7+ Best Laptop for Video Editing under $1000

Video editing is a hardware-intensive task, and finding a computer with the best configuration is of utmost importance.

Although, such laptops can quickly go overboard if budget is concerned.

Thus, in this article, I’ve picked the 7 Best Laptop for Video Editing under $1000 that offers the latest and powerful hardware without burning a hole in your pocket.

Top 5 Best Laptop for Video Editing under 1000$

Image	Products	Speciality	Price
	Dell G3 15 3500	#1 Pick	Check Price
	Lenovo Legion 5	Runner Up	Check Price
	HP Pavilion 15	High RAM Choice	Check Price
	Dell Inspiron 15	Ryzen Powered	Check Price
	Acer Aspire 5	Best Acer Laptop	Check Price

7 Best Laptop for Video Editing under 1000$ in 2021

1.Dell Gaming G3 15 3500 – Best Dell Laptop under $1000

As the name suggests, the Dell Gaming G3 15 3500 is a gaming laptop available in the entry-level price bracket.

While this laptop is targeted towards budget gamers, video editors can take full advantage of the laptop’s powerful hardware.

On the inside, the Dell Gaming G3 15 3500 is powered by Intel’s 10th generation Core i7-10750H processor. It is a hexa-core (6 cores) processor with 12 processing threads. The higher processing threads ensure rending 3D effects, graphical elements, and 4K video will be faster with this processor.

Moreover, the processor has a base clock of 2.6GHz. However, when extra performance is required, the processor can Turbo Boost itself to 5GHz instantly. Thus, you get an outstanding balance between power efficiency and performance.

Talking about the display, the Dell Gaming G3 15 3500 has a 15.6-inch screen. It is a 60Hz screen that consists of an IPS panel and anti-glare coating. The IPS panel ensures you get vibrant color output and a superb contrast ratio, for better color correction while editing videos.

The screen’s anti-glare properties make it easier to use during the daytime or with bright light right behind you. You won’t see things reflected on the screen, which ensures your work isn’t affect. Plus, this screen offers up to 300 nits brightness, much better than the 200-250 nits brightness you get on other laptop screens.

To further improve performance, this laptop is clubbed with Nvidia’s GTX 1650 Ti graphics card. The GTX 1650 Ti offers average performance in gaming; however, it will work wonders as a video editing laptop. It will help in GPU acceleration and improve video playback and render times.

You also get 16GB RAM in 2x 8GB configuration and a 512GB M.2 NVMe SSD drive to complete the package.

Bottom Line

“The Dell Gaming G3 15 3500 is the perfect example of “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure” because this laptop offers average gaming performance. However, when it comes to video editing, it’s the best laptop you can get for video editing under $1000.”

2. Lenovo Legion 5 – Runner Up

Like the above-mentioned Dell Gaming G5 15 3500, the Lenovo Legion 5 is an entry-level gaming laptop with excellent specs for video editing.

Design-wise it looks much better than the Dell Gaming laptop; thus, it wins a brownie point in this department. It comes with a matte black finish with a subdued design to make it a gaming-cum-work laptop.

While it certainly has the aesthetics of a gaming laptop, although the design isn’t overly aggressive and seems very pleasant to the eyes. You can take this laptop to work and won’t find your clients or colleagues eyeing you.

Unlike the Dell G3, the Lenovo Legion 5 comes with AMD’s 4th iteration of the Ryzen 5 4600H processor. Being a mid-range processor, it can give stiff competition to Intel’s top-of-the-line Core i7 processors at a budget price.

Like the Core i7-10750H mentioned above, the Ryzen 5 4600H too comes with 6 cores and 12 processing threads. It has a base clock of 3GHz and can max boost up to 4GHz when required.

To suffice graphical needs, this processor is coupled with Nvidia GTX 1650 graphics card. This graphic card offers average gaming performance. However, it will offer excellent assistance during 3D video rendering and shots with high VFX utilization. Plus, 4K video rendering will be a charm on this CPU and GPU combination.

Moreover, the excess heat generated during intense video editing sessions will be taken care by the laptop’s sophisticated cooling system. Its thermal technology offers 60% better cooling than a regular laptop.

Furthermore, this laptop comes with a 15.6-inch Full HD screen with an IPS display. This screen also supports up to 120Hz refresh. If you get tired of editing video, you can easily switch to fast-paced gaming on this machine.

Other features include 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD + 1TB HDD storage and Wi-Fi 6 connectivity.

