If you’re looking to buy the best computer for video editing (and more), you’ve arrived in the right place, as today’s article will provide you detailed “intel” about how to choose a top-notch rig that will make your job and your life easier. On top of that, you’ll get a few buying suggestions, to suit every budget and all that. Basically, we’ve done the research and combed Amazon for the best deals, so you won’t have to.
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How to Choose the Best PC for Video Editing
Choosing the best tool for the job is quite important, especially if we’re talking about the best computer for gaming and video editing. Just as it’s the case with gaming rigs, video-editing leans heavily on the GPU, hence besides the most powerful CPU you can afford, you must not skimp on GPU quality.
Why Desktop PC and not a Laptop?
That’s a good question actually, and the answer is a well-built desktop PC will give you more bang for the proverbial buck than any laptop. Or to put it in a different way, you’ll get more computing power for less money in a desktop PC compared to a “portable”. And power is everything when choosing the best computer for video editing. We are aware of the fact that there are many cool laptops for video editing out there, but the budget is always an issue in the real world, else we’d all driving Ferraris.
Universal Hardware Requirements for Professional Video Editing
This is another important issue when it comes to getting the right tool for the job, and speaking of video-editing, the software you’re going to use is almost as important as the rig itself. However, in order to keep things simple, when buying the best pc for video editing, you must concentrate on 4 key specifications.
Processing Power
CPU is king, as it does most of the processing work, in “collusion” with the GPU in our particular case, hence try to go for the latest gen quad-hexa-octa-core high-end CPUs (read I7/I9 from Intel) for optimal performance in video editing tasks.
RAM
The amount of RAM is also paramount in heavy video editing jobs; whether you have DDR4/DDR5, it’s not the type of RAM, but the quantity, which in this case supersedes quality. The bare minimum for a workstation would be 8 GB of, but 16GB and above would be best. The more, the merrier.
Graphics Card
Most importantly, when choosing the best computer for video editing (or a gaming PC by that matter), pay extra attention to the GPU, which is going to be the actual work-horse on your system. Even if some may say you can run video-editing software like Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, After Effects etc. using the GPU integrated into your CPU (the HD thing in Intel CPUs), you should consider a dedicated graphics card if you want to get the most of your PC. Read along the lines of the NVIDIA Quadro series, which are specifically designed for professional video-editing software. Else, you can choose anything from Nvidia or AMD, provided it has at least 4 GB of VRAM.
Storage
We live in a day and age when 1 TB SSDS are relatively affordable. And SSDs are way faster than HDDs, hence if you’re going to work with big media files and you want to save time and nerves in the process, a large capacity SSD would be best, provided you can afford it. However, a SSD/HDD combo would also work great, especially in terms of value for money, provided the HDD is spinning fast enough (7200 RPM).
Ports
Video-editing implies you’re going to move around giant video files, from various devices to your PC to store them and/or modify them. Here the USB connection comes into play. Stay away from USB 2.0, as it’s painstakingly slow compared to the “standard” 3.0, not to mention latest USB 3.1 Gen 2 with a data rate of 10 GB/s. The point being, you want to get the fastest data rate possible on a video editing PC, so choose carefully.
Expandability
Things change fast in the tech world, both in terms of software and hardware, hence it would be a good idea to get a computer with expandability that would keep up with the times 3 years from now, i.e. a rig that allows you to upgrade its internal components with ease, things like adding more RAM, a beefier HDD/SSD or even a CPU/GPU upgrade.
Best Computers for Video Editing
Apple iMac Pro
The Best PC for Video Editing For Professionals
We could not have a “Best PC for Video Editing” contest without mentioning the 500-pound gorilla in the room. That would be the latest iMac Pro ladies and gents, to no one’s surprise actually. Now, forget about prices and common sense value for money.
What we’re dealing with here is the wet dream of any geek, a cool all-in-one desktop, with the incredible build quality, an awesome design and running on state of the art hardware. Oh, we almost forgot the fantastic 27’’ 5K 500 nits Retina display. It’s an easy mistake to make, really.
But let’s check out what’s inside: first, we must mention the “military-grade” 10-core Xeon W processor, which is capable of launching a spaceship to Mars on its own. Then, check out the 32 GB of RAM installed from the factory, the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 GPU with 8GB of HBM2 memory, and finally the beefy 1TB of SSD storage.
