Once you have learned the art of editing a video from software, the next thing would be picking the best computer for video editing. Video editing not only involves editing a premade video but also making or creating a new video. Creating videos on an average computer will take loads of time as rendering and processing of video may take time. Hence, the need for specialized hardware falls in; it means you need to have some special requirements to make video editing fast. So, serious movie makers should select the best hardware.
With the new age technology of 4K videos, you will require a computer that can withstand all the processes and information. Nobody likes to see a computer crashing when you are editing a video. Alternatively, If your computer hangs, again and again, then you have to wait for getting those necessary results after rendering.
If you have that kind of work that require tons of time or maybe your video requires multiple layers of audio, video and graphics, then the only escape is to buy something more professional.
First, Choose a Video Editing Software
Choosing a video editing computer will become easier if you first decide your video editing software. Here’s the list of best video editing software (both free and paid). Like if you have an inclination towards Final Cut Pro X then you should have a Mac, and if you choose Sony Vegas Pro then Windows PC will be needed.
The essential difference between an average desktop and multimedia computer is the better processors, high-end graphics and more RAM. The thing that matters the most while buying a computer for video editing is the screen size, storage space, and the procession power.
Below are a few reliable choices to get you sprung in your hunt for a video editing computer.
Best Video Editing Laptops of 2017
Apple MacBook Pro 15 inch with Retina Display & Touch Bar
Specially built for multimedia projects, Mac is one of the best choices for editing a video. If you have a little to spend or if you increase your budget, choose the 15 inch Retina Display, which comes with an NVIDIA GeForce GT graphics card that make speed up the rendering times.
Specs - 2.9GHz Intel Core i7 Quad Core, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD
The performance of Mac with that kind of specs is just incredible, you can encode videos render 3D models in no time. The new 10-bit HEVC hardware acceleration ensures speed in 4k video streaming and compression. The graphics is powered with Radeon Pro GPU and you can render 3D titles in FCP very quickly.
Finally the SSD will ensure your software and apps work in high speed and efficient in power. Huge files and multiple apps can be opened at a speed of light.
(Best Laptop for Video Editing for Mac lovers)
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5-1570 (Laptop/Tablet Convertible)
This 15.6 inch convertible laptop/tablet is surely a desktop replacement for video editing. The 4k resolution has a crisp details, fresh colors and full HD resolution which arguable is too fine. Plus you also get option for touch screen and stylus input.
The specs of this laptop cum tablet is dual core Intel Core i7 CPU, 256GB PCIe SSD, 8GB of RAM, Nvdia GeForece 940MX graphics. The lowest price of $649.99 is available through Amazon.
Dell XPS 15 (Laptop)
The Dell XPS 15 Touch Screen Laptop (9530, Haswell Edition) was first released in October 2013, is a high-end, premium-class and very great multimedia notebook.
It is the fourth generation XPS 15, which has taken many of the design elements of the Ivy Bridge Edition XPS 15 but fixes the cooling/throttling, adds a Haswell CPU and an updated 750M NVIDIA GPU, ditches the optical drive, and on the higher-end SKUs you get an ultra-high resolution 3200×1800 display.
Buyers looking for notebooks in this category expect a perfect design, superior build quality, and lots of power, use it as a Windows-based alternative to Apple MacBook Pro 15. The XPS 15 ships with Windows 8.1 and carries a one-year on-site warranty.
Worth mention is that there are three different models of the new XPS 15 available right now.
The base model XPS 15 comes with a 1920×1080 touchscreen display (it’s not clear if this is a TN panel or not), 500GB HDD with 32GB SSD cache, dual-core i5-4200H CPU, 8GB RAM, integrated HD 4400 Graphics, and a 61Wh battery for $1500 (or a 3-year warranty for $1750).
Stepping up to the $1950 XPS 15 will get you the quad-core i7-4702HQ CPU, 3200×1800 PPS (similar to IPS) touchscreen, 16GB RAM, GT 750M GDDR5 GPU, a 1TB HDD with 32GB SSD cache, and a 61Wh battery.
The high end $2350 edition is mostly the same as the $1950 model, but it dumps HDD storage completely for a 512GB mSATA SSD and adds a larger 91Wh battery in place of the 2.5” drive.
The 2015 update includes a 15.6-inch UltraSharp™ 4K Ultra HD (3840 x 2160) touch display. The system’s QHD+ screen has 10-point touch and responds well to standard Windows 8.1 swipes and commands. Edge-to-edge Gorilla Glass NBT covers the screen.
The chiclet keys of backlight keyboard are matte black and feature a slightly concave surface area. The 9530 has been criticized for the instability of 802.11ac Wi-Fi.
Currently this model has an issue with respect to an annoying electrical/hissing noise called ‘Coil Whine’. The problem has been reported by a lot of customers on the Dell community forums.
(First choice for Windows users for Best performance in video editing laptops)
Mac Pro (Desktop)
The redesigned Mac Pro occupies less than one-eighth the volume of the immediately previous model, being shorter (9.9 inches (25 cm)), thinner (6.9 inches (18 cm)) and less massive (11 pounds (5.0 kg)). It supports one central processing unit (CPU) (up to a 12-core Xeon E5 CPU), four 1866 MHz DDR3 slots, dual AMD FirePro D series GPUs (up to D700 with 6GB VRAM each), and PCIe-based flash storage.
There is a 3x MIMO antenna system for the unit’s 802.11ac WiFi networking interface, Bluetooth 4.0 to facilitate close-range wireless functions such as music transfer, keyboards, mice, tablets, speakers, security, cameras, and printers. The system can simultaneously support six Apple Thunderbolt Displays or three 4K resolution computer monitors.
The port pin-out includes these: a full-sized an HDMI 1.4 port, six Thunderbolt 2 ports (rated at 20 Gbit/s each, bidirectionally), four USB 3 A-type receptacle ports, two Gigabit Ethernet RJ-45 standard jack interfaces supporting two discrete network cards, one headphone out mini-RCA plug port with Apple-protocol headphones support, and one combined digital optical and analog out mini-RCA output jack that all iMacs have featured since 2007.
There is no sound input other than digitally, via USB 3 ports. The system has a low-fidelity internal mono speaker.
iMac (Desktop)
On October 16, 2014, a new version of the 27-inch (69 cm) iMac was announced, whose primary feature is a “Retina 5K” display at a resolution of 5120 x 2880 pixels.
The new model also includes a new processor, graphics chip, and I/O, along with several new storage options.
This computer was designed with professional photographers and video editors in mind, with the 5K resolution allowing 4K video to be played at its native resolution in Final Cut Pro, with room for toolbars on the side.
HP Pavilion (Desktop)
The HP Pavilion is HP’s elegant and innovative all-in-one workstation with a brilliant, large-screen display. Easily modify and change most components -no tools required. Unleash your creativity with increased performance and world-class reliability. Customize your display with alternative 10-point touch technology in a stunning edge-to-edge glass design.
Features:
- The 27-inch, In-Plane Switching (IPS) screen has a 2,560-by-1,440 resolution
- two USB 3.0 ports
- two Thunderbolt 2 ports
- quad-core Intel Xeon E3-1280 v3 processor with Hyper-Threading, 16GB of DDR3
- 4GB Nvidia Quadro K4100M graphics card
- two 256GB SATA solid-state drives (SSDs)
I hope this article will help you choose the best Computers for Video Editing for your professional needs.