Best laptop for programming and video editing Overview
Table of Contents
The best Laptop for Programming or editing is supposed to execute all the required programming tasks quickly and efficiently without being bugging even for a moment or make your editing tasks quick, accurate and fun.
Ideally any best gaming laptops are packed with enough resources to execute any complex programming or editing software, but the computer manufacturer build specific class of laptops that are specially oriented for programming and editing. We are going to talk about these in this post.
Programming is the process of writing a set of instructions or codes that tell a device how to perform a task. Programming expands from making a simple website to making complex software and apps using various computer languages. So the best programming laptop is supposed to execute all these huge bunches of codes seamlessly.
Programming tasks lies in mid between doing a simple task on a computer and playing heavy games. It requires more resources of your system than for simple tasks like watching a movie or using paint but less than that required for playing heavy complex games.
To run programming language like Javascript, C++, Python, Php etc. your system either desktop or laptop must have at least certain minimum level of specs to run efficiently. Lacking in these specs may results in bugging your system.
Also for programming, you have to work for a long time by remaining your system running continuously. Not all computers are made for running a day long.
Similarly editing too requires good amount of your system specifications. For video editing, you have to deal with the large raw files of footages, have to edit it bit by bit. This requires good amount of storage and sufficient RAM.
Lacking these, your video editing software will hang during the act and tends to close automatically. The equation is simple, the more powerful your processor is, the quicker your editing tasks will be.
Editing become easy and fun if your laptop has all the necessary power required. Otherwise it will your large portion of your time and also your system might damaged for forcibly using heavy editing softwares.
More to read : Best Budget Gaming Laptop
Specs. for the best laptop for programming and video editing
Any laptop has its own specifications of Drive, RAM, Processor and other. Company combine theme things at partiular specifications depending on the budget and type of the laptop. So any laptop differs in their use and productivity depending upon these core things.
While considering a laptop for programming and video editing tasks, you should consider these components, since these are the things that will actually do your job.
Processor
This is the CPU of the laptop and all your processing is done here. Codes compilation or editing accuracy depends heavily on it. Processor is the thing that makes a huge critical difference in laptop performances. The minimum level of processor that will work for you is i3 but to work soundly, you must have i5 generation.
RAM
Random Access Memory (RAM) is the temporary storage device that becomes active when you start your computer. A good amount of RAM along with a Powerful HDD will allow you to do multitasking. The minimum amount of RAM that will do your work is 4GB.
Keyboard
Although this is not a necessary material for riding your work but matters for programmers. A programmer used to type long and long codes, so a laptop with a good keyboard will help too much. A good keyboard is that whose buttons are easy to press and don’t try to obstacle you into moving the fingers back. This is the practical thing you can experience it trying on different keyboards.
Screen Resolution
Again this is not a necessary part, but might be considered for long editing or programming. As a programmer or heavy editor, you keep your eyes continuously on the screen which may cause eye strain. So a laptop with good screen resolution is advisable for these kinds of stuff.
Disk Drive
This might be called the heart of the computer where all your data whether of system or your own are stored permanently. The larger the capacity of DD you have or more the volume of your DD is empty you have, the more smoothly your system will work.
The above specs of laptops are not just for programming but for video and photo editing too. These all will even allow you to play medium games if you have graphic cards.
Minimum and Recommended Specs for a Programing and editing laptop
| Minimum | Recommended | |
| CPU | Intel Core i3 | Intel Core i7 |
| Storage | 256GB SSD or 500GB HDD | 512GB SSD or 1TB HDD |
| RAM | 4GB | 16GB |
| GPU | Integrated (with 2GB VRAM) | Dedicated (with 4GB VRAM) |
| Display | HD (1024 x 768) | FHD (1024 x 1080) |
| OS | Windows 7 | windows 10 |
List of Best Laptops for Programming and editing
Here is the litst of best laptop for programming and editing. Please note that sequence order is not the rank of the laptop in the list.
