10 Best Laptops for Film Students

Depending on your discipline, you’ll need laptops with different features and performance. For students pursuing a career in film, their laptops will need high performance, large-capacity memory, and more.

These requirements can make finding a laptop challenging. This article will give you the top ten laptops for film students and buying guides. The products on our list will help you find the best model.

Our Top Picks:

The laptops in our recommended list below are all models that have passed rigorous real-world tests. Let’s dive into the outstanding features of each device.

1. Apple MacBook Pro: Best for Battery Life

Specifications

• Brand: Apple
• Ram: 8GB
• Color: Space Gray
• Screen Size: 13.3 Inches

Product Highlights

If you need a laptop to take to school and meet your work needs all day long, I recommend the Apple 2022 MacBook Pro.

The most significant advantage of this laptop is its compact size combined with long battery life thanks to its ability to coordinate and save energy.

With my daily tasks, I can take my laptop with me to use it for more than 20 hours continuously without plugging in the charger.

Apple products always satisfy consumers with high performance, and this MacBook is no exception. I have never experienced lag when editing my heavy image and video files.

Yet, this product only has two external ports, causing great inconvenience when I want to transfer data to other devices.

Today’s Best Deal:

What We Like

• High brightness
• Long battery life
• High performance
• Compact size

Things to Consider

• Only 2 external connection ports

2. MSI Pulse GL66: Best for Windows Laptops

Specifications

• Brand: MSI
• RAM: 16GB
• CPU: Core i7
• Screen Size: 15.6 Inches

Product Highlights

The MSI 144Hz Gaming Laptop is the perfect laptop for students pursuing the cinematic arts. It is equipped with the latest generation Windows 11 Home operating system and an advanced 12th Gen Intel Core i7 processor.

I like the keyboard of this laptop. It has a fantastic beauty that few other products can match. The keyboard backlight can be lit in different colors, giving it a professional feel when I use it. The essential travel is long enough to write code or edit text comfortably.

My only problem is that the fan bearing needs to be fixed. When the fan rotates at high speed, it does not operate smoothly but will make noise.

Today’s Best Deal:

What We Like

• Large capacity
• Easy to upgrade
• High performance
• Beautiful keyboard
• Colorful keyboard backlight

Things to Consider

• The fan bearing is not working properly

3. Acer Nitro 5: Best for Overall

Specifications

• Brand: Acer
• RAM: 16GB
• Hard Disk Size: 1000 GB
• Screen Size: 17.3 Inches

Product Highlights

Acer Nitro 5 AN517-54-79L1 laptop is a product I recommend to all film students.

This version has a screen up to 17.3 Inches wide with a high-end 1920 x 1080 full HD resolution. You can handle complex tasks with on-device graphics with ease. Thanks to its superb display, all your visual projects will be of the highest quality.

When I process heavy image files on the machine with complex software, it does not increase the heat too much.

This outstanding feature is made possible by the device’s optimal cooling Acer technology. When the temperature rises, the machine’s cooling fan operates at 10% more efficiency than other devices I’ve had, helping to cool down quickly.

It’s hard to find a downside to the product other than its slightly high cost. Yet, this model is worth your investment.

Today’s Best Deal:

What We Like

• Widescreen
• High resolution
• Efficient cooling
• Nice and comfortable keyboard
• Good multitasking ability

Things to Consider

• High price

4. Lenovo Flex 5: Best for 360° Hinge

Specifications

• Brand: Lenovo
• CPU: Ryzen 5 5500U
• RAM: 16GB
• Screen Size: 14 inches

Product Highlights

I’ve always been intrigued by convertible models like the Lenovo Flex 5 Laptop 14.0″ FHD Touch Display. The 360-degree hinge and touch screen allow me to use it as a tent or tablet in addition to traditional usage.

Working and leisure activities such as playing games, drawing with electronic software, or watching movies all become more comfortable with this product.

AMD processor and 16GB RAM give the laptop perfect information processing ability. The lags or freezes have yet to happen since I own this product.

Many respond that more than 250 nits of brightness on the screen are needed. In my experience, images can be challenging to see when working outdoors, and my usual activities in the room have no difficulty with this brightness.

