10 Best laptop solutions for Go Pro video editing in 2023 (March edition) ($640-$6,000)

I think we can all agree that editing the videos is a headache. It's worth it in the end, though, if you want to immortalize an awesome experience. Assuming you're just a regular (though awesome) dude or dudette trying to record your activities with your Go Pro Hero 10 camera, you might be feeling stuck as far as what would make for the best laptop for go pro video editing is concerned.

This comprehensive guide will walk you through the core laptop requirements for editing GoPro videos and how I choose which ones fit the bill the best.

So don't hesitate, scroll down past my introduction to see which laptops are best for you!

The best processor for Go Pro video editing in 2022

It's now been almost a year since Apple's M1 system-on-chip module hit the market, and AMD has managed to capture a sizable chunk of the CPU market with its 6th generation Ryzen processors. However, Intel's 13th-gen processors are still yet to reach laptops; their latest model is the 12th generation. Both Apple and Intel have adopted the hybrid performance/efficiency core design (based on big.LITTLE). This means that while they offer excellent single-core performance, you're not going to get top of the line multi-core performance; this makes them a good choice if you need a laptop with good battery life.

When you're looking for the best possible processor for Go Pro video editing, it's important to keep in mind that you'll be dealing with 4K footage at least. If you need to edit footage shot at 4K 120 FPS, you'll need to go beyond a mid-range processor and look at more powerful hardware. If you want top of the line performance, you should look for an Apple M1 Pro or an H-series processor from AMD or Intel. Keep in mind though, that higher-end processors will produce more heat and require more cooling, so be sure to get a laptop that has good cooling if you go down this route.

To determine which processor is best for video editing, benchmarking is a must. We recommend using Cinebench R23 as it's one of the most popular benchmarks when comparing general performance. Media Encoder benchmark scores are also useful, though they might not give you an accurate picture due to Intel Quick Sync being used in certain scenarios.

Now, let's take a look at what to expect from different price ranges. If you want to go as low as possible, you can get a decent processor for around $300. At this price range, we recommend either an Intel i5-1240P or a Ryzen 5 6600U. If you're looking for something more powerful, we suggest considering an Intel i7-12650H or a Ryzen 7 6800H; this should be enough for editing standard 4K footage without any issues. For those looking for the very best performance, Intel's i9-12900H and AMD's Ryzen 9 6900HX are the way to go; however, these are on the pricey side.

To sum it up, if you're looking for a processor for Go Pro video editing, there's no one-size-fits-all answer. However, with some benchmarking and careful consideration of your needs and budget, you can find the right processor that will allow you to edit your videos with ease.

Picking a good graphics

With the ever-evolving GPU market, it can be difficult to decide on the right laptop Graphics card for Go Pro video editing. With Nvidia dominating the market, the RTX 30 series is the current standard for laptop GPUs, with the 40 series due to hit the market in 2023. Desktop GPUs are now more power-hungry and that gap has widened in recent years, but Nvidia's Max-Q label has been discontinued and power consumption is now determined by the laptop manufacturer.

Integrated graphics chips should only be used for hobbyist editing and anyone looking for professional options should get a dedicated GPU. Video editing applications heavily depend on a dedicated graphics card and thus a dedicated chip is practically mandatory for PC laptops. To decide on the best GPU specs, look at the laptop's model name and its benchmark scores in 3DMark and encoding/decoding times with various codecs such as H.264, H.265 and AV1.

When shopping for a laptop, consider the budget constraints – gaming laptops tend to be pricier with weaker CPU/GPU combos but offer better components if you're willing to spend more money. To help you decide on the right GPU for Go Pro video editing, we've put together a table of recommended GPUs with their median/average laptop prices based on PCMark benchmark scores.

Minimum: RTX 3060

Recommended: RTX 3070; RX 6800M

High-end: RTX 3080

GPU	PCMark 10 Score (points)	Average Laptop Price
RTX 3060	5134	$1,200
RTX 3070	5973	$1,500
RTX 3080	6893	$2,400
RX 6800M	6242	$1,900

How to choose the right memory for Go Pro video editing?

