What is the best laptop for video editing for those on a budget?
What should one look for when looking for the best budget laptop for video editing? As with any type of computer you need to look at the laptops Hard Drive, Processor, Memory, and Graphics Card. While a designated desktop for video editing is probably the best and cheapest option, it’s not always convenient to use one. If you travel or are a filmmaker on the go it’s not easy lugging a huge desktop and all the pc accessories so you can work. Therefore, if you are on a budget and need to choose the best laptop to edit your videos we can help you out. Everyone has a different definition of the cost of a budget laptop because of this for this article we put that definition at sub $800 since that is sweet spot for value in our experience.
If you want to purchase a video editing laptop immediately and don’t want to read our reviews, then we recommend getting the Dell Inspiron 17-5767 Notebook Laptop. It’s the overall best budget laptop for video editing that we researched
Features that we considered for the laptop selection process
Because of the intense resources used by the video editing software we looked at the features in the following order:
1. Price:
Because the objective of this article is to help you choose the best budget laptop for video editing therefore price is the most important factor.
2. CPU or processor:
The faster the CPU the better performance you get. Intel is still the leader for video editing Therefore we looked for at minimum dual core i5 processor.
3. RAM or memory:
Just as with the CPU the more RAM the better performance. Since we are on a budget we looked compared laptops with at least a minimum of 6 GB of RAM.
4. Hard drive:
Using a regular Hard Drive can slow down your laptop considerably when reading and writing data. Because of this to speed up your laptop we considered devices that come with a SSD (solid state drive) Hard Drive.
5. Screen resolution and size:
Obviously size matters when looking at a screen. Therefore what matters even more is the screen resolution. Almost everyone now uses at least HD video therefore we only selected laptops with at least 1366 x 768 resolution which isn’t full HD but should get the job done for those on a budget.
6. Input devices:
We looked at if the laptop supports USB 3.0, HDMI, micro SD card reader. None of these were deal breakers for us because cost is the biggest issue but those with more inputs ranked higher.
7. Value for the money:
These are just the little things that can add up to have a laptop rank higher on our list. Important things we considered such as Recognizable name brand, Overall quality of the laptop, How easy is it to upgrade the laptop, Battery life, and Ergonomics.
Our reviews for the best budget laptop for video editing:
Dell Inspiron 17-5767 Notebook Laptop
Appearance/Build:
The Dell Inspiron 17-5767 series laptop has a simple and clean design to it. The laptops base is made of thick plastic therefore ensuring a firm base. Also comes with a massive aluminum chassis that is well-made therefore does not bend and has little to no vibrations even at max fan speed. Keyboard is stable and does not flex much because of this it’s easy and a pleasure to type with.
Processor/CPU:
The Dell Inspiron has a solid i5-8250U Quad-Core CPU with up to up to 3.4 GHz speed and the latest 8th generation technology. Most importantly at this price point it probably has the best CPU you can find in a laptop.
Memory/RAM:
With 8GB of DDR4 SDRAM it’s similar to all the models we reviewed therefore nothing to really compare or rate.
Hard Drives:
As for Hard Drives this Dell laptop comes with two hard drives. A 128 GB SDD (solid state Drive) on the boot partition and a 1 TB regular hard drive for storage. Most importantly this should save you some money not having to buy an additional hard drive for space. Please note that if you are going for speed you still might consider buying either another internal or external SSD Hard Drive.
Screen/Display:
With a screen size of 17” this budget notebook has the largest screen size of the laptops we researched. It has full HD resolution at 1920 x 1080. Downside to having a larger screen size would be the laptop is bigger and a little heavier if that is a concern The display is average therefore nothing to really complain about.
Input ports:
Connections that the Dell Inspiron 17-5767 has include the following 2x USB 3.0, 1x USB 2.0, HDMI, RJ-45, SD card reader, 3.5 mm audio jack ports.
