Video editing is a unique stream that has huge career possibilities you have tremendous options for growth from working in the studio to doing freelance work.
Additionally, if you are running a Youtube channel then you need a decent laptop for editing your videos, however, over the years technology has evolved a lot and we understand that video editing is a heavy task that demands adequate processing assets.
There are numerous myths about laptops which one to choose and are gaming laptops good for video editing? This is a never-ending debate yet we have a Conclusion about it so read this complete post before taking your decision.
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Are gaming laptops good for video editing in 2023
The gaming laptops are built-in with powerful components and there is no disagreement over these laptops being highly optimized for demanding tasks and also suitable for editing high-resolution videos.
So definitely yes gaming laptops are a highly prevalent alternative for editing videos however a lot depends on what kind of editing work you do and choosing the right configuration revolves around your working style.
For instance, 4K and 8k editing uses a lot of resources from the processor, ram, and graphics card whereas basic editing requires good CPU and memory but the role of the graphics card is minimal unless your work involves color effects.
We have discussed everything in detail below about are gaming laptops good for video editing, So let us begin…
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Purpose
The foremost thing that you should question yourself is what you are going to do in video editing as most probably your work revolves around editing 1080p footage, yet are there any future plans to edit 4k videos, or are you presently using any software that involves 4k editing?
The kind of work you do is the biggest impact on your machine as you know that 4k stuff is more resource Hungary than 1080p, furthermore if in 4k editing you have to work with a lot of layers then the task becomes more complex.
Secondly, which software you are utilizing to edit your footage also plays an immense part in deciding on a laptop.
The common applications used by many YouTubers are Adobe Premiere, sony’s vegas pro, and another basic application Filmora is quite famous, even professionals are also comfortable using this software due to its user-friendly interface.
For instance, all these types of applications do require more processing power rather than dedicated GPU as this software is more CPU extensive, basically, you have to be specific to these two things when choosing a video editing laptop.
Processing power:
Now that you must have precise about the purpose, it all comes back to processing how to know which is the best processor.
Undoubtedly the gaming laptop’s processor is meant for high-end tasks it handles video editing more efficiently.
Yet there are quite a few good options in regular laptops, especially from AMD Ryzen you have 4550U, 5500U, and 5700U these are quite optimal for heavy tasks and quite cheaper than intel processors.
Though it won’t match the performance of gaming rigs yet it does your job and at a very minimal budget.
The processor speed does require for a good video editing session but the importance of cores in editing is immense, the 4 cores are decent but anything above a quad-core CPU has a buttery smooth experience.
Overall the playbacks and rendering use the processor rather than GPU, still, there are a few things such as video transition, scaling and color balancing that do need GPU assets, yet you can manage the workload with Nvidia GTX1650, 1650ti which are available on a budget.
Additionally if you do 4k editing and 3d modeling then you can consider the latest RTX 30 series GPU, specifically for 4k footage Nvidia RTX 3060, AMD RX 6600, and its equivalents are meant for heavy resourceful tasks.
The graphics card makes the rendering process smooth and faster but if you are looking for an entry-level laptop for youtube video editing, you can manage with a laptop that has integrated GPU but make sure the device is equipped with the latest generation strong CPU and minimum ram up to 8GB.
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Portability
Gaming laptops are slightly bulkier and users have to compromise on their portability, as under the machine manufacturers have to place multiple components to make the laptop ready for robust performance.
However there are a few thin and lightweight gaming laptops available but they are a little expensive, especially Asus, MSI, and razer blade come with a few good options.
The sleek gaming laptops actually made largely for work and casual gamers, it’s definitely a good choice for editing if you have a budget to suggest you spend on a light gaming laptop.
Nevertheless, thin machines are developed with slightly underclocking GPU which is not as powerful as some of the dedicated gaming laptops offer you.
Yet it’s good for the creative profession moreover in the case user also wants to play high-level games then gaming laptops with max power GPU are a must.
The average weight of dedicated gaming laptops is about 2kg to 2.5 kg, so overall they are not the most portable option but makes all video editing task ultra fast.