Bottom Line

“If you’re looking for a powerful laptop with a work-friendly design, then the Lenovo Legion 5 is the right pick. It is an entry-level gaming laptop from Lenovo but offers marvelous performance when video editing is concerned.”

3. HP Pavilion 15– High RAM Choice

If you’ve done video editing before, you’d know that no amount of RAM is enough for video editing. Keeping this in mind, I’ve listed a laptop that comes with high RAM and storage capacity.

The HP Pavilion 15 laptop’s USP is that it comes with a whopping 32GB DDR4 RAM and 1TB PCIe NVMe SSD drive. It is a custom configured laptop, which offers you bang for your buck specifications.

It utilizes both RAM slots with a 2x 16GB RAM configuration. Plus, the 1TB M.2 SSD storage ensures that you get high-performance and larger storage.

With impeccable RAM and storage options, this laptop is powered by the latest 4^th generation AMD Ryzen 7 4700U processor. It is a power-efficient processor and provides longer battery life, and it provides more power in video editing than you’ll require.

Regarding graphical performance, it is handled with an integrated graphics solution. The AMD Ryzen 7 4700U comes with AMD Vega 7 integrated graphics that offer 7 GPU cores and graphics frequency of 1600MHz.

The integrated graphics will be a perfect partner for handling GPU acceleration tasks in video editing. You won’t feel lag, plus the powerful processor will complete your tasks quicker.

The HP Pavilion 15 comes with a 15.6-inch Full HD screen with an IPS display. The screen offers vibrant colors apt for video editing and is surrounded by slim bezels on all 4 sides.

It also comes with a full-size keyboard with backlit keys. The keys offer optimum travel distance and are ideal for working through various shortcuts in your video editing software.

Bottom Line

“This custom configured HP Pavilion 15 laptop has a beautiful design yet extremely menacing specs on the inside. It will work perfectly as work or business laptop and offer more-than-required power for on-the-go video editing tasks.”

4. Dell Inspiron 15 5505 – Best Ryzen Powered Laptop

Like the previously mentioned HP laptop, the Dell Inspiron 15 5505 comes with a minimalistic and beautiful design. It comes with Dell’s new design language in its Inspiron series and will be a delight to your eyes.

The laptop’s body comes in silver color, which Dell has christened as River Rock and looks absolutely stunning. If you’re a sucker for beautifully designed laptops, then the Dell Inspiron 15 5505 is the right pick for you.

Talking about the display, you get very slim bezels on all 4 sides of the screen. When you open the screen lid, it raises the laptop’s base by 2°, reducing the bottom bezel. This inclination also improves the airflow and exhaust beneath the laptop’s bottom.

You get a 15.6-inch Full HD screen. Although it doesn’t come with an IPS display, you get a WVA screen, which Dell calls as Wide Viewing Angle screen. Hence, expect the screen to offer color output between a TN and IPS display.

On the inside, you get AMD’s 4^th generation Ryzen 7 4700U processor, coupled with AMD Vega 7 integrated graphics that offer a great combination between CPU and GPU performance.

This processor is coupled with 16GB DDR4 RAM and 512GB NVMe M.2 SSD drive. The RAM and SSD storage is user-upgradable; hence, you can upgrade the memory and storage options in the future.

For a laptop that weighs 3.75 kgs, Dell had to cramp many internals in a smaller footprint. This type of management has affected the battery; thus, you get a smaller 53WHr battery that offers average battery performance.

Bottom Line

“Dell laptops are always synonym with work and business environment. The Dell Inspiron 15 5505 is no exception to it, and you get a beautiful and minimalistic designed laptop. The addition of Ryzen 7 4700U CPU, 16GB RAM, and 512GB SSD make it an ideal contender for video editing tasks.”

5. Acer Aspire 5 – Best Acer Laptop

The Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-73AP is a featured-packed laptop available at a reasonable price. It is available in silver color with metal finish on the top lid and keyboard area. Its beautiful and minimalistic design helps it camouflage into an office environment easily.

Once you open the top lid, you are greeted by a marvelous 15.6-inch Full HD screen with an IPS display. Thus, compared to budget Acer laptops, you get better color accuracy on this screen. The screen is surrounded by thin bezels, and you get a very high 82.5% screen-to-body ratio.

On the inside, the Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-73AP is equipped with Intel’s 11th generation Core i7-1165G7 processor. As mentioned above, this processor comes bundled with Intel’s Iris Xe integrated graphics.

Compared to Intel’s UHD graphics, Iris Xe graphics offer 5x better graphical performance and can stand toe-to-toe with AMD’s Vega integrated graphics.

