVD WorkShop 2 etc. etc. etc. No toys, no games, no email, no nothing other than work stuff.

THoff · Post by **THoff** » Tue Aug 08, 2006 2:57 am

It's a Core Duo, for crying out loud! It will edit video as well as a 3GHz P4.

Video_guy · Post by **Video_guy** » Tue Aug 08, 2006 11:39 am

Cheers Guys.

I'm not going to abandon my home system for the laptop (which is running great at the moment), but i just thought the laptop would be nice to use for some little things when i'm away from home on bussines trips etc. I've read some reviews on the ACER laptop and it seems to be a pretty mean machine so think it will hadle MSP8 very well.

Thanks for your thoughts guys.

Chris.

neonbob · Post by **neonbob** » Tue Aug 08, 2006 12:24 pm

You'll be fine with that machine. When I'm on the road, I run MSP on a laptop with 1/2 the power you're running with no problems.

People tend to underestimate the power of laptops these days. While they do tend to pose rather large problems when trying to upgrade, today they are coming to the consumer with the same kind of power (and in some cases more) than that of a desk top.

In fact, we are starting to see some of the laptop technology incorporate itself into the desktop world.... flat panels are a good example.

The only problem with laptops is heat.... they generate a lot of it. It used to be with the old machines, you could plug the vents off for a whole day and get away with it. Today with the kind of power that they have... 10 minutes without a breath of fresh air is enough to shut one down. So it's very important to make sure your vents are clean all the time and free of obstruction.

Terry Stetler · Post by **Terry Stetler** » Tue Aug 08, 2006 5:58 pm

Hot laptop tip: don't bother with the fancy/sometimes expensive laptop supports. I use a Wearever 'air-bake' cookie sheet

These have two layers of aluminum separated by air, making them a good insulator. They not only provide a firm base and come in black but they also keep your jewels cool

Generics work just as well as Wearevers, can be very cheap at discounters and there is a wide selection of sizes.

htchien · Post by **htchien** » Sat Aug 12, 2006 2:32 pm

Hi Video_guy:

The spec you list will work with MSP properly. I only care about the hard disk speed if you wish to capture video with this laptop. Make sure it's 5400rpm or 7200rpm and then it should be great.

Most laptops will have a 4200rpm hard drive and that might cause drop-frame when capturing.

My 2 cents.

H.T.