We get a lot of emails from our readers, and it’s always fascinating to see what information they’re hungry for. One of the most frequent questions we get is “What laptop is best for 4K video editing”. It’s even better when the answer collides with great sales at this time of year!
The nice thing is this question is getting easier to answer, and less expensive, every day.
I’m going to answer this question assuming the laptop user is looking for a Windows 10 environment. Apple Macs and Macbooks are great at 4K editing, but i recognize not everyone is into the big price point that comes with a Mac.
Deciding on the right 4K editing laptop comes down to some features that are “must have” and some that are “nice to have”.
Must Have 4K Laptop Features
Intel Quad Core i5 8thGen Processor or Higher.
If budget is no concern for a Windows laptop, you definitely will want to opt for the more powerful i7 chip. But an i5 is completely fine. Make sure you’re quad core (preferably 8th gen) and you’ll have lots of runway life ahead of you
Look for 2 GHz or higher, but you can squeak by with a little less.*
16GB RAM
RAM is like the digital garden hose through which your work in progress flows. Too little and it’s a slow, tedious trickle. You can never have too much RAM. 4K files are huge, compared to 1080p, and 16 gigs of RAM is our minimum for proper workflow.
Discrete Graphics Processor
Also called a dedicated graphics card, your 4K editing laptop must have a separate graphics processor with at least 2GB. This is an area you definitely do not want to cut corners.
Buying a any laptop for 4K video editing that does not have a dedicated graphics card is an absolute waste of your money.
4K Display
This one is obvious…if you’re going to be editing 4K video you’ll obviously need a screen that properly displays 4K. Almost every laptop with the above specs, especially a dedicated GPU, will have 4K display built-in.
Nice to Have 4K Laptop Features
USB 3-Type C
USB 3 is the fastest protocol for transferring media files onto your Windows laptop, so you’ll want at least one USB3-Type C port. Because it’s 2018, this shouldn’t be an issue.
512GB SSD Storage
On-board laptop storage has become less important to me over time because I use external drives for most of my editing. So most laptops you’ll configure that have advanced graphics capailities will usually show up with 512GB or so of space. SSD, which stands for Solid State Drive, is smaller, faster and quieter than other storage media.
If you’re not planning on using external drives, like the Western Digital Elements Hard Drive, then consider opting for onboard storage higher than 2 TB.
Touchscreen
We’ll admit, touchscreens aren’t for everyone. But an increasing number of us are so used to them that we’re intuitively tapping away at every screen we meet expecting them to be touch.
Multiple Ports
Connecting hard drives, media devices, additional monitors, etc. all come with the territory of 4K media processing needs. If you have a choice between two laptops that are basically identical, consider buying the one with the most connection options.
More flexibility and choice is always better than less.
Here’s What We Found:
With pre-Christmas sales in full swing we did a quick search for laptops that will fit the bill for 4K video editing based on our Must Have features above:
What: ASUS VivoBook 15.6″ Laptop – Intel Core i7 – 16GB RAM – Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Graphics
Where: Best Buy
Cost: $1,049.99
What We Like About It: Fully loaded with features we need that doesn’t break the bank.
What: Lenovo IdeaPad 720s – Intel Core i7 – NVIDIA GeForce 1050 – 16GB RAM
Where: Amazon
Cost: $1,459.50
What We Like About It: Epic 9 hour battery life.
What: HP ProBook 470 G5 – i7 Quad Core – 16GB DDR4 – NVIDIA GeForce 930MX – 17.3″ Screen
Where: B&H Photo Video
Cost: $1,099
What We Like About It: What’s not to like about a massive 17.3 inch screen on a fully powered laptop
With so many deals out there it’s a great time to upgrade to a laptop that can finally process your 4K videos!
Pingback: 3 Great 4K Laptop Deals for Video Editing That Won't Break The Bank - The Laptop Review