Best Laptop for GoPro Video Editing

Before we begin, let us ask you a question. What would you rather do? Enjoy a fun-filled adventure or spend hours editing the video you made of your previous adventure. Let me guess, the former? And, it is for this reason that you need to select the best laptop for GoPro editing. The perfect laptop will ensure that you have more time to do what you love the most.

We bring you the best laptop to edit GoPro videos in this article. We will explain what makes it best. And, what you need to have in the perfect setup for GoPro video editing.

What is the best laptop for GoPro video editing?

It is not every day that one buys a laptop. Therefore, you must buy a laptop that caters to your immediate requirements and provides well for the near future.

GoPro records files in HEVC (h.265) or AVC (h.264) format. These formats contain large amounts of compressed data which is not necessarily ideal specifications for viewing.

For instance, you may record a one-minute video in 5K resolution with 30 fps (frames per second). This would need over 1GB of space to store it. Thus, you will have to a use transcoder like Handbrake to convert these recordings into manageable files. And, this is just the beginning.

So, without further delay, the best laptop for GoPro editing is the M1 Apple MacBook Pro with a 16-inch screen.

You have the flexibility to choose between 16GB and 32GB DDR4 RAM. The 16GB version comes with a 512GB or 1TB SSD storage and the 32GB version comes with only a 1TB option. Notably, there is a significant saving to be made with the 16GB version.

Having said that, you need to know that both are excellent options that will get the job done. Therefore, select the 32GB version only if the price is not a concern. It is faster and you will not need to buy an external SSD drive to store your files.

The M1 MacBook is an excellent choice. It may lack a dedicated GPU but the M1 chip’s integrated design more than makes up for this. This ensures that your videos convert and render faster and your workflow is not punctuated by prolonged waiting.

It offers you three Thunderbolt 4 ports that allows you to transfer large video files in a matter of seconds. Also, the 21-hour battery life will ensure uninterrupted adventures away from charging stations and work desks.

What Program is Best for Editing GoPro Videos?

So you have settled on the best laptop for GoPro Video editing. Now you need the perfect video editing software.

Video editing is challenging enough without the tribulations of familiarizing oneself with different interfaces. Hence, you must choose a program that you feel you can adapt to quickly.

Apple’s Final Cut Pro is a natural choice, but not because it is native to the Apple universe. For starters, it does not have a steep learning curve. Hence, everyone from a beginner to a pro finds it easy to use. While beginners love the user-friendly interface, professionals get advanced features that come at a very modest price.

Make no mistake, Final Cut Pro is a professional-grade video editing program. It supports a multiple-camera setup. Thus, a professional videographer can set up cameras to capture the action from different angles without worrying about the editing aspect. Final Cut Pro will incorporate them with ease and also allow you to select and edit so that you create the perfect scene.

Final Cut Pro also offers eye-catching effects. These include text tools and transition effects for video and audio. Additionally, you can seamlessly incorporate third-party tools to develop a customized editing platform.

The latest version of Final Cut Pro (v10.6.2) runs on macOS Big Sur 11.5. Like its v10.5, the v10.6.2 also supports 360-degree VR content and HDR content creation. Most importantly, it supports GoPro native h.265 and h.264 video compression format. Thus, you get a versatile video editing program that provides you with several features to create professional-looking content.

How Much RAM should the Laptop have for Editing GoPro Videos?

So you have the best laptop for GoPro video editing and the best program to go along with it. But, you still have to exercise a couple of choices.

Video editing is a hardware-intensive job. Why? Because video files occupy considerable memory irrespective of whether they reside on your hard drive or RAM. Of course, the RAM only comes into play when you view the video.

But, how about when you are editing? Final Cut Pro recommends that you have 8GB of RAM. These 8GB will be used by the program and the file you are editing (or a section of it). Hence, the 8GB RAM is a necessity of sorts.

While that last statement is true, so is what we mentioned about being prepared for the future. Confused? Let us explain.

Presently, 8K resolution has become mainstream. Most content consumers across the world are ill-equipped to handle even 4K video. Therefore, it would be best to create content in 4K so that you reach a larger audience.

For this, the 8GB RAM is fine. However, remember what we said about being future-ready when buying a laptop?

Hence, a 16GB RAM makes far more sense. It will speed up your present video editing tasks and equip you for the predictable upgrades to 8K demands.

How Much Storage Do I Need for Editing?

This simple answer to this is – the more the better.

The M1 MacBook Pro comes with two options in storage. These are the 512GB and the 1TB.

If you are an adrenaline junkie and you find yourself seeking the next big adventure, you must go for the 1TB storage.

Video files, especially high-resolution (4K and 8K), occupy an enormous amount of storage.

To put things in perspective, a one-minute 4K video at 60fps will set you back about 1GB of storage space. Hence, laptops that offer 256GB are completely out of the question. If you do the math, a 1TB drive will at best store 16hrs of videos (take 35GB for the OS and 4GB for Final Cut Pro).

What this means is that despite 1TB you may end up investing in an external drive. Nonetheless, the M1 MacBook remains the best option because it offers you 1TB and comes with Thunderbolt 4 ports.

Conclusion

Several laptops fit the bill. And the HP Spectre x360, the Dell XPS 17, or the Asus Zephyrus 14 lead the pack. They offer some of the best specifications in terms of CPU, GPU, RAM, and storage. The pricing is competitive and if you love one of these brands you should consider buying one.

However great these options are, the M1 MacBook Pro is unbeatable thanks to its M1 chip. It packs top notch specifications and backs it up with native support for Final Cut Pro. Thus, making it the Best Laptop for GoPro Video editing without any doubt.

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