• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
 5 Recommended Budget Laptops for Video Editing - Unslider

Unslider

Latest Tech News and Gadget Reviews

  • Home
  • Laptops
    • Gaming Laptop
    • Chromebooks
    • 2-in-1 Laptops
  • Gaming PC
  • Knowledge Hub
  • News

5 Most Recommended Budget Laptops for Video Editing

Buying Guides September 1, 2022 by Martin Chuck

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.

laptop for video editing lenovo legion 5 5 Recommended Budget Laptops for Video Editing - Unslider

Lenovo Legion 5 2022

Best laptop for video editing for 2022

PROS

  • Great processing system
  • Available in Intel i5/i7
  • Good GPU

CONS

  • Heavy weight
  • Battery life may drain quickly

CHECK LATEST PRICE

  • 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.

laptop for video editing lenovo legion 5 5 Recommended Budget Laptops for Video Editing - Unslider

Lenovo Legion 5 2022

CHECK LATEST PRICE

laptop for video editing apple macbook air m1 5 Recommended Budget Laptops for Video Editing - Unslider

2020 Apple MacBook Air

Best laptop for video editing from Apple

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

CHECK LATEST PRICE

  • 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.

laptop for video editing apple macbook air m1 5 Recommended Budget Laptops for Video Editing - Unslider

2020 Apple MacBook Air

CHECK LATEST PRICE

laptop for video editing dell inspiron 3000 5 Recommended Budget Laptops for Video Editing - Unslider

Dell Inspiron 300

Best budget laptop for video editing

PROS

  • Great performance specs
  • Touchscreen display
  • Good battery life
  • Lightweight and portable

CONS

  • GPU card

CHECK LATEST PRICE

  • 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.

laptop for video editing dell inspiron 3000 5 Recommended Budget Laptops for Video Editing - Unslider

Dell Inspiron 300

CHECK LATEST PRICE

laptop for video editing acer nitro 5 Recommended Budget Laptops for Video Editing - Unslider

Acer Nitro 5

Popular Gaming Laptop

PROS

  • Solid performance
  • Can be upgraded to i7
  • Upgradeable RAM

CONS

  • Low-quality Screen
  • Design not desirable for some

CHECK LATEST PRICE

  • 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.

laptop for video editing acer nitro 5 Recommended Budget Laptops for Video Editing - Unslider

Acer Nitro 5

CHECK LATEST PRICE

laptop for video editing acer swift x 5 Recommended Budget Laptops for Video Editing - Unslider

Acer Swift X

Best laptop for video editing

PROS

  • Good specs
  • Great design
  • Multi touch feature

CONS

  • Darker display compared to other laptops

CHECK LATEST PRICE

  • 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.

laptop for video editing acer swift x 5 Recommended Budget Laptops for Video Editing - Unslider

Acer Swift X

CHECK LATEST PRICE

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.

 

RELATED: Best Gaming Laptops under $1,000 in 2022

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Pinterest Share on LinkedIn

TAGS digital marketing, marketing, video editing, video editing laptops

Primary Sidebar

Contents

  • Lenovo Legion 5 2022

  • 2020 Apple MacBook Air

  • Dell Inspiron 300

  • Acer Nitro 5

  • Acer Swift X

Copyright © 2023 · New Saga Media, LLC