SONY VAIO SR vs. HP DV5 ?!?

[kanpeki_chan]

I've pretty much given up on the idea of upgrading my current system and started looking for a new one. I've settled on 2 models, but I've yet to decide which one to get...

HP dv5-1226tx
Intel Core 2 Duo T9550 2.66 GHz Penryn (6MB L2 cache)
3GB RAM
500GB S-ATA drive @ 5400rpm
nVIDIA Geforce 9600M GT (512MB)

SONY VAIO VGN-SR46
Intel Core 2 Duo P8700 2.53 GHz (3MB L2 cache)
4GB RAM
320GB S-ATA drive @ 7200rpm
ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4570 (512MB)

Now, as I see it the HP has a slightly faster processor with bigger cache, but less RAM and a slower HDD. About the graphics.. 9600M GT does seem to be better, from what I've read, but I don't know exactly how much of a difference it makes... What I like about the HP is the design /yes, i do want one that's pretty too :p/ and the speakers... but the SONY is lighter /1.9 kg, as opposed to 2.65kg/ and has the great keyboard...
So.. bottom line : I don't really know how the differences between these systems influence performance, nor what is more relevant when choosing a system for editing videos.. therefore your input would be highly appreciated. Thanks ! ^^''

[Kariudo]

Honestly, the specs are close enough so that you probably wouldn't be able to see any difference in performance between the two.

For editing, more ram is better (as is a larger HDD). Chances are that the Sony Vaio will be somewhat louder than the HP because its HDD is spinning at 7200. The graphics cards don't really factor in to anything editing-wise (save for a few avisynth filters like fft3dgpu() ) and it looks like both laptops have dedicated gpu memory.

All in all...I'd go for the Vaio, but you'll be happy with either

[LivingFlame]

Eh, editing off a 5400 rpm drive is suckage, especially if your using lossless files. I'd go with the Vaio because of that. As long as you're only editing one video at a time and you aren't transcoding entire episodes, 320 GB should last you. I would advise an external drive for extra storage, though.

Actually, I'm unsure, but if you used an external drive via FireWire 800, you might be able to edit directly off an external. I haven't tried though, so someone would have to confirm that. I don't know what the bitrate of lossless video is.