New Laptop Specs Help

[TKNG]

I recently got a new ASUS laptop from Best Buy for an amazing deal, and I loved it. I updated the Intel HD 4000 Graphics, and it killed my Hard Drive. I do a ton of video rendering/motion graphics/3D work for my YouTube channel, and the i5-3210M Quad-Core w/ 4 GB RAM worked awesome with that.

I'm looking for a new laptop because not a single laptop I had is in stock anywhere in the bordering states, and I've got a few questions. I'm looking at a AMD A6-4400M Quad-Core or another i5-3210M Quad-Core. What would you recommend for a lot of graphics-intensive rendering and gaming?

I'm trying to go with a Quad-Core no matter what because my old Dual-Core desktop took an hour to render a 20 second edit with about 30 total layers. This last computer was able to render a 45 second edit with 56 layers and tons of effects in just under an hour. The Quad-Core i5 helped immensly with the renders in many programs like Adobe After Effects, Sony Vegas, and CINEMA 4D.

I'm also looking to upgrade the GPU in the future to be compatible with some high-end plug-ins for my After Effects, so which would be easier to put in a new GPU? Also for this GPU, Nvidia or ATI? The laptop's crash was caused by the Intel HD 4000 chip, so I'm not very fond of the built in chip.

My current budget is about $500, but I hope to get a job soon as a 15 year old and raise my budget. Any reccomendations is appreciated, because I need to get back to my editing and hit the 1,000 subscriber mark on my YouTube channel

 

[jay_nar2012]

What do you mean the GPU made the HDD die and what do you mean you 'updated the HD 4000 graphics'?

Atleast try fixing your laptop before buying a new one.

 

[TKNG]

What do you mean the GPU made the HDD die and what do you mean you 'updated the HD 4000 graphics'?

Atleast try fixing your laptop before buying a new one.

I tried updating my Intel HD 4000 drivers from the Intel website, and it told me that a manufacturer chip was installed. It told me to download the drivers from the manufacturer (ASUS) website. I went there, downloaded the drivers that were linked for the Intel HD Graphics 4000, and it told me to restart. When I did, I kept getting an error message regarding the "boot drive not found". The Geek Squad at Best Buy where I purchased the laptop said that the Hard Drive had failed.

 

[jay_nar2012]

That means the hard drive can't be detected, GPU drivers shouldn't cause any problems with the HDD, you can always get a new hard drive, its cheaper than getting a new laptop plus you can use the laptop's OEM product key so you don't need a new copy of windows, you only need a windows 7 disk.

 

[TKNG]

That means the hard drive can't be detected, GPU drivers shouldn't cause any problems with the HDD, you can always get a new hard drive, its cheaper than getting a new laptop plus you can use the laptop's OEM product key so you don't need a new copy of windows, you only need a windows 7 disk.

Sadly, we've already returned the laptop. I'm not too fond of ASUS anymore, and I'm looking for something new with the budget I have.

 

[jay_nar2012]

Just get another i5 laptop.

 

[TKNG]

Just get another i5 laptop.

As I said in the beginning, we cannot find the same laptop anywhere within 100 miles. We got this for $450, and there's nothing close to it anywhere else.

 

[computernewb]

i5 on a laptop are dual cores. you want a i7 on a latop for a quadcore

http://ark.intel.com/products/67355/Intel-Core-i5-3210M-Processor-3M-Cache-up-to-3_10-GHz-rPGA

 

[jay_nar2012]

Never said get the same laptop, try a different brand or try one with an i3 which is the same as the mobile i5 but it has turbo boost.

 

[jaguarskx]

I'm also looking to upgrade the GPU in the future to be compatible with some high-end plug-ins for my After Effects, so which would be easier to put in a new GPU?

The vast majority of laptops (99%+) does not allow you to upgrade the graphic. Only specific gaming laptops models that generally cost $1,500+ will allow you to upgrade the graphics. If in the future you want a laptop to use those high-end plug-ins for AE, then you will need to buy a new laptop; unless you specifically buy one of those graphics upgradable gaming laptops now.