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Do You Need a GPU For Video Editing
What Is A Graphics Card?
Graphics cards serve many functions, not just gaming, but for 3D Modelling, and Video Editing. When engaged in high resolution projects (2K & 4k), the extra horsepower a GPU can provide may make a difference. It’s because editing at high resolutions can partially use a GPU for faster outcomes.
GPU VS CPU For Video Editing
It will likely be best to buy a better CPU over a better GPU; this is because Video editing is heavily multi-threaded, meaning more CPU cores is king.
Multi-threaded applications can benefit quite a bit from hyper-threading. This is because Multi-Threaded applications are coded with the intent to use multiple threads at the same time for different tasks. This post will provide further detail on why CPU is king.
However, GPUs are very helpful relating to graphically demanding tasks such as: After Effects, 3D Modelling, and Video editing from Premiere Pro. The CPU does the heavy lifting while the GPU comes in handy when the graphically intensive tasks arise.
Role of CPU
Handles the core logic, timeline playback, and decoding/encoding of many video codecs. High core count and clock speed are vital.
Role of GPU
Accelerates specific effects (Gaussian blur, color grading, Lumetri color), 3D rendering, and specific export processes (NVENC).
Can SLI Enhance Performance?
SLI is when two NVIDIA GPUs work simultaneously. This may lead you to believe that SLI means double performance for everything. This is not true. SLI will enhance performance only if the application being used is SLI Compatible.
If the application is SLI suitable, the graphically demanding tasks could benefit from two GPUs, but you will not get double the performance.
In fact, it would be less risky to invest in one powerful CPU and one powerful GPU. SLI has always been inefficient and quite expensive, so I don’t recommend it for Video Editing.
Remember, SLI is mostly for gaming, not editing, so you’ll expect little to no difference with an extra graphics card.
AMD VS NVIDIA Video Editing
NVIDIA has the benefit of having CUDA cores which AMD doesn’t have; AMD has Stream Processors. Using these Cores will take some of the burden off the CPU when GPU intensive tasks are being operated. This is referred to as GPU acceleration.
However, what about OpenCL? OpenCL could be seen as a CUDA core alternative; keep in mind NVIDIA also has OpenGL support.
AMD cards are usually better than NVIDIA cards at OpenGL; however, NVIDIA’s CUDA is faster and OpenGL doesn’t seem to offer the same performance boost CUDA seems to offer.
What if OpenGL is my sole option? OpenGL is better than no OpenGL. Although it isn’t as powerful as CUDA, it still is a viable method of GPU acceleration. It will provide performance boosts, and the OpenGL framework is very viable.
For those who’re looking for a good video editing GPU, try this text regarding the best RTX 2070 SUPERS.
How Does GPU Acceleration Benefit Me In Video Editing?
GPU Acceleration is a method where the GPU aids the CPU by shifting CPU intensive applications to the GPU. This allows the GPU to be a useful addition to the computer and overall boosting speed and efficiency of a software.
GPU Acceleration has been used extensively in video editing to improve the performance of rendering at higher resolutions. It’s always best to pair a good GPU with a good CPU for stability and optimized performance.
To enable GPU acceleration, you might be required to activate it within the video editing software. Be cautious, not all GPUs are able to be accelerated depending on the software being used.
This video explains how to enable GPU acceleration in Premiere Pro 2019. For those who are, definitely have a look.
What Are CUDA Cores?
Just like a CPU has cores: Dual, Quad, Hexa, well so do GPUs, except they have several thousand cores. CUDA cores are proprietary to NVIDIA and they are much like stream processors which are proprietary to AMD.
When selecting a GPU, the extra CUDA cores usually indicate a faster card, but this is not always true. For example, 1000 CUDA cores clocked at 1000 MHz is not any different from 2000 CUDA cores clocked at 500 MHz (in raw throughput theory, though architecture matters).
You’ll have seen that GPUs are clocked slower than CPUs. It’s because CPUs and GPUs are fed different data. CPUs are built to perform more complicated tasks and operations, while the GPU is built to perform simple parallel tasks.
CUDA cores and Stream processors are related, but they’re not equal. CUDA cores and stream processors are not equal when it comes to power and numbers. For instance, 1000 CUDA cores will not be equal to 1000 Stream processors. This is due to a distinct GPU architecture, and we cannot possibly compare the two directly.
What are Tensor Cores?
Tensor cores are also proprietary to NVIDIA. These cores are different from CUDA cores. They both work alongside one another, but each has very different functions. Tensor cores are unique to the new RTX cards.
Tensor cores are new to the GPU market, and the aim they serve is to do one sort of task and that is ray tracing (and AI processing). Since this can be a fairly new technology, we are yet to see it utilized fully in basic video editing, though AI features in modern editors are beginning to use them.
What Are The Quadro GPUs?
Quadro Graphics cards are workstation graphics cards used for professional needs such as Video Editing and Computer-generated imagery.
These graphics cards are actually more precise than the famous GTX/RTX graphics cards. It’s because GTX graphics cards are made for gaming, and they use integer precision engines (mostly). Quadro GPUs, however, prioritize floating-point precision engines which is more precise.
GTX graphics cards are built with the intent to produce frames as quick as possible, That is what makes it such an excellent gaming graphics card.
In certain circumstances, a slight discrepancy may trigger numerous issues and cost a huge amount of money, that is why Quadro cards are popular amongst large industries.
Moreover, Quadro GPUs provide boosted CUDA cores, it’s because they need to provide as much power as possible to make 3D modelling and video editing a much faster process.
These graphics cards may be extremely useful for Video editing, however, they come at a hefty price tag ($5000-$10000). These cards target large industries such as massive content material production studios.
Does This All Mean I Need A GPU?
Now we have found that GPUs are actually necessary for video editing relating to GPU intensive tasks. That is due to GPU cores (CUDA cores or Stream processors), they distribute the workload between the CPU and the GPU to free up resources.
It’s probably best to invest in a mid-tier GPU, you don’t want something super powerful. But if you don’t have a GPU, remember most video editing is heavily CPU based. Remember to not cause a bottleneck, and to always keep sensible stability between CPU power and GPU power.
For entry-level video editing @1080P, a (GTX 1060 x i5 8600K) will do the job. @2K & 4K it’s best to take into account buying a (GTX 1070 x i7 8700K) or a (GTX 1080TI x i9 9900K).
A passionate tech enthusiast with a deep focus on PC hardware, gaming rigs, and performance tuning, Bertine Gaynor has spent years exploring the latest innovations in processors, GPUs, and custom builds. On DigitalUpbeat.com, he shares hands-on reviews, performance breakdowns, and expert insights to help readers make smart hardware choices. When not testing components, he’s often optimizing setups for peak efficiency or diving into the latest tech trends shaping the future of computing.
