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What are the best laptops for video editing and gaming?

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MSI VR Ready GT62VR Dominator Pro-240 vs Eluktronics PA71HS-G Premium vs Razer Blade Pro

 vs Origin PC EON17-SLX vs Dell XPS 15 vs The Razer Blade (GeForce GTX 1060) vs Apple MacBook Pro vs GIGABYTE Aero 15X v8-BK4 (15.6") vs Acer Predator Helios 500 (PH517-51-72NU) (17.3") vs ASUS ROG GL502VS-DB71 15.6" Full­HD vs CUK MSI GT73VR Titan

Specs

GPU

NVidia GeForce GTX 1070

RAM

32

CPU

Intel Core i7-7700HQ

Storage

256GB SSD + 1TB HDD

Ports

3x USB 3.0, SD Card Reader, 1x USB 2.0, 1x USB3.1 Type-C, mini DisplayPort, HDMI, Ethernet

Screen resolution

1920x1080

Display Size

15.6inch

3DMark FireStrike Score

11306

Screen size

-

Weight

-

Display

-

Wireless

-

Webcam

-

Aspect Ratio

-

Trackpoint

-

Size

-

Battery

-

Operating System

-

SD reader

-

Release date for the most recent model

-

Touchpad Size

-

Display Resolution

-

3DMark Firestrike Score

-

GPU

NVidia GeForce GTX 1080

RAM

16GB

CPU

Intel Core i7

Storage

-

Ports

-

Screen resolution

Full HD

Display Size

-

3DMark FireStrike Score

12483

Screen size

17.3inch

Weight

-

Display

-

Wireless

-

Webcam

-

Aspect Ratio

-

Trackpoint

-

Size

-

Battery

-

Operating System

-

SD reader

-

Release date for the most recent model

-

Touchpad Size

-

Display Resolution

-

3DMark Firestrike Score

-

GPU

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080

RAM

32GB

CPU

Intel Core i7-6700HQ

Storage

Up to 2TB SSD

Ports

3xUSB-3.0, 1xUSB-C, HDMI,

Screen resolution

-

Display Size

-

3DMark FireStrike Score

-

Screen size

-

Weight

7.8 lbs / 3.5kg

Display

-

Wireless

-

Webcam

-

Aspect Ratio

-

Trackpoint

-

Size

-

Battery

-

Operating System

-

SD reader

-

Release date for the most recent model

-

Touchpad Size

-

Display Resolution

-

3DMark Firestrike Score

-

GPU

Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080

RAM

32GB

CPU

Intel Core i7

Storage

Up to 1TB SSD

Ports

-

Screen resolution

4K

Display Size

-

3DMark FireStrike Score

-

Screen size

17inch

Weight

-

Display

-

Wireless

-

Webcam

-

Aspect Ratio

-

Trackpoint

-

Size

-

Battery

-

Operating System

-

SD reader

-

Release date for the most recent model

-

Touchpad Size

-

Display Resolution

-

3DMark Firestrike Score

-

GPU

Intel HD Graphics 630 / NVIDIA GTX 1050 with 4GB GDDR5

RAM

8 / 16 / 32GB DDR4 at 2400MHz

CPU

Intel Core i3-7100H / Intel Core i5-7300HQ / Intel Core i7-7700HQ

Storage

500GB HDD + 32GB Flash / 1TB HDD + 32GB Flash / 256/512GB/1TB PCIe SSD

Ports

1 HDMI 1.4 2 USB 3.0 with PowerShare 1 Thunderbolt™ 3 (2 lanes of PCI Express Gen 3) Supports: Power In / Charging, PowerShare, Thunderbolt 3 (40Gbps Bi-Directional), 3.1 USB Gen 2 (10Gbps), VGA, HDMI, Ethernet and USB-A via Dell Adapter

Screen resolution

-

Display Size

15.6 inches

3DMark FireStrike Score

-

Screen size

-

Weight

2kg (4.44 lbs)

Display

15.6-inch FHD (1920x1080) / 15.6-inch UltraSharp™ 4K Ultra HD (3840x2160) Touch display

