Discussion Upgrading...Video editing; CPU, GPU, SSD/NVMe , Memory; how important is each one?

videobruce · Apr 2, 2025

I'm going with AMD system running W10, it's up in the air if it will be a AM4 or AM5 MB, cost being somewhat a issue. I realize AM5 overall is faster. The level is 'mid-end'. I'm not talking about state of the art here and I have NO interest in Gaming.

My question is, my current system (2016) is a dog when it comes to editing. With 1080p mp4 recordings for example, It basically takes half the time of the recording length to process the edited video. (IOW's a 1 hour clip takes 30 minutes to process). I assume those 4 items in the title are important, but are they equal AFA speed?

Specifically; doesn't the Video card do most of the processing vs the CPU? I understand it also depends on the software that is used.
Also, the storage devices; I know HDD's are slow, but if I only use a SATA SSD vs using a PCIe NVMe how does that affect the choices for the Processor & Video card & memory?

The software is usually; Movavi Video Editor Plus v15

IOW's what is the weakest link in the chain? Any questions, please ask.

videobruce · Apr 2, 2025

BTW, none of this is BluRay material, 2GB size would be the most.

Schmide · Apr 2, 2025

Unless you're getting a 9070, get an nVidia card. AMD's encoding/decoding is OK but not as good.

https://developer.nvidia.com/video-encode-and-decode-gpu-support-matrix-new

EposVox has been my source for all video encode/decode tasks. This pretty much sums it up.

CakeMonster · Apr 2, 2025

Depends on if you want to use hardware acceleration for GPU encoding, or CPU for max quality. I'd strongly advise going with AM5 regardless.

eek2121 · Apr 2, 2025

Not an expert in this field, but I have helped a few folks. Whether or not the GPU does the encoding depends on the codec and software combination used. If GPU is used, you just need a GPU that is good at encoding. If the CPU is doing the grunt work, it will also depend on the software/codec’s ability to use multithreading. In most cases, they can up to a point.

A fast NVME SSD will help regardless. Files need to be written, and swap space also gets used in many cases. Remember, just because the end result is 2gb does not mean the start, or in between stuff is.

A moderate amount of RAM helps as well.

I seem to recall that LTT may have a few videos on this subject, but you’d have to search.

videobruce · Apr 3, 2025

LTT??
Since .mp4 is the most common file format, doesn't that narrow down codecs used? I'm not reducing the size of the file, none of what I work with are BD material (20GB files). I mostly use one program, thou it's not the most recent version (which I don't like the changed format the interface uses) it seems to do the job for me.
I have no interest in "high end" editing as I already stated, hence the "mid end' term used.

I was planning on 32GB of RAM.

igor_kavinski · Apr 3, 2025

videobruce said:
I was planning on 32GB of RAM.

If you go with AM5 and a "cheap" CPU like 8500G or 7600/7600X, you can get 48GB RAM. Then create a RAMdrive using Imdisk and you can even get by with a lousy SATA SSD. Lousy because it's only like 530 MB/s read/write while NVMe is usually higher than 1000 MB/s and may go as high as 7000 MB/s in a PCIe 4.0 M.2 slot. RAMdrive will be even higher, something like 10,000 MB/s or more. Just make sure to edit the video while it is on the RAMdrive and copy it back since all data is lost on the RAMdrive once you restart or shutdown the PC. 32GB RAM could work too but it's always a good idea to get a bit more than you think you need. 48GB RAM also performs a bit better in some cases in read/write bandwidth than 32GB RAM.

You could try adding 32GB RAM to your current system if it supports it and see if creating a RAMdrive on it helps.

videobruce said:
LTT??

Linus Tech Tips

GTracing · Apr 3, 2025

videobruce said:
LTT??
Since .mp4 is the most common file format, doesn't that narrow down codecs used? I'm not reducing the size of the file, none of what I work with are BD material (20GB files). I mostly use one program, thou it's not the most recent version (which I don't like the changed format the interface uses) it seems to do the job for me.
I have no interest in "high end" editing as I already stated, hence the "mid end' term used.

I was planning on 32GB of RAM.

