Are you a content creator or video editor looking for the best laptop for video editing? The power of your laptop will determine how quickly you can work on video projects, how many video files you can store, and what kind of video edits you can perform. The more powerful your laptop, the more storage it has for graphics-intensive programs and faster rendering.
Finding a good laptop for video editing can be tricky. Most laptops that work best for video editors are workstations or gaming laptops. Cheap laptops for video editing are difficult to find, as they often don’t support the programs that video editors use. Below, we’ve listed our top 10 laptops that video editors can buy in 2023. We’ve also highlighted the best laptops for video editing under $1,000.
How to Choose the Best Video Editing Laptop
When looking for the best laptops for video editing, you have to consider the content you create. The basic requirements will vary depending on how you plan to use it. However, some requirements like lots of storage, preferably on a solid-state drive, a good display with high color accuracy, a powerful CPU like a recent generation Intel Core i7, and a powerful graphics card are vital.
Graphics Processing Unit (CPU)
Most popular laptops for video editing have a dedicated graphics card, which is a powerful processor that allows the smooth completion of video editing tasks on video editing software like Adobe Premiere Pro such as color correction, basic editing, and rendering. Unlike integrated graphic cards, they don’t share resources like memory or storage with the processor.
If you plan on buying a laptop using the Windows OS, you should consider one that has an industry-standard NVIDIA graphics card. These include Nvidia Quadro RTX and Nvidia GeForce GTX cards, which offer plenty of power when using Adobe Premiere Pro. Most popular brands, including Acer, Dell, Asus, and Microsoft, use NVIDIA graphics cards. Make sure that your laptop’s GPU has at least 4GB to 8GB of VRAM, which makes color grading much smoother.
RAM
RAM, or random access memory, is extremely important for creative professionals who edit videos. Although you can get by with 8GB of RAM, 16GB of RAM or more is generally recommended, especially if performing tasks like creating CGI sequences on programs like Adobe After Effect, which uses plenty of RAM.
Unless you use cloud-based video editing software, you want a laptop that can support heavy video editing software. If you want to edit videos shot in 4K or 6K, you’ll want a laptop with at least 32GB of RAM. The more RAM your laptop has, the faster it can render footage.
Central Processing Unit (CPU)
Your laptop needs lots of processing power. A current-generation Intel Core i9 processor is naturally the ideal, albeit expensive choice for any video editing laptop’s CPU. Intel Core i5 or Intel Core i7 processors are budget-friendly alternatives for creative tasks like video editing. Otherwise, AMD’s processors like the Ryzen 9 5900X are also great performing CPUs. If you use Apple’s macOS, Apple’s M1 processor is great for video editing as well.
How to Find Cheap Laptops for Video Editing
- Keep an Eye Out for Sales. When buying a laptop, keep an eye out for seasonal sales. Most laptop brands offer heavy discounts on most of their products around holidays like Boxing Day, Cyber Monday, Black Friday, or for back to school days.
- Get a refurbished or used laptop. Most electronics or big box stores sell refurbished or used laptops. These laptops aren’t new and are sold at a reduced price after having been checked for any defects. Sometimes the price of a refurbished or used laptop can be half of what a brand new laptop would cost.
- Exchange Your Old Laptop. If you already have a functional laptop, you can exchange it to get a discount. The discount you’ll get will depend on the age, condition, and model of your old laptop. Keep in mind that not all brands offer exchanges.
The Best Laptops for Video Editing in 2023
| Laptop | Manufacturer | Price | Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| ZBook Fury 17 G8 | HP | $3,028.00 | Intel Core i7 processor, Intel UHD Graphics, 17.6″ diagonal FHD display |
| ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 | Lenovo | $2,951.00 | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050, 16” screen, 11th Gen Intel Core i7 |
| MacBook Pro 2021 | Apple | $2,499.00 | Apple M1 chip with10-Core CPU, 16-Core GPU and 16-core Neural Engine. |
| Alienware X17 | Dell | $1,699.99 | NVIDIA GeForce RTX™ 3060, 6 GB GDDR6, 17.3″ display |
| Predator Triton 300 SE | Acer | $1,349.99 | NVIDIA GeForce RT 3050Ti, 14″ Full HD (1920 x 1080), 16:9 144 Hz screen |
| MacBook Air 2021 | Apple | $999.00 | Apple M1 chip with 8‑core CPU, 7‑core GPU, 16‑core Neural Engine, and Retina display with True Tone |
| Pavilion x360 Convertible | Acer | $969.99 | Intel® Iris® Xᵉ Graphics, 16 GB memory, and 512 GB SSD storage |
| Swift X Laptop – SFX14-41G-R7YT | HP | $949.99 | AMD Ryzen 5 5600U processor Hexa-core 2.30 GHz, NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX™ 3050 with 4 GB dedicated memory, 14″ Full HD (1920 x 1080) 16:9 display |
| Inspiron 14 | Dell | $829.99 | Iris® Xe Graphics and 16GB DDR4 RAM |
| ZenBook 13 OLED | Asus | $799.99 | AMD Ryzen 5 5500U CPU, AMD Radeon Graphics, 13.3″ FHD display, 512GB SSD |
Top Rated Laptops for Video Editing: In Detail
HP ZBook Fury 17 G8
- Best for: Editors working on large projects or CGI heavy projects
- Price: $3,028.00
The HP ZBook Fury 17 G8 is one of the fastest and costliest mobile workstations available right now. It has a 17-inch display screen, making it perfect for video editing and visualization. It has a 4K DreamColor display which makes it an amazing choice for video editors. It also has a very comfortable keyboard. It can be upgraded with even more impressive specs, although a higher price point will naturally follow.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4
- Best for: Editors working on large projects or who need to be running multiple applications at once
- Price: $2,951.00
The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme is an amazing laptop with an Intel i7-11800H processor. It is a graphic-intensive laptop that runs on Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 graphics. Furthermore, the X1 Extreme has a comfortable scissor-switch keyboard. Unlike other workstations by Dell, it comes with multiple port options including two Thunderbolt 4 ports and a full size card reader. The only downside apart from its price tag is that the ThinkPad X1 Extreme can get hot.
