Idea Looking to upgrade laptop - advice required please UPDATE

Hi Folks,
For the last nine years I've been using an MSI GE70 2 PE Apache Pro Notebook with an Intel Core i7 processor. It was recommended by Derek and I've been very pleased with it. However, I'm now running Vegas Pro 18 Edit and Titler Pro 7 and it's getting a bit clunky. I'm sure technology has moved on a lot since 2014 but as I'm not technically minded I would appreciate advice on a suitable replacement. 
I would need a 17" screen (not a touch screen) and probably Windows 10 or 11 (to include Office 2019 or later) that I could use a mouse to navigate. I would also want at least two USB ports, an HDMI port and an audio jack. Budget is around GBP1000
Any advice would be much appreciated 

UPDATE
I've attached the spec for my current MSI laptop and the spec for a new Dell XPS 17" laptop. I suppose my question is, 'would I notice a significant improvement in performance from the Dell over my old MSI?

Hi Tuppers

Your old laptop was quite a good model for it's time, however in computer years, 2014 is a very long time ago now.

The new Dell laptop uses an NVMe Solid State Drive, which the best and fastest C-Drive you can buy now - much faster than older SSDs in your old computer.
The current model CPU's are obviously a lot faster now, but the biggest difference is a dramatic increased in total Core count - Vegas doesn't always utilize all Cores (depends on what it is doing), however when using things like Handbrake to convert video, you will notice much improved processing times.

Probably the MOST important new piece of hardware that VEGAS will be able to use and appreciate, is a modern Nvidia graphics card.
Most of VEGAS is GPU accelerated now, and also all 3rd Party Video FX like NewBlueFX and BorisFX, work best with Nvidia graphics.
Your old Nvidia GPU doesn't work properly with VEGAS.

An Nvidia RTX3050 is the lowest model I would recommend with VEGAS.
In fact, I would hunt around and see if you could find (and afford), either an Nvidia RTX3060 or the very latest RTX4060 series graphics card.
Laptops with an RTX4060 have just been released in the last couple of months.
The processing power difference between the RTX3000 series and RTX4000 series is significantly better.
RTX3000 is quite OK and you should find some good deals for laptops with this series.
However, if you can afford to invest more, an RTX4000 series GPU will future proof your computer for a few more years.

Send some links to the local online stores in your country, and I'll have a look at what is available.

I'm also a BIG fan of AMD CPU's now.
AMD is now neck and neck with Intel, if not better than Intel now.
However, Intel CPUs that also come with Integrated Graphics, can be useful as an alternate option to use with VEGAS Pro.
No.1 it is preferable to use Nvidia graphics with VEGAS Pro, however, some folks also like to use Intel Graphics for some types of rendering.
The very latest AMD mobile CPUs, also come with very good onboard graphics as well.
It's a great time to buy a new computer, because the Hardware improvements are quite staggering right now!

Regards
Derek
 

Hi Derek,
Many thanks for your reply on this. I really hadn't expected you to be 'back in the saddle' so soon!! 
I've had a search for UK based retailers and I've listed them below. Just to confirm I would like a 17" screen but not a touch screen and I'm looking to spend no more than 1000GBP if possible

www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/ct/laptops-and-netbooks/laptops/graphic-design

www.box.co.uk/laptops/refine/46565~144424$g~new

www.currys.co.uk/computing/laptops/laptops/windows-laptops/17

www.amazon.co.uk/s?bbn=429886031&rh=n%3A429886031%2Cp_n_style_browse-bin%3A182754031&dc&qid=1680355395&rnid=182749031&ref=lp_429886031_nr_p_n_style_browse-bin_4

www.johnlewis.com/browse/electricals/laptops-macbooks/view-all-laptops-macbooks/size=16.1-to-18/windows-11/_/N-a8fZ1yzkqguZnemz

I do value your advice Derek and look forward to see what, if anything, you come up with.

Kind regards,
Tuppers (Ian)

Hi Ian

I guess I got way ahead of myself, when I landed back on the forum a few weeks ago.
Since I last answered a few forum messages, I ended up back in hospital twice! I was still experiencing very strong side effects from brain surgery, which produced extreme headaches and nausea.
Hopefully, I am finally headed in the right direction.

If you are still looking for a new laptop, here is something small to help you out.
A budget of  £1000GBP is OK, but it does limit things a little bit.

Using the first link you sent me, I configured the options to this:
www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/nav/screenband/17-and-above/lbu/graphic-design/rmld/16gb/rmld/32gb/osgroup/windows-11/mc/48361/pt/laptops?sortOrder=1
The two main components you need to concentrate on, is CPU model vs Graphics Card options.

