Video editing is a demanding task that requires the right equipment. How to choose a computer to ensure efficient work?
The increase in the availability of digital cameras, as well as the presence of increasingly better components in smartphones, has given film enthusiasts a whole new opportunity. Now the editing of footage can be done not only by specialists. However, the results of the work will depend not only on skill, but also on the characteristics of the device you have. The first question to be answered in this context is the choice between a desktop computer and a laptop.
In most situations, it is the “PC” that will be the better option. This is due, among other things, to the possibility of a more powerful graphics card – a desktop computer can be equipped with more efficient cooling than a laptop, which translates into more options in terms of components. On the plus side, it is also easier to connect more than one monitor. A sizable number of people, however, prefer laptops, which definitely win in terms of portability.
You should also consider the operating system of the chosen device. We have basically two choices – macOS and Windows; a third option is various Linux distributions, but they unfortunately have limited access to video editing software. It is the ability to use particular applications that should be crucial here. We’re talking specifically about Final Cut Pro, a program offered by Apple that is not supported on Windows devices. Although the system from Microsoft generally offers greater access to various software, some specialized solutions can only be used with macOS. This is an issue worth considering especially when working with studios or companies that may prefer specific video editing software.
In order to process video files efficiently, you will need a sufficiently powerful processor. It is its specifications that determine the performance of the computer. The most important in this regard are parameters such as clock frequency and number of cores. It should be noted that most programs used for this purpose can easily run on multiple threads simultaneously. This makes it worth betting on chips equipped with eight or even more cores. Beyond this point, the choice is quite simple – the higher the clock rate, the better, although we must also adjust the decision in terms of financial possibilities.
In addition to the right choice of processor, you should also pay attention to the operating memory. 16 GB of RAM with DDR4 technology is a solid choice to handle most tasks. However, it’s worth betting on 32 GB of memory to be able to edit videos even more efficiently. When buying a laptop, it will be a good idea to check whether the chosen model allows you to use additional RAM bones.
Although quite a lot of the video editing processes mainly use the processor, a powerful graphics card will be a huge help. However, beginners can also get by with an integrated chip. When choosing a graphics card, pay attention to its capacity, supported resolution and number of monitors, as well as the number of rendering units and shaders.
main photo: pexels.com/Josh Sorenson
