need help picking a good video making laptop.

[IftiBashir]

You will spend twice as much on a mac laptop as a windows laptop with the same level of performance. Unless you have another reason to go with mac, I'd steer clear.

Yes and No.
The hardware is expensive' especially in comparison to a windows based laptop, but the quality of a MacBook is tons better IMO.
Also, since OSX is much more stable and efficient, software runs much nicer on it. I've had no issues on OSX whatsoever, and even a lower spec laptop will do video editing pretty well, since the software uses the system resources much more efficiently.
Just look at how much RAM Windows 7 uses just by booting up, for example!

Each platform has its strengths and weaknesses and I guess its all on personal preference. I used to hate MAC, but I decided to try one when I first started video editing, and realised how easy it was on the platform, and how smooth it ran.

This is coming from someone who has a career in building Windows Networks, by the way. Windows cannot be beat in networked environments, as OSX is crap with networking. I will always swear by Windows for my work, but at home I use MAC and in the last few years I've had no issues whatsoever.

A larger outlay, but the hardware lasts longer, keeps its value better, and IMO performs better for a home user.
In the last 4 years or so I've been through several Dell laptops at work (I have to use them pretty intensively for my work), yet I've been through 2 MacBooks, and that was only because I decided to upgrade.

 

[M424Filmcast]

One of the most important things I have found in the last 6 years is to make sure you have more RAM for your editing programs. Most require at least 2-4 GB of RAM, however, they usually suggest at least 6 GB. This is because the rendering process for most editing software is a memory hog. I am actually getting a new laptop soon that will have 8 GB of RAM. You want good processing speed and plenty of HDD space or a good external drive/cloud storage for your finished videos. They can take up a lot of HDD real estate if you make a lot of videos. As far as brand, I've always done well with Toshiba Satellite, but almost any brand of PC is good and less expensive than a Mac.

As far as a camera goes, you will likely want something 1080p. I personally use the Canon Vixia, though I would love to have a Canon 5D Mark III.

Anyway, that's my two cents. Hope it helps!