The minimum amount of RAM you should look for when buying a laptop for video editing is 16 GB, but for professional work 24 GB or more is recommended. For extremely demanding projects, such as those requiring 8K RAW files with deep color depth, you might want to look for laptops with 32 GB or more of RAM.

At the moment, laptops come with DDR4 or DDR5 RAM. While DDR5 RAM offers a slight performance boost over DDR4, it is still quite expensive and not worth the extra cost unless you are dealing with 4K footage regularly. If that's not the case, then the extra cost of DDR5 isn't really worth it – stick to DDR4.

To help you decide on the amount of RAM you need, here is a table that lists the recommended RAM amounts based on laptop price range:

Price range	Recommended RAM
Low-end	16 GB
Mid-range	24 GB
High-end	32 GB

Deciding on a storage

The storage market has changed significantly in the past couple of years. Gone are the days of HDDs and even SATA SSDs – nowadays, PCIe M.2 (usually NVMe) SSDs are the standard. Most budget laptops (<$900) come with 500 GB of storage, while mid-range ones will usually offer 1 TB and high-end ones (~$2k+) usually feature 2 TB.

Video editing is one of the few areas where storage performance still matters and the requirements are measured in TBs, not GBs. For most users, a single NVMe SSD will be more than enough for all their projects. However, if you have a lot of open projects or want to keep them open for days on end, consider getting two drives – one for the OS and applications and another one for your project files. When choosing an SSD, make sure to check the benchmarks if possible – if there's 0 information on the SSD model, that's a red flag. Additionally, having plenty of USB ports (4+) allows for external storage if necessary.

When it comes to the recommended storage configurations for video editing laptops, the minimum requirement is 1 TB and an upgrade option. For the most reliable performance, we recommend 2 TB of storage and a 4 TB setup with an external drive for the high-end range. Take your time to compare models and research the specs to get the best bang for your buck – don't settle for less than you need!

How to choose the right display for Go Pro video editing?

When it comes to video editing, the laptop display can be a make or break factor. You want something with good color accuracy, brightness, and contrast for optimal performance. So what type of display should you go for, and what specs should it have? Let's take a closer look!

The first thing to consider is the display size. The more area you have to work with, the easier it will be to edit your footage. Most 15-inch and larger laptops now come with 4K resolution displays, though some high-end models may even offer mini LED or OLED options. Meanwhile, smaller laptops like 13.3 inches usually feature Full HD resolution.

When it comes to panel types, you want to make sure to get an IPS or IPS-level screen at the very least. These provide superior color accuracy and clarity, making them ideal for video editing. You could also consider OLED displays, though they are still quite niche and expensive.

Other display features such as refresh rate may also come in handy. If you're into gaming and streaming, a high refresh rate will come in very handy. Lastly, if you're looking for a budget-friendly option, you may find some TN panels. However, these are not suitable for professional video editing due to their lower quality.

When it comes to color accuracy, you'll want to look for displays with at least 300 nits of brightness and 90% coverage of the Adobe RGB color gamut. This should cover most of your needs. If you're looking for something a bit more advanced, consider investing in an IPS mini LED or OLED panel with 400 nits of brightness and 95% or more of the P3 color gamut.

At the end of the day, the right display will depend on your budget and usage preferences. A minimum of 300 nits and 90% Adobe RGB should suffice for casual video editing, while high-end users can go for mini LED or OLED panels with 400 nits of brightness and 95% or more P3 color gamut coverage.

5 Best Laptops for Go Pro video editing

Table of the Best Laptops for Go Pro video editing

Laptop	Price (approx)
ASUS Zenbook
GIGABYTE AORUS 15 XE4
ASUS ROG Strix Scar
Lenovo ThinkPad P16
Dell XPS 17 9720