The minimum minimum laptop that will edit 1080p smoothly

[zijin_cheng]

I find myself spending a lot of time away from home and from my desktop where I do all of my video editing. I would like to purchase a laptop that will be able to edit 1080p footage smoothly.

I have already been through the system requirements and through many forum threads, however the system requirements just has a huge list of video cards without any indication of how premiere will run on each of them (not that I expect them to do that) and the forum threads are usually about a specific computer/laptop they have in mind.

My question is a little different, I want to know the slowest CPU and slowest GPU that will let me edit 1080p footage smoothly. my use of premiere doesn't include the more complex effects, just cutting footage together, placing transitions, text etc.

CPU: Could an i3-4000U series processor edit 1080p smoothly? What about a Celeron N2957U (I know that's probably pushing the far limits of even opening Premiere but I thought I would ask in case I was wrong)?

GPU: The list of GPUs start at the GTX650/8470. What about a GT520 or an AMD 6530?

Lastly, I'm guessing any kind of integrated graphics would work? I'm specifically looking at the Core M 5y10c.

I'm pretty well versed in the desktop CPU/GPU power structure and have a feel for whether something would run premiere well, but not laptops. Thanks for all your help in advance!

My current desktop below for reference:

i5-3570k

4GB RAM

AMD7850

HDD+SSD

[Bill_Gehrke]

Sorry but nothing you mentioned above will do the job.

[cc_merchant]

Even your desktop is minimum-minimum, requiring maximum-maximum time and patience and nothing like 'smooth'.

Look here for more info: Tweakers Page - What about Laptops?

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[zijin_cheng]

Premiere has always been smooth and has never lagged once. Oh and I only have one video track if that makes a difference.

So any laptop i3 processor won't make it? What about an AMD A6 or A8? Those are much closer in terms of CPU/GPU balance.

[cc_merchant]

Read the link I gave you; It is all spelled out there.

• CPU: at least a quad core i7 processor, preferably with hyper-threading. The faster the better.
• GPU: at least a nVidia GTX 660M or better with 1+ GB DDR5 memory.
• Disks: at least 2 internal 7200 RPM disks or a SSD plus a 7200 RPM disk.

• Connections: minimum is eSATA plus USB3 ports and Thunderbolt 2.0 is desirable.
• Monitor: at least 1920 x 1080 resolution and 15.4" screen size or bigger.
• Memory: bare minimum is 8 GB but workable is only 16 or 32 GB.

If you select a laptop with these qualifications, you can do some 'light editing' for most formats without too much jerkiness or choppy behavior, but it will still be much slower than a desktop.

The biggest drawback of a laptop is the limited number of disks, the need to use a wall-outlet and the premium price. It is a compromise.

AMD CPU's are not suitable for editing.

To see how good your desktop is, go to PPBM Benchmark, register and run the benchmark.

[zijin_cheng]

Oh my bad I thought that link was from Adobe themselves and so I automatically assumed they were "recommended system requirements".

[RoninEdits]

the amd mobile cpu's would top out around the same speed as an intel i3 desktop speed, about half the speed of your i5 desktop. not recommended.

the average intel mobile i7 4-core cpu is around the same speed as your i5 desktop or amd 8-core cpu's. these are generally not recommended here, seen as too slow. however a few people have reported using these "too slow" cpu's in desktops and laptops with good results. the i7-47xxhq laptops with nvidia 845m or 950m, should be usable and may be lower in price as they are being replaced with next gen models. this would be similar spec's as cc_merchant points out.

the "amd not suitable for editing" recommendation may change when amd releases zen, but may also depend on adobe fixing large core count performance problems with their software.

[ankurb13500225]

The optimal requirement to edit 1080p video smoothly in Adobe PR:

1. CPU - AMD Ryzen 5 2400G/1600 (or Equivalent) or Intel i5-8600K/i7-7700K (Or Equivalent)

Note: It should be at least Quad-Core with Hyperthreading.

2. GPU - AMD RX 480 (or Equivalent) or Nvidia GTX1050ti (Or Equivalent)

Note: Video Editing or Graphics work is GPU Intensive. With AMD Ryzen 5 or Ryzen 7, you'll get integrated 8GB of  AMD Vega 8/11 or higher graphics card but still, I would recommend having a separate one. You'll need at least 4GB of dedicated GPU.

3. SSD - Samsung 850 EVO 250GB or WD Blue 128GB m2 SSD

Note: It is required to save the work, for a much more smoother workflow and faster rendering and work.

4. HDD - Seagate Firecuda 1TB SSHD or Seagate Barracuda 1TB HDD

Note: SSD is smaller and I would prefer installing windows and work over there while having all the other data and stuff over on HDD. It'' be your secondary backup.

5. RAM - Kingston HypeX Fury DDR4 2133 or Corsair Vengeance LPX DDD4 3000 or G.Skill Trident Z DDR4 3200

Note: You'll need at least 16GB of RAM for 1080p and 32GB RAM for 4K editing.

You can edit 4K videos on this setup as well but will have some limitations but nothing big. It's not a cheap or budget setup at all. Also! Along with this setup, you need a color accurate 1080p FHD Monitor from Benq or Dell or Samsung with good refresh rate. This hardware will heat your PC a lot so you'll need a good cooling fan, a Liquid Fan will be an overkill. Also! A good power supply for all of the hardware. If you're looking for something budget rather having or building a desktop opt for a Laptop and do some minor upgrades to like SSD, HDD, and RAM. Best Options will be:

1. MSI GL62/GS63/GV62

2. Acer Nitro 5

3. Asus Vivobook

[Ann Bens]

OP posted the question in 2015, might be accommodated meanwhile.

[ankurb13500225]

I know, It's just if someone sees this thread again in 2018, they'll know what they need in 2018.