Wireless

802.11 AC & Bluetooth 4.0

Webcam

720p

Aspect Ratio

16:9

Trackpoint

No

Size

14.06 x 9.27 x 0.45-0.66-inches

Battery

56 / 97WHr

Operating System

Windows 10

SD reader

Yes

Release date for the most recent model

2017

Touchpad Size

4.1 x 3.1 inches

Display Resolution

-

3DMark Firestrike Score

-

GPU

GeForce GTX 1060

RAM

16GB

CPU

2.8 GHz Intel Core i7

Storage

256GB SSD - 1TB SSD

Ports

-

Screen resolution

-

Display Size

-

3DMark FireStrike Score

-

Screen size

14"

Weight

4.2 pounds

Display

-

Wireless

-

Webcam

-

Aspect Ratio

-

Trackpoint

-

Size

-

Battery

-

Operating System

-

SD reader

-

Release date for the most recent model

-

Touchpad Size

-

Display Resolution

-

3DMark Firestrike Score

-

GPU

Apple M1 8 core

RAM

8/16GB

CPU

-

Storage

-

Ports

2/4 Thunderbolt 3 Ports, Headphone jack

Screen resolution

-

Display Size

-

3DMark FireStrike Score

-

Screen size

13.3inch / 15.4inch

Weight

3.02lbs

Display

13.3 in 2560x1600 IPS

Wireless

802.11 a/b/g/n/ac & Bluetooth 4.0

Webcam

720p

Aspect Ratio

16:10

Trackpoint

No

Size

-

Battery

-

Operating System

-

SD reader

-

Release date for the most recent model

-

Touchpad Size

-

Display Resolution

2880x1800 for the 15" version, 2560x1600 for the 13" version

3DMark Firestrike Score

-

GPU

-

RAM

-

CPU

-

Storage

-

Ports

-

Screen resolution

-

Display Size

-

3DMark FireStrike Score

-

Screen size

-

Weight

-

Display

-

Wireless

-

Webcam

-

Aspect Ratio

-

Trackpoint

-

Size

-

Battery

-

Operating System

-

SD reader

-

Release date for the most recent model

-

Touchpad Size

-

Display Resolution

-

3DMark Firestrike Score

-

GPU

-

RAM

-

CPU

-

Storage

-

Ports

-

Screen resolution

-

Display Size

-

3DMark FireStrike Score

-

Screen size

-

Weight

-

Display

-

Wireless

-

Webcam

-

Aspect Ratio

-

Trackpoint

-

Size

-

Battery

-

Operating System

-

SD reader

-

Release date for the most recent model

-

Touchpad Size

-

Display Resolution

-

3DMark Firestrike Score

-

GPU

GeForce GTX 1070

RAM

-

CPU

Intel Core i7

Storage

256GB SSD + 1 TB HDD

Ports

-

Screen resolution

-

Display Size

-

3DMark FireStrike Score

-

Screen size

-

Weight

-

Display

-

Wireless

-

Webcam

-

Aspect Ratio

-

Trackpoint

-

Size

-

Battery

-

Operating System

-

SD reader

-

Release date for the most recent model

-

Touchpad Size

-

Display Resolution

-

3DMark Firestrike Score

12909

GPU

NVidia GeForce GTX 1080

RAM

64GB

CPU

Intel Core i7-6820HK

Storage

2x 512GB SSD + 1TB HDD

Ports

-

Screen resolution

-

Display Size

-

3DMark FireStrike Score

-

Screen size

-

Weight

-

Display

-

Wireless

-

Webcam

-

Aspect Ratio

-

Trackpoint

-

Size

-

Battery

-

Operating System

-

SD reader

-

Release date for the most recent model

-

Touchpad Size

-

Display Resolution

-

3DMark Firestrike Score

-

Pros + Cons

Pro
 Excellent gaming performance

It goes without saying but the GTX 1070 handles most AAA games perfectly. Most games consistently hit 120+ FPS on high settings at 1080p. On ultra settings, most games average about 70+ FPS with the Witcher 3 for example reaching 82FPS. Like other GPUs that use the NVidia Pascal architecture, the GTX 1070, and by extension the GT62 Dominator Pro also supports VR gaming.
Comment

