The best video editing computers you can buy right now
the simplest video editing computers got to be pretty powerful – there’ no way around it. Video editing could be a exacting task for any machine, as is rendering, and dealing at high resolutions like 4K or 8K solely compounds the problem. strive it with a machine that’ not specced for it, and you’ll end up encumbered during a peat bog of stall progress bars and non-responsive programs.
Across macOS and Windows, you’ll find a set of computers designed to handle the pressure. They’ll want a high-end graphics card, a high-spec processor, and lots of RAM. None of this comes cheap, however you don’t essentially ought to pay a bucket of cash, as there are affordable choices for those on a decent budget.
We’ve unbroken this guide to desktop computers. we discover them to usually be a {more robust|an improved} alternative for video redaction if you have got the house as they’ll use more subtle cooling systems than laptops, that means they can handle intense process workloads while not overheating.
Don’t declare laptops fully tho’ – we’ve a helpful guide to the simplest laptops for video redaction if you’d wish to see the options. Even a smartphone will liquidate a pinch, and that we have a guide to the best video editing apps for YouTube if your editing comes aren’t planning to involve way more than a fast cut or two.
Of course, having a desktop mean you’ll got to attach a monitor – we even have a handy guide to the best monitors for video editing. If the all the school stuff is obtaining a small amount overwhelming, you can scroll to rock bottom of this page wherever we’ve a passionate section on what to think about once shopping for a laptop for video editing.
This guide includes exceptional all-in one PCs, the terribly latest Macs, and additionally a number of the best vice PCs that in our reviews we have a tendency to found to supply what video editors want from a computer. vice could be a task that needs heaps of process power and sensible graphical performance, very like video editing, so there’ a lot of crossover there. you’ll explore the choices as we jump right into our guide to the simplest video redaction laptops.
The simplest video editing computers
01. iMac (24-inch, 2021)
The best computer for video editing overall
SPECIFICATIONS
CPU: Apple M1 chip with 8‑core CPUGraphics: Integrated 7-core – 8-core GPURAM: 8GB – 16GB unified memoryStorage: up to 2TBScreen: 24-inch 4.5K Retina displayTODAY’S
BEST DEALS
VIEW AT AMAZON
REASONS TO BUY
+Excellent screen quality+Updated, colorful design+Compact all-in-one
REASONS TO AVOID
-Lack of ports-No discrete GPU
Providing AN best balance between power and price, the new generation of Apple iMac computers are nice for video redaction for all forms of users, as well as students and total newbies. The 24-inch show boasts a 4.5K resolution, therefore this isn’t one for those wanting to render 8K footage, however the bulk of users aren’t planning to got to worry regarding this. The design of the iMac was additionally welcome, with skinny bezels for a sleeker overall look.
a bonus of victimization AN Apple product is prepared access to motion-picture show Pro, creating it simple to hit the bottom running together with your redaction. In our review of the iMac M1, we have a tendency to found it had been ready to handle even advanced video editing tasks, resembling multiple 4K streams during a single timeline, with relative ease. the shortage of a distinct GPU means that it lags in tasks like rendering complex effects-heavy video in DaVinci Resolve, particularly compared to the likes of the MacBook Pro. But, well, that’ why those computers value most more. For the bulk of editors, the iMac M1 goes to try and do everything they need, and jazz in exemplary fashion.
See our iMac M1 review for a lot of details. And if the 24-inch show isn’t massive enough for you, then the older 27-inch iMac (see below) may well serve your purposes…
02. iMac (27-inch, 2020)
Another brilliant video editing computer from Apple
SPECIFICATIONS
CPU: 10th-generation Intel Core i5 – i9Graphics: AMD Radeon Pro 5300 – Radeon Pro 5700 XTRAM: 8GB – 128GB 2666MHz DDR4Storage: 256GB – 8TB SSDScreen: 27-inch (diagonal) 5120 x 2880 Retina 5K displayTODAY’S BEST DEALSCHECK AMAZON
REASONS TO BUY
+Improved internals+Can be configured to be very powerful
REASONS TO AVOID
-Design is getting old-Just two Thunderbolt ports
free in 2020, this model of the long-lasting iMac personal computer won’t look as fashionable as its new, younger sibling, however it still sports capable components, that includes up to a tenth generation Intel i9 processor ANd an AMD Radeon professional 5700 XT.
