#1
High-endAMD Radeon RX 7900M
16 GB VRAM · 120 W TDP
Editing score
68 / 100
H.264H.265AV1
~1499 €
Indicative price — varies by laptop
Best laptop for video editing in 2026: Windows vs Mac
Compare Windows laptop GPUs and Apple Silicon MacBooks for video editing. Editing score, accelerated codecs, memory and current price.
Best Windows laptop GPU for video editing
Sorted by editing score. CUDA (NVIDIA) accelerates AI tools in DaVinci Resolve and Premiere Pro.
#2
High-endNVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop
8 GB VRAM · 115 W TDP
Editing score
62 / 100
H.264H.265AV1
~1699 €
Indicative price — varies by laptop
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop
8 GB VRAM · 115 W TDP
Editing score
55 / 100
H.264H.265AV1
~1249 €
Indicative price — varies by laptop
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop
8 GB VRAM · 115 W TDP
Editing score
38 / 100
H.264H.265AV1
~899 €
Indicative price — varies by laptop
Mac vs Windows for laptop editing: which suits each editor?
Choose Mac if...
- • You use Final Cut Pro as your main tool
- • You edit in ProRes or ProRes RAW from camera
- • You need the longest battery life unplugged
- • You value the Apple ecosystem (iPhone, iPad, iCloud)
- • You want zero software maintenance
🪟 Choose Windows if...
- • You depend on CUDA (Topaz, Magic Mask, DLSS)
- • You use third-party plugins with no Mac version
- • Your workflow is Adobe Premiere + After Effects
- • You need top price/performance in mid-range
- • You also want to use the laptop for gaming
2026 verdict: For pure video editing, the MacBook Pro M5 Pro offers the best price/performance among laptops. For maximum compatibility with CUDA tools and gaming, a Windows laptop with RTX 5070 Laptop is the more versatile alternative.
FAQ — video editing on a laptop
Mac or Windows for video editing on a laptop?
It depends on your workflow. If you use Final Cut Pro or edit ProRes intensively, the MacBook Pro M5 Pro or M5 Max has no laptop rival. If you depend on DaVinci Resolve with third-party plugins, CUDA (Topaz, Magic Mask) or Adobe Premiere, a Windows laptop with RTX 5070 Laptop is more flexible. In 2026 both options are excellent; the software ecosystem is the deciding factor.
How much RAM does a laptop need for 4K video editing?
On Windows, 32 GB of DDR5 RAM is the comfortable minimum for 4K editing in Premiere or DaVinci. With 16 GB you can edit but you'll notice limitations with large projects. On Mac, unified memory is more efficient: 24 GB on a MacBook Pro M5 Pro is functionally equivalent to 32-40 GB on a Windows laptop for editing.
Is the MacBook Pro M5 Max worth it for editing?
If you edit 6K-8K RAW, multicamera ProRes RAW or use Final Cut Pro with heavy effects, yes. With 40 GPU cores, 614 GB/s bandwidth and up to 128 GB unified memory, it beats any Windows laptop in video editing. If you mostly edit 4K H.264/H.265, the MacBook Pro M5 Pro is more than enough and costs €1,200 less.
What battery life to expect from a video editing laptop?
M5 MacBooks offer 15-22 hours of general use, although when editing video actively they drop to 6-10 hours. Windows gaming laptops with dedicated GPUs perform worse on battery: expect 2-5 hours editing. To work unplugged outdoors, MacBooks are unbeatable. If you always edit at a desk with a power outlet, this matters less.