Video Editing Laptop on the Cheap

[T-Nichs]

Hello wise ones!

I am looking for a cheap laptop with a decent processor that I can use for light video editing. I have no problem upgrading the ram myself and upgrading the hard drive myself. I am looking at spending about 300-400 to leave me some room for upgrades. Also, is there a way to transfer windows 8 from one hard drive to the next?

Thank you for the help!

 

[photonboy]

1) The price you quote is the low end of what laptops cost so it's likely performance will be similar. An Intel i3 4xxx might be the best choice and as much memory as possible (4GB may be your only choice).

2) W8 for pre-built machines isn't transferable to another machine but if you plan to install a new HDD or SSD then simply CLONE it over using a program like Machrium Reflect Free. For that you'll also need a USB enclosure to temporarily house the new drive.
http/www.ncixus.com/products/?sku=88345&vpn=S2510BPU33&manufacture=StarTech.com

 

[T-Nichs]

I was thinking a bit about it and thought that instead of upgrading the processor, if I upgraded the RAM from 4gb w/ 125 mb dedicated to video to an 8gb slot and dedicate 1.5 gb to the video and then upgrade to a 250 gb ssd and keep all done files on an external hard drive would that be better?