When you’re a video editor, having the best tools to do your job is extremely important but if your current technology is out of date, how do you know what the best replacement would be? Well, we thought we would offer some help and share our picks of the best graphics cards for video editing in 2021.
With the options on our list, we feel like any video editing work that you need to do will be done with ease, not only making things easier for you this year but hopefully making you more successful as well.
So get rid of that old graphics card and get ready for an upgrade!
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How to choose a graphics card for video editing
Graphics card memory amount
You want to find a graphics card with at least 4GB though 6GB would be better. In addition to video editing, if you do any kind of gaming in your off-hours, having enough memory to handle video editing and gaming is ideal. If you play at a very high resolution such as 4K, then you will want to look for a card with 8GB of memory.
Ports
Having the right ports on your graphics card is critical as not every monitor is the same. Some have HDMI, some have DisplayPort and older monitors may only have a DVI port. Before you buy a graphics card, you want to make sure that the card has the right ports for your monitor so you don’t need to spend more money on an adapter.
Form factor
Buying an incredible graphics card won’t help you at all if you can’t get it to fit in your case. You will want to pay attention to the card’s length, height, and thickness. A graphics card can come in different variations from half-height or slim, single-slot, double-slot, or even triple-slot. Even if a graphics card only takes up one or two slots in your case, if it comes with a big heatsink and fan shroud, it might end up blocking an adjacent slot. You want to be sure you check the specs before you choose.
TDP
TDP, otherwise known as Thermal Design Power measures how the heat dissipates but it also provides you with an estimation of the number of watts you’ll need to operate the card at stock settings. Generally, a 600W power supply unit (PSU) can handle just about any graphics card except for some of the most powerful ones. In those cases, a PSU of 800W is enough for any single GPU even without it being over-clocked.
Power Connectors
Many graphics cards tend to need more power than the standard maximum of 75W that is provided by the x16 PCle slot and need to connect to supplemental PCle power connectors. These come in 6- and 8-pin varieties and some cards may have one, two, or may even have six-and-eight pin ports on the same card. You may want to upgrade your power supply if it doesn’t have the supplemental connectors that you need.
TFLOPS / GFLOPS
TFLOPS or GFLOPS are also known as an indication of the maximum theoretical performance that a GPU can deliver. The core count multiplied by the clock speed, and then multiplied by two will give you the TFLOPS for a GPU. This will tell you how much faster one chip is in comparison to another.
The Best Graphics Cards for Video Editing
When you look at our list of the best graphics cards for video editing, there are two things you’ll notice right off the bat: a lot of cards are either AMD or Nvidia. These are the two big players in this space so a lot of the best graphics cards come from them. We also managed to sprinkle in a few other brands just to make things easier.
- AMD Radeon Pro WX8200 – $933
- Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Founders Edition – $864
- Sapphire Pulse Radeon RX 5600 XT – $623
- AMD Radeon RX 5700XT – $759
- Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super – $624
- Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Super – $999
- AMD Radeon Pro VII – $2024
- Nvidia Quadro RTX 6000 – $3815
- Mac Mini with Apple M1 – $669
- Nvidia GTX 1650 Mini ITX – $384
- Nvidia Quadro RTX 5000 – $1929
- AMD RX 570 – $249
- Zotac GeForce RTX 2060 Super Mini – $1049
- Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1660 OC 6G – $499
- Nvidia Titan RTX – $3293
Price are approximate. Live rates are shown below.
The Best Graphics Cards for Video Editing in 2021 Compared
The Best Graphics Cards for Video Editing in 2021
AMD Radeon Pro WX8200
A great graphics card for multi-use systems
Architecture: Vega architecture | RAM: 8GB video RAM
Outfitted with drivers that make sure that any Pro video application runs smoothly, the Radeon Pro WX8200 from AMD works well with Mac or PC and gets along with the Nvidia card that you may have in your case already. This would let a video editor set up a system that uses the WX8200 to drive the UI that can offer pro-level enhancements to several applications. If an application needs CUDA, a GeForce can be installed. The flexibility that the WX8200 offers video professionals makes it a great investment.
