Best Cheap Laptop for Editing YouTube Videos
Feb 1, 2022
Looking for the best cheap laptop for editing YouTube videos? You've come to the right place.
The internet has opened up a ton of career paths. Creating video content is perhaps the most sought-after and lucrative career path right now. The best part is that anyone can do it. All you need is a camera and a good laptop.
Chances are, you know how difficult it is to build an audience from scratch. Since this is the case, it's wise to not spend too much on a laptop before you start making money from YouTube. Luckily, there are some great budget options available that are on par with many expensive laptops.
In this article, you will learn:
Best Budget Laptop for Video Editing
How to Choose a Laptop for Video Editing
Frequently Asked Questions
Read on and find a budget laptop for video editing that suits your needs.
Best Budget Laptop for Video Editing
While many companies claim that they produce the best laptop for YouTube video editing, there are a few that stand out from the rest. To find the best product, lots of testing needs to be done. Fortunately, we've taken the time to do the testing for you.
1. Acer Aspire 5
Acer Aspire 5 is one of the best laptops for YouTube video editing. It is fast, affordable, and has 12 GB RAM.
The 8th generation Intel Core i5-8250U processor gives you great speed and efficiency. It allows you to watch and edit videos at a high frame rate, thereby letting you edit video at amazing speeds.
The battery can last up to 8 hours, letting you edit on the go. You can run all basic video editing software with no lag or loss of speed.
If you want, you can opt for higher RAM and memory too. You can view all your footage comfortably as this laptop has an IPS panel that gives you two viewing angles.
Specifications and Features
- Screen: 15.6 inches Full HD with IPS Display
- OS: Windows 10
- Storage: 512 GB
- Processor: 8th generation Intel Core i5-8250U processor
Pros
- Great value for money
- Powerful and fast performance
- An amazing display with an IPS panel
Cons
- Average build
- Poor battery life
2. Lenovo Legion 5
The Lenovo Legion 5 is amazing for both gaming and video editing. If you make gaming content, this is the best cheap laptop for editing video content.
It has an IPS panel display that gives you crisp color and clear images. You can easily switch between programs thanks to the amazing processor. Booting, loading, and program switching are incredibly fast.
Also, it can charge up to 50% in less than 30 minutes, saving you a lot of time in the long run. It has a great battery life so you can work uninterrupted. The backlight keyboard enhances your user experience.
Lenovo Legion 5 is a powerful beast that helps you stay productive. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050Ti GPU gives you a great graphics performance as well.
Specifications and Features
- Screen: 15.6 inches Full HD with IPS panel
- Processor: Ryzen 5 4600H
- Storage: 256 GB SSD
- OS: Windows 10
- RAM: 8 GB SO-DIMM
Pros
- Fast charging and long battery life
- Great processing power and build quality
- Backlit keyboard
Cons
- High price point
3. Asus Zenbook 13
The Asus Zenbook 13 is a great laptop for editing YouTube videos. In addition to being loaded with great features, it also has a sleek design and lightweight design.
It has great color accuracy and the display is crystal clear, which is a huge advantage for editing videos. It has a NanoEdge bezel design which gives you an incredible edge-to-edge display.
The i7 processor is quite powerful. It is more than enough for everyday tasks and you can use it for heavier activities like gaming too.
It is sleek and compact, making it ideal for vloggers. The fast charging makes it a good laptop for people who need to work on the go.
Specifications and Features
- Screen: 13.3 inches OLED Full HD with NanoEdge bezel
- OS: Windows 10
- RAM: 8 GB LPDDR4
- Storage: 512 GB SSD
- Processor: 4.7 GHz core i7
Pros
- Lightweight and sleek design
- Amazing display well-suited for video editing
- Equipped with Number Pad 2.0
- Long battery life
Cons
- Few port options
4. Dell Inspiron 5505
Dell Inspiron 5505 is possibly the best laptop for YouTube video editing in its price range. The processor is great for editing videos, playing games, and watching movies.
You may find the AMD Radeon graphics somewhat lacking if you are used to dedicated graphics, but it is enough for editing YouTube videos.
It has a powerful processor and you can multitask and switch between programs without any lag. The storage and RAM are upgradable, so you can customize these aspects as and when you need to.
If you need a laptop that can edit videos as well as perform other everyday tasks at home or in the office, the Dell Inspiron 5505 is your best bet.
Specifications and Features
- Screen: 15.6 inches Full HD with Anti-Glare LED Backlight Non-touch Narrow Border WVA Display
- OS: Windows 10
- Storage: 256 GB
- RAM: 8 GB
- Graphics: AMD Radeon RX Vega 10 Graphics
- Processor: 2 GHz AMD R-Series
Pros
- Amazing display
- Low price
- Fast performance
Cons
- Below average trackpad quality
5. HP 15
The HP 15 is ideal if you are looking to edit heavy YouTube videos. If you do not care for Ryzen processors, the HP 15 is a great choice for you. Its i5 processor has great efficacy and longevity.
Like most HP models, it has a robust build and doesn’t heat up even after long periods of use. It is a great companion for those long editing sessions. You can multitask effortlessly with the HP 15.
The display is Full HD and has an IPS panel to boot, giving great image quality and clarity. It has decent graphics, making it the complete package for editing YouTube videos.
Specifications and Features
- Screen: 15.6 inches with Full HD and IPS panel
- OS: Windows 10
- RAM: 8 GB
- Storage: 256 GB SSD
- Processor: 11th Gen Intel Core i5-1135G7 Processor
- Graphics: Intel Iris
Pros
- Great display and image quality
- Good build quality
- Decent trackpad quality
Cons
- Low battery life
- Non-upgradable hard drive
6. Lenovo Ideapad 5
The Lenovo Ideapad 5 is a great budget laptop for video editing. If you are trying to create content online, you might need a laptop you can use to draw pictures and edit videos smoothly. In that case, Ideapad 5 has everything you’re looking for.