GPUs have fixed function hardware blocks for encoding/decoding videos. AMD's hardware encoders generally lag behind Nvidia's and Intel's. If you encode the same video with an AMD Radeon GPU and an Nvidia GPU, the Nvidia encoded version will look better and have less artifacts at the same bitrate. There's also "software encoding", where the encoding is done by the CPU. Software encoding produces an even higher quality output, and different CPUs don't change the quality of the video, just the speed.

All that being said. If you are using an 8 year old application, then it probably doesn't even support hardware encoding. I think the commenters mentioning hardware encoding are barking up the wrong tree. The GPU will still matter somewhat, but not because of hardware encoding.

What's your current CPU, GPU, and RAM?

igor_kavinski · Apr 3, 2025

OP can monitor the Video Decode and Video Processing graphs in Task Manager during the video editing to see if the GPU is being used.

igor_kavinski · Apr 3, 2025

The one on the official site is being flagged as suspicious:

The latest version executable seems to be clean but it's very small so it's downloading something during setup. Not really interested in finding out.

videobruce · Apr 3, 2025

GTracing said:
What's your current CPU, GPU, and RAM?

AMD FX8350
MSI Nvidea GTX 1060 3GT
G.Skill Ripjaws X series F3-1600C9D 2x 8GB DDR3
Gigabyte GA-970A D3P MB
Seasonic G Series 80+ Gold 700w PS
Rosewell Challenger-U3 ATX Mid Tower Case

igor_kavinski · Apr 3, 2025

Can't you use this? https://www.openshot.org/

videobruce · Apr 3, 2025

igor_kavinski said:
OP can monitor the Video Decode and Video Processing graphs in Task Manager during the video editing to see if the GPU is being used.

I'm running W7, not W10 or 11. That isn't TM in W7. I'll look into that link.

Below are the Chip sets Movavi VideoEditorPlus v15 can use for hardware acceleration;

GTracing · Apr 3, 2025

videobruce said:
AMD FX8350
MSI Nvidea GTX 1060 3GT
G.Skill Ripjaws X series F3-1600C9D 2x 8GB DDR3
Gigabyte GA-970A D3P MB
Seasonic G Series 80+ Gold 700w PS
Rosewell Challenger-U3 ATX Mid Tower Case

Oof, yeah, your CPU is definitely the biggest issue. The FX8350 was slow in 2016.

Just to show a quick example. Handbrake is a program used to encode videos. A 2017 Ryzen 1800X is twice as fast as an FX 9590, which is an overclocked version of your CPU.

article

Something newer like a Ryzen 7 7700X is over twice as an 1800X.

I would upgrade to a new CPU with 32GB of RAM and a compatible motherboard. You can always upgrade the GPU and SSD later if needed, but I think a CPU upgrade will solve most of your issues.

GTracing · Apr 3, 2025

One more thing. I see you mentioned Windows 10 in your post. There are a couple of issues with that. Windows 10 is supposed to reach end of life in October. It will not receive new updates after that. And some new CPUs don't support Windows 10 https://www.extremetech.com/computi...port-for-windows-10-with-zen-5-to-focus-on-ai

videobruce · Apr 3, 2025

I have and used Handbrake (forgot specifically what for), but not recently.

EOL is of NO issue to me. I'm still running W7 to put things in perspective. I have NO use for W11 from what I've hear/read about it, W10 is bad enough.

IIRC, when I did my research back then, that 8350 was the best cost vs performance at the time. The Processor only had one better, but at a higher cost.

GTracing · Apr 3, 2025

Using an OS that isn't receiving security updates is unwise, in my opinion. But I guess that's not the topic of this thread.

I shared the handbrake benchmark because it's a similar workload to the software you use, and a faster CPU should see similar gains in both.