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Battery life
Overall work such as editing or gaming uses a lot of battery, especially while rendering videos your battery runs faster and inbuilt hardware also consumes a lot of battery power as a result gaming laptop delivers average battery.
The gaming laptops do come with pretty average backup even on regular use if your machine extracts about 3-5 hours then it is considered good in a gaming laptop.
Again thin and lightweight gaming gigs give slightly better performance on the battery front, basically if you work in your studio or office then it’s not a big deal yet if you go outdoors for meetings then it can be challenging.
For instance, it’s a laptop so you can at least carry it outdoors, though a PC delivers strong performance than a laptop yet PC is not portable whereas laptops are great for carrying outdoors.
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Laptop requirements for Video editing
After reading the above pros and cons of gaming laptops it is also essential to cover quick buying tips on video editing laptops, below are the specs you can consider.
Processor
We had a long discussion on the processor above about how important it is for almost all the editing processes such as playback, rendering, and exporting videos, now let’s see processor options in gaming laptops for editing.
If you are a beginner who is going to do basic editing on 1080p you can rely on budget options on gaming from intel you have a 10300H processor whereas AMD Ryzen 5600h and 4600H are the best possible processors on gaming rigs.
For instance, in the budget, you must consider intel over AMD due to its multi-core performance as primarily you need numerous-core help to work smoothly.
Specially Ryzen 5600H has an excellent benchmark score that you can do entry-level 3d modeling, as you also get the asset of a dedicated GPU.
The Lenovo Ideapad gaming 3 is another absolute budget laptop that is suitable for editing, this model is available from 650 to under 1000 dollars online.
Also, there is an option from Acer Nitro 5 that comes with 10th gen intel i5 10300H CPU and RTX 3050 dedicated video card, this is in the range of 750 to 900 and is the best laptop for video editing.
For a range above 1000 dollars, there are amazing alternatives like AMD Ryzen 4800H, 5800H, and intel 10th gen intel core i7 and its equivalents available in the mid-budget.
Overall if you are willing to expend a budget above 1000-1200 dollars then 8 core CPU is best, and value for money in a budget.
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Ram
For video editing, after CPU your top priority must be ram memory as you need powerful ram to run your applications smoothly also windows needs ram support so preferring higher memory is crucial otherwise laptop can lag while operating the task.
For the 1080p footage, you must go with a bare minimum of 8GB yet 16GB is better and for 4k editing, you should not think lower than 16GB.
If not have the budget to spend on 16GB ram on a gaming laptop then try to choose a machine that has an upgradability minimum of up to 16GB or higher so if you experience any lag you can always maximize memory.
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Storage capacity
As a video editing professional, you have a huge collection of raw and edited content that need huge storage space.
It becomes quite tricky yet 256GB SSD is the minimum you must consider for a video editing laptop, 256GB is still low space you must have SSD which we are going to discuss soon.
If space is a concern for you then you can get an extra hard drive stick to keep your all data so you can store important final footage in your laptop’s SSD drive and for temporary videos, you can use an external drive.
However, there are laptops that offer both HDD and SSD support which is ideal in this scenario as the temporary files you can store in an HDD drive & important data in SSD.
Additionally, just keep in mind that while going with dual storage laptop, the speed of the hard drive is 7200RPM as it gives a faster loading time, overall 512GB SSD is a must but for low budget 256GB, SSD is decent.
The SSD is a must in any laptop as it’s 5-10 times faster than HDD, so there is no compromise on SSD as it is a matter of efficiency it helps to boot the system quickly and loads the windows faster, additionally, it also loads the editing software without any hiccups.
Graphics card:
We have enough discussion on the importance of graphics cards, for instance, the role of GPU largely arrives while rendering, 3D modeling, and color balancing.
It adds value to your video editing work yet for 1080p footage you do not need a very high-powered video card.
For 4k editing, you definitely need a good graphics card but if you have a good processor and Ram support you can manage it with a mid-level graphics card such as GTX 1650 or RTX 3050.