Pro
 Great build quality

Most of the laptop is made of brushed black aluminium with some chrome highlights. Overall, this is a very sturdy and durable laptop.
Comment

Pro
 Excellent keyboard

This laptop's keyboard is the closest thing to a mechanical without it actually being a mechanical keyboard. Keys have a travel distance of 1.9mm and 66 grams of actuation force. It also goes without saying that the keyboard has a backlight that can be turned on and off.
Comment

Pro
 Excellent display

This laptop's display is beautiful. It reproduces 105.8% of the sRGB color gamut, beating the average of 91% for laptops at this price. The display is also extremely bright, averaging 301 nits, which means that you can easily take it and play outside during the day and the sun will not give you any trouble. The laptop also comes with a special software from MSI which lets users adjust their screen colour temperature.
Comment

Pro
 Lots of storage space

Comes with 1 TB HDD and 256GB SSD.
Comment

Pro
 Excellent design

The GT62 Dominator manages to straddle the line between elegance and the bulkiness gaming laptops are known for perfectly. On the back it has a pair of glossy red strips embedded into the black, aluminium-brushed case. The red accents on the all-black body are found throughout the laptop but without overdoing it, which helps giving this laptop a sleek look.
Comment

Pro
 Perfect cooling

Even under heavy use, the GT62 Dominator is cool enough to be kept safely and comfortably on your lap.
Comment

Con
 Rather heavy

At around 6.4 pounds, it falls on the heavy camp for laptops. Even for gaming ones.
Comment

Con
 The audio is not very loud

The speakers found in the GT62 Dominator Pro produce clear sound that's lacking in volume.
Comment

Con
 Comes with some bloatware

Comment

Pro
 Excellent build quality

The case is made from a very durable plastic with a metal finish that does not feel cheap or flimsy to the touch.
Comment

Con
 The touchpad has issues with two-finger use

When trying to scroll up or down by using two fingers there are some synchronization issues with the touchpad.
Comment

Pro
 Overall good price/quality ratio

At this price, the Eluktronics P650RS offers a lot of features, performance, and quality compared to competitors. Gaming laptops with a GTX 1070 usually cost $100 or more and might not have the same level of build quality or other features found in this laptop.
Comment

Con
 The display should be better for this price

The Eluktronics P650RS uses a IPS display panel which is decent in itself but could and should probably be better for this price point. Where it lacks specifically is in terms of contrast, colours, and response time. There's also some light bleeding when looking at a completely black screen.
Comment

Pro
 Excellent gaming performance

Both the GTX 1060 and GTX 1070 versions of this laptop offer excellent performance when gaming. The P650RS consistently hits 80+ FPS in most AAA games at ultra settings. For example, the GTX 1070 version can play Total War: Warhammer at 100FPS on 1080p with ultra settings. While the GTX 1060 version can play Battlefield 4 at 80FPS on ultra settings. Even the relatively cheaper version of the P650RS with the GTX 1060 can pack a punch.
Comment

Con
 Terrible battery life

Even when using this laptop for light activities such as web browsing, watching movies, or editing documents it averages at about three hours of independent use. This was measured at about 40% screen brightness so it would be much lower at a higher brightness. When it's used for gaming then the average battery life drops to less than two hours of independent use because of the relatively high resource requirements that both the GTX 1060 and GTX 1070 have.
Comment

Pro
 Quality speakers

The two speakers packed in this laptop are pretty good, especially when compared with previous models. They provide reasonable bass and the mids have both good richness and deepness to them.
Comment

Pro
 Good keyboard

The keyboard is pretty good. It's backlit with programmable colors. The tactile feedback is decent across all keys and the travel length is about the average (1.5mm) for this kind of laptop.
Comment

Con
 Has some issues with heat

Since the cool air is sucked from the bottom of the laptop, the bottom needs to stay above the sitting surface at all times. But even when this advice is followed, the P650RS still has some issues with overheating. The center and left parts of the keyboard are the most problematic ones. It's not unusual for the keyboard to heat so much as it starts being a bit uncomfortable to use.
Comment

Con
 The speakers are not very loud

Even though they provide good sound, the P650RS-G speakers are not loud at all.
Comment

