The Best CPUs For Video Editing

Finishing your biggest video editing project but having to wait for hours is nerve-wracking. You want your effort to turn into a watchable video as soon as possible. To significantly reduce your encoding times, you need the best CPU for video editing. Traditionally gamers had to invite their friends over to play together, but now, with the gaming CPU, you can stay at home and play with the world. Gaming sessions are long, and you want them to be uploaded fast to your channel after tedious editing hours. T211raditionally, people went for workstation PCs to achieve such tasks. Still, now it is possible with the Intel CPU meant for domestic purposes, making video editing rigs affordable and high performance. A powerful processor can make video editing a breeze, and there will be no freezing of frames or lag between re-playing and stopping videos.

Everything from your daily sales and purchase to economics is dependent on PCs. Even the CPU designed for mining is good for creators due to its powerful multitasking capabilities and cores. We have included the AMD CPUs in our list with the best price-to-performance ratio. We aimed to give you a list of good CPUs for video editing. Hardware acceleration in Adobe Premiere Pro and Cyberlink PowerDirector 365 for encoding is primarily dependent on the performance of the central processing unit. GPU also has a significant role in encoding. Still, with the latest video editing software, the code distributes load between the GPU and the CPU so that there are enough resources left to leave the PC in a usable state. We have compiled a list of AMD and Intel processors that are ideal for video editing scenarios due to their number of cores combined with high-end frequencies.

Our top picks

Quick Shopping Tips:

To understand why our list of processors is so diverse, you need to go through our quick shopping tips:

Cores/Threads: The number of cores is a hardware-based independent unit within the CPU. A higher number of cores translates to better multitasking capability. Software capable of running multiple threads to achieve better performance can utilize the offered thread resource by the CPU to enhance utilization. Some modern games require a multicore multithreaded CPU for regular operation.

Lithography: AMD and Intel have their way of manufacturing chips. AMD, with their AM4 socket, has recently launched Zen3 architecture with 7nm technology, while Intel, with their all-new 12th Gen, has gone for 10nm manufacturing. Having a smaller scale for manufacturing leads to better energy performance. AMD has lower TDP/performance compared to Intel.

Price vs. Performance: Everybody wants value for their money, and price-to-performance is an excellent indicator for examining any product’s efficiency. However, it does not portray the hardware’s ability to cope with the latest technology. For example, a 9th Gen Intel processor may be fast for the money, but it may not feature Turbo Boost 3.0 or PCIe 5.0 like the 12th Gen Intel processor.

PugetBench: Creators require a benchmark representing the CPU’s ability to take up tedious video editing tasks. It performs in terms of points, and users can upload their rig performance on the website. There are results for PugetBench for Photoshop, PugetBench for Lightroom Classic, PugetBench for Premiere Pro, PugetBench for After Effects, and PugetBench for DaVinci Resolve.

The Best CPUs For Video Editing: First look

The Best CPUs For Video Editing: In-depth Review

As a YouTuber and gamer, you require a CPU that can easily handle multitasking. AMD Ryzen 9 3950X is a powerful processor that can handle encoding while performing other tasks. A video editor knows the ease of mind when your PC can handle dual h.265 encoding with a fully responsive UI, and you get precisely that. Streaming of platforms like Twitch, YouTube, and Facebook requires uploading encoding and gaming at the same time, and the Zen 2 architecture can handle this kind of load.

Going into the technical aspects of the chip, it is a 105W thermal design power unit. Almost all the liquid or air-based coolers can easily cool down the chipset, indirectly indicating the processor’s consumption under full load. The low power consumption compared to the performance will keep your energy bills down, and as the best processor for video editing, it will take lower encoding times. Overall it’s an efficient processor with 16 cores and incredible 32 threads that boost frequency to turn 1.2GHz up from base frequency to power through the workload.

