Is it true that gaming laptops are suitable for YouTubers? Kazumasa Watanabe taught me

It is also important to have performance and design that excites tension.

When choosing a PC, the direction is ten different, and the choices are endless. The best one changes greatly depending on the work you want to do on your PC and the world you want to achieve.

In recent years, gaming laptops have been attracting attention in the PC market, which has a wide variety of models. More and more people are choosing it as a companion for creative work instead of choosing it for game purposes.

While it has high-performance processing power, it has a body that can be carried and operated anywhere. In fact, a gaming notebook PC is a delicious one that combines the features of both desktop PCs and notebook PCs. That's right, Kazuma Watanabe, a gadget YouTuber!

Kazumasa Watanabe

The number of channel subscribers is 196,000 (as of July 2021), and when there are many posts every day, 2 or 3 videos are uploaded a day, and the total number of views is about 56,986,000. A professional YouTuber. The main channel focuses on gadget reviews such as smartphones, audio, and digital cameras.

Index

1. From gadget lover to professional YouTuber

2. Half of last year's videos were made mainly on gaming laptops

3. Thin and light but fast. The PC "Legion Slim 750i" that really raises the tension

4. A powerful model that supports the current and future YouTube video production

5. Kazumasa Watanabe's "Legion Slim 750i" Recommended Points Summary

From a gadget lover to a professional YouTuber

── Being a YouTuber who focuses on gadget reviews is a dream job for gadget fans like us. Were you originally into gadgets?

Kazumasa Watanabe: Yes. Before I started YouTube, I loved gadgets so much that I bought a new smartphone every six months. In the same flow, I'm doing it in the gadget genre on YouTube as well.

── What is the most important thing when you make gadget videos?

Kazumasa Watanabe: I think the most important thing is to make it easy for viewers to understand. Therefore, I try to think about the content and structure to some extent in advance and try to summarize it concisely and clearly without waste.

── Please tell us about YouTube trends. Recently, YouTube continues to change, with celebrities debuting as YouTubers. Does Kazuma Watanabe feel the change too?

Kazumasa Watanabe: I think it's partly because famous people are coming in one after another, but what I feel most is that the gadget field itself is really exciting.

As the number of gadget-related YouTubers has increased, the number of people I have become friends with has also increased, and we are able to collaborate, have fun talking about equipment, and exchange information. Gadget YouTubers are mostly friends, and I'm doing it like that.

── You could say that the number of rivals is increasing, but... don't you feel a sense of crisis?

Kazumasa Watanabe: Actually, I don't feel a sense of danger.

── As with our Gizmodo YouTube channel, more and more people are forming teams to make videos. Mr. Kazuma Watanabe, I heard that you do all the work yourself. Do you feel any difference between a team and an individual?

Kazumasa Watanabe: You have a sense of speed because you are an individual. The advantage is that you can work on your own initiative. One of my personal strengths is that I can edit the video as soon as I take it and upload it immediately, keeping a sense of speed.

It depends on the direction of the video, but if it's a video where you shoot with a fixed camera, speak, edit, and upload it, it takes 30 minutes to shoot, 1 hour to edit, and 30 minutes to adjust the summary column. It's about a minute, so you can bring it to the public in 2 hours at the shortest. There was Amazon Prime Day the other day, and the speed of publishing is especially important for videos that are released at events.

── Is it that fast!? You've been posting videos every day since 2018, but have you ever refined your production flow as you continued?

Kazumasa Watanabe: In the beginning, I was shooting videos as I wanted, but once I started to create a proper composition in advance, the shooting efficiency improved. I've upgraded my equipment more and more, and I've come to be careful to be able to produce beautiful image quality.

── From shooting to editing, what factors do you focus on in terms of efficiency in video production?

Kazumasa Watanabe: In order not to make mistakes at the time of shooting, I try to finish the shooting in one shot so as not to repeat the shooting.