Pro
 Uses an actual mechanical keyboard

Razer uses ultra-low profile mechanical switches in the Blade Pro, which replicate full-sized mechanical keyboards. While it certainly makes the familiar, though noisy, clicking noise and is stiffer than a Chiclet keyboard, the travel is still too shallow compared to a regular mechanical keyboard.
Comment

Pro
 One of the best displays on the market

The Razer Blade Pro has easily one of the best touchscreen displays that can be found in any laptop. The colors look accurate and vivid, as it covers 185% of the sRGB color gamut. Brightness goes beyond the industry average and can provide a very bright picture. The screen also supports NVIDIA G-Sync that helps eliminate screen tearing and smooths out movement.
Comment

Pro
 Built to be portable

At 22mm thin, this is the thinnest laptop that has the NVIDIA GeForce 1080 and one of the thinnest gaming laptops overall.
Comment

Pro
 Customizable RGB keyboard backlight

The keyboard’s RGB backlight can display 16.8 million colors on each key and the touchpad border. The included Synapse software lets you program the lights with different patterns and color profiles and is shareable to other Razer devices.
Comment

Pro
 Great build quality

The chassis is made from aluminium and is very solid, giving the feel of a premium laptop.
Comment

Con
 No 802.11ac support

The wireless network card does not support 802.11ac, a wireless standard with significant improvements over the previous 802.11n standard.
Comment

Con
 May need some time to getting used to the position of the touchpad

The touchpad is located on the right side of the keyboard, and can take some time to get used to.
Comment

Con
 Battery doesn’t hold long with the Ultra HD screen

If you’re choosing the configuration with an Ultra HD screen, expect a very short battery life of around 6 hours for general usage. With more intensive tasks it's even less than that.
Comment

Pro
 Solid keyboard and trackpad

The keyboard and trackpad are reliable and solid all-around. The keyboard is responsive but is not super “clicky”, rather a bit soft. It has a white backlight on black keys that illuminates them at night. The touchpad is rather large while having no buttons. Despite this, the XPS 15 can reliably distinguish between the left and right clicks which are done on the trackpad itself.
Comment

Pro
 Very well-rounded laptop

The cheapest configuration is a great choice for general non-intensive use - things like internet browsing, watching movies and similar tasks. Whereas the more expensive configurations are gradually more capable of intensive tasks, like video editing or gaming. It’s not as good as a specialized computer built for a specific purpose, like a video editing laptop with an enormous RAM size or a gaming laptop with a superior graphics card, but it’s a very well-rounded, reliable laptop.
Comment

Pro
 Can run most modern games

Being an excellent all-rounder, it can be used as a gaming laptop for games that are not exceptionally demanding, like Overwatch or Dota 2. Unless you’re using the cheapest model, you can expect a reasonable 60 frames per second for almost all modern games, provided that you’re willing to lower the game’s settings.
Comment

Pro
 Slick design

The whole design is quite stylish. The aluminium chassis provides a very clean look while the black carbon fiber palm rest with an almost borderless display cements it as a visually modern laptop. All of this is made with a premium build quality.
Comment

Pro
 Optional password-free-sign-in via a fingerprint reader

For an additional $25 it’s possible to enjoy a password-free-sign-in by having a fingerprint reader. It will keep your laptop safe while still providing convenient access to it.
Comment

Pro
 Amazing display

Two display choices are available for the XPS 15, an Ultra HD touchscreen or a Full HD non-touch screen. Both screens have a very wide array of colors as they cover approximately 100% of sRGB color space. The viewing angle is around 170 degrees. However, at 45 degrees, slight color change can be noticed. With around 350 nit output for brightness, it’s a viable choice for outdoor usage. All of this makes it an amazing display.
Comment

Pro
 Operates well on a Linux system

All essential things, like network connectivity, ports and sound, work right “out-of-the-box” with a Linux operating system. There is a compatibility issue on the new 9560 model with its graphics card but the laptop is still very usable with its integrated Intel graphics card.
Comment

Pro
 Good battery life if you pick the 1080p display

Models with the 1080p screen last about 10 hours with general usage. Naturally, if more intensive tasks are involved, the battery will be drained faster.
Comment

