Welcome to the ultimate guide for finding the best laptop for video editing in 2023. As an avid video editor and laptop enthusiast, I understand the unique challenges and requirements that come with the territory. Video editing demands a powerful machine capable of handling high-resolution footage, complex effects, and smooth playback. That's why I've dedicated my time to researching and compiling a list of the top laptops that cater to the needs of both professional and hobbyist video editors.
The process of selecting the ideal laptop for video editing involves analyzing an extensive laptop spreadsheet, which includes recent releases and their specifications, alongside professional and user-generated reviews. By considering factors like processor performance, GPU capabilities, RAM, storage options, and more, I've narrowed down the top contenders based on topic-specific requirements and varying price ranges.
Throughout this guide, we'll explore the key features and specifications that make a laptop perfect for video editing, like support for popular editing software such as Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, and DaVinci Resolve, as well as hardware capabilities for real-time rendering and color grading. Whether you're working on a short film, YouTube content, or client projects, this guide will help you find the best laptop for your video editing needs and budget. So let's dive in and discover the ultimate machine for unleashing your creativity and bringing your visual stories to life.
Powerful Processor
The laptop CPU market is constantly evolving, and for video editing in 2023, it's no different. With Apple introducing their own ARM-based M1, M1 Pro, M1 Max and M2 system-on-chip modules, offering exceptional single-core performance and battery life, AMD having managed to take 20% of the CPU market with their 6th generation Ryzen processors, and us still waiting for Intel's 13th-gen processors to reach laptops, where 12th generation is Intel's latest, with Intel's and Apple's silicon chips adopting hybrid performance/efficiency core design (based on big.LITTLE) and Ryzen models being best if you need a good battery life in a PC laptop.
For this section, we'll focus on Windows laptops as they are more popular for video editing than Macs, which are still a popular choice due to their excellent battery life and performance.
Video editing is one of the few scenarios where you can still get away with using a single-core processor, but a multi-core CPU will always be better. While most laptop processors have adequate power management, some professional applications require a high power delivery (up to 95 W) to ensure that the CPU can deliver its full performance when needed.
I use Cinebench R20 and PassMark to compare different processors; these benchmarks are more relevant for video editing than 3DMark or other gaming benchmarks, which are not as well suited for this task.
How much money do you have to spend?
If you're looking for a budget laptop, don't expect it to perform as well as a mid-range or high-end model; in this case, you might need to make some sacrifices in other areas such as display quality, RAM amount, or SSD size.
At the budget level, Intel's 11th-gen Core i3 processors (like the i3-1115G4) should be able to provide enough power for video editing projects.
At the mid-range, Intel's 10th-gen Core i5 CPUs (like the i5-10310U) provide excellent value, offering a good balance between performance and power efficiency.
At the high-end level, Intel's 11th-gen Core i7 processors (like the i7-1180G7) offer the best performance and power efficiency.
Are there any other features that might be useful?
When looking for a laptop for video editing in 2023, it's important to consider other features aside from the processor. A laptop with good thermals will keep the CPU temperatures lower, allowing it to run at higher speeds for longer periods of time. Also, look for laptops with adequate IO ports; you'll likely need multiple USB ports and maybe even a Thunderbolt 3 port or two.
Finally, look for laptops with good displays; 1080p or 4K IPS panels are ideal for video editing, as they provide wide viewing angles and accurate colors.
What to expect at each price bracket?
At the budget level, you should expect a laptop with an Intel Core i3 processor, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD. It should be able to handle video editing projects in a decent fashion, but don't expect it to be able to handle more intensive tasks like 3D rendering.
At the mid-range level, you should expect a laptop with an Intel Core i5 processor, 8-16GB of RAM, and a 256-512GB SSD. These laptops should be able to handle most video editing projects with ease, though you may run into some slowdown with more complex tasks.
At the high-end level, you should expect a laptop with an Intel Core i7 processor, 16-32GB of RAM, and a 512GB-1TB SSD. These laptops should be able to handle almost any video editing task with ease, though they may be overkill if you're just working with basic projects.
Graphic Power
With the launch of Nvidia's new RTX 40 series of GPUs, laptop graphics cards are set to become more powerful than ever. However, these cards are not yet available for laptops, so the best you can do is to get a laptop with an RTX 30 series card.