In terms of equipment, the camera can be powered externally, there is no need to replace the battery, and the autofocus is fast, accurate, and error-free. In terms of audio, a mistake in the recording can cause strange sounds, so I always make multiple recordings with multiple equipment so that I can change it in case of an emergency.

On the editorial side, you have created templates for telops, etc., so that they can be placed immediately. Also, I have assigned a number of shortcuts to the keyboard and mouse, so I can cut and edit just by clicking with the mouse.

Half of last year's videos were mainly made with gaming laptops

── I feel like there aren't many PC review videos, but how often do you update your PC? are you doing?

Kazumasa Watanabe: PCs focus on how quickly and efficiently they can do their daily work. So instead of buying a new model as soon as it comes out, every few years. The hardware system as a whole evolves, and when I decide that work efficiency will improve, I buy a new one.

I post at least one video every day, so I'd like to keep stock up, and if I have time, I'd like to make two or three. But the work is not limited to video editing and shooting. I can't spend a lot of time, so I'm focused on efficiency.

── In that case, PC specs are very important.

Kazumasa Watanabe: I want the strongest specs I can buy at that time. On the desktop PC, which is the main work environment, we focus on how much CPU, GPU, memory, etc. can be used.

On the other hand, if it is a notebook PC that you take out, it is important to have a compact and thin body with a display of 15 inches or more.

── In recent years, I've heard that people use gaming laptops to edit videos.

Kazumasa Watanabe: Actually, about half of the videos I released last year were made mainly on gaming laptops. In reality, I realize that it has the power to help with daily video updates.

However, traditional gaming laptops are rugged. I bought one, but I never take it out, so from the perspective of using it at work, I think that thinness and lightness are important even for gaming laptops.

──Assuming that you are going to carry a gaming laptop with a large display over 15 inches, how much weight is acceptable?

Kazumasa Watanabe: Less than 2kg.

We also check the thickness of the bezel, which is an important factor in achieving both a large screen and a lightweight body. I think that the bezel is quite important in terms of design and feeling. If the bezel is thick, the tension will not rise. Therefore, it is good that the bezel is narrow enough to increase the tension.

Thin, light and fast. The PC "Legion Slim 750i" that really raises the tension

── The Legion Slim 750i you used this time has the specifications of the 10th generation Core i7, RTX 2060 Max-Q, and a 15.6 inch 4K display. , the thinnest part is 15.9 mm and about 1.86 kg in size and weight. What was your first impression?

Kazumasa Watanabe: It's really high spec and big screen, but it's thin, light and cool. It's small enough to fit in your bag, yet has the processing power of a desktop PC. The display resolution is 4K, so it was easy to edit videos. I really felt the evolution of technology, and it was a PC that really raised my tension.

── I was surprised when I held it. Lighter than it looks.

Kazumasa Watanabe: In my case, when I carry my PC around, I also have cameras, lenses, and other equipment in my bag. If the laptop is heavy, the weight will be even higher and your shoulders will get very tired. I was saved by the lightness of Legion Slim 750i. It's thin and has a good impression that you can afford it in your bag.

── Do you need 4K resolution for your work laptop?

Kazumasa Watanabe: I need it. It has the advantage of having a large working area. Also, when viewing videos and photos, it displays beautifully, so I would like to recommend it not only to video editors but also to still photographers. A full HD 144Hz model would be fine for a gaming PC, but a 4K 60Hz model would be better if you want to edit videos or work with multiple application windows side by side.

── How about the important processing speed?

Kazumasa Watanabe: The speed of the CPU is effective, so I don't have to worry about exchanging emails or creating documents, and the GPU performance is necessary and sufficient. I tried editing a 4K video, and I was able to cut and edit it smoothly, and the encoding of a 10-minute video was finished in about 4 and a half minutes. It was a simple video editing that didn't include many effects, but if it can be exported in less than half the actual time, it's a spec that can be used for YouTube editing.

── It's really nice to be able to edit and encode 4K videos properly. Was there anything you thought was good about the interface?