Performance:
The overall performance of this Dell Inspiron is pretty good with normal operation therefore no major bottlenecks. Because this is a budget laptop certain high end games did not perform well in benchmarks as can be expected.
Our Final Take:
Our final take on the Dell Inspiron 17-5767 is that while it has a fast current generation CPU, large screen size, top end features compared to other budget laptops there are a few issues to take into consideration. Because the laptop is simple it will not blow anyone way with it’s design. Although solid, the laptop can be seen as large and clunky by some. We would suggest this laptop for those looking for a video editing desktop replacement but are on a tight budget to give this laptop a good hard look. This notebook has the most to offer and least amount of issues of all the budget laptops we researched for video editing purposes.
Pros
+ Good build quality
+ High-end processor
+ Large Screen size
+ 2 hard drives
Cons
– rather heavy
– small battery capacity
– lid gets dirty easily
Check Price and Customer Reviews
HP Jaguar 15 Touchscreen Laptop
Appearance/Build:
The HP Jaguar 15 Touchscreen laptop is a lightweight, attractive, 15.6″ touchscreen laptop with an affordable price. Even though the build of the laptop seems solid we would have liked to see a metal chassis rather than the plastic one it comes with.
Processor/CPU:
The HP Jaguar 15 has a solid i7-7500U dual core 2.7 GHz – 3.4Ghz CPU with 7th generation technology.
Memory/RAM:
With 8GB of DDR4 SDRAM therefore is the same as most of the other budget laptops we reviewed
Hard Drives:
As for Hard Drives this HP laptop has the exact same specs as the Dell Inspiron 17-5767 Notebook reviewed above as it comes with two hard drives. A 128 GB SDD (solid state Drive) on the boot partition and a 1 TB regular hard drive for storage.
Screen/Display:
With a touchscreen size of 15.6″” this budget video editing laptop is the only touchscreen we reviewed and researched for this article. The display is only 1366 by 768 pixels therefore is not full HD (1920 x 1080) which could cause issues depending on scale and quality when performing your video edits.
Input ports:
As far as input ports the HP Jaguar 15 Touchscreen has 2 x USB 3.1 Gen 1 (Data transfer only), 1 x USB 2.0, 1 x HDMI, 1 x RJ-45, headphone/microphone combo.
Performance:
The overall performance of the HP Jaguar 15 Touchscreen is pretty good performing normal operations. Because this laptop comes with a low to mid-range graphics card playing high end games could cause issues. But this article is not about gaming but about editing videos on a budget laptop. One should be able to do normal video editing with little issues.
Our Final Take:
Our final take on the HP Jaguar 15 Touchscreen Laptop is that while it has a touchscreen, a fast 7th generation CPU, competing components and features there are also some issues. The display is not full HD, the chassis is made of plastic, Low/mid grade graphics card can cause gaming issues. We would suggest for those looking for an attractive touchscreen laptop with a good specs then this would be a great choice.
Pros
+ Touchscreen
+ Decent processor
+ Good price for the value
+ 2 hard drives
Cons
– plastic chassis
– small battery capacity
– low/mid grade graphics card
Check Price and Customer Reviews
Lenovo 320 T8TJG Business Laptop
Appearance/Build:
The Lenovo 320 T8TJG laptop is a lightweight, thin 15.6″ laptop with an affordable price for what you get. With an anodized aluminum lid the metal sheet feels thick and stable with little to no flex. Because of the dark gray color it isn’t susceptible to fingerprints and smudges. The bottom piece of the laptop is made of plastic and therefore offers a big vent that helps with the cooling and two smaller ones for the speakers.
Processor/CPU:
The Lenovo 320 T8TJG has a solid i7-7500U dual core 2.7 GHz – 3.5Ghz CPU with 7th generation technology therefore is comparable to the HP Jaguar 15 laptop reviewed above.
Memory/RAM:
With 12GB DDR4 SDRAM this laptop has the most RAM of any laptop we researched and reviewed for this article.
