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Choosing a Computer
for Video Editing

Look for processing power, memory and hard drive space

Posted: March 20, 2011

Are you in search of a computer for video editing? Below is a list of computers that will definitely get the job done.

Documentaries tend to be fairly straightforward without the need for a lot of fancy graphics, heavy video layering or a million tracks of audio.

But with a long (one-hour+) program length, you'll want some decent power and hard drive space to handle all that information.

I'm also assuming that if you're a documentary filmmaker, budget is a huge factor.

So with those things in mind, here are a few suggestions for choosing a basic computer for video editing. You can always downgrade the specs to fit within your budget restraints.

Desktop Computer for Video Editing

Mac Pro

Mac computers are a standard in the video production world, so you can't go wrong with a Mac.

The Mac Pro is the pricier option, but you get a powerful machine that can handle most any editing situation. You'll pay anywhere from $2500 - $5000 (retail) for the computer depending on the processing speed, memory and amount of hard drive space.

Apple Mac Pro Video Editing Computer

The Mac Pro model above (MB871LL) is the perfect place to start with a bare bones 3GB RAM that can be expanded to a whopping 16GB -- and 640GB of hard drive space which can be expanded to a mindblowing 4TB. Of course, the Mac Pro has plenty of USB and Firewire ports to hook up all your gear.

iMac

The iMac is a great choice for the budget conscience documentary filmmaker.

Apple iMac Computer

The model above retails at $2,199. It has a massive 27-inch screen, a solid 4GB of RAM with room to add more later (12GB is recommended for heavy editing), 1TB of hard drive space, an i7 processor and firewire port. All components for a solid video editing experience. And the bonus is that the monitor and computer are all in one so you don't have to pay extra for a monitor. You will want to buy either Final Cut Express or Final Cut Studio (Pro) video editing software.

**Update June 2011: Final Cut Express has been discontinued. Looks like Final Cut Pro X will be your only video editing option from Apple.

HP Pavilion Elite

If you prefer editing on a Windows-based computer, the HP Pavilion Elite is a solid choice for HD video editing with 8GB of RAM (can be expanded to 16GB), 1TB of harddrive space, a Six-Core processor and a firewire port.

HP Pavilion Elite HPE-430f Desktop PC

Laptop Computer for Video Editing

In general, laptops are not the best choice as a long-term video editing solution. You tend to pay more for less with laptops. But maybe you travel and need a quick video editing solution on the go. If so, here are some top choices.

MacBook Pro

Again, you can't go wrong with a Mac. Macs are built for multimedia projects and the MacBook Pro is a solid choice. Just be prepared to open your pocket book. A 15-inch screen retails $1799 - $2199.

Apple MacBook Pro Laptop

Toshiba Qosmio X505-Q890

On the PC side, try out this slick black and red Toshiba. It's pricey (retails $1,745), but it boasts 6GB of RAM memory, a i7 processor and 500GB of hard drive space. A bit heavy and clunky for travel (this model has an 18-inch screen), yet it will do what you need for video editing on the go.

Toshiba Qosmio X505-Q890 Laptop

Computer Buying Cheat Sheet

Here are your basic specs to look for when buying a computer for video editing:

4-8 GB RAM memory or as much as you can afford
3.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor or better
At least 160 GB hard drive, 7200 RPM .. buy as much as you can afford, you can always add external hard drives
Graphics card – 512-1GB nVidia Quatro or a Geforce graphics card – For Apple --- ATI Radeon HD 5670 graphics with 256-512MB memory (you only really need 512 if gaming)
Sound card – ASUS motherboard
Nice size screen – 19-21 inch minimum
Windows 7, 64bit edition
8x SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Firewire Port

No time to research? Confused by all the choices?

If you're ready to get started on your documentary and you're tired of trying to figure out what equipment you need to buy, here's a "no-brainer" pre-assembled video editing workstation.

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