Cheapest computer for editing 4k & 5k footage

[Skybuyer]

If this was a few years ago, I'd definitely recommend a self-assembled PC for too many reasons to list. Now, the video card market is so crazy that you're overpaying for even basic performance packages. Software I use takes years before it's released on Apple so I'm stuck in the PC world but, if you're just looking to edit video, Apple is the best deal right now.

Look at a used 24" M1 iMac or M1-based Mac Mini. I've seen used versions on ebay from $400-$500. Both have similar performance so just buy whichever is the best deal at the time (assuming you have a monitor, keyboard, etc).

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I hear you.
I was a near Mac evangelist for the early years starting around 1988. However my photo studio ended up ditching Apple not long after they went from OS9 to OSX. Printer drivers weren’t available for over 2 years. Our go-to DTP QuarkXpress never did survive the switch. We found that we could outfit the studio with PC’s at 1/3 the cost and ultimately discovered their useful life to be twice that of Macs. IMO apple products just come with too many limitations at a premium price. JMO

 

[Macinfo]

Apple iPad's are good - don't get me wrong and not as expensive as the MacBooks. You can easily spend $1,500 - $2,500 for a MacBook and have nearly same specs as any very good PC laptop at $500 cheaper. But each person buys what they are comfortable with - whether that be an Apple or PC based device. I just don't want to pay extra for the "apple logo" on a device.

You're paying extra for a device with an Apple logo because it works far better, lasts far long than any of the competition. Far more secure, better Editing software either included or get Final Cut Pro for $299.99.

Sure I know that people have a tendency to go with what they know or want to save a $, and perhaps you've never been infected with any Windows malware, or had one of Microsoft's patches or updates go wrong or had hardware die.. But I've had to work with Windows for years in corporate environments and studies show, there is no savings by getting a PC over a Mac.. The arcticles are out there.. Some may disagree, but thats the way it goes these days..

Right now a M1 Mac Mini starts at $699m and it flys rings around everything that I've used or seen... sure there is a learning curve to switch OS, but in the LONG run, you'd get more out of a Mac..

 

[Dan AISCF]

I am a windows guy and programmer of 20 something years. I am familiar inside and out with Windows and don't mind it whatsoever. However, for editing, I bought a new Mac M1 Mini w/ only 8gb of Ram for like $699 or so from amazon. I only shoot and edit in 4k+, h265 and paired with Davinci Resolve 17 (free), the Mac easily runs through the footage, without even a stutter. The only reason I went that expensive (lol) is because our previous 2012 iMac 27" ($300 used on FB) would no longer work with the CinemaGrade plugin we use with Resolve. Even that super old machine worked better with Resolve than any windows machine we've run. I have a 32" monitor paired with it along with two 6" Studio Monitors (speakers). The entire setup would run you like $1100 tops IF you wanted the monitor and studio speakers.

I went the Apple route because my 17" HPElite Book w/16gb of Ram stuttered through everything in Resolve, so I went with a super old iMac 1st then the new Mac Mini M1. Truthfully, it is a decent investment with a little getting used to if you are a Windows person...

 

[MavicAir2Marc]

I am a windows guy and programmer of 20 something years. I am familiar inside and out with Windows and don't mind it whatsoever. However, for editing, I bought a new Mac M1 Mini w/ only 8gb of Ram for like $699 or so from amazon. I only shoot and edit in 4k+, h265 and paired with Davinci Resolve 17 (free), the Mac easily runs through the footage, without even a stutter. The only reason I went that expensive (lol) is because our previous 2012 iMac 27" ($300 used on FB) would no longer work with the CinemaGrade plugin we use with Resolve. Even that super old machine worked better with Resolve than any windows machine we've run. I have a 32" monitor paired with it along with two 6" Studio Monitors (speakers). The entire setup would run you like $1100 tops IF you wanted the monitor and studio speakers.

I went the Apple route because my 17" HPElite Book w/16gb of Ram stuttered through everything in Resolve, so I went with a super old iMac 1st then the new Mac Mini M1. Truthfully, it is a decent investment with a little getting used to if you are a Windows person...

I still have a 2010 iMac that I use for most everything except editing video, a mid-2013 Mac Book Pro that I was editing with before I got the Mini, a 2011 17" Mac Book Pro that I use for file handling and even a 2006 Mac Book Pro that works but the fans in it are shot and it quickly overheats (2nd fans I put in there). I can use any of them for anything I do except video editing. Photoshop, Illustrator, Art Pro, etc...they really do last a long time.

 

[Dan AISCF]

I still have a 2010 iMac that I use for most everything except editing video, a mid-2013 Mac Book Pro that I was editing with before I got the Mini, a 2011 17" Mac Book Pro that I use for file handling and even a 2006 Mac Book Pro that works but the fans in it are shot and it quickly overheats (2nd fans I put in there). I can use any of them for anything I do except video editing. Photoshop, Illustrator, Art Pro, etc...they really do last a long time.

