When speaking about video editing workstations, the vast majority visualize a work area with a big screen or a multi-screen setup connected to it.
The present mobile hardware is mighty enough to perform any task, and with super-high resolutions, you can get some amazing outputs when doing video editing over laptops. While you can’t ignore other components of the laptop.
However, the two things you totally can’t ignore, the display and processor. These are the lone parts that you will rely on for finding the best laptop for GoPro video editing. And these are parts that can’t be replaced cheaply, however, the other parts like Storage, RAM, etc can be replaced. But for now, let’s talk about how you should choose specs for a video editing laptop:
Display and Resolution
Since you need to work with graphics, the display is essentially the main part of a laptop, and you should give cautious consideration to what you get. Display size is quite possibly the most challenging part. Some will say you need the biggest screen you can get, while others say an 11.6-inch display will work fine.
- Display: Go with a 17.3-inch display laptop – sure, it will be a heavier and likely more costly machine. But it’s best, compared to 15.6 inches. Especially when you work with graphics consistently (your eyes will thank you for it).
Moreover, a laptop will surely come with powerful hardware, more ports, and most likely a space for a second inner drive, which comes handy when you need more storage.
- Resolution: You need to get a Full HD display, because of the fine picture quality or you can go for a higher resolution. But FHD is the minimum you require for video editing. More resolution would be incredible, but it’s not totally important– because more resolution means more costly laptops.
GPU (Graphics Processing Unit)
Many people believe that GPU speed is rarely used and most of the tasks can be easily done with integrated graphics.
But even a low-profile GPU will be helpful. As it decreases the load on the processor and RAM. But for doing video editing it is a must that you look for a high-performance GPU because GPU is the one that converts data into pixels. So you understand the workload on laptops if there is no GPU.
Storage
When it’s about storage, HDD and SSD come into consideration. An HDD might be enough for most tasks, yet an SSD will make things a lot faster. The most ideal approach is to get an SSD and an HDD – it’s not difficult in case you have a laptop with two driver slots.
And if the laptop doesn’t have two drive slots, you can trade out the optical drive for an HDD. Or you can purchase an external optical drive enclosure but it’s only fine when using a USB 3.0 port in the laptop. But go for an Internal drive connected with a SATA port.
Processor and RAM
The laptop’s performance while working with graphics is practically influenced by every other laptop component, but the processor and RAM are the ones that play a crucial role.
- Processor: With regards to the processor, It’s suggested that you need to go with the latest generation Core i3,i5, or i7. They give you the best performance.
Even the lower-end models (like previous-gen processors) can work fine. Just look for processors dedicated to performance or graphics.
Like low-power processors (models finishing with a “U”, like the i7-5500U) not up to the mark, I don’t suggest them for any genuine work – they mostly come in Ultrabooks and lower-end laptops, and they come with a small heatsink that causes heat issues while doing heavy tasks.
- RAM: After the processor RAM is what you should consider for improving the laptop’s performance. So get as much RAM as possible – 8GB is the base I suggest for photography work, but getting 16GB will give an extra edge to the overall laptop.
And upgrading RAM it’s a truly simple task on most laptops, and you can get two 8 GB sticks at cheap prices. The RAM speed isn’t too significant, 2400 MHz RAM can do the work fine.
You now might get an idea of what you need to look for before buying the best laptop for video editing. Now that time and technology have changed, there is no longer any problem with doing heavy tasks on a laptop. Even many professionals like video and photo editors, graphic artists these days traveling and doing their tasks over laptops. So don’t be fretted and choose the right laptop for your work.
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