Video Conversion on Thinkpads, P4 or Higher

[emoticonartist]

Hey TP'ers,

I use my X30 to convert video files to .mp4 format for the PSP & iPhone quite a bit, but I'm afraid that I'm missing out on the benefits of having a faster laptop!

I'm not too versed in the technical know-how of video conversions (as I just use point'n-click software), but what I wanted to know is:

Take for example, a 22 min episode of the Venture Bros. takes about an hour on my X30 (the vid was an mpeg) to convert to an mp4.

Would a P4 or a Core Duo Thinkpad make the conversion process faster? Or does the software limitation and file being converted make the entire process take the same amount of time across all laptops (w/ a higher processor than a PIII)?

I know the PIII is outdated, but I figured what is the point in upgrading to a better Thinkpad if the conversion times are the same right?!

[basketb]

I'd say you definitively will see an improvement if you upgrade your current Thinkpad (video conversion is CPU intensive). Though I do not have any experience with video conversion, I can offer the following data points (keep in mind that in addition to the CPU a faster hard drive will also contribute to the improvement):
- ZIP compressing a 1.5 GB folder (my Programs Files folder) with roughly 50% compression rate took nearly 30 minutes with an A31p (1.7 GHz P4M). Same folder on a T61p (2.5 Ghz C2D T9300) took less than 6 minutes.
- Ripping CDs:
45 min CD took approx. 1 hour or so with i1460 or T20 (I forget which since it is so long ago), took 20 min or a little less with A31p or T40 (again, I forget which since it is so long ago), takes only a few minutes with T60p/T61p (I didn't time it exactly, but definitively less than 5 minutes).

Additionally, while with the old(er) machines you could hardly do anything while they were busy doing the ripping/compressing, with the Core (2) Duo machines, this is no problem at all.

[emoticonartist]

basketb:

Thanks a bunch! Obviously a Core Duo laptop exceeds previous processors by leaps and bounds - just wasn't sure by how much!

I guess the only qualm I have w/ the newer TP's is the look and feel - as the X3's up to the T4 series had that sturdy, yet not so bulky and complicated look to it (i.e, the T6 series).

But hey, can't be too pick right?