DELL XPS15
Specs : XPS 15 9570-8th Generation Intel Core i7 | 8750H Processor | 4k Touchscreen display | 16GB DDR4 2666MHz RAM | 512GB SSD | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050Ti | Windows 10 Home | Gaming Capable
Price : $1,675.00
Dell laptops are usually considered as back-to-school product, means you can do everything you need as a student from editing to programming and little gaming. Dell is master in providing all thing’s taste in single device.
The XPS15 version is equipped with 4.1GHz intel core i7 processor, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD and Windows 10 which is quite enough for programming and editing. Everything will work fine and smooth.
With 15.6 Inches 4K Ultra HD display (3840 x 2160), you can see each detail of every pixel without needing to zoom in. You can edit images with pinpoint accuracy without worrying about blurriness. Having equipped with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050Ti graphics, this is also a good laptop for full core gaming.
In my personal opinion, this series of Dell laptop is one of the best laptop for programming and video editing in the current window market.
Here is the review of a model of DELL XPS 15 : All-in-One
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Apple MacBook Pro
Specs: MacBook Pro 13-inch | 16GB RAM | 512GB SSD Storage | 2.0 GHZ 10th Gen Intel Core i5 | Processor Count 4 | Color Silver | Powered with M1 Chip
Price : $1600.00
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Being an apple product, this is a wonderful device to be kept on your table. Talking to its physical appearance, it has silver with black keypad combo with nice finishing and give you genuine feeling on touch.
Equipped with quad-core 2,5 GHz 10th Gen intel core Irish plus i5 processor with 16GB RAM and 512 GB ultra fast SSD, it is a powerful product for programming and editing. The machine runs smooth and sound for all your college stuff, but not recommended for hard-core gaming.
The current product is powered with newly designed M1 Chip that is claimed by apple to be 6 times faster than than any other chip.
Some additional features include : Brilliant Retina display with True Tone technology, Backlit Magic Keyboard, Touch Bar and Touch ID.
The screen size, core processor and SSD capacity are customizable and that will change your product cost accordingly. You can even choose color from Silver and Grey.
Overall this is one of the best laptop for programming and video editing among all the mac series laptops.
HP Spectre x360
Specs : Spectre x360 Core i7 10th Gen | 4K OLED display| 2-in-1 | 16GB RAM | 1TB SSD | Windows 10 | with MS Office 2019 | Nightfall Black Color | 1.27kg.
Price : $1,500
This is a wonderful light weight foldable product by hp for multi-tasking from editing to programming. HP is second after Dell for student stuff choice.
Spector-360 series of HP is equipped with Intel Iris Plus Core i7 Gen with 16GB RAM and 1TB SSD with Inbuilt Windows 10 which is good for programming and editing stuffs. Being foldable 2-in-1 it is useful in doing editing jobs and showing projects.
The 13.3″ diagonal 4K UWVA BrightView micro-edge AMOLED multitouch screen gives a wonderful crystal clear images on the screen.
This is called 2-in-1 laptop as can be used as normal laptop or can be folded on stand to make it like a tablet. This is a light weight laptop without Optical Disk Drive. This laptop is not recommended for gaming.
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Lenovo ThinkPad E14
Specs : ThinkPad E14 Intel Core i5 10th Gen | 14-inch Full HD IPS Display | 8GB RAM | 1TB HDD + 128GB SSD | Windows 10 Home | Microsoft Office Home & Student 2019 | Color Black | Weigh 1.69kg).
Price : $900.00
Lenovo ThinkPad E14 is one of the best product for multitasking from programming to editing. It is considered the best laptop for developers, especially those coding for games. The physical look is nice and cool with good finishing.
Equipped with 2.5GHz Intel Core i5, 2133Mhz DDR4 8GB RAM, 1TB HDD + 128GB SSD and Intel HD 620 GPU, this machine can comfortably compile code and also keep usage optimized for battery life.
It has 15.6 inches Full HD IPS Display with max resolution of 1920 x 1080 which is perfect for editing and programming and for watching movie at this price. Also this is a 180 Degree foldable which let you feel as a mobile or tablet.
