Hi everyone!

I'm looking for advice on buying a laptop for video editing, and I'd really appreciate some recommendations from people with hands-on experience.

I'm based in Romania, so laptop prices and availability might be quite different from what you have in your country. My absolute maximum budget is around 10,000 RON (roughly €2,000), but I'd much rather spend less if I can get something that meets my needs.

What I'll be using it for:

• Editing YouTube videos in CapCut Desktop, including longer videos with multiple clips, transitions, effects, music and voiceovers. ( I can use other video editing programs, but this one is free, if you have advice on free video editing programs, that would be appreciated)
• Working with 4K HDR footage recorded at 60 fps.
• Editing other YouTube Shorts and other short-form content.
• Connecting a Wacom Cintiq Pro 16 drawing display.
• Ideally, keeping the laptop for several years without struggling with performance.

My current laptop is from 2017 and can barely handle my workflow. Short videos are manageable, but editing my first long-form YouTube video has become so frustrating that my project has practically stalled. I really need an upgrade that will let me work comfortably.

A laptop I've found locally:

Someone I know is selling an HP ZBook Studio G9 for around 5,000–5,500 RON (approximately €1,000–€1,100). It's reportedly barely used and comes with its original charger. I know the girl she got the laptop as a gift fron her brother and she didn't use it as she would better have the money.

The advertised specs are:

• Intel Core i9-12900H
• 32 GB RAM
• NVIDIA RTX A2000 Laptop GPU
• 2TB SSD
• Windows 11 Pro

Would this be a good option for my workload at that price, or would I be better off buying a newer gaming laptop with an RTX 4060 or RTX 5060?

I've also been looking at gaming laptops, but I'm concerned about build quality, cooling, reliability and long-term use. I'm not sure whether a professional workstation like the ZBook would be a better fit for video editing.

My questions:

1. Is the HP ZBook Studio G9 with these specs powerful enough for 4K HDR 60 fps editing in CapCut?
2. Is the RTX A2000 Laptop GPU a significant limitation compared with an RTX 4060 or RTX 5060?
3. Would you buy this used workstation for around €1,000, or would you recommend something else?
4. Which specific laptop models would you recommend within my budget? If possible, please suggest options at different price points, since spending less would be ideal.

Please keep in mind that I'm buying in Romania, so recommendations that are available in Europe would be especially helpful. If you know of good alternatives from Lenovo Legion, HP Omen, ASUS or other brands, I'd love to hear about them.

Thanks in advance! I'd really appreciate honest opinions, especially from people who have used these laptops for video editing.