Kazumasa Watanabe: First of all, I would like to appreciate that the power connector is on the back. The Legion Slim 750i hides the power cable when placed on a table. It doesn't feel cluttered. I also like that it has a built-in card reader. I always used a hub with a built-in card reader to transfer the data I shot with my camera, but if it had a built-in card reader, I wouldn't have to bring it with me.

── Personally, I felt that the hard key touch was good.

Kazumasa Watanabe: The quality of the keyboard itself is good. Typing is stable even if you type long sentences, so you won't get tired. The large touchpad makes it easy to work with. If it was a day trip, I could edit the video while moving without a mouse. I also like the backlight. Having a keyboard backlight makes me feel cool when I use it.

── In recent years, there have been gaming laptops without a numeric keypad, but the Legion Slim 750i has one. Do you think it's better to have a numeric keypad?

Kazumasa Watanabe: I also use a desktop keyboard with a numeric keypad, and I put a lot of importance on it. Gadget videos often enter numbers such as specs in the summary column. That's why I think gaming laptops should have a numeric keypad.

── How did you feel about the performance of the battery?

Kazumasa Watanabe: As you would expect from heavy work like video editing, it quickly disappears. I had the impression that the battery would last until I got home from work. The AC adapter is usually heavy for gaming laptops, but with this I can use it at work without having to carry around an AC adapter.

── When it comes to gaming notebook PCs, there are many models with flashy impressions that shine everywhere, but the Legion Slim 750i has a calm design even though it has a glittering part.

Kazumasa Watanabe: One point in the simple design is effective, isn't it? The lighting of the power button changes depending on the mode, and the legion logo on the back panel also lights up, making it a self-assertive product. There is such a gimmick that comes to mind.

Currently, a powerful model that will support YouTube video production in the future

About five years ago. I heard a story from a major YouTuber office, and there was a word that "image quality is secondary". I think it's about a channel with a strong entertainment element, but if the project is interesting, viewers will follow, so it's not necessary to be too particular about image quality.

But as of 2021. After interviewing Kazumasa Watanabe, I learned how important it is to publish videos in beautiful 4K cinema quality. He says, ``Recently, more and more people are watching YouTube on large TVs of 40 inches or more, so it's easier to see the rough parts with full HD image quality.''

I see. I totally understand. In particular, TV sales have been growing due to stay-at-home demand since last year, and many people watch YouTube on devices other than smartphones and laptops. In other words, YouTube in the new normal era can be considered to be based on 4K quality.

The appeal of the Legion Slim 750i suddenly increases. The Legion Slim 750i, which is thin and light but has the ability to quickly edit 4K videos, is a creative machine with outstanding potential.

Whether you are already a YouTuber or just about to debut, the highly efficient performance of the Legion Slim 750i will make it a PC that will support your creativity.

Kazumasa Watanabe's "Legion Slim 750i" recommended points summary

・Desktop-class high specs: You can edit and encode 4K videos smoothly, so you can use it to edit YouTube videos.

・4K resolution can also be selected for the 15.6-inch wide display: The work area is large, and images and photos are displayed beautifully. The 4K/60Hz model is recommended not only for those who make videos, but also for those who take pictures.

・Thin and light: If your laptop is heavy, your camera, lenses, and other equipment will make your already heavy bag even heavier, and your shoulders will get really tired. It was helpful that it was light at about 1.86 kg, and it was also good that it was thin and had room in the bag.

・Simple design with one point: The power button lights up differently depending on the mode, and the logo on the back panel is also partially lit. It's a gimmick that makes you assert yourself, so you can use it and get excited.

・Various interfaces are also easy to use: The power connector is on the back, so even if you place it on a table, it won't be cluttered with power cables. Built-in card reader, no hub needed. The keyboard is of good quality and stable enough to type long sentences. The touchpad was large and I was able to edit videos while moving without a mouse.

Source: Lenovo