Apple MacBook Pro 2021
- Best for: Editors who prefer the macOS when working on intense projects
- Price: $2,499
The 16-inch MacBook Pro is Apple’s most powerful laptop that runs on M1 Pro or M1 Max chips and has a brilliant Retina XDR display. MacBook Pros can let you edit 8K videos in real-time, pre-rendering. It also comes with a large display so that video editors can comfortably edit on Final Cut, Premiere, or Resolve. It is bulkier than previous MacBook Pro models, however.
Dell Alienware X17
- Best for: Editors who also enjoy gaming
- Price: $1,699.99
Although known for their gaming capabilities, Alienware laptops are fantastic editing laptops. The Dell Alienware X17 offers a high-performance Intel Core i7-11800H CPU, an Nvidia RTX 3070 GPU, and a 17-inch FHD display with a high refresh rate. It has dual SSDs, making it a powerful laptop to run highly sophisticated video editing apps and store lots of projects. To top it off, it has a Cherry MX keyboard that is great for extended use.
Predator Triton 300 SE
- Best for: Powerful specs for a budget price
- Price: $1.349.99
Predator Triton 300 SE is a thin laptop with a sleek design that can handle all complicated tasks smoothly. It is a gaming laptop that is designed for both work and home. It runs on Intel Core i7 CPU and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti. Its 16-inch, 2560×1600 IPS display makes it an excellent choice for content creators like video editors and YouTubers. This Acer laptop also has an HDMI Port 2.1 in to connect another display.
Best Laptops for Video Editing Under $1,000
Apple MacBook Air 2021
- Best for: Powerful specs on an ultra light laptop
- Price: $999
If you are looking for a laptop on a budget, you should consider the MacBook Air. It can support four external displays with 4906 x 2304 resolution. This laptop is best suited for beginner and intermediate content creators still learning how to become professional video editors. It can run any graphic-intensive software like Final Cut Pro and the entire Adobe Suite.
Pavilion x360 Convertible 3
- Best for: Light budget laptop running on the Windows OS
- Price: $969.99
Pavilion x360 Convertible 3 can handle advanced multi-app workflow with its decent battery life and a gorgeous display. It can seamlessly let you edit 4K videos. It is a powerful convertible laptop that boots up in seconds. This is a great laptop for people editing on the go who prefer the Windows OS over the macOS, but aren’t interested in gaming.
Acer Swift X Laptop – SFX14-41G-R7YT
- Best for: Budget laptop with decent specs, great for light gaming and editing
- Price: $949.99
Acer Swift X Laptop – SFX14-41G-R7YT consists of a Ryzen 5000 Series Mobile Processor and the latest NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti graphics card. Further, it offers a 14-inch full HD display with an IPS panel that supports 100 percent sRGB color gamut. It is also compatible with WiFi 6 networks and supports Bluetooth 5.2. It also has a decent battery life.
Dell Inspiron 14
- Best for: Light video editing on the go
- Price: $829.99
Dell Inspiron 14 is a premium budget workstation that runs on an Intel 11th gen processor. Moreover, it is a convertible laptop with 8GB RAM and 512 GB Storage. Video editors can simply turn this laptop into a tablet and work on-the-go. It has a very quiet keyboard that won’t make much noise.
Asus ZenBook 13 OLED
- Best for: Beginner editors working on simple projects.
- Price: $799.99
Asus ZenBook 13 OLED is a powerful laptop with a 13.3-inch display that has a resolution of 1920 by 1080. It runs on a Ryzen 5000 Series processor. Further, video editors can easily benefit from the range of port options, including USB-C ports, USB-A ports, and an HDMI port. It also has an amazing FHD OLED HDR NanoEdge display that allows video editors to accurately view vibrant colors.
Should I Use a Laptop for Video Editing?
Yes, you should use a laptop for video editing. Video editors don’t rely on bulky computers anymore. They have switched to laptops that can help them edit videos on the go. Every video editor needs an excellent laptop with lots of memory. A good laptop can allow video editors to use the full range of editing features that different programs offer.
Best Laptops for Video Editing FAQ
Video editors need a laptop with 16GB of RAM or more. The higher the RAM, the faster a laptop operates. A system with good RAM can help edit videos quickly. Moreover, it can also help background apps to run effortlessly.
Yes, an SDD is necessary for video editing. It can help you speed up the video editing process and improve playback performance. The better SSD you have, the less time it will take for videos to render. Video editors should have an SSD of at least 500GB, especially considering how large video files can be.
No, an Intel Core i3 isn’t enough for video editing. In order to get work efficiently, you should consider an i5 or i7. Although this hardware can be more expensive, it will help you save lots of time when working on demanding projects.
YouTubers use any durable laptop to edit their videos. Some of these include laptops from Apple, HP, Lenovo, and Asus. It all depends on the kind of content they are creating and the kind of operating system they prefer.
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