What do I need to do to play and edit these videos!!

First let me apologize as I know as a fact this topic has been posted before but I just can't find a cleacut answer, and I'm hoping to find one.

EDIT: I NOTICED HOW LONG THIS POST TURNED OUT TO BE. IF YOU DON'T WANT TO READ THE WHOLE THING, PLEASE JUST READ THE LAST PARAGRAPH, MY BASIC QUESTION IS THERE, THE REST IS MOSTLY BACK STORY AND WHAT I'VE BEEN TOLD AND TRIED THUS FAR. THANKS AGAIN FOR YOUR TIME!

I have been scouring the world wide web for the last week and some change, reading post after post, and talking to anyone I can, and I either get conflicting answers, or ones I just simply don't understand being that I'm very new to the world of video and camcorders. Throughout my search, this forum seemed to keep popping up and seemed to be filled with the most knowledgable people on the subject that I could find, so I decided to post and give this a shot as I'm losing my mind trying to find an answer.

I recently bought a TM700, I want to be able to go on my computer, play and edit the videos I've recorded at the highest quality, and I just can't figure out how to do that.

Right now I'm using a Gateway laptop with a duo core 2 processor, and ghz in the low 2's. I can't even play the videos back on this computer. At first they skipped like crazy and were all choppy, this includes videos that were recorded in less than 1080/60p (with the 1080/60p option not selected, I told you, I'm new to this lol), than I read that downloading a K-Lite codec pack might help, so I did. Now the videos that are less than 1080/60p are playing back, but they are all in slow motion! and the 1080/60p are in slow motion and are still unwatchably choppy.

I decided that I needed a new computer! I began looking into this and began getting specs like, i7 quad core, 3.2 plus ghz, at least 6gb of RAM, 1 tb internal hardrive, and a good video card, and I was okay with this and found one that exceeded these specs for $999 and I decided I was going to buy it.

Now, when I went to the store, the guy working there seemed very knowledgable, and he told me that though he recommended an i7, that the 1080/60p videos would play back and could be edited on and i5, or even an i3! He went as far as saying that he edited 1080/60p videos on a laptop with a duo core 2 processor, with additional specs similiar to the one I have! This got me incredibly confused because it kind of sounded like he was saying I should be able to view and edit these videos on my current laptop, but everything else I've been reading and experienced so far, has indicated that I cannot. This raises the question, should I be able to play and edit these videos on my laptop?

In addition, since I still believe that the answer to my previous question is going to be a straight, no, if so, what do I need in a computer in order to play and edit these, beautiful yet incredibly frustrating, little yet not so little files? is an i7 quad core, 3.0 plus ghz processor, coupled with 8 gb of RAM and a 1 TB internal hd, with good nVidia graphics card good enough? If it is, is it necessary or would a lesser machine be able to shoulder the load keeping in mind that I'm not trying to be the next Michael Bay, instead I just want to take really clear videos of my family, vacations, and sporting events, and come home and edit them (playing with effects and other fancy stuff merely for my own ammusment), and than watch them on my HDTV, which I plan to hook my computer up to? Lastly, in this long winded rambeling post, if it's something entirely other than my computer (except for the fact that I'm an idiot when it comes to this stuff = )), please let me know!

I really hope someone can give me an answer. I guess to sum it up, my main question is, what do I need in a computer, in terms of specifications (cpu, gpu, etc..) in order for it to play and edit videos from my TM700 at the highest quality? Keeping it as simple and in as much leymans terms as possible as I am completely new to the world of camcorders and video. That's really all I want to be able to do.

Any and all advise will be greatly, greatly, greatly, appreciated!

Thanks Steve.

That clearifies a lot I think. One thing that scared me a bit was seeing people saying that they had i7's and all of these other specs, and that it still wasn't working. So there's a chance they may have had an old i7, or were lacking a codec, or lacking a proper player, or a combo there of?

Would you say that a new model i7 is necessary in order to work with these files? or would an i5 work just as well? The booklet recommends an i7, but a few people have said i5's would be fine. Than again those same people still recommended i7's lol.

Is there a certain amount of ghz I should be looking for? The booklet says at least 2.8. Does that sound right?

How about RAM and internal memory? I was told 6gb of RAM would be fine, and I haven't heard a number for internal memory.

Is the video card important?

I just want to try to be certain that what I buy will be strong enough to handle what I want it to before I buy it. I also now know that proper codecs and video player also might be necessary.

I'm going to download that player to my laptop, though my laptops probably just too weak, its worth a shot.

Thanks for the help again!