Digital marketers and video editors may be wondering: Is there any suitable budget laptop for video editing? There exist many reasons to consider a budget laptop. One may want a dedicated laptop on a budget purely for video editing, one may prefer to get a budget laptop so that they can cross-use it with personal computers. Another may need something more portable than the one they already have or may be looking for an upgrade. Whatever the reasons are, they are valid. And therefore, we took the liberty to compile 5 best budget laptops for 2022 that we know can do some of the heavy lifting.
Video editing takes a heavy toll on computers. Thus, when looking for budget laptops for video editing, you must be keen on certain specs to tool at. Here’s a list of laptop specs to check when considering a budget laptop and why it’s necessary for video editing.
What to check
When it comes to video editing, there are 3 important specs to look at. Although other specs are important too, these four matter the most compared to the others.
RAM (Random Access Memory)
The higher your RAM, the better and quicker your laptop can perform. Therefore, you’d want your RAM to be capable enough to process video editing. Usually, a 16 GB RAM is required for video editing, but on a budget laptop, a minimum of 8 GB RAM can sustain your workload. Anything lower than 8 GB won’t be enough.
CPU/Processor (Central Processing Unit)
The CPU is probably the most important part of your laptop. This is where most of your processing happens. A faster CPU equates to faster processing power, so you would want anything from the 10th generation or 11th generation.
GPU (Graphics Processing Unit)
Video cards are essential for playback and animation. Thus, a powerful video card is more than necessary to perform video editing. For NVIDIA GPUs, you can get either GTX or RTX for your budget laptops, although an RTX would perform better. For AMD, the earliest you can go back is to the Radeon RX 5000 series.
Storage
Since video files are larger in size compared to other file types, you’d want high storage and preferably an SSD. This will help you render videos quickly, so it’s better to get budget laptops with high storage quality. Increasing the internal storage can also get pretty expensive, so it’s better to get somewhere around 500 GB to 1 TB right off the bat.
Lenovo Legion 5 2022
PROS
- Great processing system
- Available in Intel i5/i7
- Good GPU
CONS
- Heavy weight
- Battery life may drain quickly
- CPU: Ryzen 5 4600H
- Operating System: Windows 10 Home
- Ram: 16 GB
- Memory: 1 TB
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti
- Screen Size: 15.6
Lenovo Legion 5 takes the crown as the best budget laptop for video editing. With a Ryzen 5 4600H, 16 GB RAM, and a 1 TB SSD, this budget laptop provides a premium experience for only around less than $1000. The GPU NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti can also render 4k videos, providing you with a solid performance for its mid-range price. The screen size is large enough for videos; however, the laptop may feel heavy for some people due to its size.
This budget laptop is also marketed for gamers; thus, it can be used for more personal uses. It’s also got multiple ports, including the old ones, making it a versatile experience for the end user.
Lenovo Legion 5 2022
2020 Apple MacBook Air
PROS
- Great processing system
- Good portability
- Durable with long battery life
CONS
- May require better external hard drive to expand storage
- Some programs are not compatible with Mac OS
- Screen size may be small for some
- CPU: Apple M1 chip with an 8-core CPU
- Operating System: Mac OS
- Ram: 8 GB
- Memory: 256GB SSD
- GPU: Integrated
- Screen Size: 3 Inches
A little on the expensive side for a budget laptop, but nevertheless provides amazing performance for its price. The 2020 Apple MacBook Air may be considered old, considering an updated version with the M2 Chip is on the way. But this 2020 version still does the job done for video editing. Light and durable, the M1 Macbook Air can perform all day long without any performance issues. With 8GB RAM and a 256GB SSD, you may want to get an external hard drive to increase your storage.
2020 Apple MacBook Air
Dell Inspiron 300
PROS
- Great performance specs
- Touchscreen display
- Good battery life
- Lightweight and portable
CONS
- GPU card
- CPU: Intel Core i5
- Operating System: Windows 11
- Ram: 32 GB
- Memory: 1 TB
- GPU: Intel Iris Xe Graphics
- Screen Size: 15.6 Inches
Probably one of the best, if not the best, specs you can get for a budget price of below $1000. The last of its series, Dell Inspiron 3000 comes with an Intel Core i5-1135G7 processor, 32 GB RAM, and 1 TB SSD memory, giving a solid processing performance and a high amount of storage.
It comes with a touchscreen display, a screen size of 15.6 inches, enabling you to forego touchpad usage if you’re more comfortable with a touchscreen. It has many ports as well for versatility. However, the Intel Iris Xe Graphics, though capable of running and rendering 4K videos, may not perform as well as the dedicated AMD or NVIDIA cards. The laptop can function for hours, even with heavy-performing programs like Adobe Premiere and After Effects.
Dell Inspiron 300
Acer Nitro 5
PROS
- Solid performance
- Can be upgraded to i7
- Upgradeable RAM
CONS
- Low-quality Screen
- Design not desirable for some
- CPU: Intel Core i5
- Operating System: Windows 11
- Ram: 8 GB DDR4
- Memory: 256 GB SSD
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050
- Screen Size: 15.6 Inches
Popular among gamers, this cheap Acer Nitro 5 laptop comes with an Intel Core i5-10300H, 8 GB DDR4, and256 GB SSD, providing solid performance for its price. The GPU can certainly perform for 4k video eating albeit with some performance drops, but it is certainly more than capable of rendering VFX. A 17.3-inch model boasts higher specs which can be attractive to some who can spend a little more money.
Acer Nitro 5
Acer Swift X
PROS
- Good specs
- Great design
- Multi touch feature
CONS
- Darker display compared to other laptops
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800U
- Operating System: Windows 10 Home
- Ram: 16 GB
- Memory: 512 GB
- GPU: GeForce RTX 3050 Ti (4GB GDDR6 VRAM)
- Screen Size: 15.6 Inches
The Acer Swift X compares significantly with the Legion 5, and for its price, it comes with good specifications. With an AMD Ryzen 5800U, 16 GB RAM, and 512 GB, you will have more than enough laptop power for video editing. Its design is very sleek and lightweight, making it a suitable budget laptop for video editors on the go. The only downside of this laptop is its brightness. With only 300 nits, it’s not as bright as compared to the other laptop but can still work perfectly indoors.
Acer Swift X
Setting expectations
Budget laptops for video editing requires a great deal of consideration, however, we hope this guide helps you decide the best budget laptop. Figuring out how much you will use it, and how heavy the video file sizes you’ll be working on will certainly help you conclude. Mid-range laptops aren’t all low performing, considering the ones on this list. However, budget laptops can certainly get the job done if you choose the right one for the job.