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Latest Price on Amazon:
- Upc: 727419416382
- Weight: 3.960 lbs
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Founders Edition
The best graphics card for video editing
Architecture: Ampere architecture | RAM: 8GB video RAM
While it’s the newest addition to their stable of graphics cards, the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Founders Edition from Nvidia is the most affordable release out of their 30-series to date, and much like other releases in this line, its sure to sell out quickly. With 8GB of memory, the RTX 3060 is clocked at 14Gbps. The GPU core has 38 SMs enabled, to put this in perspective, the RTX 3070 comes with 46 SMs, meaning that the 3060 is around 17% slower.
A reasonably compact card, the 3060 will fit in most cases and with a reduced TDP of 200W, there shouldn’t be an issue with noise or cooling. If you’re looking to upgrade, you should consider the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Founders Edition from Nvidia
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- GeForce RTX 30 Series GPUs deliver the ultimate performance for gamers and creators. They’re powered by Ampere—NVIDIA’s 2nd gen RTX architecture— with new RT Cores, Tensor Cores, and streaming...
- Experience today’s biggest blockbusters like never before with the visual fidelity of real-time ray tracing and the ultimate performance of AI-powered DLSS. RTX. It’s On.
- NVIDIA DLSS is groundbreaking AI rendering that boosts frame rates with uncompromised image quality using the dedicated AI processing Tensor Cores on GeForce RTX. This gives you the performance...
- NVIDIA Reflex delivers the ultimate competitive advantage. The lowest latency. The best responsiveness. Powered by GeForce RTX 30 Series GPUs and NVIDIA G-SYNC monitors. Acquire targets faster, react...
- Take your creative projects to a new level with GeForce RTX 30 Series GPUs. Delivering AI-acceleration in top creative apps. Backed by the NVIDIA Studio platform of dedicated drivers and exclusive...
Sapphire Pulse Radeon RX 5600 XT
A powerful Nvidia competitor
Architecture: Navi architecture | RAM: 6GB video RAM
Designed to compete with Nvidia’s GeForce line of graphics cards, the Radeon RX 5600 XT has no problem being a worthy challenger with its Navi architecture and 6GB of video RAM. Measuring a whopping 10.53 inches from end to end, you will want to make sure you have enough room to accommodate the card. In terms of connectivity, the 5600 XT comes with three DisplayPort ports and one HDMI port and you’ll need a single eight-pin connector to provide 150W of power to run the card. While this is a bit more than some cards, it shouldn’t affect the heat that the card produces.
Overall, the Radeon RX 5600 XT is a great entry into the midrange GPU landscape for AMD and should be able to handle almost everything you throw at it.
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- Boost clock: Up to 1750 MHz
- Game clock: Up to 1615 MHz
- Memory clock: 14 Gbps effective
- 4 outputs: 3 x DP, 1 x HDMI
AMD Radeon RX 5700XT
The best graphics card for a Mac Pro
Architecture: Navi architecture | RAM: 8GB video RAM
If you’re editing video on a Mac Pro tower and need to upgrade your graphics card to handle all of the new work you’ll be doing in 2021, AMD is your only option for macOS and the RX 5700XT is still a great card for your Mac Pro. While it won’t be able to match the encoding speed of the graphics card that is currently created by Nvidia, the video RAM and power consumption are more than capable of handling your video editing work.
However, if you’re a content creator on a Mac, not only is it a good choice but it’s also the only option you have when editing video on a 2019 Mac Pro tower.
