Video is arguably the most persuasive and powerful medium of today.
With video taking over web content, After Effects is an essential tool for professional videographers, vloggers, and people who create videos or animation videos for fun.
After Effects is one of the popular tools for editing and adding effects, but you need proper resources to make that happen. While you don’t need a whole video set up to edit your videos, you require the best laptop for after effects.
When buying a laptop for after effects, you should consider that this software is resource-demanding and needs a handy laptop for a seamless experience.
Here are the top picks that meet our evaluation criteria:
Lenovo ThinkPad P52s – Best Budget
Apple MacBook Pro 16-Inch– Most Popular
Dell G5 15 Gaming Laptop– Best Value
Requirements For Best Laptop For After Effects
- Intel Core i7 processor
- 16GB RAM
- 1920X1080 Resolution
- 256GB SSD storage
- Backlit keyboard
- At least 4 hours of battery life
- Slim and lightweight design
4 Best Laptop For After Effects Overview
Apple MacBook Pro 16-Inch
It’s a big-screen, capable powerhouse laptop with some excellent features that every creative needs. There are plenty of reasons to choose MacBook Pro for after effects. However, it’s pricey.
First, it has a large 16-inch retina screen, giving you a beautiful workspace. It generates 500 nits brightness for amazing bright whites and highlights while giving you deep blanks due to the precise liquid crystal molecules’ photo alignment.
The AMD Radeon Pro 5300M aids in accelerating GPU and lets you manage many graphic-centric processes with ease. In addition, this graphics card, together with 4GB VRAM, can help with multi-cam scene management, color grading, and 3D layering, among other relevant processes.
It runs using the 9th Gen 6-core Intel Core i7 processor and comes with a mobile SOC equipped to handle VR-centric processes and drive the whole CC-suite sans stutters. Additionally, the 4.5GHz turbo clock speed is also quite helpful in animation-centric tasks, keying, and centric tracking.
MacBook Pro’s system memory the 16GB of 2666 MHz DDR4 memory facilitates multitasking. You can expand it to 64GB when buying this laptop.
Pros
- Good GPU and CPU specs.
- Large screen.
- Good battery life.
- Incredibly slim and sleek design.
Cons
- Expensive.
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Dell G5 15 Gaming Laptop
This is a 15-inch compact laptop that offers good performance for after effects at an affordable price. It is equipped with various component options and a user-friendly travel design, so you can edit your videos when traveling.
Dell G5 15 runs on an 8th Generation Intel Core processor and has powerful NVIDIA graphics. The graphics have up to 6GB GDDR6 allocated to memory, so you get sufficient storage to meet your demands.
It has a 256GB SSD, 1TB hard drive space, 16GB RAM, and a 60GHz refresh rate. Dell G5 15 offers great connectivity as it is equipped with an HDMI port, Thunderbolt 3 USB C, DisplayPort, an SD card reader, an Ethernet port, three USB 3.1 ports, and a head jack port.
It is fitted with a 60 WHr internal battery which lasts for about 2 to 4 hours, which may not be ideal for most users.
This laptop is 3.79 pounds despite having a shiny, clean metal finish.
Pros
- It is affordable.
- It has many ports.
- Suitable for after effects
- Good performance.
Cons
- Poor battery life.
Lenovo ThinkPad P52s
Lenovo’s Thinkpad line gives you plenty of power at an affordable price, and that’s what you get from Thinkpad P52s. It uses a Quad-Core Intel Core i7-855OU processor with 1.8GHz to 4GHz of speed, 8MB cache, and NVIDIA Quadro P500 that has 2 GB GDDR5 VRAM.
It has a plastic body with a black, delicate chassis cover, so you should be careful not to bang it. In addition, the thin, sharp, inclined-shaped design gives Thinkpad P52s a classy, premium look.
The full HD 15.6-inch screen with IPS technology offers outstanding image quality. This large display screen makes video editing more fun.
On the other hand, the LED-backlit display’s 1920 x 1080 resolution gives sharp, bright, and clear color tones, which influences your videos’ quality.
The anti-glare display lowers the stress on your eyes, letting you work in bright sunlight. This is beneficial to editors who spend many hours in front of the screen.
While it can be loud and not the lightest laptop, it has vital features for after effects.
Pros
- Fast processor.
- Great display.
- It has a lot of storage and memory space.
- Great battery.
- Soft quality keyboard.
Cons
- It can be loud.
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Acer Predator Helios 300
Helios 300 is renowned as a gaming laptop, but it has the right specification for after effects. It embodies a sleek design and a portable body with a matte black, sturdy, durable aluminum lid.
This laptop’s 15.6-inch LED-backlit screen is full HD with IPS technology. In addition, like MacBook and Lenovo, Helios 300 gives a wide viewing angle and a 300nit brightness, 1920 x 1080 pixels, and 72% NTSC resolution.
The nicely sized display’s 16:9 aspect ratio helps make your video editing experience better. Helios 300’s fast performance is due to the 6-core Intel Core i7-10750H 10th gen processor with 2.6GHz speed and up to 5.0GHz Turbo Boost Tech.
Besides the processing speed, this laptop has 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD and 16GB DDR4 2933MHz Dual-Channel Memory. You also get connectivity ports, including USB 3.2 generation 1 and 2, MiniDP, Type C USB 3.2 Gen 2 port, and HDMI 2.0.
Intensive computing for a long time usually causes overheating, but thanks to the 3D technology, Helios 300 stays cool. However, it can get loud but settles down in no time.
Pros
- Exceptional memory.
- Great display with excellent resolution.
- It is affordable.
- Fast processor.
Cons
- Low battery life.
FAQs About Laptops For After Effects
Is a Gaming Laptop Good Enough for After Effects?
A powerful gaming laptop has essential features to run apps like after effects efficiently. However, make sure it has great refresh rates and a stellar screen for the best video editing performance.
How Much RAM is Sufficient for Video Editing?
For efficient video editing, use a laptop with a minimum of 16GB RAM to achieve the best quality and speed.
What Role Does Storage Play In Laptops For After Effects?
Since laptops for after effect have heavy editing features and applications, they need storage space. The storage space facilitates the installation and running of the application.
Which Features Should You Prioritize In After Effects Laptops?
The processor, storage capacity, and graphics should be a priority when picking the best laptop for after effects.
Conclusion
Ultimately, the best laptop for after effects should meet the least requirements to run the software. However, you should strive to select the best features and align your preferences with the intended uses.