The processor is supported by 16GB DDR4 RAM modules in a 2x 8GB configuration. You also get a 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD drive, plus there’s option to add another M.2 SSD drive and 2.5-inch HDD/SSD drive.

Connectivity-wise, this laptop gets 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C port, USB 2.0 port, HDMI port, and combo audio jack. You also get Wi-Fi 6, fingerprint reader, full-size backlit keyboard, and up to 8 hours of claimed battery life.

Bottom Line

“Acer is always known to pack powerful hardware at a reasonable price, and the Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-73AP is proof of that. You get the latest processor, IPS display, backlit keyboard, fingerprint reader, and Wi-Fi 6 at an extremely affordable price.”

6. Lenovo Ideapad Flex 5 – Best 2-in-1 Laptop For Video Editing

It is a 14-inch laptop powered by an AMD Ryzen 7 4700U processor, 16GB RAM, and a 512GB NVMe SSD drive. The Lenovo Ideapad Flex 5 is available in a 2-in-1 form factor with touchscreen support.

The Lenovo Ideapad Flex 5 has two 360° rotatable screen hinges. Thus, you can keep this laptop in the traditional mode, tent mode, movie mode, and tablet mode. Plus, the addition of a touchscreen makes it easier for stress-free video editing.

Due to its 14-inch Full HD screen with IPS panel, you can get an extremely slim and compact laptop that you can carry anywhere with you.

For an affordable price, you also get 16GB DDR4 RAM and a 512GB NVMe SSD drive. The SSD drive is user-upgradable; however, the 16GB RAM is soldered onto the motherboard and cannot be swapped for a higher RAM configuration.

After opening the lid, you can see a large TKL keyboard with white backlighting. It is a typical Lenovo keyboard with large keys and very easy to type on. Below the keyboard, you also get a large trackpad and fingerprint reader towards the far-right side.

You can see dual 2W stereo speakers on either side of the keyboard. The speaker system supports Dolby Atmos yet offers average sound performance.

You also get a plethora of connectivity options, including an HDMI port. Using the HDMI port, you can connect this laptop to a bigger screen when not traveling.

Bottom Line

“The Lenovo Ideapad Flex 5 is a moving man’s video editing machine. It is compact and lightweight to carry anywhere with you yet offers exceptional power to do video editing on the go.”

7. Dell Gaming G5 SE 5505

The Dell Gaming G5 SE 5505 packs in a powerful CPU and GPU combination. However, the only reason it’s placed at the #7 option because it comes with 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD out-of-the-box.

Having said that, this laptop has expandable RAM and storage and costs just over $850. Thus, you have ample room to add extra 8GB RAM and another SSD to improve performance and stay well within the $1000 budget.

Unlike other laptops mentioned above, the Dell Gaming G5 SE 5505 comes with the latest AMD Radeon RX 5600M dedicated graphics card. Performancew-wise, this graphics card can easily match Nvidia’s RTX 2060. 

As a video editor, you might think this technical mumbo-jumbo won’t matter to you. However, along with gamers, AMD has kept video editors and content creators in mind.

This laptop also comes with AMD’s Ryzen 5 4600H CPU. With a combination of Ryzen 5 4600H and Radeon RX 5600M graphics, you can take advantage of the AMD SmartShift technology.

With the latest AMD SmartShift technology, the laptop’s hardware can automatically balance the workload between the processor and graphics card. Thus, the graphics card can take the extra load from the processor and vice-a-versa. This technology is helpful for video editors as the laptop can sense the extra load and divide the tasks among its CPU and GPU.

Hence you get better render times and get work done faster with faster hardware and intelligent workload management.

Bottom Line

“The Dell Gaming G5 SE 5505 is a budget gamer’s delight. However, video editors can also take advantage of AMD’s SmartShift technology and easily manage their workload. Plus, it will also help you get the work done faster.”

Things to Consider Before Buying Video Editing Laptops

1. High Color Accuracy Screen – In a sub-$1000 laptop, it is hard to find a color-accurate screen. However, it is imperative to look for a laptop screen that offers high color accuracy.

Suppose you plan on editing cinematic videos or animated videos on an average laptop screen. In that case, the video color output will look extremely murky and not ideal for commercial consumption. The colors will shift from the different screen angles and won’t offer an ideal viewing experience.

In our list, I’ve made sure to pick laptops that come with an IPS or VA panel. Under $1000, many laptops are available with TN panel, which offer poor viewing angle and low color accuracy.