Marc, you are so right. They do last forever. I guess you get what you pay for, lol. I have a 2012 macbook pro that I still use for DJ'ing, although it basically only runs Serato and houses 10's of thousands of songs... As much as I am comfortable with Windows, our house has slowly become an Apple haven. Everyone in the house has at least 6 Apple devices (Phones, Tablets, Macbooks, Watches, Headphones and Pens)...I never thought I'd see the day as a previous Windows and Android only guy. Smh. hahahah....

 

[Chartmarker]

Guys I still use two old ThinkPads from 2004 & 2006 that work harder and do more than any of your old Apple laptops. So how is Apple better than PC? As with any tool of the trade you have to learn how to use it to get it to work for you.

 

[MavicAir2Marc]

Guys I still use two old ThinkPads from 2004 & 2006 that work harder and do more than any of your old Apple laptops. So how is Apple better than PC? As with any tool of the trade you have to learn how to use it to get it to work for you.

So you can edit 4K 60fps H.265 video in realtime without proxies on them?

 

[Chartmarker]

So you can edit 4K 60fps H.265 video in realtime without proxies on them?Are you really asking that question? I was just saying Apple is not the only one with old technology that still works today.

 

[RGS2010]

I just bought a Gigabyte Aero 15" 4K OLED screen laptop with Nvidia 3060 RTX with 6 GB of dedicated graphics, I-7 11th generation processor, Pantone matched, 16 GB Samsung 3200 ghz RAM, 1 TB NvMe PCIe SSD and I love it. It's easy to upgrade RAM and another SSD slot. I've already installed 32 GB of Crucial Ballistix RAM (3200 ghz) and did it in about 15 minutes tops. It has Windows 10 Pro (upgradeable to Windows 11) that I am comfortable with as an editing platform. It runs my Davinci Resolve so much faster than my old laptop with an I-5 and integrated graphics processor and 16 GB of RAM. I've only had it a couple of weeks so no long term use yet. The screen is a glossy 4K screen that is drop dead gorgeous. It also has Thunderbolt 4 connection, HDMI connection, USB-3, and mini-DV out. It was on sale with Best Buy for about $1300 (the KD version) on Black Friday pre-sale but now is back to $1900, maybe it will go back on sale after Christmas???. It also has huge fans to kick in when doing heavy graphics processing so the I-7 processor can keep in turbo mode for a longer time.

Link to website:

AERO 15 OLED (Intel 11th Gen) Key Features | Laptop - GIGABYTE U.S.A.

World’s leading brand of the best gaming laptops and creator laptops. Produce the thinnest, lightest, and high-performance laptops for gamers and creators.

www.gigabyte.com

Link to Best Buy:

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/gigabyte-15-6-4k-oled-creator-laptop-intel-core-i7-11800h-16gb-nvidia-geforce-rtx-3060-1tb-ssd/6463823.p?skuId=6463823

 

[MavicAir2Marc]

I was just asking because it would be incredible if it did. Some people build their own PCs from scratch. My son did, he’s got liquid cooling, fancy lights, the lot. Good for people that can do that sort of thing because I surely can’t.

 

[thispilothere]

He's looking for something cheap to do the job. As a PC guy who has built dozens of systems from scratch, the answer is to get a used M1-based Mac Mini. $400-$500 will buy you a computer that can easily edit high res video. It won't do everything an expensive, custom PC can, but that's not what he's asking about.

 

[Dan AISCF]

Guys I still use two old ThinkPads from 2004 & 2006 that work harder and do more than any of your old Apple laptops. So how is Apple better than PC? As with any tool of the trade you have to learn how to use it to get it to work for you.

Not saying Apple is better than PC, I was saying MY Apple hardware was better than MY PC hardware

 

[slozukimc]

I ended up buying a Macbook Air with the M1 chip. I will report back when I find out how well it works.

Thanks All, Mike

 

[kjonyou]

Why not build your own? I just did that for the first time in my life and I am NOT a computer expert at all. Not as hard as it sounds, a lot of creatives do this now. It's a lot easier now than it ever was. Plug and play almost like legos. Lots of YouTube videos for beginners. There's a website called PC Part Picker where you can speck a list of all the parts you need and it will tell you if they are comparable or not and total the amount and links where to get the parts. You can even ask people to critique your list. You can even swap out things to see what they will cost if you build it.

This guy is the best known on YouTube, very straightforward.

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Or you could get fancy with lots of RGB lights and water cooling.

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PC Part Picker
https://pcpartpicker.com/

 

[slozukimc]

Why not build your own? I just did that for the first time in my life and I am NOT a computer expert at all. Not as hard as it sounds, a lot of creatives do this now. It's a lot easier now than it ever was. Plug and play almost like legos. Lots of YouTube videos for beginners. There's a website called PC Part Picker where you can speck a list of all the parts you need and it will tell you if they are comparable or not and total the amount and links where to get the parts. You can even ask people to critique your list. You can even swap out things to see what they will cost if you build it.

This guy is the best known on YouTube, very straightforward.

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Or you could get fancy with lots of RGB lights and water cooling.

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PC Part Picker
https://pcpartpicker.com/

No thank you. I don’t get along well with Windows systems that come prebuilt. Always something to fix or fiddle with to make the PC work so I can do other things. I am not a computer tech and have ZERO desire to be one.

Mike