So when looking at gpu specs, what should I look for and what should I stay away from?

It's going to get really technical again

Ideally, this nVidia product matrix would have all the info you'd need to make that decision. I'd say make sure there is a YES in the first H.264 column (at a minimum) and (ideally, also) in the first H.265 column and you'll be in good shape.

Unfortunately, the laptop/mobile versions (which end in M or MX) are not even listed there. Looking at nVidia's mobile GPU page lists all of their models, but even digging deeply into the spec pages will only list whether that chip has an H.264 DEcoder, and has no info at all on whether it can ENcode H.264 or decode/encode H.265.

The best list I could find after lots of searching was this page, where #3 near the bottom of the page lists all of the nVidia laptop GPUs that support the 2 main video encoders. Make sure you get a laptop with one of these if you want to use it for editing and producing video.

Believe it or not, some people swear they would never edit video without a powerful GPU, and some people don't even bother and rely solely on the CPU (or with an i7, the built-in iGPU) - so there's a wwwwiiiiidddddeeee range of opinions here.

About the only thing I can say is that it's always going to cost more to have a discrete GPU, and almost all of the mobile chips are there for gamers, with us video editors mostly an afterthought unless we're willing to pay for the most powerful mobile chips. For anyone on a budget, I refer back to my earlier post where I believe that getting a new i7 is the most important thing. I will now also make 8GB my min recommended RAM.

Other people may have different opinions, but we're all trying to give you enough info to make an informed decision.

YouTube/optodata

DS365 | Win11 Pro | Ryzen 9 3950X | RTX 4070 Ti | 32GB RAM | 10TB SSDs | 5K+4K HDR monitors

Canon Vixia GX10 (4K 60p) | HF G30 (HD 60p) | Yi Action+ 4K | 360Fly 4K 360°

I do greatly appreciate the info and advice!

I am only looking by i7 and 8gb, but actually leaning more to 16gb actually. I'm also looking at a bigger hd as a factor, 1 to 2 tb.

A friend said a fixed state (I think it's called) is better for all around computing when it comes to speed. Thoughts?

At the moment, my mind is on creating simple videos with power director, I did one yesterday, not too bad. And keeping an eye on best buy until the right deal comes along for me.

I am truly happy to know a little bit of what I should actually be looking for.

Quote I am only looking by i7 and 8gb, but actually leaning more to 16gb actually. I'm also looking at a bigger hd as a factor, 1 to 2 tb.

A friend said a fixed state (I think it's called) is better for all around computing when it comes to speed. Thoughts?

Yes, a Solid State Drive (SSD, or internal "flash drive") is much faster than an older style Hard Disk Drive (HDD), but it's also more expensive for the same amount of storage.

One option would be to look for a laptop with both types, usually something like a 250GB SSD for the C: drive (where Windows and PD will be stored and run from), and a larger internal HDD drive for storage.

The cheapest arrangement would be a laptop with a single SSD and somewhat limited storage, but you could buy an inexpensive external USB drive at any time if you need/want more room to store your videos.

YouTube/optodata

DS365 | Win11 Pro | Ryzen 9 3950X | RTX 4070 Ti | 32GB RAM | 10TB SSDs | 5K+4K HDR monitors

Canon Vixia GX10 (4K 60p) | HF G30 (HD 60p) | Yi Action+ 4K | 360Fly 4K 360°

Quote

Yes, a Solid State Drive (SSD, or internal "flash drive") is much faster than an older style Hard Disk Drive (HDD), but it's also more expensive for the same amount of storage.

One option would be to look for a laptop with both types, usually something like a 250GB SSD for the C: drive (where Windows and PD will be stored and run from), and a larger internal HDD drive for storage.

The cheapest arrangement would be a laptop with a single SSD and somewhat limited storage, but you could buy an inexpensive external USB drive at any time if you need/want more room to store your videos.

Another question: Looking at the i7 processors I'm assuming the 8th generation are the fastest and best, but is it worth looking at i7's with older generations from generation 2 to generation 7? Would any of those generations be okay for video processing? And are there any generations that I should rule out?

I see that I can search laptops by SSD or emcc drives, if they are both good is one preferable over another? Or both satisfactory with right processor and memory?

abacoIan, since you are on a tight budget, I just want to make you aware of some basics since several have suggested a discrete Nvidia GPU for your laptop, adding more cost to you. For PD to utilize the dGPU for encoding/decoding in a laptop some details are important. MOST laptops as purchased employ Nvidia Optimus technology for a iGPU and a dGPU prioritization and will ONLY be able to utilize the iGPU with PD. So in essence you've paid for this nice Nvidia dGPU but really can't use it for encoding/decoding in PD.

A few options exist but are all rather technical, a brief overview of a few options below:
1) Use Nvidia Inspector to create a unique custom profile for PD. Requires some computer savvy but is not 100% without issue for PD use.
2) Disable iGPU in device manager, often not permitted by many OEM's with OEM modified drivers, often creates mixed results, some black screens to work through.....
3) Make sure you purchase a laptop that the iGPU can be disabled in BIOS. Very effective method, but not all laptops allow this. Often very difficult to determine a priori if BIOS permits such option, as such, make sure you purchase from a location that has a no questions asked return policy if you really want PD to take advantage of your purchased Nvidia dGPU.

In your particular situation, for best PD editing experience, I'd simply put as much money as comfortable into the Intel CPU, base your cost vs performance trade on previously mentioned passmark.com CPU benchmarks or any other results based ranking site.

Jeff

"This isn't about how good your video will look (there's no difference in the quality of the final product), but how easy or difficult it will be to do the editing, and also how long it will take to produce the video when you're finished."

I've been thinking about this. If my final product is satisfactory and the only hitch is it takes a little longer to produce, then what specs could I consider to get a lot less expensive laptop?

I am still wanting and seeing the need for a more expensive suitable machine but I just want to consider a decent machine that will work but just take a bit longer.

What cheaper processors are "okay" for editing video? I assume i5 would be one to look at (please let me know) but what others would work as well?

Thank you.

Quote What cheaper processors are "okay" for editing video? I assume i5 would be one to look at (please let me know) but what others would work as well?

Thank you.

This is a steep learning curve, and there's a ton of information in this thread.

We've actually already answered this question several ways, so take a deep breath to clear your thoughts, then slowly and thoroughly read each post again.

Take your time, and just let the information in. Maybe take a break and do something else for a while, and if you review the answers one more time I think you'll be have enough info to make a decision.

There are absolutely no right or wrong answers here, just different options. You can focus on features and see what your "ideal" system would cost, or you can set an ideal budget and see if the laptops in that price range have the features you need. Whichever way makes sense for you.

Then, trust your judgment

YouTube/optodata

DS365 | Win11 Pro | Ryzen 9 3950X | RTX 4070 Ti | 32GB RAM | 10TB SSDs | 5K+4K HDR monitors

Canon Vixia GX10 (4K 60p) | HF G30 (HD 60p) | Yi Action+ 4K | 360Fly 4K 360°