It can handle heavy editing with its fast processor and Intel graphics. The display is crisp and amazing for this price point.
Editing videos means frequently transferring large files. The 12 GB RAM ensures that all data transfers are super-fast and there is no lag in editing heavy video files.
The 512 GB solid-state drive drastically reduces boot time too. If you are looking for a powerful laptop that can handle a lot of multitasking and makes video editing more efficient, you should go for the Lenovo Ideapad 5.
Specifications and Features
- Screen: 15.6 inches Full HD IPS with touchscreen
- OS: Windows 10
- Storage: 512 GB SSD
- RAM: 12 GB
- Processor: Intel i7-1165G7 Processor at 2.8 GHz
- Graphics: Integrated Intel Iris Xe Graphics
Pros
- Powerful display and touchscreen
- Fingerprint reader
- Well-suited for heavy editing and multitasking
- Backlit keyboard
Cons
- Poor battery life
7. Asus Vivobook 14
The Asus Vivobook 14 is a great choice for editing YouTube videos. It is lightweight, making it suitable for vloggers and frequent travelers.
The processor is quite powerful, especially for this price range. You can easily switch between programs and handle heavy video files with no lag or freezing. Video editing is very smooth with this beast of a machine.
The fingerprint sensor gives you greater security and the trackpad is of great quality. It has many port options, giving you more flexibility in data transfers. The graphics are decent and sufficient for video editing and watching movies.
Specifications and Features
- Screen: 14 inches Full HD
- OS: Windows 10
- RAM: 8 GB
- Processor: Intel Core i3-1115G4
- Storage: 256 GB SSD
- Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics
Pros
- Multiple port options
- Fingerprint sensor
- Sleek, lightweight, and portable
- Powerful processor
- Robust graphics card
- Responsive trackpad
Cons
- Low battery life
8. Acer Nitro 5
The Acer Nitro 5 is a great cheap laptop for video editing. It has amazing features and doesn’t cost a bomb. It has a powerful processor and great graphics, making it ideal for editing videos, playing games, and viewing content.
This laptop can handle anything you throw at it. Multitasking is smooth and there is no lag or freezing even while editing heavy video files. The processing power is quite impressive and will support all kinds of usage.
The display is full HD with an IPS panel to give you the best possible viewing experience. If you are a gamer, this is the best laptop you can find at this price. It does not heat up under heavy usage and makes your gaming experience quite rich.
Specifications and Features
- Screen: 15.6 inches Full HD with IPS panel
- Processor: Intel Core i5-10300H
- RAM: 8 GB DDR4
- OS: Windows 10
- Storage: 256 GB SSD
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050
Pros
- Superior image quality
- Powerful processor
- Dedicated NitroSense UI
- Multiple port options
- Great gaming experience
Cons
- Poor trackpad quality
- Average build quality
How to Choose a Laptop for Video Editing
Having a low budget does not mean that you need to compromise on laptop quality. There are plenty of amazing laptops for YouTube video editing at lower price points.
Here’s what you need to consider while picking a cheap laptop for editing YouTube videos:
Let's go over these things in more detail.
1. Processor
The functions your laptop can perform and the speed at which it can perform depend on the processor. If you want a smooth video editing experience, you need a strong processor.
Look for a mid-range processor with multiple cores. It will support almost all video editing software with no issues.
2. Graphics
Graphics determine the image quality of your laptop. If you use your laptop for a lot of video editing, you need a quality graphics card. It will help you edit faster.
Along the same lines, if you are a gamer, you need a laptop with a powerful graphics card. Look for high-quality graphics while picking a laptop.
3. RAM
RAM is perhaps the most important element of a laptop. Greater RAM means that you can multitask with no lag or freezing.
You will often need many tabs and programs open while editing videos, which can slow down your laptop. Having high RAM lets you work uninterrupted. 8 GB RAM is enough to support most video editing software, but you should look at bumping it up to 16 GB if you’d like a smoother performance.
4. Storage
Storage is often ignored while picking a laptop. You should ensure that your laptop has at least 500 GB of space if you want to edit videos for YouTube. If not, the storage should be expandable so that you can upgrade it later.
Editing software is heavy and you will most probably use multiple programs to edit your videos. You need enough storage for all the videos you create. So, you must make sure your laptop has plenty of storage space.
5. Screen
You need a decent screen resolution for editing YouTube videos. Do not buy a laptop with a screen resolution lower than 1440p if you want to edit videos.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Adobe Premiere Run On 4 GB Ram?
It is possible to run Adobe Premiere on a laptop with 4GB RAM. However, you will get low speed which will slow down your editing process.
While it is technically compatible, it is better to upgrade your RAM to at least 8 GB or look for a cheap laptop for video editing. Luckily, there are many cheap laptops for editing YouTube videos available on the market today.
Does Memory Speed Matter for Editing Videos?
You do need a good memory speed for editing videos. Video files are heavy, editing software needs a good amount of RAM, and you need more memory speed for switching between multiple programs.
Greater memory speed helps your edit go smoother and faster. Editing is highly efficient and quick with higher RAM.
Conclusion
Being a YouTuber is a common career choice nowadays. There’s an audience for all kinds of content. All you need to do is start making videos to find yours.
Editing videos is a crucial part of making YouTube videos, and you need a quality laptop for efficient editing. Thankfully, there are many budget options for you to choose from.
Select one of the many good laptops for editing YouTube videos and start your content creation journey.