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- Powered by AMD Radeon 2nd generation 7nm technology with 2035 Boost Clock, 2560 Stream Processors and 8GB of overclocked GDDR6 memory
- Supports up-to 6 monitors with 3x DisplayPort 1. 4 and 1x HDMI 2. 0B port
- Pci Express 4. 0 delivers double the bandwidth with throughput up to 16 gt/s
- Triple Axial-Tech 0db Fans increase airflow through the heatsink and boasts IP5X dust-resistance
- Auto extreme manufacturing and Max-Contact Technology deliver premium quality and reliability with aerospace-grade Super Alloy Power II components while maximizing heatsink contact
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super
The best budget-friendly graphics card for video editing
Architecture: Turing architecture | RAM: 6GB video RAM
While it’s not the newest graphics card on our list, the GeForce GTX 1660 Super from Nvidia is still an excellent option if you’re looking for a good graphics card for editing video and happen to be on a budget. While it’s not dirt cheap, the cost of a card like the 1660 Super will provide you will better performance and last a lot longer than if you spent much less.
While video export speeds are slower than the GeForce RTX-series cards, the lower price makes up for that. The only real downside is the amount of video RAM the card has. With 6GB, higher performance cards will have an obvious edge when it comes to editing 8K and high frame rate 4K video.
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- NVIDIA Turing architecture, with 1530MHz core clock and 1830MHz boost clock speeds to help meet the needs of demanding games.
- 6GB GDDR6 (192-bit) on-board memory, plus 1408 CUDA processing cores and up to 336GB/sec of memory bandwidth provide the memory needed to create striking visual realism.
- PCI Express 3.0 interface - Offers compatibility with a range of systems. Also includes DisplayPort, DVI-D and HDMI outputs for expanded connectivity.
- Turing Shaders - Featuring concurrent execution of floating point and integer operations, adaptive shading technology, and a new unified memory architecture with twice the cache of its predecessor,...
- NVIDIA GeForce Experience - Capture and share videos, screenshots, and livestreams with friends. Keep your drivers up to date and optimize your game settings. GeForce Experience lets you do it all,...
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Super
A great graphics card with high-end value
Architecture: Turing architecture | RAM: 8GB video RAM
While it may be too expensive for some, the GeForce RTX 2070 Super from Nvidia is a great option if you can afford it. Unless you’re looking to spend some serious money on graphics cards like a Titan or Quadro, the 2070 Super is a good combination of price and performance.
With 8GB of video RAM, the card has no problem working with high-quality ProRes 4K video, and the amount of memory also allows you to add in more motion graphics and can make accelerated tasks related to graphics much easier. The Turing architecture is a capable encoder, which makes it great for streaming.
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- Powered by NVIDIA Turing with 1830 MHz Boost Clock (OC Mode), 2560 CUDA Cores and overclocked 8GB GDDR6 memory
- Supports up to 4 Monitors with 2x Display Port 1. 4, 2x HDMI 2. 0 and a VR headset via USB Type C ports. Digital Max Resolution:7680x4320
- Auto Extreme and Max Contact Technology deliver premium quality and reliability with aerospace grade Super Alloy Power II components while maximizing heat sink contact
- ASUS Aura Sync RGB lighting features a nearly endless spectrum of colors with the ability to synchronize effects across an ever expanding ecosystem of Aura Sync enabled products
- GPU Tweak II makes monitoring performance and streaming in real time easier than ever, and includes additional software like Game Booster, XSplit Gamecaster, WTFast and QuantumCloud
AMD Radeon Pro VII
AMD’s Pro powerhouse is a great value
Architecture: Vega architecture | RAM: 16GB video RAM
While they are cheaper than their Nvidia equivalents, the Pro series from AMD is certainly up for any tasks that you need them for and the Radeon Pro VII is no exception. If the work you’re doing doesn’t require you to have CUDA, then the Pro VII is one of the best all-around Pro cards that are available today.
A great card for video editors and gamers alike, the card can drive 6 screens at 4K, 3 at 5K, and even drive an 8k display (if you can find one). The Radeon Pro VII from AMD is a great card at a not so cheap price but compared to other options on the market, the capabilities it offers make it worth the cost.