In terms of color gamut – IPS and VA panel cover up to 100% sRGB color space. Thus, you will get better color accuracy with regards to color-accurate video editing.

I’ve also made sure that the laptops mentioned above come with an HDMI port. Using the HDMI port, you can connect the laptop to a pro-level computer monitor. With a dedicated computer monitor, you can also edit videos on a bigger screen.

2. High Processing Power – Video editing software like Adobe Premiere Pro or Sony Vegas Pro takes a significant toll on the laptop’s energy-efficient hardware, and more importantly on the processor. Hence, it is essential to pick a laptop that comes with the latest and powerful processor.

In our list, we’ve chosen laptops with Intel Core i7-1165G7, AMD Ryzen 7 4700U, and AMD Ryzen 5 4600H processor. All these processors can do multi-tasking work very efficiently. Plus, it also offers extra power needed for computer video editing tasks.

3. RAM – Under $1000, you can find laptops that come with a mix of 8-16GB RAM sizes in DDR4 variant. In this list, I’ve made sure to find the right balance between RAM size and other laptop’s hardware.

Honestly, nowadays 8GB is not enough for a professional video editing laptop. If you’re working with 4K video files, your laptop might throttle due to low RAM size. Although, the laptops mentioned above come with additional or upgradable RAM slots.

However, to save you trouble, almost all laptops in the above list come with 16GB RAM and will be a delight for editing video on it.

4. Graphics Card – A graphics card can extensively increase video editing and rendering speed using GPU acceleration. Moreover, a dedicated graphics card makes a huge difference in 3D tasks, rendering graphical elements and video animations.

Few laptops onn our list come with a dedicated graphics card. The rest come with either Intel Iris Xe or AMD Vega integrated graphics.

Since the laptops use high-end processors, you get a better integrated graphics version with these laptops. If you’re a professional video editor, I’d suggest going with a laptop with a dedicated graphics card.

5. Upgrade Options – With laptops getting compact day by day, it can be hard to pick laptops that come with extensive upgrade options. The laptop mentioned on our list come with user-replaceable ports for adding extra hardware.

Over the years, hardware choices that seem relative today might get outdated in the future. In such a scenario, it is crucial that your video editing laptop is upgrade-friendly.

Thus, I’ve selected laptops that come with user-upgradeable RAM, SSD, and Wi-Fi card. Moreover, few laptops also offer extra slots to add an M.2 SSD stick and/or 2.5-inch HDD or SSD drive.

6. Backlit Keyboard – I know video editing is a time-consuming job since I’ve edited several videos in the past few years. Hence, once you get engrossed in video editing, days can turn into night, and a non-backlit keyboard will make the task more difficult. In this list, I’ve made sure to only include laptops that come with backlit keyboard.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Graphics Card essential for video editing?

Even today, video editing is a CPU-intensive task and relies more on the processor than the graphics card. Although, a GPU can accelerate most video editing tasks very efficiently.

Rendering graphical elements, 3D tasks, and many video editing software plugins can take advantage of the graphics card. In the future, most video editing tasks will also rely on the graphics card and taking a massive load off the processor.

What laptop do YouTubers use for editing Youtube videos?

Most popular YouTubers use either a high-end desktop computer for video editing or the latest Apple MacBook Pro. Although, one can’t say for sure which laptop/desktop your favorite Youtuber uses.

Is i5 or i7 better for video editing?

Suppose the latest iteration of Intel Core i5 and Core i7 processor range is considered. In that case, the Core i7 range of processors will offer better performance than Core i5 processors. Hierarchically too, Core i7 is placed above Core i5 processors in terms of performance.

Is i5 8GB RAM enough for video editing?

Intel Core i5 processor and 8GB RAM are good enough for basic video editing tasks. However, if you plan to edit 4K videos or add 3D elements, then the 8GB RAM might start throttling. Hence, it is advisable to get the best-configured laptop for video editing tasks.

Conclusion

Indeed, there are cheaper laptops available that can do the job of video editing. However, if your main goal is to do video editing smoother and faster – investing in a sub-$1000 is an optimal choice.

Since I’ve done my fair share of video editing tasks in the past, I know the pain a video editor needs to go through. Hence, I’ve made sure to pick the best hardware to save your time and offer faster performance.

Although, if you’re still confused about picking your favorite laptop, I’d suggest going with our #2 pick, i.e., Lenovo Legion Gaming Laptop. It offers a fantastic balance between the processor, RAM, storage, and design.