Unfortunately, due to their power-hungry nature, desktop GPUs still offer significantly more power than their notebook counterparts, but with the gap widening in the past few years, a laptop with an RTX 30 series card can still provide good performance. Also, keep in mind that now that Nvidia has discontinued its Max-Q label, laptop manufacturers (OEMs) can configure the power output of the GPU and this can lead to a significant variance in performance.
Although most video editing applications rely heavily on the CPU for tasks such as encoding and decoding, having a dedicated graphics card can still come in handy, particularly if you're working with 4K or 8K footage. If you're working with RAW footage, you'll need a graphics card regardless of the resolution.
When comparing laptops, I use 3DMark to compare overall graphics performance, but to get a more accurate measure of a laptop's graphics performance in real-world scenarios, I use PassMark G3D and Cinebench R23. Keep in mind that a dedicated graphics card can help with tasks such as video encoding, but it will also increase your system's power consumption and heat output.
My recommendations for each price bracket are as follows:
- Minimum: GeForce GTX 1650
- Recommended: GeForce RTX 3050
- High-end: GeForce RTX 2060
Powerful RAM
Video editing requires a lot of RAM, so when you’re shopping for a laptop, you need to make sure it has enough memory to support your workflow. Most mid-range laptops come with 16 GB of RAM and high-end laptops come with 32 GB or more, with the latest-gen Intel and AMD CPUs supporting DDR4 and DDR5 memory.
For basic video editing tasks like 1080p/4K/8K editing, you don't necessarily need more than 8 GB of RAM. However, if you're working with RAW files or high-quality footage, you'll likely need more. If you're looking to edit 8K footage, you'll need at least 32 GB of RAM to get the job done without any issues. 16 GB should be enough if you're working with 4K footage, but if you're not sure whether you'll need more RAM in the future, it's better to invest in a laptop with at least 32 GB from the start.
DDR4 is currently the go-to memory option for most video editing laptops and it's not worth paying extra for DDR5 memory unless you need the extra speed it offers. When shopping for RAM, make sure to pay attention to the latency, frequency, and timings as well, as these can make a difference in terms of performance.
Finally, what kind of laptop RAM you can expect depending on your budget? If you're on a tight budget, 8 GB is the minimum you should go for and you should aim for 16 GB if you can stretch your budget a bit further. For high-end video editing laptops, 32 GB is the minimum and if you have the money, you can opt for 64 GB or even 128 GB.
FAQ
What is the best laptop for video editing in 2023?
It depends on your budget and needs. In general, laptops with Intel i7 processors, 16GB of RAM, and dedicated GPUs are best suited for video editing. We have some recommendations for laptops at different price points in the table below.
Which laptop is best for video editing?
It depends on your budget and specific needs, but our recommendations for laptops in 2023 for video editing are outlined in the table below.
What laptop specs do I need for video editing?
We recommend laptops with Intel i7 processors, 16GB of RAM, and dedicated GPUs for video editing. The table below provides recommendations for laptops at different price points.
How to choose a laptop for video editing?
We recommend considering your budget, desired specs, and usage type when choosing a laptop for video editing. Refer to the table below for our recommendations in 2023.
Can you edit video on a laptop?
Absolutely! Laptops are becoming increasingly capable of video editing and many professionals now use laptops as their main machines for editing. Refer to the table below for our recommendations in 2023.
What are the requirements for video editing in a laptop?
We recommend laptops with Intel i7 processors, 16GB of RAM, and dedicated GPUs for video editing. The table below provides recommendations for laptops at different price points.
Is 16 GB RAM enough for video editing?
Generally, yes. 16GB of RAM is more than enough for most video editing tasks. However, if you plan on doing more intensive tasks, 32GB of RAM may be beneficial.
Is an i7 processor enough for video editing?
Yes, an i7 processor should be more than enough for video editing in 2023. However, depending on your budget and needs, a more powerful processor may be beneficial. Refer to the table below for our recommendations in 2023.
Does GPU matter for video editing on a laptop?
Yes, GPUs can make a difference in terms of the speed and quality of your edits. For best performance, we recommend laptops with dedicated GPUs, such as GeForce RTX 3050 or higher. Refer to the table below for our recommendations in 2023.