The latest AMD Ryzen CPUs are now extremely good - just as good as Intel processors, if not better.
As an example, this is a great AMD Mobile CPU - AMD Ryzen 7 5800H Processor (8x Cores)
This is equivalent to the desktop version I have in my own computer!
The AMD CPU also comes with integrated graphics - a secondary GPU, which can be accessed in the render options in VEGAS Pro.

On the Intel side, here are 2 models.
Best (your budget range) Intel® Core™ i7-12700H Processor (14x Cores -  however, it is not 14 normal cores - 6x normal cores and 8x smaller cores)
Intel has a slight advantage for mobile, because their integrated GPU graphics, is a proven performer and works extremely well as a render option in VEGAS Pro - better than AMD to date.
However (this is outside of your budget) - AMD is about to release a new range of Mobile CPUs with massively improved integrates graphics, that will be just as good as Intel graphics.

Long story short, as much as I love AMD CPUs, Intel CPUs with integrate graphics, are proven to work the BEST with VEGAS Pro on laptops!

Secondly, it is also very important to get a laptop with a dedicated Graphics Card - VEGAS Pro and your 3rd party FX needs this !!!
NVIDIA RTX 3060 6GB Graphics card is within your budget and would do the job nicely.
I would not go lower than this model Nvidia GPU.

Everything else is above your current budget.
As long as it has an SSD drive, it will be OK.
More expensive laptops come with faster M.2 SSD drives.

I'll leave it at that for now.

Regards
Derek

Hi Derek,
Many thanks for your assistance and advice on this, it is very much appreciated. I have ordered the MSI Katana GF76 and it is due to arrive today. Lots of new things to find my way around including Windows 11. 
I wish you well in your recovery from surgery but take it easy, the good folk on this forum will understand that you're not going to reply to every query straight away! 

tuppers wrote:

Hi Derek,
Many thanks for your assistance and advice on this, it is very much appreciated. I have ordered the MSI Katana GF76 and it is due to arrive today. Lots of new things to find my way around including Windows 11. 
I wish you well in your recovery from surgery but take it easy, the good folk on this forum will understand that you're not going to reply to every query straight away! 

Something to be aware of with the computer you have ordered.
The default configuration uses only 8GBs of RAM - this is quite low for a video editing/content creation laptop.
You'll find that Windows 11 and whatever program you have open, will use most of the memory.
If you experience memory saturation (highly possible), you can upgrade the memory to a much higher capacity - up to 64GBs in total.
16GBs of RAM or more, would be the minimum I recommend.

Hi Derek,
I spent most of yesterday setting up the new laptop. The first thing I noticed is that the main memory is only 500GB whereas my old laptop has 1TB. I've partitioned the C drive to form a D drive for my data but it will only let me allocate 144GB to the D drive. Not a big problem as I can store data on a removeable hard drive.
The issue of RAM is a bit concerning though. I've not experienced a problem so far but I'd appreciate it if you can tell me how to upgrade it, presumably without taking the machine to bits!
In terms of performance, I haven't done a new Vegas/Titler Pro project yet but I did render an old project. It took 9 minutes on the new MSI and 46 minutes on the old one! Quite a difference.
Regards
Tuppers

Personally I would never create a partition on a small SSD drive - it really does nothing by doing it that way.
Just dedicate the 500GB SSD for Windows and your Programs, and use an External Drive to become your D-Drive.
Use the Type-C USB3.2 Gen.1 port to connect your External Hard Drive - Type C USB 3.2 port has the fastest connection speed.

You should be able to find a YouTube video, that explains how to install more RAM in the laptop.
I'm sure the manufacturer MSI, can help you if you are unsure of what to do.
The most important thing would be to buy the correct type or RAM that works BEST with your model laptop.

OK Derek, thanks for that. No problems so far with the RAM but if necessary I'll get in touch with MSI as you suggest. I hope your recovery continues to go well.

The rendering speed increase sounds crazy good/fast - that would make anyone very happy, after investing in a new laptop!.
The RAM thing may not be a problem at all - just something to be aware of. RAM speeds, CPU speeds and SSD speeds are blazing fast now, compared to less than 5 years ago.

I've realized this week, that my recovery from surgery is going to take a lot longer than I anticipated - my body is experiencing a massive shift from constant high pressure (before surgery) to normal pressure in my brain and spine (post surgery). However, that all being said, I haven't been lying around doing nothing all day - quite the opposite. I've haven't felt this motivated and energised for decades. I'm looking forward to making tutorials again, very, very soon.