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Latest Price on Amazon:
- 100-506163
- Item Package Quantity: 1
- Country of origin:- China
- Package Dimensions : 10.0L x 10.0W x 5.0H (centimeters)
Nvidia Quadro RTX 6000
The best professional graphics card for video editing
Architecture: Turing architecture | RAM: 24GB video RAM
If you’re a video editor or perhaps work in CAD design, you need to have a graphics card that can handle 3D modeling and producing the final renders of a design you’ve been working on in the best possible detail. This is where the Quadro RTX 6000 from Nvidia shines. With 4608 CUDA cores and 24GB of RAM, the RTX 6000 isn’t designed for gamers, it’s specifically designed to be used by professional apps that require perfection frame-by-frame.
While the price may cause some sticker shock, the RTX 6000 is a stable card for graphic and design professionals looking for a graphics card that can handle everything they do during their day.
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Mac Mini with Apple M1
Apple changes the game again
Architecture: Rosetta 2 architecture | GPU: 8 core
With its new M1 ARM-powered chip, the Mac Mini from Apple has rewritten what a GPU can do. The Apple architecture combines the elements of a computer into a single chip and has taken the industry by storm. Programs like Final Cut Pro and Davinci Resolve have been optimized for the M1 which means that an M1 powered Mac mini might be a better investment than buying a discrete GPU or external GPU setup for editors at a relatively similar price.
While this is a great option, there are some flags to keep an eye on. This is the first generation of Apple’s new series so features such as eGPU support and RAM expandability are missing, so you may want to wait until Apple announces their 2021 version.
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Latest Price on Amazon:
- Apple-designed M1 chip for a giant leap in CPU, GPU, and machine learning performance
- 8-core CPU packs up to 3x faster performance to fly through workflows quicker than ever*
- 8-core GPU with up to 6x faster graphics for graphics-intensive apps and games*
- 16-core Neural Engine for advanced machine learning
- 8GB of unified memory so everything you do is fast and fluid
Nvidia GTX 1650 Mini ITX
Best compact graphics card for video editing
Architecture: Turing architecture | RAM: 6GB video RAM
Not every PC needs to come in a huge tower. Many video editing PCs are small in comparison and the GTX 1650 Mini ITX from Nvidia is a great choice for this kind of setup. Although it only comes with 4GB of video RAM, it doesn’t need any external power cables, is less than six inches in length, and has low thermal and power needs so it should be very quiet.
Although it does fall behind some of its competitors when it comes to performance, it doesn’t mean that the card isn’t capable. It has no problem with accelerating basic effects or 3D transition work and does it all in a tiny shape and size.
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Latest Price on Amazon:
- New turing architecture; boost clock 1695 mhz
- 4gb 128 bit gddr5
- Super compACt 5.94 inch card, fits 99 percent of systems
- Dual slot, 4k ready, pci bus powered
- DisplayPort 1.4, HDMI 2.0b, dl dvi d
Nvidia Quadro RTX 5000
CUDA acceleration and peace of mind in one bundle
Architecture: Turing architecture | RAM: 16GB video RAM, latest GDDR6 RAM
There’s an old saying. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” For many video editors, this adage sums up choosing a graphics card that works with their editing software, runs quietly, has good support, a solid warranty, and is worth the extra money paid for it. Many insist on using Quadro cards from Nvidia despite the power to cost ratio being hard to justify.
For those stalwarts, because of its more stable drivers, we would pick the RTX 5000. It offers 16GB of video RAM and has benchmarks in Premiere Pro from Adobe that are comparable to the RTX Titan or RTX GeForce 2080ti and with the price coming down, it’s a bargain compared to other professional Nvidia graphics cards.