Today’s Best Deal:

What We Like

• Multi-use
• Powerful processor
• Flexibility to switch
• Large capacity memory

Things to Consider

• Low screen brightness

5. MSI Stealth 15M: Best for Graphic Design

Specifications

• Brand: MSI
• RAM: 16GB
• Color: Carbon Gray
• Screen Size: 15.6 Inches

Product Highlights

Film students, when choosing to buy a laptop, cannot ignore its graphics-related factor. Therefore, the MSI Stealth 15M Gaming Laptop is one of the best-selling models today. Its powerful NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 graphics can satisfy even the most demanding customers.

I can easily carry the laptop to the lecture hall or work in the studio thanks to the product’s compact design. The product has a 15.6-inch screen, but the weight is light, like many other devices of the same size. Fatigue never occurred to me when I carried this laptop in my backpack.

Its design is sturdy and elegant with its balanced construction and external connections. The device’s wifi connection is also very stable.

Yet, the machine’s performance may degrade after prolonged use. I need to restart my laptop frequently to prevent it from slowing down or freezing.

Today’s Best Deal:

What We Like

• Compact design
• Solid construction
• High refresh rate
• High-quality graphics
• Stable wireless connection

Things to Consider

• Performance drops after a long time

6. MSI Katana GF66: Best for Storage

Specifications

• Brand: MSI
• RAM: 16GB
• Color: Black
• Screen Size: 15.6 Inches

Product Highlights

Using Intel Core i7 combined with 16GB RAM and 512GB large capacity SSD hard drive, MSI Katana GF66 15.6″ 144Hz 3ms FHD can provide the perfect experience for anyone. I have to admit that this is one of the best. The best laptop I have for graphics and gaming tasks.

This laptop provides users with a standard 2.5-inch HHD hard drive slot. Yet, this feature is not too necessary for students. The boot speed of the machine is breakneck, and it doesn’t waste my time every time I turn on the device.

I am unsatisfied with this device because the product has no warranty. I may lose a lot of money in additional charges if my laptop breaks down during use.

Today’s Best Deal:

What We Like

• Quiet activity
• Fast startup speed
• Large-capacity hard drive
• High-performance processor
• Equipped with keyboard backlight

Things to Consider

• No warranty service

7. Acer Swift X Creator: Best for Fingerprint Reader

Specifications

• Brand: Acer
• RAM: 16GB
• CPU: Ryzen 7
• Screen Size: 14 Inches

Product Highlights

No film student wants their ideas or projects to be leaked due to laptop glitches. Therefore, Acer Swift X with modern biometric security is a device that many people trust to use.

Its high security is thanks to the fingerprint lock that allows you to keep your files safe on the device. All your tasks can be done with the high-performance AMD Ryzen 7 5825U processor quickly.

Its metal shell construction is strong enough not to deform when exposed to external influences. Its weight is a manageable size to keep the device flexible.

The weak point is that the RAM is on the board; I cannot replace or upgrade it.

Today’s Best Deal:

What We Like

• Rugged metal case
• Good multitasking
• Full HD resolution screen
• High-performance processor
• High-security thanks to fingerprint lock

Things to Consider

• RAM is not available for replacement

8. ASUS TUF Dash 15: Best for Anti-Dust Technology

Specifications

• Brand: ASUS
• RAM: 16GB
• Screen Size: 15.6 Inches
• Graphics Coprocessor: RTX 3060

Product Highlights

Its PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD memory is up to 512GB, providing excellent storage for all my apps and documents. It is perfect for work and graphics tasks, and I also regularly play laptop games.

My game applications are not small, but it does not slow down when storing them. My laptops used to require regular cleaning due to dusty fans.

Since using this laptop, I have reduced cleaning time due to the product’s advanced dustproof Arc Flow fan. This dual cleaning technology with anti-fouling has dramatically enhanced its service life.

Its downside is the poor heat dissipation design. Hot air will radiate out to the right side of the device, where I frequently use the mouse. So I had to buy additional cooling equipment to limit the temperature effect.