Con
 Awkward webcam location

The webcam is located under the screen instead of on top. It means that your face will be shown from a lower angle which can seem a bit weird. It also means that your fingers can partially obstruct the webcam while you’re typing.
Comment

Con
 Noisy fans

The laptop is very quiet during idle and light usage but when there is some workload, the fans get quite loud and distracting.
Comment

Con
 9560 model's GPU has compatibility issues on Linux

The new 9560 model has some trouble accepting its GTX 1050 Ti video card while running a Linux operating system. Fortunately, the integrated Intel graphics card is capable enough to substitute it. The manufacturers are probably aware of the issue and will, most likely, release an update for it.
Comment

Con
 Palmrest collects sweat

The palm rest is made from carbon fiber which attracts fingerprints and sweat. After some time it gets kind of unpleasant to touch and needs to be cleaned.
Comment

Con
 Some ghosting in games

The display is not intended for gaming purposes so it can produce an effect called “ghosting”. Ghosting is when the pixels are not able to change their colors fast enough, so the color of the preceding frame can still be slightly seen on the next frame. This causes a blurring effect. Note that it only happens on high framerates coupled with fast objects.
Comment

Con
 Audible coil whine

Coil whine can be heard when it’s generally quiet and the fans are not running. Audible when the laptop is connected to the power supply. The manufacturers have acknowledged it as a problem and, if possible, will push out an update which should eliminate it. Until then, it’s still a gripe.
Comment

Pro
 Most portable gaming laptop on the market

The Razer Blade is built to be a very portable gaming laptop and Razer certainly have reached that objective. The body is only 0.7inch tall when the lid is closed and it weighs only 4.1lbs. The power brick is very small and light as well.
Comment

Pro
 Great battery life for a gaming laptop

Even if it's the thinnest gaming laptop on the market, it has one of the largest batteries found on a laptop. This feature helps a lot with keeping a relatively high battery life which can go up to five hours even while gaming or doing similarly resource-intensive tasks.
Comment

Pro
 The keyboard backlight is fully customizable

The keyboard backlighting can be fully customized using Razer's Synapse software. You can enable custom lighting patterns using colours or light intensity or even choose to light individual keys with a specific colour. This way you can for example make the light for the WASD keys blue while the rest of the keyboard is red.
Comment

Pro
 Can be used comfortably outdoors

The 1080p display has an anti-glare matte finish and is bright enough to be used comfortably outdoors. Even under direct sunlight you can easily see what's on your screen.
Comment

Pro
 Excellent typing experience

The keys have good travel distance with just the right spring to them.
Comment

Pro
 Excellent build quality

The chassis is made of matte milled aluminium that gives the laptop a very "premium" feel.
Comment

Con
 Too expensive for what it offers as far as performance goes

As far as performance goes, the Razer Blade is virtually the same as most gaming laptops with these specs, however, the Razer Blade costs at least $500 more on average. You are mostly paying for the beautiful design, portability, and build quality.
Comment

Con
 The chassis attracts fingerprints

Even though it looks cool, the matte black finish of the chassis attracts fingerprints.
Comment

Con
 Very limited storage

The base build comes with 256GB SSD and even though it can be customized to have up to 1TB of hard disk, it costs an average of $200 for 256GBs which, considering the high price you have to pay for the base model in the first place adds to a very high price.
Comment

Pro
 Accurate HiDPI screen

MBP has a high quality 15.4" IPS 2880x1800 display.
Comment

Pro
 Very light and thin

It's 0.71" thin and weighs just 4.46 pounds.
Comment

Pro
 Power connector is hard to accidentally damage

All Macbooks use a MagSafe power connector that is held in place via a magnet. It means that if the power cord is accidentally pulled, it doesn't damage the laptop or the power connector, but instead simply disconnects.
Comment

Pro
 Great battery life

Battery lasts up to 9 hours.
Comment

Pro
 PCI-E flash storage makes loading/saving quicker

MBP comes with 256 GB, 512 GB, or 1 TB of SSD storage. SSD storage is faster than HDD storage. Additionally, PCI-E SSD storage is faster than typical SATA SSD storage.
Comment

Pro
 Can run up to 2 external monitors

With 2 Thunderbolt (DisplayPort) plugs and 1 HDMI, it can feed up to 2 external monitors.
Comment

