Please Help Me Choose the Best Video-Editing Windows Laptop Out of These

I have been looking to get a high-end laptop for video editing software - especially those using AI features for automatic enhancement and upscaling - for quite some time, and there are several laptops (including a few classified as gaming laptops) that I have been considering, a partial list being as below. I have been reading reviews and gathering info, but your comments and suggestions would be very helpful.

1. 2022 Asus ProArt StudioBook 16- 2022 Intel version

2. 2022 Asus ROG Strix SCAR 17 (regular and SE versions)

3. Lenovo Legion 7i 16IAX7 16.0

4. Acer Predator Triton 500 SE Gaming/Creator Laptop

5. Lenovo Legion 5i Pro Gen 7 Intel (16”) with RTX 3070 Ti model Part Number 82RF0003US

I realize there is currently a similar thread on this forum ("High End Workstation for Photoshop and occasional Video Editing") - but my question is much more video-focused and also not as open-ended as I am requesting (more or less) for assistance with narrowing down my choices - though any suggestions outside the above list would be most welcome (except for Macs and desktops for personal reasons).

I am not a professional but have lots of old analog and low-quality digital camcorder travel videos from 2010 onwards in mpeg and 704 x 480 and 480 x 480 resolution. Of course, I have plenty of more moderrn and much better quality videos too from the last 7 or 8 years, but they are less of a worry. In any case, I will be processing lots of videos and want the best possible performance not just for rendering and exporting, but as mentioned before, for AI upscaling and enhancing too, which, per my experience take ridiculous amounts of time and processing power - hence my preference for i9, RTX 3080 Ti etc. I really would like around 64GB RAM and 16GB VRAM, and not all of the above machines allow that, but I am willing to compromise if the cost-benefit ratio and / or incremental time saving or some other good reason like good thermals (or the lack of it) allow / necessitate a slight climb down in specs. I am also not not looking at MSI (reputedly poor reliability) or excessively heavy machines.

The software I am planning to use would be Topaz Video AI, AVCLabs Video Enhance AI, Adobe Premiere Pro, Pinnacle Studio Ultimate, Cyberlink PowerDirector Ultimate etc. I also have the DaVinci Resolve free edition (which lacks the AI enhancement features of the paid Studio version), but it is proving to be rather intimidating and not very user-friendly. But then again, if the Studio edition gives me what I need and does a stellar job, I am willing to invest the time to learn it - and make sure that it can fly - not just run on my laptop.

Thank you in advance for your suggestions.

Laptops are bad value if you need GPU power. Partly the small form factor means more heat. Partly laptop chips tend to have less power.

Laptops also tend to cost more than a similar desktop.

But it's even worse for video. Most video editing programs the GUI takes up a large amount of screen space. A 17" laptop screen leaves you a postage stamp for the actual video. It's bad enough on a 32" screen. Bad enough that using multiple screens is pretty common.

I wouldn't get hung up on the I9. The bit you need to worry about is the GPU.

With gaming laptops high temps and fan noise are a problem, i would pick whatever laptop runs cooler aka has better ventilation.

sbansban said:

I have been looking to get a high-end laptop for video editing software - especially those using AI features for automatic enhancement and upscaling - for quite some time, and there are several laptops (including a few classified as gaming laptops) that I have been considering, a partial list being as below. I have been reading reviews and gathering info, but your comments and suggestions would be very helpful.

1. 2022 Asus ProArt StudioBook 16- 2022 Intel version

2. 2022 Asus ROG Strix SCAR 17 (regular and SE versions)

3. Lenovo Legion 7i 16IAX7 16.0

4. Acer Predator Triton 500 SE Gaming/Creator Laptop

5. Lenovo Legion 5i Pro Gen 7 Intel (16”) with RTX 3070 Ti model Part Number 82RF0003US

Click to expand...

Rather than opinions, if I was making a major purchase like this I'd search the 'Net for detailed technical reviews on each of those models; good tech websites have labs where they can really analyze the pros, the cons, and the 'gotcha' details that merely reading a spec sheet can't tell you. Unless someone here owns one, we can only guess from specs and price.

If I couldn't find a serious review on an expensive PC, I'd take it off my list. Too much 'lemon risk'.

If I were purchasing a notebook for video/creative work, and using it as my only system, I would seriously look at the Asus proArt Pro X W730. I am a fan of Dell systems and think the xps 17 is the choice for me, but the new Asus is very compelling.

Austinian said:

sbansban said:

I have been looking to get a high-end laptop for video editing software - especially those using AI features for automatic enhancement and upscaling - for quite some time, and there are several laptops (including a few classified as gaming laptops) that I have been considering, a partial list being as below. I have been reading reviews and gathering info, but your comments and suggestions would be very helpful.

1. 2022 Asus ProArt StudioBook 16- 2022 Intel version

2. 2022 Asus ROG Strix SCAR 17 (regular and SE versions)

3. Lenovo Legion 7i 16IAX7 16.0

4. Acer Predator Triton 500 SE Gaming/Creator Laptop

5. Lenovo Legion 5i Pro Gen 7 Intel (16”) with RTX 3070 Ti model Part Number 82RF0003US

Click to expand...

Rather than opinions, if I was making a major purchase like this I'd search the 'Net for detailed technical reviews on each of those models; good tech websites have labs where they can really analyze the pros, the cons, and the 'gotcha' details that merely reading a spec sheet can't tell you. Unless someone here owns one, we can only guess from specs and price.

If I couldn't find a serious review on an expensive PC, I'd take it off my list. Too much 'lemon risk'.

Click to expand...

Yes, I have been doing just that - reading up on the available reviews on sites like ultrabookreview.com, laptopmag.com, notebookcheck.net, pcmag.com and others including YouTube along with readers' comments but thought that DPR could be another good source.

I agree about that lemon risk on a major investment - that's why I plan to get the extended warranties (Ouch!!!)

NickZ2016 said:

Laptops are bad value if you need GPU power. Partly the small form factor means more heat. Partly laptop chips tend to have less power.

Laptops also tend to cost more than a similar desktop.

Click to expand...

Of course, no one would dispute that. But desktops are a non-starter for me due to their space requirements, bulk, tangle of wires and lack of portability.

NickZ2016 said:

But it's even worse for video. Most video editing programs the GUI takes up a large amount of screen space. A 17" laptop screen leaves you a postage stamp for the actual video. It's bad enough on a 32" screen. Bad enough that using multiple screens is pretty common.

Click to expand...

You can always play the videos in full screen mode - right?

NickZ2016 said:

I wouldn't get hung up on the I9. The bit you need to worry about is the GPU.

Click to expand...

Your comment is helpful - thanks.

sbansban said:

I have been looking to get a high-end laptop for video editing

Thank you in advance for your suggestions.

Click to expand...

The best possible laptop falls far short of a mid-range desktop and is much more expensive.

Why do you need a laptop for this?

Chris Noble said:

sbansban said:

I have been looking to get a high-end laptop for video editing

Thank you in advance for your suggestions.

Click to expand...

The best possible laptop falls far short of a mid-range desktop and is much more expensive.

Why do you need a laptop for this?

Click to expand...

I have space constraints and already have enough of a mess on my hands with all the wires, cables, chargers, accessories, wearables, headphones and such for multiple devices including for my remote work. I already have a (low-end) desktop and I hate it. Add the dead weight and lack of portability and hopefully I will never have to buy a desktop again. Also, I am not a pro in the creative field so I can compromise a bit - as long as my laptop can get the job done fast and is reliable, I am happy.