Are you impressed yet? If not, keep reading, especially if you’re a photographer and/or a video editor, because it gets better every time you look at it. One of the best things about the iMac Pro is its hallucinogenic computing power, which is due to the latest-gen Xeon Intel CPU, which is capable of balancing single-thread performance with multicore processing, offering you unparalleled power and flexibility, regardless of the task.
Basically, you can handle tons of data quicker than ever before, and that’s crucial for video editing, rendering and manipulating images and photos at light speed, creating real-time audio FX or compiling your next 5* app with zero hassle. Oh, we almost forgot: this creature can edit up to 8K video.
The Vega GPU also plays a part in this tech-porn, as it delivers real-time 3D rendering, higher frame rates than ever before, lifelike special FX and, if one so inclined, gameplay at max settings. Okay, maybe not quite 5K, but close to it. How fast is it? 24 teraflops fast, in 32-bit precision. If you’re ready to go all-in, as in broke, and put a second mortgage on your house, this baby is rock and roll.
- Stunning design
- Stellar performance
- Compact form-factor
- Stays cool regardless
- Gaming ready
- Magic peripherals
- High price
- No Adobe RGB support
Dell G5 5090
Amazing Value for Money
Dell is another powerhouse in the OEM-desktop business, and their latest G5 5090 makes for an entry-level gaming desktop, with an ultra-compact design and high-quality components, which makes it ideal for video editing. Why? That’s an easy one: a gaming desktop has everything a video-editor needs, and then some: solid CPU, powerful GPU and a ton of RAM.
So, here’s a few words about the G5 5090: unlike the iMac Pro, this premium desktop is quite affordable. That counts if you’re not a hipster, and even if the G5 costs a little bit over a thousand smackaroos, you’ll get a lot of bang for the buck. To begin with, the 5090 runs on a 10th Gen Intel Octa-Core i7-10700F CPU (that’s eight cores), a GTX 1660 Ti 6GB GDDR6 VR-Ready GPU, has 16 GB of RAM installed (upgradeable) and 1 TB SSD, everything powered by Windows 10.
So far, so good, so what? The thing about the G5 5090 is that it manages to stuff a lot of computing hardware inside a very sleek and compact chassis, with proper cooling and optimal cable management, i.e. things that are not achievable from a DIY job. As in, this baby is really worth buying if you don’t have a lot of space on your desk, as the unit measures 14.5 by 6.7 by 12.1 inches (HWD).
To make a long story short, this gaming desktop has everything you need for video editing and nothing you don’t (like a monitor, provided you already own one) at an affordable price, i.e. it offers solid value and stellar build quality/component selection in a space-saving form factor, which also looks pretty cool, especially if you’re a Zoomer or a Millennial.
And speaking of Zoomers, this machine can run GTA V, PUBG, Red Dead Redemption 2, Apex Legends, Minecraft and Fortnite (between video editing tasks) at a recommended level.
- Fast CPU
- Full HD 60fps gaming
- Accessible front ports
- Exceptional system performance
- Very quiet
- Easy to upgrade
- Good value for money
- Not the best GPU
Skytech Azure
Solid Specs for The Money
If you’re looking for a solidly built PC and great performance at an affordable price tag, I would definitely recommend a Skytech Azure. This particular unit is powered by an AMD Ryzen 5 3600X 3.8GHz CPU, which is great for Intel haters; the graphics part is taken care of by an RTX 3070 8GB GPU, and then there’s 16 GB of RAM and a 1 TB gen 4 SSD.
Everything sounds pretty okay until now, and here’s the deal, to quote from the classics: the Skytech Azure is built to be a jack of all trades, master of all, i.e. it can do gaming and video editing with flying colors. Even if you’re going to open large videos, this monster will just shrug at them.
When it comes to texture processing and things of that nature, you will learn to appreciate AMD power, and we really find the AMD/Nvidia thing to be an amazing combo for both work and play. For the specs, this PC is really worth the money, it ships bloatware-free, and with most of the drivers already installed.
Cabling is good, the PC itself is super quiet even under heavy load, as the Skytech case cools pretty well, and we must mention that the retail package contains a mechanical (and heavy) keyboard, which is pretty good news for gaming aficionados. Even the complementary mouse is more than decent.
Bottom line, this is a solid PC for video-editing for the money asked, and best of all, it’s assembled in the USA, which is rare nowadays.
