The main thing you need to know when buying laptops good for video editing is that the more powerful your laptop, the better the performance will be and the easier it will be to work with larger files and complex projects.
If you’re on a budget, try to prioritize these elements (in order of importance): processing power, graphics card, memory, and storage capacity.
1) Dell XPS 15
The Dell XPS 15 is great if you want a versatile laptop that gives you plenty of options. You can choose between an Intel i5 or i7 processor, 8 to 16GB of RAM, and various hard drive sizes. A touchscreen is available with a 1080p display.
It’s also one of the few Windows laptops that has a USB-C port, which means it’s one of few Windows machines that supports Thunderbolt 3.
If you use Final Cut Pro or Adobe Premiere, there are models with dedicated graphics cards from Nvidia and AMD, respectively.
The GPU in your MacBook Pro will work fine for most tasks. It’s not cheap at $1,400 to start but it’s worth it if you plan on doing serious video editing on your laptop.
2) ASUS ZenBook Pro UX550
Asus ZenBook Pro U is a laptop with Intel Core i7-7700HQ CPU. It features 16GB of DDR3L RAM, 512GB of SSD storage, an 8GB GeForce GTX 1050 GPU, and a 4K display.
Another nice thing about it is that you can detach its screen and use it as a tablet. It’s one of the best laptops when it comes to gaming, as well as video editing due to its powerful processor and impressive graphics card.
When it comes to video editing, what do you need? First of all, you need a laptop with a powerful processor. If your laptop has only one core or two cores, forget about running any heavy software on it. I recommend getting something like ASUS ZenBook Pro UX550 which has 4 cores in total and each core is clocked at 2.8GHz.
Asus ZenBook Pro U’s specs are impressive, but there are some issues as well. It gets really hot when using it for extended periods of time. The most important thing is to get a laptop with a powerful processor and a large amount of RAM memory.
The best laptops that fit these requirements are ones that come with Intel Core i7-7700HQ CPU and 16GB of DDR3L RAM memory.
3) HP Envy x360
HP Envy x360 is a laptop with a touchscreen and a 360-degree hinge, which allows it to be used as a tablet or a laptop. Its slim size and attractive design make it an ideal choice for those who travel frequently.
It features a 4K display, dual cameras, fast Wi-Fi, and more.
The battery life is impressive: 10 hours in HD video playback and up to 16 hours while web browsing on Wi-Fi.
The laptop comes with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of SSD storage, ensuring that you can run multiple programs without slowing down your computer.
If you’re looking for a powerful machine to help you edit videos on-the-go, HP Envy x360 is a great choice. It’s available at Amazon and Best Buy.
4) Lenovo Yoga 910
The Lenovo Yoga 910 is easily one of my favorite laptops. It’s light, portable, has a touch screen and a 360-degree hinge. This means you can use it in several different modes including laptop, tablet and tent mode.
As with most newer models from Lenovo, there’s also an option to get it with a touchscreen display or without one.
Some things I love about using the Yoga 910 are its long battery life (around 10 hours), its strong performance and solid build quality.
Plus, because it’s so thin and light (1 inch thick and 3 pounds), I can easily carry it around all day without even noticing that I have it on me.
Some things I don’t like about it include a rather shallow keyboard which doesn’t travel much when you press down, a lack of ports (just one USB-C port) and Lenovo’s software suite which you may or may not like.
Overall though, if you want a touchscreen laptop with great performance and battery life at an affordable price point, then you should definitely consider getting yourself a Lenovo Yoga 910.
FAQ
Which is the best budget laptop for video editing?
The Alienware 13 is a great budget laptop for video editing.
The 4-core Intel Core i7 processor and 8GB of RAM are powerful enough to handle the needs of video editing.
The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050Ti GPU is perfect for creating fast renders, which makes it easy to put out lots of content. The battery life is also fantastic with up to 9 hours of usage per charge.
The only drawback of the Dell XPS 15 is that it comes in at over $1,000.
It’s more expensive than other options on our list, but it has an incredible design that allows you to edit videos without worrying about overheating or uncomfortable temperatures.
It also has an excellent display and can run multiple programs without slowing down.
Which laptop is best for 4K video editing?
At its most basic, a laptop for video editing should have a solid CPU, loads of RAM and as much storage space as possible.
If you’re shooting in 4K or higher, we recommend at least 16GB of RAM and at least 512GB of SSD storage.
Laptops with Nvidia graphics cards are also ideal for video editing since they offer serious punch when it comes to rendering high-res clips in Adobe Premiere Pro CC or even DaVinci Resolve 15 (should you use that instead).
If you want a more portable laptop, then a MacBook is a solid choice.
MacBooks aren’t as powerful as Windows laptops, but if all you need is iMovie and some light photo editing, then these should do just fine.
MacBooks also have beautiful displays and an unrivaled build quality though most Macs lack USB Type-C ports.
Conclusion
Though there are other good laptops for video editing out there, these four have been found to be reliable and dependable, and can allow you to edit videos with ease. Before picking up one of these laptops for video editing, however, it’s always a good idea to make sure your computer meets all necessary requirements to run video editing software. If you’re looking for something a little smaller or less powerful, there are several options available.
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