Is 1 TB SSD enough for video editing on a laptop?
It depends on your usage type. If you plan on doing heavy video editing, a 1TB SSD may not be enough as your project files may quickly take up all of your storage space. We recommend looking into laptops with 2TB SSDs or more if you plan on doing heavy editing. Refer to the table below for our recommendations in 2023.
5 Best Laptops for For video editing 2023
1.HP Victus 15 I
Affordable gaming laptop with some productivity chops, but with noticeable compromises.- Strong entry-level gaming performance
- Inexpensive for a gaming laptop
- Solid productivity performance
- Display and webcam could be better
- Too much preinstalled software
Summary
The HP Victus 15 I is an entry-level gaming laptop that doesn't break the bank and can also handle some productivity tasks. However, it requires some trade-offs such as the subpar display and a bit too much bloatware preinstalled.
Alternatives
MSI GF63 Thin
- Inexpensive
- Powerful Intel Core i5 CPU
- Limited gaming performance
- Dull screen
2.Lenovo Legion 5 Pro 16
For video editing 2023 laptop- Awesome processor (Ryzen 9 6900HX)
- Excellent graphics card (RTX 3070 Ti)
- Awesome display (16)
- Splendid memory amount (64GB)
- Weighty (5.48 lbs)
- No IPS Panel (worse contrast)
Alternatives
HP Victus 15
- Affordable price
- Good gaming performance
- Poor battery life
- Plain design
3.ASUS TUF F15 FX507ZM-ES74
ASUS TUF F15 FX507ZM-ES74 is a powerful laptop for video editing, but has some limitations.- High-performance GPU and CPU
- 300 Hz IPS panel with full sRGB coverage
- Expandable storage options
- MUX switch for GPU
- Spongy clickpad
- No per-key RGB lighting
- Larger power brick
- Chassis base and lid exhibit some flexing
Summary
The ASUS TUF F15 FX507ZM-ES74 is a high-performance laptop for video editing with its 140 W TGP GeForce RTX 3060 and 12th gen Alder Lake-H processor. It also has a 300 Hz IPS panel with full sRGB coverage and expandable storage. However, it has a spongy clickpad, no per-key RGB lighting, and a larger power brick.
Reviews
Alternatives
Acer Nitro 5
- Responsive 165 Hz QHD display
- Ample storage options for up to three storage devices
- Loud fan noise under load
- Below-average battery life
4.ASUS ROG Strix G15
ASUS ROG Strix G15: Unleash the Power with RTX 3070- High-performance CPU and GPU
- Good workmanship with a sophisticated design
- 300 Hz display
- User-friendly maintenance
- Skimpy connectivity
- Coil whine in certain situations
Summary
The ASUS ROG Strix G15 is a powerful gaming laptop equipped with an RTX 3000 GPU and a Ryzen 5000 CPU. It offers a 300 Hz display and good workmanship with a sophisticated design. However, it lacks connectivity and has a coil whine in certain situations.
Reviews
Alternatives
Acer Predator Triton 500
- High performance capabilities
- Excellent, bright 240-Hz display
- Soldered-in RAM
- Inaccessible SSD
5.HP Omen 17
The HP Omen 17 is a powerful QHD laptop, but with high noise level and poor battery life.- QHD display with 165 Hz
- Advanced Optimus
- Expandable working memory
- High noise level
- Clattery case
- Meager battery life
Summary
The HP Omen 17 is a QHD gaming laptop that packs a punch with its advanced Optimus and expandable memory, making it suitable for video editing. However, its high noise level and meager battery life might be a dealbreaker for some.
Reviews
Alternatives
ASUS ROG Zephyrus Duo
- Dual-screen setup
- Top-end performance
- Expensive
- Awkward keyboard and touchpad layout
Table of the Best Laptops for For video editing 2023
| Laptop | Price (approx) |
| HP Victus 15 I | $600 |
| Lenovo Legion 5 Pro 16 | $700 |
| ASUS TUF F15 FX507ZM-ES74 | $1,300 |
| ASUS ROG Strix G15 | $1,860 |
| HP Omen 17 | $3,470 |