Some additional features include : Thin and light, 180 Degree Hinge, Rapid Charge (80% in 1 hour), Integrated power button with touch FPR for power-on and secure login in one touch. Overall this is one of the best laptop for programming and video editing.
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Apple MacBook AIR
Specs : MacBook Air 13-inch | 8GB DDR3 RAM | 128GB SSD Storage | 1.6GHz Intel Core i5 Processor | Intel UHD Graphics 617 | Color Silver
Price : $1130.00
Once again apple device in the list and its no surprise as the Apple is the biggest tech. company in the world known for its quality. This Apple MacBook AIR is one of the hot choice laptop for developer, coder and editor.
Having 1.6GHz dual-core intel core i5 processor, 128GB fast SSD storage and 8GB RAM this is a wonderful choice for programming and editing at such low price. Specs are enough for running the students stuff task smoothly. You can do your complex programming, high edge editing and little bit gaming on this device.
Screen is 13 inches wide with resolution 2560 x 1600 which is quite good for for accurate edge task and allow you to zoom each frame without being blurred.
Additional features include 13.3-inch Retina display with True Tone, Touch ID, Dual-core 8th-generation Intel Core i5 processor with Intel UHD Graphics 617, Stereo speakers with wider stereo sound.
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Microsoft Surface Pro 7
Specs : Surface Pro 7 – 12.3″ Touch-Screen | 10th Gen Intel Core i5 | 8GB Memory | 128GB SSD | Platinum with Black Type Cover
Price : $1050.00
This is a wonderful multitasking machine by Microsoft which is a good choice for programmer. Being a screen tough and ultra foldable, you can do your stuff easily and fast.
Contained with 10th Gen Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM and 128GB SSD, this laptop runs smoothly for programming and editing than Surface PRO 6. The code compilation is very quick which is a must for a programmer.
Additional features is its ultra slim and ultra foldable. You can see from the above picture that it can be converted in different style posters. It can be used as a laptop with a stand at its back, as a tablet with pen and can be folded to 270 degrees. You can also apart keyboard from screen to work comfortably.
The ultra slim design is standout with good finishing and smooth surface and all weigh just about 1.70 pounds. The battery life is all day about 11 hours and can be charged upto 80% from 0 in a hour.
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Dell Inspiron 5409
Specs : Inspiron 5409 Intel Core i5 11th Gen | 8 GB RAM | 512 GB SSD | Windows 10 Home | Thin and Light Laptop | 14 inch Display | Color Pebble Weigh 1.4 kg | With MS Office
Price : $911.00
The Inspiron series of Dell is a long trusted device by multitasker for Deep programming and complex editing. This is a wonderful laptop to be kept on your study or office table. It’s physical look is very classy and hear touchy.
Equipped with Intel core i5 11th generation processor with 1 GHz with Turbo Boost Upto 4.2 GHz, 8GB 3200MHz frequency DDR4 RAM which is expandable Upto 32GB, 512GB SSD storage, this is a very powerful device for programming and editing. Of course since this is a Dell product, so it designed for doing all student-stuff task easily.
With 14 inches screen with resolution 1920 x 1080 Pixel with Full HD LED Backlit Anti-glare Display, you can do precise clarity editing and zoom any section to highest level without being blurred. You can also do mild gaming on this device with good frame rate with battery life Upto 6 hours. Overall this is one of the best laptop for programming and video editing.
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A quick glance at all the best programming laptops
| Laptops | Price |
| DELL XPS15 | $1,675.00 (may vary) |
| Apple MacBook Pro | $1600.00 (may vary) |
| HP Spectre x360 | $1,500 (may vary) |
| Lenovo ThinkPad E14 | $900.00 (may vary) |
| Apple MacBook AIR | $1130.00 (may vary) |
| Microsoft Surface Pro 7 | $1050.00 (may vary) |
| Dell Inspiron 5409 | $911.00 (may vary) |
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Good content but the list is short, yet accurate
Nice post dude. But I think programming and editing laptops should not be combined.
LenovoThink Pad E14 is really a good laptop for programming and editing