11 Top-Rated laptops for Kdenlive 22 in 2023

If you're into video editing, you should be familiar with Kdenlive 22. It's a free and open-source video editor that's been around for some time now. It's lightweight, yet offers all the advanced features, such as real-time preview and unlimited track size. But it also requires the right hardware to work properly and unleash its potential.

That's why I've taken upon myself to determine the best laptop for Kdenlive. After hours of meticulous research and testing various laptops, I've come up with some specs and recommendations that you can take into consideration.

To make it easier for you to understand, I'll also provide a simple breakdown of the specs and how they can improve your Kdenlive experience. Ready? Let's begin!

Processor Power

With so many laptop processors available on the market, it can be difficult to decide on the right one for your video editing needs. In this section, we’ll provide an overview of the current CPU landscape and offer advice on how to choose the best processor for your Kdenlive projects.

What's new in the CPU market

Since our last update, Apple has released their own ARM-based M1, M1 Pro, M1 Max and M2 system-on-chip modules. These chips offer exceptional single-core performance and battery life. AMD has managed to take 20% of the CPU market thanks to their 6th generation Ryzen processors, while Intel’s 13th-gen CPUs are still only available in PCs and not laptops. The new Intel and Apple chips also have adopted a hybrid performance/efficiency core design based on big.LITTLE. This means that when running lighter tasks, such as word processing or web browsing, the processor will use a smaller number of cores, helping save energy and battery life.

Why not a laptop, but a desktop for video editing

Kdenlive is available on both Windows and macOS and laptop computers are a popular choice. However, Kdenlive is not as demanding as other video editors like Premiere Pro or Davinci Resolve and you don’t necessarily need a powerful laptop to run it. If you’re looking for a budget laptop – don’t expect to get the best possible performance even if you go for a mid-range CPU; instead, prioritize battery life over performance.

Multiple cores vs single-core performance

To compare different processors, we’re using Cinebench R23 which is one of the most popular benchmarks for video editing applications. This benchmark tests a processor’s single-core performance and its ability to utilize multiple cores and threads to run more complex tasks. A higher score is indicative of better performance.

How I rank processors by their performance

The table below shows how I’ve ranked various processors in terms of both single-core and multi-core performance.

Processor	Single-Core Score	Multi-Core Score
AMD Ryzen 3 3200U	886	2,853
Intel Core i3-10110U	1,092	3,699
Intel Core i5-10210U	1,144	4,382

My recommendations for Kdenlive users based on your budget

If you’re looking for a good balance between performance and battery life, we recommend AMD Ryzen models. The Ryzen 3 3200U is the minimum you’d want to go for, while the Intel Core i3-10110U would be our recommended processor. For higher-end performance, the Intel Core i5-10210U is the best option.

Graphics Power

The laptop GPU market is dominated by Nvidia, which has recently released a few RTX 40 series cards, but these are not yet available on laptops (expected in 2023). The current laptop GPUs from Nvidia are in the RTX 30 series, such as RTX 3070 Ti. The gap between power-limited notebook graphics and desktop graphics cards has widened in the past few years due to desktop GPUs becoming more power-hungry. Unfortunately, Nvidia has also discontinued the Max-Q label for its RTX graphics cards, meaning an exact GPU wattage is determined by a laptop manufacturer (OEM), resulting in a wide variance in graphics performance even in laptops with the same GPU chipset.

Kdenlive is a video editor that can be used on Linux, Windows, or macOS. While you can use it on any of these platforms, we’ll focus on laptops with dedicated graphics for Linux. The GPU is not essential for Kdenlive since it’s not a resource-intensive application like Premiere Pro or Davinci Resolve. However, if you’re looking for a dedicated graphics card, make sure it has at least 4 GB of dedicated memory (not shared). To compare different GPUs, we'll use 3DMark as it's a well-known benchmark with a single score that can be used to compare different models. If you're looking for a gaming laptop, look for one with an Nvidia Max-Q GPU; they offer excellent performance while maintaining long battery life due to lower power consumption.

We’ve compiled a table of recommended GPUs depending on your budget. For a minimum laptop, consider an Iris Xe Graphics G7. For a laptop with more processing power, the Quadro T500 offers better performance than the Iris Xe Graphics G7. If you’re looking for the highest performance and are willing to spend the money, go for the GeForce MX550.

Recommended GPU	Estimated Price
Iris Xe Graphics G7	Low
Quadro T500	Mid-Range
GeForce MX550	High-End

Memory Matters

Whether you're editing small home videos or large-scale commercial projects, you'll need the right laptop RAM to ensure smooth performance and output quality. And while there are many different options out there, Kidenlive 22 is a popular video editing software, so you should make sure to get the right RAM for it.

Why more RAM is needed for video editing

Kdenlive can use up a lot of memory, particularly when working with 4K footage. To get the most out of the software and avoid lags or dropped frames, it's recommended to have a minimum of 32 GB of RAM. For even smoother performance, it's ideal to have 64 GB of RAM for high-end editing tasks.

How much memory is needed for video editing?

For most mid-range laptops, 16 GB of RAM should be enough for casual video editing. For heavier tasks, you'll need 32 GB or more, depending on the size and quality of the footage you're working with. High-end laptops may come with up to 32 GB or more.

DDR4 vs. DDR5 (and why it matters)

The latest generation of Intel and AMD CPUs support both DDR4 and DDR5 memory types. However, DDR5 is still quite expensive and needs time to mature as a technology. At the moment, there's not much difference in terms of performance between the two, so if you're on a budget, go with DDR4. However, if you can afford it, DDR5 may give you a slight edge in terms of speed and power efficiency.

Other considerations – frequency, ECC, CL/s, and thermals

When deciding on the right laptop RAM for Kidenlive 22, it's also important to take into consideration other factors like RAM frequency (measured in MHz), ECC (error-correcting code), CL/s (cycles per second), and thermals (temperature). For the best performance, look for RAM sticks with high frequencies and low CL/s values. Also make sure the RAM you choose is able to run at lower temperatures, as this can affect its longevity and performance.

Table of recommended RAM configurations by laptop price range

Here is a table with my recommendations for RAM configurations by laptop price range:

Price Range	Minimum RAM	Recommended RAM	High-end RAM
Budget	8 GB	16 GB	16 GB
Mid-range	8 GB	16 GB	32 GB
High-end	16 GB	32 GB	64 GB

6 Best Laptops for Kdenlive 22

Table of the Best Laptops for Kdenlive 22

Laptop	Price (approx)
Acer Swift 3 SF314-59-75QC	$580
ASUS ZenBook 13 UX325EA-EH71	$730
ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14	$1320
ASUS ROG Strix Scar	$2310
Acer Predator Triton 500	$2500
ASUS ROG Zephyrus Duo	$3820