Hard Drives:
As for Hard Drives this Lenovo laptop has a 256 GB SDD (solid state Drive) on the boot partition therefore depending on your video editing needs you may need another larger hard drive for storage.
Screen/Display:
With a screen size of 15.6″” this budget video editing laptop is full HD (1920 x 1080). which could cause issues depending on scale and quality when performing your video edits. Because this is a budget laptop , the display has its noticeable drawbacks like limited sRGB coverage and low maximum brightness but it’s still a much better option than most notebooks with TN panels out there. In fact, this notebook surprises with excellent contrast ratio and no PWM above 68% brightness because both are essential for comfortable use.
Input ports:
As far as input ports The Lenovo 320 T8TJG has 2 x USB 3.0 Type-A, 1 x USB 3.0 Type-C, 1 x HDMI, 1 x Headphone output/Microphone input combo.
Performance:
The overall performance of the Lenovo 320 T8TJG is pretty good performing normal operations. Because this laptop comes with a Low-Midrange graphics card playing high end games could cause issues like most of the notebooks we have reviewed in this article But this article is not about gaming but about editing videos on a budget laptop. One should be able to do normal video editing with little issues.
Our Final Take:
Our final take on the Lenovo 320 T8TJG is that while it has a fast 7th generation CPU, more memory, competing components and features there are also some issues. The display has limited sRGB coverage and low maximum brightness and with its Low/mid grade graphics card can therefore cause gaming issues. We would suggest for those looking for an attractive laptop with impressive specs for the price then this would be a great choice.
Pros
+ Nice build
+ Decent processor
+ Good price for the value
+ IPS panel with good contrast
+The panel doesn’t use PWM above 65 cd/m2 brightness
Cons
– small hard drive
– High inner temperatures under load, GPU reaches 91 °C
– The screen has limited sRGB coverage and low maximum brightness
Check Price and Customer Reviews
Asus Vivobook s s410uq-nh74 review
Appearance/Build:
The Asus Vivobook s410uq-nh74 laptop is a slick and lightweight notebook. Many customers compare the looks to that of an Apple laptop. Besides that, the weight of the laptop is surprisingly light coming in at around 2.86 lbs. Even though the build of the laptop seems solid there is an issue with stability as the entire keyboard deck flexes noticeably even with just moderate pressure applied. Therefore without a solid base one could have issues with movement.
Processor/CPU:
The Asus Vivobook has a solid i7-8550U quad core 1.8 GHz CPU with the latest 8th generation technology. Most importantly at this price point it will be hard to find a better CPU in a laptop.
Memory/RAM:
With 8GB of DDR4 SDRAM it’s similar to all the models we reviewed because of that RAM therefore is not a difference maker with this laptop. One negative is that the RAM is located on the board therefore there are no slots to upgrade the RAM if desired.
Hard Drives:
The Hard drive is a 256 GB Solid State Drive. Not a huge drive especially for storing video on. On the plus side there is an internal slot for another hard drive. If you are uncomfortable opening up a laptop, another solution would be to buy an external hard drive to store your videos and other data.
Screen/Display:
With a screen size of 14” this budget laptop has the smallest screen of the laptops we researched. They make up for the screen size with several things such as the laptop being lightweight and the screen having a smaller bezel around it. Most importantly the display in not very bright therefore while being good for outdoor use there could be some issues when using indoors in bad lighting.
Input ports:
As far as input ports the ASUS Vivobook s410uq-nh74 has USB 3.1 Type-C (Gen1), USB 3.0, USB 2.0, HDMI, & headphone/mic port connections. No Thunderbolt connections but USB 3.1 Type-C is pretty fast.
Performance:
The overall performance of the Asus Vivobook is pretty good according to PCMark benchmarks. During normal operation the system offers very good performance with programs launching quickly and therefore no major bottlenecks. One negative thing the benchmark revealed is that the older graphics card slows down the CPU.