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- CUDA Cores: 3072 / NVIDIA Tensor Cores: 384 / NVIDIA RT Cores: 48
- GPU Memory: 16 GB GDDR6 with ECC / Bandwidth: 448 GB/Sec
- System Interface: PCI Express 3.0 x16
- Four DisplayPort 1.4 Connectors
AMD RX 570
A great graphics card for the budget-conscious
Architecture: GCN architecture | RAM: 8GB video RAM
A fantastic entry-level graphics card for video editing, the RX 560 from AMD comes with 8GB of memory and has more than enough power for just about all of your video editing needs. At such an affordable price, it’s almost too good to pass up. The card is more powerful than many other comparable options as well as being more affordable. If you’re in the market for a high-quality graphics card without a high-quality price, you may want to consider the RTX 570 from AMD.
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Zotac GeForce RTX 2060 Super Mini
The best mini graphics card
Architecture: Turing architecture | RAM: 8GB video RAM
If you’re building a mini PC, it doesn’t mean that when it comes to adding a graphics card, you have to choose a lightweight GPU. With the GeForce RTX 2060 Super Mini from Zotac, they’ve made sure that you can access Tay Tracing at an affordable price. While some features like SLI support, RGB lighting, and VirtualLink for VR are missing because of its smaller size, if you’re looking for a graphics card that can give you excellent performance in a small package, the GeForce RTX 2060 Super Mini from Zotac is a great choice.
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- Turing architecture ray tracing cores tensor cores nvidia dlss
- 8gb 256-bit gddr6 14gbps boost clock 1650 MHz
- Ice storm 2 0 cooling
- 4k ready 4 display ready super compACt 8 3-inch length
- 3 x DisplayPort 1 4 1 x HDMI 2 0b
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1660 OC 6G
A great entry-level graphics card
Architecture: Turing architecture | RAM: 8GB video RAM
When you look around at the sheer number of different graphics cards available, it can feel like the only ones you can find are the uber-expensive ones that are hard to afford. Thankfully, the GeForce GTX 1660 OC 6G from Gigabyte is a great entry-level card at a great price. The affordable price is just the start of this great card. With a quality factory overclock plus all of the ports you’re gonna need, you should have not problem editing videos on several monitors or even playing a game in your downtime. A great price and a multi-display capability? That’s a great bargain in our books.
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- Powered by GeForce GTX 1660 integrated with 6GB GDDR5
- Wind force 2x cooling system with alternate spinning fans
- Intuitive controls with AORUS engine
- 6GB 192 bit GDDR5; 90 millimeter unique blade fans
- 1 x HDMI, 3 x DisplayPort
Nvidia Titan RTX
When you need the absolute best performance from a graphics card
Architecture: Turing architecture | RAM: 24GB video RAM
For those of us who might not be professional video editors, it shouldn’t mean that we can’t access high-end graphics cards to help us get the performance we deserve. That’s where the Titan RTX from Nvidia comes in. The Titan is designed to excel in video editing, CAD design, and machine learning.
With two eight-pin connectors, you need to make sure you have a power supply that can handle such a beast. 24GB of video RAM is more than enough memory to process high-resolution video files and rendering is done with ease. If you’re looking for a card that can turn your PC into a video editing beast, then the Titan RTX from Nvidia is a perfect choice.
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Latest Price on Amazon:
- OS Certification : Windows 7 (64 bit), Windows 10 (64 bit) (April 2018 Update or later), Linux 64 bit
- 4608 NVIDIA CUDA cores running at 1770 MegaHertZ boost clock; NVIDIA Turing architecture
- New 72 RT cores for acceleration of ray tracing
- 576 Tensor Cores for AI acceleration; Recommended power supply 650 watts
- 24 GB of GDDR6 memory running at 14 Gigabits per second for up to 672 GB/s of memory bandwidth
The Best Graphics cards for Video Editing in 2021
The best graphics cards can make any of your work look incredible. From video editing to animation, having a good graphics card can mean the difference between taking your career to the next steps or watching as you miss out on another client. We hope that our list of the best graphics cards for video editing in 2021 has shown you the possibilities that are out there so you can choose the best one for you.
The post The Best Graphics Cards for Video Editing in 2021 first appeared on JUST™ Creative.
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