The king of gaming from 2018 still has relevance today. Intel Core i9-9900K performs like a top-tier CPU giving competition to all the latest generations of processors. Most processors have a hard time reaching 5GHz boost frequency, but with this processor, you can easily reach top speed with just 95W TDP. The coffee lake architecture inside an LGA1151 socket gave promising results. The PugetBench overall score of around 900 makes it the high-end processor among the competitors. It is built solid with the capability of handling 100°C max temperature. The built-in GPU also has the ability to run 4K videos at 60Hz.

Going into the specifics, we need to consider that the LGA1151 is an older socket. Since Intel changes its socket size for every generation, motherboard manufacturers have difficulty maintaining the supply chain. It leads to limited options when finding a compatible chipset that supports 9th Gen Intel Processor. When it comes to hardware-based acceleration, this Coffee Lake chip is the best video editing CPU in the market with a decent price tag. It does not have PCIe 4.0 support, so you won’t be able to utilize the capabilities of the Nvidia RTX 3000 series entirely.

AMD Ryzen 7 3700x is a PCIe 4.0 x16 compatible processor with a decent price tag rating of 76 with respect to the latest 12-Generation Intel. When it comes to editing, it scores a decent 700 overall score in PugetBench, which makes the CPU high in performance for video editing. It has a slightly lower 95°C maximum operating temperature than others on the list, but it performs exceptionally for its price. The 65W TDP is the accurate representation of the processor’s capability to handle video encoding while surfing or watching HD movies. A video editor who wants to upgrade slightly to an efficient processor 3700 is the ideal choice.

The processor has an L3 cache of 32MB, which is high enough to support UHD encoding. Within 6 minutes, it can easily encode a 4K video to 1080p with the Handbrake app. There is less than a minute difference with some higher-priced processors, with the AM4 sockets landing it as the best CPU for video editing. It comes inboxed with a cooler and has an overclocking capability of 4.4GHz. A Wraith PRISM cooler is not the wrong choice as a cooler. The 65W can be easily dissipated with the stock cooler, but if you desire to overclock, it’s better to go for a liquid cooler.

Intel has been the long favorite of most gamers and video editors. Its exceptional single-thread performance remains unbeatable to date. Intel Core i7-9700K has its own unique set of specifications which makes it stand out enough to make it to our list. Due to its price and availability, it is still a relevant and affordable CPU in the tech market, even after many years. The PugetBench score of 500-600 is not the best for the price, but due to its exceptional performance in competitive games, it becomes ideal for video editing and gaming combined. You can reach up to 200fps on competitive games like FreeFire, PUBG, Call of Duty, or Fortnite.

It does have a similar problem of motherboard availability with the LGA1151 socket, but since the CPU lies in the budget category, any board compatible with it would work fine. There should be enough VRM to support the processor and provide smooth power. It has a decent overclocking range and almost meets the 5GHz mark with stock specification as the best processor for video editing. However, overclock enthusiasts can reach 5GHz with after-market software to lower their encoding times further. It is recommended to use a dedicated graphics card for video editing as the built-in GPU is not fast enough to tackle the rigorous loads.

If you are looking for the undisputed champion in terms of value for money, then there is no other option besides AMD Ryzen 5 2600X. It is the successor of the first generation of Zen processors but has made a name for itself through solid all-rounder performance. With a solid 70.3 score in terms of price, it keeps the title of most reliable price-to-performance CPU. For entry-level gaming at 1440p, it is an ideal companion with an Nvidia RTX 2000 series dedicated GPU. It supports PCIe 3.0 x16, which the Nvidia or AMD Radeon GPUs require.

It comes inboxed with a Wraith Spire cooler that has an LED light that encircles the fan. The support for 2933MHz RAM frequency is high enough to support high-speed gaming requirements. However, RAM speed does not have a significant impact on the encoding speed of the system, but it does affect the UI smoothness. If we look at the price tag and encoding times compared to others on our list, it gets the title of the best video editing CPU for entry-level users. Overall it’s an excellent processor for a budget PC built with 4K video editing capability. There is negligible difference in Adobe Premiere Pro UI feel compared to 12th Gen Intel beast.