Our Final Take:
Our final take on the Asus Vivobook s410uq-nh74 is that while it has a lightweight slim sleek metal and plastic design, a fast current generation CPU, competing components and features there are also some issues. Besides that the display is not particular bright, the keyboard deck flexes too much on some machines, older graphics card slows down the CPU. We would suggest for those looking for a smaller lighter powerful laptop with competing features with larger sizes then this would be a great choice.
Pros
+ appealing and slim design
+ fast latest generation quadcore i7 CPU
+ matte Full HD display
+ back-lit keyboard
+ dedicated graphics
+ decent battery life
+ available 2.5-inch storage bay
Cons
– high amount of keyboard flex
– display isn’t very bright
– last-gen dedicated entry-level graphics
– small Solid State Drive 256 GB
Check Price and Customer Reviews
Dell Inspiron i5566 Notebook Laptop
Appearance/Build:
The Dell Inspiron 15.6″ i5566 laptop combines strong performance with a comfortable and colorful soft-touch design laptop with an affordable price for what you get. The Surface of the laptop has a gritty texture therefore makes the system easy to grip and carry. Inside the laptop the deck has a soft-touch coating that felt comfortable against our wrists and a black, island-style keyboard that feels comfortable to use.
Processor/CPU:
The Dell Inspiron i5566 has a solid i7-7500U Processor dual core 2.7 GHz – 3.5Ghz CPU with 7th generation technology therefore is comparable to the HP Jaguar 15 and Lenovo 320 T8TJG laptops reviewed above.
Memory/RAM:
With 8 GB DDR4 SDRAM this laptop is similar to all the models we reviewed because of that RAM is not a difference maker with this laptop.
Hard Drives:
As for Hard Drives this Dell laptop has a 512 GB SDD (solid state Drive) on the boot partition therefore depending on your video editing needs you may need another larger hard drive for storage.
Screen/Display:
With a screen size of 15.6″” this budget video editing laptop is not full HD (1920 x 1080) with its 1366 x 768 resolution. Therefore the display doesn’t impress much and we the found colors to be inaccurate and bland. At this price point most laptops had full-HD capabilities. Most importantly that it seems to be a downgrade screen wise then previous older models from this laptop group.
Input ports:
As far as input ports The Dell Inspiron i5566 has 1 x USB 3.0, 2 x USB 2.0, 1 x HDMI, 1 x Headset Jack, 1 x RJ-45 Ethernet Port (10/100).
Performance:
The overall performance of the Dell Inspiron i5566 is pretty good. In bench tests this laptop came out strong or adequate in most of the tests. The results were comparable to models several hundred dollars more in price. Most importantly for normal operations and your basic video editing this laptop should perform nicely.
Our Final Take:
Our final take on the Dell Inspiron i5566 is that it’s a capable laptop therefore offering strong performance for the price. Also has above-average battery life and a well-made chassis with a comfy, soft-touch finish. The display leaves a lot to be desired and therefore is the primary weakness of this unit. However, if you want a laptop with plenty of performance, strong build quality and solid battery life for the price, the i5566 is a fine choice
Pros
+ Nice build
+ Decent processor
+ Good price for the value
+ above-average battery life
+ comfy, soft-touch finish
Cons
– Bland, low-res display
– Shallow keyboard
Check Price and Customer Reviews
Conclusion
Our advice is to find the laptop with the most features that will meet your desired goals. Therefore CPU and memory should be at the top of the list. After that rate what is most important to you and whittle the list down. It will be difficult to find a budget laptop that will meet all you needs and wants. So try to find a budget laptop that meets most of your needs or spend a little extra and upgrade to the next tier of laptops.
We all like to save money but sometimes we need to spend a little more to meet all of needs. If you don’t feel any of these budget laptops will meet your needs check out our guide and reviews of the best laptops for video editing where cost is not the primary factor.