Overview
GPU is utilized by contemporary video editing applications to speed up encoding and rendering. And you need a strong graphics card on your computer if you want to edit videos at 4K resolution. There are two trustworthy brands on the market to choose from Nvidia and AMD. Due to its Cuda acceleration, Nvidia has a slight advantage over AMD in video editing. To help you select the GPU that best suits your demands and budget, we have listed GPUs from both brands in this guide.
A few years ago, the processing speed of your CPU was heavily reliant on video editing software. Modern video editing tools mainly rely on graphics hardware for quicker video rendering. You need a strong GPU, significantly when reducing the export time of an HD video. The performance of modern video editing programs like DaVinci Resolve is heavily reliant on the GPU. Check out the list of Best Graphics Cards for 4K Video Editing and Rendering for your PC build in 2024.
Top Picks
Check out our list of Best Graphics Cards For 4k Video Editing And Rendering suggested by Experts.
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Best Overall Graphics Cards: GIGABYTE AORUS GeForce RTX 3090
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Best Premium Graphics Cards: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Founders Edition
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Best Graphics Cards for a Mac Pro: AMD Radeon RX 6800XT
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Best Value Graphics Cards: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
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Best Budget Graphics Cards: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super
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Best Ultra-cheap Graphics Cards: PowerColor AMD Radeon RX 550
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Best Graphics Cards for Professional 4KÂ Video Editing: Nvidia Quadro RTX 6000Â
- Best Performance Graphics Cards: Nvidia Titan RTX
Reviews
1. EVGA GeForce RTX 3080 TiÂ
One of the most powerful GPUs on the market right now is the RTX 3080 Ti. It wouldn't be inaccurate to claim that this GPU is "the beast" regarding outstanding gaming performance. And when compared to other GPUs in the RTX family, this GPU exhibits optimal performance in video export time when it comes to 4K video editing.
Even though Nvidia cards are better suited for Adobe-based programs, this particular card performs significantly better with Davinci Resolve. It could be that when rendering videos, Davinci Resolve makes better use of the hardware. The 12GB of GDDR6 memory, sufficient to edit videos even at 8K resolution, maybe another reality.
Additionally, the RTX 3080 has an 1800 MHz boost clock speed and 760GB/s of memory bandwidth to speed up the video rendering process. Your graphics card can stay cool under demanding circumstances thanks to iCX3 technology.
A pricey GPU for video editing is the RTX 3080 Ti. When you test its performance while working on your video projects, however, it is absolutely worth every penny. Additionally, it requires a 320W power supply to function, so if your computer's power supply is outdated, it's time to get a new one.
Pros
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Impressive performance.
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Sometimes even faster than the RTX 3090.
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Packed with overclocking-friendly features.
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Stunning RGB lights, fan, and RGB headers.
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Software for Precision X1 is excellent.
Cons
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Very expensive.
2. GeForce RTX 2070 Super
The RTX Series GPUs unquestionably perform exceptionally well in video editing and gaming. And the RTX 2070 Super is the only choice if you want faster video rendering times. This graphics card is a beast in itself when it comes to editing videos at higher resolutions.
When it comes to editing videos or producing animated content, this GPU performs x6 faster than other GPUs thanks to Nvidia's Turing architecture. The 8GB of GDDR6 RAM and boost speed of 1770 MHz make this card perfect for fluid 4K video playback.
Large files may be handled by the RTX 2070 Super's 14Gbps memory performance for quicker rendering. We tested this graphics card in Adobe Premiere Pro to see how quickly it could edit a 3-minute 4K footage. Additionally, rendering took significantly less time overall than anticipated.
The majority of producers of video material can afford this GPU. The RTX 2070 Super is a capable mid-range GPU for video editing due to its strong processing ability. This card is best suited for 4K video editing in Adobe Premiere Pro; it is not the best choice for higher resolutions like 6K or 8K.
Pros
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Outstanding performance for the price.
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Great aesthetics.
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Cool operating system.
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Idle fan stop.
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RTX Technology.
Cons
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No factory overclock.
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No backplate.
3. AMD Radeon RX 5700XT
It wouldn't be inaccurate to claim that AMD RX 5700 XT is one of those graphics cards with numerous potent Nvidia GPUs hidden behind the scenes. This GPU will cover all your needs, whether gaming or editing content.
8GB of GDDR6 memory with a boost clock speed of 2035 MHz is included with the AMD RX 5700 XT. At this point, the overclocking speed could be a little overpowering. However, it still performs far better even if you don't push this graphics card to higher clock speeds.