AMD has produced a beast product for creators looking to be more productive. A hanging interface and long encoding times are a thing of the past when it comes to AMD Ryzen 9 5900X. With its 12 cores and massive 24 threads, it boosts through PugetBench benchmarks results of overall 1000 points. It reaches a staggering 110fps with ULTRA setting at 1080p resolution on CyberPunk 2077. There is no competition when it comes to performance with respect to price; it is a budget-friendly option without any exaggeration. The 7nm technology provides top performance with just 105W of TDP.

The biggest advantage of owning an AMD processor is that they are all AM4 based, up to 5000 series. Zen, Zen+, Zen 2, and Zen 3 all have similar sockets, which makes upgradability easy. If you already own a Zen-based processor, you can easily upgrade to a better processor with the same motherboard. The ability to support 3200MHz DDR4 RAM officially makes it one of the most suitable options available in the market. Its massive 64MB cache is managed by the Game Cache technology, which ensures that there is no bottleneck while it works through multiple tasks. Opening numerous tabs while video editing won’t slow this beast down.

Intel Core i9-10920X is designed explicitly for workstations, and if we are to judge its performance, it should purely be based on its encoding times and multi-processing power. As a 10th Generation processor designed to withstand overclocking and provide 800 points on the PugetBench software. When it comes to power consumption, processors meant for workstations consume high power, but 10920X has only 165W of heat to be taken away from the cooler. It was meant to be the answer to AMD’s Threadripper technology. Intel designed this unit to work round the clock with consistent performance.

It was Launched in 2019; it is based on 14nm technology and provides 48 lanes of PCIe 3.0 protocol making it the best processor for video editing hardware. You can plug anything from a fast SSD and GPU into the LGA2066 compatible motherboard. We recommend using an E-ATX motherboard with 8 or above VRM power phases to ensure stable operation. When we come to price, the hefty price tag makes it the worst performer in terms of price/performance ratio. It’s recommended for professionals only dealing with video editing for gaming; there are better options.

Team Blue took a serious hit with the release of AMD Ryzen 7 2700X in 2018. It was way ahead in lithography and featured a 12nm FinFET technology for the cores. Its low TDP and PCIe 4.0 support shook the world, making it the mid-range option, and Intel took two more years before releasing its first PCIe 4.0 capable CPU. It came boxed with Wraith PRISM as an excellent starter cooler with RGB. Overclockable RAM was slowly gaining market share in 2018, and AMD is thinking ahead of its time, allowing up to 2933MHz of DDR4 memory chips.

Everyone from gamers to creators loved the all-new dimension of processor technology. Even though it scores around 600 in PugetBench, it still has competitive encoding times compared to team blue. Due to the more comprehensive nanometer technology, it had a higher TDP for eight-core. For a mid-level gaming and creator rig, the 2700x is the best video editing CPU. Even with the top titles like CyberPunk 2077 and Watch Dogs, it was underutilized with 80% usage. However, due to some bottleneck in the process and low 16MB L2 cache, some games might not fully utilize the processor’s capability. Overall it is an excellent pick for any creator or gamer.

Final Words

CPUs and GPUs now work together to reduce video editing wait times. The role of processors in video editing is significant. That’s why there is a demand for the best CPU for video editing. There are dedicated GPUs like the Titan series by Nvidia for this very purpose. The rising number of cores and threads has led computer processors to be utilized for video editing as well. A slow unit will cause breaks and hiccups in moving, trimming, or playing with effects on the timeline. Most creators go for the best possible hardware to minimize the time required for editing videos so they can focus on making the video. Our list included CPUs that performed significantly well under different conditions.

Staying competitive with the PugetBench score is difficult as there are hundreds of options to choose from, and our target was to provide a list from which picking the right CPU for yourself would become easy. A gamer who would eventually end up editing gameplay videos will require a powerful PC that blazes through frame per second in gaming. All the products on our list are capable of handling encoding loads while leaving enough room for the CPU to keep the user interface usable. We hope that you find the right product for you from our list. Including 9th generation to 10th generation, Intel and Zen+ to Zen2 AMD processors provided you with diversity through unbiased review.

Frequently Asked Questions