Thanks to how computers and video editing software has progressed and advanced over the last couple of decades, you will find that most setups allow you to carry out some of the most basic video editing techniques.
Most people nowadays can put together simple videos with sound and multiple shots. However, there is a big difference between good video editing and great or even professional video editing and a lot of it comes down to the spec of the computer you are intended to use for this task.
What spec is important, then? In the following post, we will cover the most important spec you should be considering when buying or building a computer to use for video editing.
What Software Are You Going to Use?
It may seem strange to think about the software before the laptop itself. However, as all video editing software have their own system requirements to get the best out of them, the last thing you want to do is invest in a laptop or computer only to discover when it comes to installing your video editing software that there is not enough processor power and other important elements that it needs.
Choose the software you want to work with first and then invest in a laptop that matches the spec required.
Processor
The CPU is one of the most important parts of a computer, as it is integral to how well and how quickly it does things. Everything comes down to processor speed. This is where a lot of people get confused, because there are so many different processors out there, that all sound as good as one another.
You will find more information about the best video editing processors here, but our recommendation would be either the Intel 8-Core or its AMD equivalent.
RAM
As video editing involves a lot of temporary files being created on your computer, often with intricate and heavy graphics, your computer must have sufficient RAM to work smoothly. Simply put, the more space you have in the RAM, the easier your computer will find to save those temporary files and handle live playback as you edit your videos and films.
What size of ram should you be looking at then? Well, it really depends on the kind of videos you are working on. If you are working on 4K quality videos, then there is no point in looking at anything less than 32GB. That may seem like a lot, but you’ll understand the importance of having it if you ever try to carry out too much video editing with just 8GB of RAM to play around with.
Importance of Screen Resolution
Obviously, a huge part of video editing involves how the shots and sequences look. You want everything to look its best. The problem is that what your computer is capable of producing on its own screen may be different to the screens used by anyone watching your edited videos.
Therefore, it is important to try and invest in a computer or additional monitor with the best resolution possible, so you have a more accurate view of what your footage actually looks like.
Hard Disc Storage
In addition to the RAM mentioned earlier, you also need a computer with a reasonable amount of free hard disc space available for storage purposes. All those video files, music clips, and anything else you are using in the sequences, films or shorts you are editing together are larger than normal files. Ideally, a hard drive, or SSD, depending on what you prefer, with 500GB of space or more is best.