That distinct graphics card and larger 27-inch show will outstrip the M1 element within the newest iMac computer, that is favourable for anyone running a lot of exacting applications. In our review, we have a tendency to were affected by however swimmingly the iMac may keep running even whereas we loaded it up with tasks – we were transcoding a video get into the background while continued to figure on different things, and performance barely flickered.
Also, while we were operating with the iMac, it ne’er perceived to overheat, and also the fans never kicked up the sort of almighty din you expect from some computers. It’ a testament to the quality of Apple’ thermal style.
The all-in-one design o the iMac two020 means that it’ simple to line up and appears sensible in any office, home or studio, and it’ a formidable laptop once it involves redaction high-resolution videos. See our iMac 2020 review for a lot of details.
03. Microsoft Surface Studio 2
A brilliant Windows all-in-one
SPECIFICATIONS
CPU: Intel Core i7-7820HQGraphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 6GB -GTX 1070 8GBRAM: 16-32GBStorage: 1-2TB SSDScreen: 28-inch 4500×3000 resolution IPS displayTODAY’S BEST DEALSCHECK AMAZON21 Amazon customer reviews☆☆☆☆☆
REASONS TO BUY
+Powerful graphics+High-res touch-sensitive display+A decent iMac alternative
REASONS TO AVOID
-The CPU is out of date compared to rival products-Eyewateringly expensive for what you get
The Microsoft Surface Studio two could be a sensible alternative to Apple iMac computers, sporting an identical all-in-one design, with some of extras to sweeten the deal.
For one, the Surface Studio 2 comes with a touch-sensitive 28-inch show that options an enormous resolution of 4,500 x 3,000 pixels, so you’ll also drag and drop video clips with a finger {as we have a tendency toll|also|additionally|further|furthermore|in addition|likewise|moreover|similarly|still|yet} as a mouse, and there are lots of on the market ports for you to attach your favorite mice, keyboards and different peripherals.
In our review, we were massively affected with the look of the Surface Studio 2, particularly the very fact that it comes with a hinge that enables you to flip the screen all the manner all the way down to edit video. the flexibility to instantly switch color profiles from sRGB to DCI-P3 (and indeed, having DCI-P3 at all) is additionally massively useful for video folk.
The parts within are what prevents Windows from taking the crown from Apple during this list, however they’re still capable of running video redaction applications with ease. AN choice to upgrade the hardware may need been nice for future-proofing, but Apple is also guilty of denying users this option. If you’re already within the Windows ecosystem, the Surface Studio two is a wonderful alternative for video editing.
04. Mac Studio
Apple’s high-performance workstation is a LOT of power
SPECIFICATIONS
CPU: M1 Max 10-cores / M1 Ultra 20-coresGraphics: 24-core GPU / 48-core GPURAM: 32-128GBStorage: 512GB-8TB SSDScreen: NoneTODAY’S BEST DEALSCHECK AMAZON
REASONS TO BUY
+Fantastic for 8K editing+Near-silent in use
REASONS TO AVOID
-Very expensive-More than most need
The mackintosh Studio is Apple’ latest superior computing powerhouse. wanting sort of a few mackintosh Minis (more on that below) welded together, the mackintosh Studio is meant for artistic professionals, and is ideal for video editors with massive power needs. It is run victimization Apple’ own M1 grievous bodily harm or M1 radical chips, the latter of which provides you double the cores, memory and information measure of the former. do to say, this can be one among the foremost powerful computers Apple has ever made.
once we reviewed the mackintosh Studio, we found, as expected, that it coped unbelievably well with just about any creative task, as well as video redaction. we have a tendency to place it through its paces editing a complex project in motion-picture show Pro, as well as scenes that incorporated 8K footage. It ran as sleek as you like, ANd was essentially silent. It additionally terribly nicely handled rendering 3D footage in Houdini. while not a doubt, it’ an astounding machine.
If you’re not playacting the forms of video redaction tasks elaborated above, then this can be actually a lot of computing power than you require, at a better tag than you wish to pay. however if your video editing work flow is very power-intensive, and you need to be assured that your laptop can keep up, we’d advocate that mackintosh Studio without hesitation.