From a quick google, I'm not sure if your application even supports hardware acceleration on the 1060 with newer drivers. https://movavi.freshdesk.com/en/sup...-i-cannot-enable-nvidia-hardware-acceleration Movavi Video Converter 15 (different program, but same company and same year) uses the older NVCUVENC which was dropped in newer Nvidia drivers. Can you do a quick test editing a short video with the Nvidia hardware acceleration turned on, and then again with it turned off? I'm curious how long each one takes.

videobruce · Apr 3, 2025

I took a decent quality, short video (1080p x264) 79MB in size
With acceleration turned on it took just over 1 minute, the size was 193MB
With it turned off, it took 2 min 20 sec the size was 184MB
That was with no editing, color tweaks, no enhancement, and default settings as to quality (there is a slider to vary the level. The 'beef' I have with that is, there are no reference numbers, you have to guess where the default setting is and just how far to vary it.

igor_kavinski · Apr 3, 2025

Hmm...maybe then just pick up a RTX 3050 6GB card. You don't need to go through the pain of a full system upgrade.

Here's the theoretical compute perf comparison:

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 6 GB Specs

NVIDIA GA107, 1470 MHz, 2304 Cores, 72 TMUs, 32 ROPs, 6144 MB GDDR6, 1750 MHz, 96 bit

www.techpowerup.com

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB Specs

NVIDIA GP106, 1709 MHz, 1280 Cores, 80 TMUs, 48 ROPs, 6144 MB GDDR5, 2002 MHz, 192 bit

www.techpowerup.com

You get roughly an additional 2 TFLOPS plus a smaller/quieter card.

Of course, you could get even more perf by going with a 3060 12GB.

blckgrffn · Apr 3, 2025

My $.02?

Intel is still considered best at fixed function video encode, AFAIK. It is supported by just about everything.

Just get a 12400 or similar system. Use the iGPU. Want more grunt? A 12700K will have more CPU strength and the ecores actually get used when you CPU encode, usually.

It will absolutely crush your current system and you can still go DDR5 if you want for future Big Sticks Of Ram if you'd like to have that option.

The iGPU on my 8600k and the 1660 Super (which is going to be the same as a 3060, they don't scale) in my Plex/re-encode rig seem to have about the same performance, which is to say really fast. The iGPU is just way more power effecient.

Save money. Get a great solution.

MrTeal · Apr 3, 2025

If he was coming from Skylake or something, I'd be more inclined to agree on the DDR4 upgrade path. Since OP is having to replace RAM either way though it would just make more sense to go DDR5 if buying new.

videobruce · Apr 3, 2025

If I go with a AM5 MB, I would definitely shop for lower cost (within reason). I would like not to get in the same situation I'm in now. Not being also to upgrade the Processor or memory and very limited ability to upgrade the GPU.
With AM4, it would be the opposite. Since it's basically 'maxed' out, logically it would make more sense to get close to the top with the rest of the PC (again within reason).

Hopefully that made sense (if I didn't word it properly).

blckgrffn · Apr 3, 2025

videobruce said:
If I go with a AM5 MB, I would definitely shop for lower cost (within reason). I would like not to get in the same situation I'm in now. Not being also to upgrade the Processor or memory and very limited ability to upgrade the GPU.
With AM4, it would be the opposite. Since it's basically 'maxed' out, logically it would make more sense to get close to the top with the rest of the PC (again within reason).

Hopefully that made sense (if I didn't word it properly).

Any AM5 cpu will be so much better than what you have, I wouldn’t even consider AM4 at this point unless budget dictates it.

Even the 8500G is a huge step up and gets you away from the memory training issues of Zen 4. I know it has Zen 5C, it’s also stupidly efficient and a monster next to an FX cpu.

And there will be CPUs for the next 5-7 years to upgrade to.

igor_kavinski · Apr 3, 2025

Is this affordable for you?

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/M4Gn2x

That B850 is the latest mobo chipset. Fan/heatsink comes with the CPU. You can re-use your GPU and it should give increased performance because it must be CPU limited with your current CPU. The rest of the components you can re-use from your existing build.

And your upgrade path is a 9800X3D or 9700X, 9500G at the end of 2025 and 10800X3D or 10700X at the end of 2026. You can easily get 6 good years out of this combo.

videobruce · Apr 3, 2025

I got 9 years out of what I have now.

Full size ATX MB. !!
It's not what I can afford, it's what I want to spend.

I went into your PartPicker and all the chipsets are grayed out but AM4.I had to start from scratch.
With AM5 and ATX checked, the cheapest board is $200. 2x the price of a Micro board??

Discussion Upgrading...Video editing; CPU, GPU, SSD/NVMe , Memory; how important is each one?

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