The fact that this card supports the PCIe 4.0 slot is another fantastic feature. This now gives you twice as much power as a GPU compatible with PCIe 3.0. Additionally, the GPU stays cool when rendering big video files at more excellent resolution thanks to ASUS FanConnect II technology. Thanks to PCIe cards' backward compatibility, you can install this GPU on a PCIe 3.0 slot that is older.
At GPURepublic, we appreciate AMD's RDNA architecture, which improves overall image quality when 4K videos are played. To reduce latency in 4K video editing, the 5700 XT has 40 computing units grafted onto a 7nm RDNA architecture. Simply put, it indicates that this GPU will result in quicker video rendering speeds.
Pros
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Almost 10% quicker than GeForce RTX 2060 Super
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Affordable.
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Numerous features look to the future.
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A distinctive card built with premium components.
Cons
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No ray tracing.
4. Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Founders Edition
If you have an RTX 2080 Founders Edition, editing videos at 4K quality will be much simpler if you are a YouTuber or a professional video editor. This is one of the graphics cards well-known video producers suggest for editing 4K and 8K videos.
A strong video editing GPU with 8GB of GDDR6 memory, 2944 CUDA cores, and an 1800 MHz boost clock speed is the RTX 2080 Founders Edition. Videos of HD resolutions can be played or edited without any lag or delay. DLSS 2.0 is not necessary for video editing and is included with the 2080 Founders Edition. However, if you enjoy playing video games and recording gameplay, you might find this useful function.
It is incredible regarding RTX 2080 Founders Edition performance for 4K video editing. Thanks to its numerous display connections, you may attach many monitors to this graphics card in your studio.
This is one of the most incredible graphics cards available if you want to edit 4K or even 8K videos. It is cheaply priced and performs better than the RTX 2070 Super, which has trouble producing films with a resolution higher than 4K. On this GPU, we edited a lot of large video files, and it rendered 3D animations, visual effects, and playback quite quickly.
Pros
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One of the most powerful GPUs available today.
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Excellent addition to high-refresh QHD monitors.
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Higher GPU Boost clocks are sustained than in the previous generation thanks to improved thermal solution performance.
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Very simple overclocking.
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Runs cool and quiet.
Cons
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Heat is exhausted by two axial fans and returned to your case.
5. ASUS GeForce RTX 2060
The RTX 2060, a GPU straddles the line between affordability and performance. And this might be your last option if you're seeking a cheap graphics card that can edit 4K footage. It contains every crucial feature of a GPU used for video editing.
The RTX 2060 has 6GB of GDDR6 memory with a boost clock rate of 1785 MHz. The 1920 Cuda cores make this GPU shine in video editing. Dual axial technology fans are installed on the GPU to provide adequate cooling.
This GPU offers potent computing and the splendor of Ray Tracing from Nvidia at a competitive price. As a result, playing games or editing videos at 4K resolutions won't cause any issues. But compared to the other GPUs on our list, this one's rendering power is slightly lower.
Additionally, this graphics card is less expensive than its RTX family counterparts. The RTX 2060 lets you experience Nvidia's ray-tracing if you enjoy gaming. However, we don't consider ray-tracing when selecting graphics cards for video editing.
Pros
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Operates much cooler than previous.
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Great performance.
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Silky ray traced.
Cons
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A little more expensive than the predecessor.
FAQs
Q: How much GPU memory do I need to edit a 4K video?
A GPU with at least 768 MB of RAM is advised by Adobe, but 1 GB or more is a realistic benchmark. Remember that more expensive video cards differ from cheap gaming cards. It is advised to set the memory per core to a minimum of 3 GB and a maximum of 6 GB.
Q: Which is more crucial for video editing, RAM or GPU?
Ample RAM is necessary for efficient video editing. We advise 8 GB as the minimum if you're editing video at 1080p. We recommend at least 16 GB for 4K. More RAM is beneficial in both scenarios. However, it shouldn't take precedence over investing in a strong CPU and a decent graphics card.
Q: How many GPU cores are needed for editing videos?
A quad-core is the minimum suggested number of cores in your computer, regardless of the type of editing you are performing. Using 6–10 cores is advised if you are undertaking more complicated video editing.
Final Thought
Finally, these GPUs were some of the Best Graphics Cards for 4K Video Editing and Rendering. Which option should you select right now? Well, it all depends on your needs and money. While the RTX 3080 is undoubtedly one of the best GPUs, it is also pricey. Therefore, if your budget permits it, go for it. For the foreseeable future, an RTX 3080 would be sufficient to suit your video editing requirements. And if money is limited, the RTX 2060 is a great graphics card because it costs less than $800 and performs well for editing and playing back 4K footage.