05. Apple Mac mini (M1, 2020)
Powerful, small and great for video editing
SPECIFICATIONS
CPU: Apple M1 chip with 8-coreGraphics: Integrated 8-coreRAM: 8GB – 64GB unified memoryStorage: 256GB – 2TB SSDScreen: NoneTODAY’S
BEST DEALS
VIEW AT AMAZON
REASONS TO BUY
+Same lovely design+Very good performance+New M1 hardware has potential
REASONS TO AVOID
-Can’t use eGPUs-Not ideal for 4K
The mackintosh mini could be a diminutive laptop equipped with Apple’ all-new M1 chip, that packs AN 8-core GPU, however don’t let its compact size fool you – {this is|this is often|this is} a really capable laptop for video editing, particularly once paired with one among the simplest 4K monitors on the market. Its little size permits means that it can be tossed into a bag and simply carried around, providing you with a desktop with the movability of a laptop.
the bottom model options the Apple M1 chip with 8-core processor and 16-core Neural Engine with 256GB SSD, and there are four enlargement ports at the rear for either USB or Thunderbolt external storage, and HDMI 2.0 to at the same time support 2 displays. once it came time to reviewing the mackintosh mini M1, we have a tendency to needed to visualize how well it handled exacting video redaction tasks, therefore we shod up motion-picture show professional and got started cutting some 8K footage. Result? the tiny machine handled the task with unbelievable ease – and, also, silently. That’ extremely quite spectacular for a tool of this size.
It sports an equivalent hardware found within the new iMac 24-inch model, and offers terribly similar performance, however while not the inherent display, and for quite bit less money. If you have already got a monitor you’re keen on using, then the mackintosh mini could be a nice various to the new iMac, and might prevent a good quantity of cash. browse a lot of regarding it with our mackintosh mini (M1) review.
06. HP Omen 30L
This gaming PC doubles up as a highly capable tool for video editing
SPECIFICATIONS
CPU: Intel Core i7-10700KGraphics: RTX 2080 SuperRAM: 16GBStorage: 1TB SSDScreen: NoneTODAY’S BEST DEALSCHECK AMAZON
REASONS TO BUY
+Good-value processing power+Components can be swapped
REASONS TO AVOID
-Single cooling fan-Design not for everyone
It’ well value wanting into vice PCs for your video redaction needs. when all, gaming is AN activity that needs heaps of power out of your laptop for a protracted amount of your time – a bit like processing and rendering video. whereas heaps of gamers build their own computers, there are lots of choices out there for people who don’t have any interest in doing that, resembling the HP Omen 30L.
The glass-heavy vogue enables you to see the interior components, which can to not everyone’ tastes, however we have a tendency to rather like it. The computing power is excellent, particularly for this value point, with a healthy 16GB of RAM to play with, and also the graphical performance is additionally extremely good, that is handy if you’re planning a lot of intense when Effects work. the look of the pc makes it fairly simple to swap out parts, therefore if you’re somebody who will get their hands dirty, you’ll be ready to facilitate the HP Omen 30L sustain for a decent few years.
There’ only 1 cooling fan, and bear in mind that it extremely will get loud once the pc is playacting exacting tasks; you’ll be forgiven for thinking someone had crammed a reaction-propulsion engine in there. this can be few killer flaw, simply one thing to be aware of.
07. Lenovo Legion Tower 5i
A powerful PC for video editing
SPECIFICATIONS
CPU: up to 10th-gen Intel Core i7Graphics: Up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SuperRAM: Up to 16 GB DDR4 2933MHzStorage: Up to 2 TB HDD + 1 TB SSDScreen: NoneTODAY’S
BEST DEALS-CHECK AMAZON
REASONS TO BUY
+Clean, modern design+Beefy components+Various configurations
REASONS TO AVOID
-No USB Type-C at the front
The Lenovo Legion 5i is another nice example of vice PCs that additionally double as fantastic PCs for video redaction, providing excellent worth for cash and suppleness for anyone who dabbles in games aboard their artistic work.
You’re obtaining tenth generation Intel processors, and up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Super, each of that are slightly out of date given the newest people releases from Nvidia and Intel, however still terribly capable and powerful enough to run abdominal aortic aneurysm games and any video editing application you’ll throw at it.
you’ll additionally tack it with up to 16GB of RAM, which once more ought to be lots for many people’ needs. If you find you wish more, then you’ll perpetually upgrade it yourself later – one among the simplest things regarding desktop laptops is however comparatively simple they’re to upgrade. better of all, this PC can go with numerous storage space, with up to 1TB drive and a 1TB SSD – creating it ideal for storing all of your video files on.