- Excellent video-editing performance
- Solid specs
- Good value for money
- Quiet
- Made in USA
- None
CyberpowerPC SLC8260A3 Gamer Supreme
The Best Computer For Video Editing And Multimedia
It’s time for something extraordinary: enter CyberpowerPC Gamer Supreme, a state of the art gaming computer, as per its name, which features a sophisticated liquid cooling system. Needless to say, if this makes for any gamer’s wet dream, it will definitely do a great job with video editing, right?
The liquid cooling thing is put there to help the hardware deliver optimum performance at max loads, and by hardware we mean an AMD Ryzen 7 3800X 3.9GHz GPU, helped by a Radeon RX 5700 XT 8GB, 16 GB of DDR4 and 1 TB of SSD. If you know a thing or two about gaming PCs, you’ll understand why the SLC8260A3 is a solid investment for video editing.
To put it succinctly, you’ll get solid parts and great value for money, so even if you’re the kind of person that tends to avoid pre-builts, this is definitely not the case. If you’ll try to build your own machine with these exact specs, provided you know what you’re doing, you’ll most probably end up spending more than the SLC8260A3’s asking price.
Basically, this unit is an A+ for value, and in terms of sheer power, it has few rivals in its price range. The liquid cooling system does its job with flying colors, and keeps the system cool and quiet, running like a dream.
- Reliable gaming machine
- Quiet performance
- Liquid cooling
- Solid parts
- Amazing value for money
- No VGA out
Alienware Aurora R11
Alien Powered
Also known as the Benchmark Destroyer, the Aurora R11 is basically an alien artifact stolen from Area 51. If money is no object to you, this is the alien you were looking for your whole life. For a bit over 25 hundred bucks you’ll end up with a gaming desktop that looks like it was teleported from the MotherShip.
More precisely, the design is alien in nature to say the least, and under the hood you’ll discover a 10th Gen Intel Core i7 CPU, 16 GB of premium RAM in dual-channel, HyperX Fury DDR4 XMP respectively for connoisseurs, a top-shelf NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 GPU, and an interesting 1TB HDD + 512GB SSD combo.
As usual, if this system is designed to do a bang-up job in gaming, it will definitely work just as great in video-editing tasks. Specs aside, this is truly one of the fastest gaming PCs on the market, and also easy to service and to upgrade, provided you can lay your hands on an RTX 3090. However, if you’re going to use it just for video editing, you will not need any upgrading, at least for the foreseeable future.
Basically, if money is not an issue for you, you’re into futuristic design and you want a super high-end desktop from Dell to take care of your gaming and editing needs, the Aurora R11 has your name on it.
- Unholy performance
- Small interior with big power
- Futuristic design
- Easy to service/upgrade
- Stays cool
- Spectacular audio quality
- Very expensive
- Fans can get noisy
Origin Millennium
Desktop Battle Station
Origin Millennium is a fancy name for a computer, and it must be noted that this particular model comes from a company specialized in highly customized machines, Origin respectively. Hence, you can build your own Millennium, from the ground up, with just a few clicks of your mouse on Origin’s official website.
The only limit is the sky and your budget, obviously; so, you can build a gaming (cough, video-editing) computer starting with the side panels and ending up with the MOBO’s orientation. Also, the Millennium is impressively expendable/upgradeable, which makes it future proof, as in you can put for example 8 SSDs inside, or 2 GPU’s in SLI mode, you got the point.
If you’re not into customizing, there’s a base model available, which comes with an AMD Ryzen 5 3600XT processor, Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super GPU, 16GB of RAM and 250GB storage (SSD), but even this low-end version will cost you dearly, over $2k.
Premium buyers can spend over $10k on a maxed-out version of the Millennium, which comes with an AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3990X, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090, 256GB of RAM and 8TB of SSD storage, everything packed inside a super fancy full-tower case featuring Origin Cryo Core and a hot-swappable cage upgrade.
Truth be told, the Origin Millennium is a rather unique approach to building a computer for video editing; if money is no object, you’ll have a crazy amount of components to choose from, 3 different cases, 3 liquid cooling solutions for both the CPU and the GPU, expansion kits, RGB lighting options for the child within, the option between top-notch AMD and Intel CPUs as well as a wide array of Nvidia and AMD GPUs.
- Impressive performance
- Cool chassis
- Highly customizable
- Impeccable workmanship
- Future-proof
- RTX 30-series GPU available
- Crazy expensive