Today’s Best Deal:

What We Like

• Large capacity
• Great graphics
• Dust Proof fan
• Dual cleaning technology

Things to Consider

• The heatsink design is not suitable

9. Acer Aspire Vero Green PC: Best for Multi Ports

Specifications

• Brand: Acer
• Color: Gray
• RAM: 16GB
• Screen Size: 15.6 Inches

Product Highlights

Image and video files in film student projects are often challenging to convey through online forms. Therefore, external connections are a factor that many students look for in their laptops.

I want to introduce the Acer Aspire Vero, which meets your needs with many external connectivity ports.

The machine’s Intel Iris Xe graphics work effectively on the guaranteed quality Full HD LED screen. I also appreciate the device’s fingerprint unlock feature.

The manufacturer should upgrade the battery life to prolong its operating time. I often have to recharge my devices, which can be annoying when going out.

Today’s Best Deal:

What We Like

• High-quality graphics
• Multiple external connections
• High-performance processor
• Safe and convenient fingerprint unlock feature

Things to Consider

• Poor battery life

10. Acer Predator Helios 300: Best for Display

Specifications

• Brand: Acer
• Color: Black
• CPU: Core I7 11800H
• Screen Size: 15.6 Inches
• RAM: 16GB

Product Highlights

The last product I recommend to you is the Acer Predator Helios 300 PH315-54-760S Gaming Laptop. Its most significant advantage is the excellent screen refresh rate. Also, the 3ms Overdrive response time keeps your graphics tasks from getting annoying due to lag.

Peak cooling is a feature I must consider when recommending this product. After many hours of completing my tasks, I didn’t feel its temperature rise.

Yet, this feature leads to an ominous problem: the noisy sound when working on the machine. Manufacturers should find ways to upgrade the cooling system to reduce annoying noises.

Today’s Best Deal:

What We Like

• Fast refresh rate
• Good cooling ability
• Graphics quality guaranteed
• Sharp screen and clear picture
• High-performance processor

Things to Consider

• Make an annoying sound

Buying Guide

It has been challenging for film students to find the best laptop for their work. You may be overwhelmed by the multitude of laptops with different features.

Storage

A filmmaker must keep many different applications and documents on his laptop. Software like Adobe After Effects, Adobe Premiere Pro, or Avid Media Composer will take up a lot of space in their device.

A laptop with a small memory capacity will not meet the storage. Large image files, heavy videos, and software will fill up your laptop and can slow down tasks.

Core

A laptop with a poor processor will certainly not work with you to handle heavy tasks related to images and videos. The high-end processor will be the source of the power of the entire laptop, becoming the basis for operating complex software and processing intensive graphics tasks.

To keep your work uninterrupted, buy yourself a laptop with a cutting-edge, high-performance core.

RAM

You need more than a powerful processor for your multitasking tasks to work perfectly. I recommend film students look for laptops with at least 8GB of RAM.

These devices will provide performance to handle software and multiple browser windows simultaneously.

A 16GB RAM device will be an excellent choice if you have more budget. This template will always keep the pace and keep going, even when you deal with large files and perform heavy workloads.

FAQs

Is MacBook air suitable for film students?

The Macbook air is a product with good performance and a good display, but it may need to be more powerful. You may need help using it for image- and video-intensive tasks. A MacBook Pro would be more suitable for film students.

What laptop does DreamWorks use?

Many DreamWorks engineers responded that they love HP laptop products. The stability in performance and the high-performance multi-core processing system of HP laptops have fully met the needs they need for work.

Does Pixar use Windows or Mac?

According to reliable sources, Pixar uses Mac laptops to produce high-quality animated films. These devices are powerful enough and have good graphics to create great images.

What software does DreamWorks use?

The Director application developed by Cambridge Animation is the software that DreamWorks engineers love.

Why was DreamWorks shut down?

Many animated products that DreamWorks still need to be as successful as expected. The tremendous financial loss forced the parent company to close many studios and cut staff.

Conclusion

In this article, we have gone over the top ten options. The MacBook Pro will be the most reliable assistant for you.

I hope the valuable information I give can make you the ideal choice. Please leave your feedback and let us know your final pick. Thank you for reading!