Pro
 Thunderbolt 2 is faster than USB 3.1

Thunderbolt 2 has a bandwidth capacity of up to 2500 MB/s, while USB 3.1 can reach 1250 MB/s.
Comment

Pro
 4K output

It's possible to stream 4K via HDMI.
Comment

Con
 No Ethernet port

Ethernet requires an adapter.
Comment

Con
 Glossy screen

Comment

Pro
 Great build quality

The build quality for the Asus ROG GL502VS is almost flawless. The aluminium lid and the plastic body are both covered with a brushed metal finish. There are also no protruding edges or uneven gaps. The build quality is on par with the price you pay for this laptop.
Comment

Pro
 Excellent gaming performance

The GTX 1070 GPU found in this laptop is perfectly capable of running even the most demanding games ate very high framerates. For example, it's capable of running Rise of the Tomb Raider at 88.7FPS on ultra and Doom at 122FPS on ultra.
Comment

Con
 The screen does not display a lot of colors

The display for this laptop only covers 83% of the sRGB color space, which makes it a poor choice for photo or video editing.
Comment

Con
 The touchpad has issues with moist fingers

If you are using the touchpad with fingers that are even a bit moist, you will most likely have issues with stuttering.
Comment

Pro
 The display works decently for outdoors

This laptop's display has a matte surface with a decent maximum luminance at 290 nits that is decent enough for outdoor use.
Comment

Pro
 Solid keyboard

The keyboard is nothing truly special. It's pretty reliable, with keys that have a concave shape and that are coated with a non-slip surface. The keys themselves have a travel distance of 1.5mm, which is actually very common for gaming laptop keyboards. Overall, the ROG GL502VS has a pretty solid and reliable keyboard with little drawbacks if any.
Comment

Con
 The chassis is hard to clean

The lid and body have a brushed metal finish which is susceptible to fingerprints and is hard to clean.
Comment

Pro
 Easy to maintain

To get to the internals for this laptop, you will only need to remove ten screws, this includes fans, motherboard, CPU and GPU. Although the last two are soldered.
Comment

Pro
 One of the best displays on the market

The GT73VR has a 120Hz display, one of the best on the market as far as laptops go where the norm for most gaming laptops is 60Hz.
Comment

Pro
 Amazing gaming performance

The GTX 1080, paired with the i7 CPU and the 64GB of RAM makes for an amazing laptop performance-wise. This laptop probably offers the best gaming experience on the market, being able to play latest-gen AAA games at 100+ FPS on ultra high settings. For example, Tomb Raider averages at about 160FPS on ultra high settings, which is performance comparable to gaming desktop builds.
Comment

Pro
 Sturdy body

The GT73VR has a sturdy brushed metal body which is strong enough to withstand some serious use. The metallic body also has the added advantage of making it look like a premium piece of electronics, which it is.
Comment

Pro
 Has the fastest SSD on the market

Fitted with two Samsung M.2 SM951 PCIe NVME SSDs that have read speeds of about 3GB/s and write speeds of about 2.6GB/s, the CUK MSI GT73VR has arguably the fastest SSD combo on the market.
Comment

Pro
 Excellent trackpad

The trackpad is extremely accurate and has no issues with lag or stutter whatsoever. The keys underneath are a bit stiff to click though, but not as much as to take away from the quality of the trackpad itself.
Comment

Con
 Not portable at all

The laptop itself is 9lbs, the power brick weighs another 2.5lbs for a grand total of 11.5lbs to carry around in a backpack if you want to move around with it. This is highly impractical and probably one of the least-portable laptops on the market.
Comment

Con
 Annoying charging cable

The GT73VR Titan is powered by a 2.5lbs power brick that is appropriately sized to power a laptop as power-hungry as the Titan. What's really annoying though is the fact that it's connected to the laptop by a very short cable. At only four feet in length, the wire is too short and would make more sense if it would be connected to a console or desktop that are meant to stay close to the ground and not a laptop that usually stays at table-height.
Comment

Con
 No optical drive

Comment

Con
 Very heavy

At around 9lbs, it's rather hard to carry this laptop around.
Comment
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