The RTX 3060 is future-proof in terms of gaming and also adds value to complex rendering or 3D modeling, whereas it’s a great laptop for 4K editing.
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Display size and quality
Editing videos is not as easy as it seems you need to concentrate on editing the smallest of details that are crucial in making engaging videos.
It does not matter the duration of the videos and a lot of time you are going to spend in front of the screen so even quality matters a lot.
The gaming laptops available from 14” to 17” and larger panels are definitely better but if portability is essential for you then a 15-inch panel ensures a good viewing experience whereas 17 inches allows better viewing angles yet it becomes pretty bulky.
The Full HD quality is more than enough for 1080p editing even on 4K footage, work is manageable and you can also use external monitors.
If you’re primarily going to work on laptops then in gaming rigs, there are QHD resolutions laptops that really enhance your visual quality for high-resolution videos yet they are a bit pricy.
Color accuracy does not matter for basic editing for YouTube still if you have a good accurate visual it’s going to add an advantage but again in a gaming laptop, you have very few options in budget.
However, if you are going to spend on a gaming laptop around 800-1000 dollars then you have the HP Pavilion gaming laptop model that comes with GTX 1660ti GPU and also has 72% NTSC which delivers true colors.
This HP laptop is around 800 dollars and there is a Lenovo legion option somewhere around 900-1000 dollars has a good AMD Ryzen CPU and RTX 3050 GPU with good color-accurate panels.
Frequently asked questions
Can a gaming laptop be used for editing videos?
Yes, gaming laptops easily manage your daily video editing work but it does not mean that you can not do editing on regular notebooks.
However, there are also content creator laptops you have as an option if you are not willing to get a gaming laptop for video editing.
The creators’ laptops are actually made especially for creators and designers, most laptops you get good powerful CPU support with a dedicated GPU.
Most likely creator laptop has a MAX-Q design which is not as powerful as gaming laptops but it works nicely on editing work.
For instance, if you do not play games then you should consider this type of laptop, there are a few popular laptops from Acer.
The Acer Swift creator laptop has excellent color accuracy with RTX 3050 GPU and AMD Ryzens Octa-core processor, which is a great example of a portable creator’s laptop equipped with strong hardware.
How much RAM is needed for video editing?
This is depending on what kind of footage you edit, for 1080p you can manage somehow with 8GB still 16GB gives an ultra-smooth performance, especially for rendering.
For 4K you have no option but to go with 16GB ram, however, as discussed earlier due to a limited budget 8GB is pretty much fine but make sure it has an upgradability option of at least up to 16GB.
Is 8GB RAM enough for video editing?
Yes, for basic YouTube editing and for normal 1080 footage it allows you to do editing but if you really want faster performance 16GB is needed.
Is SSD better for video editing?
The SSD is always the preferred choice for any kind of machine as HDD is way slower, your machine opens very slowly and also loads the other data, and files gradually, which really hampers your performance and efficiency in work as you have to wait longer to load everything.
Is AMD or Intel better for video editing?
The good thing about AMD is you have great choices on a very low budget and at the same time, they do perform nicely at around 600 to 800 you get 6 cores CPU that is great for work such as video editing.
However, the Intel is best if you are spending on a machine above 1000-1200 dollars additionally in this budget you get 8 cores AMD Ryzen CPU likewise in this budget it’s value for money.
How many cores do I need for video editing?
The video editing work uses a lot of cores and multi-threaded resources during playback and rendering so in this case, 6 cores is the minimum you must have on your PC or laptop.
Conclusion
The final words yes gaming laptops do give a smooth editing experience yet by no means you can say that regular laptops are not worth for editing regardless they should have good features to manage the task.
Moreover, we have also discussed that if you are not into gaming then you should rather check the creator’s laptop.
As they are pretty much capable of handling all video editing work however most of them are a little more expensive than normal laptops but worth buying it.
Additionally, for 4k editing, and 3d modeling you can keep the priority on gaming machines as it requires strong processor and graphics card support though GTX 1650 is ok for a lower budget yet RTX 3060 is the best potential prospect.
