Cheap, lightweight laptop to edit video while travelling

[nicknowler]

I'm travelling south east Asia and I am acquiring a whole bunch of video that I'd like to edit (trimming and stitching together and the like) and a whole bunch of photos that I'd like to be able to sort through easily. I've been using my phone thus far (galaxy S8) and has been quite tedious, especially trying to edit video. Does anyone have any suggestions for a laptop that might make my task a little easier? Ideally I would like to spend as little money as possible on Tech while travelling, and I still have a few months till going home so I'd rather not have to wait till then.

 

[hang-the-9]

I was able to buy a used Lenovo X220 with a Core i7 CPU for $100 but it was missing RAM and a hard drive, so for about $200, 250 you should be able to get a small laptop with a good CPU, about 4 years old.

 

[jaguarskx]

You can buy a 12.5" ThinkPad X230 for as low as $250 (used) or $300 (refurbished) at Amazon. It has a 3rd gen Intel Core i5-3320m CPU, 4GB of RAM, 1366x768 screen, 128GB SSD and Windows 7 Pro.

https/www.amazon.com/Lenovo-Thinkpad-X230-i5-3320M-Windows/dp/B00UI4FTKE

I recommend you install another 4GB of RAM for $30 since editing videos can take lot of memory. Not enough will slow down the process.

https/www.amazon.com/Crucial-PC3-10600-SODIMM-204-Pin-Memory/dp/B008LTBKKQ/ref=sr_1_11?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1521207660&sr=1-11&keywords=4gb%2BDDR3%2Bram%2Bsodimm&th=1

While 128GB of storage is not a lot (more than what your phone has though), it is a SSD which means the laptop will be responsive because it has faster read / write speeds compared to a hard drive.

ThinkPad X series laptops typically starts at about 3lbs so they are pretty light to carry around. One thing to be aware of when buying an old laptop.... The battery it comes with is usually the original battery unless otherwise stated. Batteries are usually the first thing to go bad. Reviews of a new ThinkPad X230 back in 2012 / 2013 generally rates the battery at 5 to 6 hours with "normal" usage. Do not expect to get anywhere near that... so be aware that you may need to buy a new battery for any used / refurbished laptop. "Official brand" batteries are typically more expensive than "knock off" batteries.