How Much RAM For Video Editing [Expert Answer]


If you are into videography or film-making, you know how long does it take to learn video editing to become a pro video editor, while learning you've realized the essential requirements for video editing is RAM or Random Access Memory.

RAM is the leading temporary storage area of the entire computer. Using a hard drive with more space will help you to run your system smooth. Now you might think that 8GB of RAM is enough. But your RAM is partly used even if you don’t use a video editing software. 

Note:  Also, check out the list of best headphones and editing desk for making your video editing work much comfortable.


ram for video editing

The amount of RAM your system consists of will determine if your video editing software will run smoothly. If it does not have enough RAM, your operating system will begin to store data that does not fit in the RAM onto your SSDs or HDDs.

The problem with SSDs and HDDs is that they are considerably slower than RAM. RAM is almost 10x faster than an SSD and nearly 50x faster than HDDs. This will result in the software running slow.

Out of 8GB, almost 2GB RAM is used by the operating system itself. This leaves around 6GB for video editing. So, how much RAM is needed for video editing? That depends on the type or size of the file that you want to edit: -

  • 8GB RAM: 8GB is suitable for you if you wish to edit 720-1080p videos. However, you will not be able to do 4K editing with only 8GB RAM. If you still want to edit 4K videos, you’ll have to close all background apps. Even then, it’ll be a nightmare.
  • 16 GB RAM: This much RAM is sufficient for editing 4K files, but still not ideal. You can face problems with background tasks, so you will have to balance your usage and editing process.
  • 32 GB RAM: This much RAM is sufficient for editing all types of files, including 4K videos. This is the optimal RAM capacity and offers most of the advantages that you might need.
  • 64 GB RAM: This is an impressive RAM capacity and is useful if you want to edit 8K files. These files will not work on 8-16 GB and will be slow in the case of 32 GB. 64 GB RAM is ideal for professional and commercial use.

Also, keep in mind that RAM does not affect rendering speed. However, if your computer has 4GB RAM, and you increase it to 16GB, you might notice a difference in rendering speeds.

This is because your computer will be able to allocate more resources to RAM. As a result, the CPU and GPU will have more resources to work efficiently.


Before you decide how much RAM you will need for editing, there are some points you should keep in mind:

Free slots

Ensure that your computer has a few free slots. Determine the number of slots beforehand. One way to check the maximum allowable amount of RAM and its type is documentation of the motherboard or the computer.

You can also find the specifications on the manufacturer’s website. For example, if there are 2 RAM slots on your laptop and the chipset supports a maximum of 16 GB, in this scenario, the optimal solution would be to purchase two identical modules of 8 GB.

RAM speed

The speed or clock speed indicates the rate at which its data can be read or changed. This speed is measured in MHz and affects the overall performance of your processor significantly.

The computer will work faster if the RAM and the processor bus bandwidth are equal. If you install modules from different manufacturers on your computer, it may cause a lag in speed.

ram for video editing

Free RAM slot


If you’re into video editing, then make sure that your computer has a minimum 16GB RAM. However, 32GB is considered ideal. Also, a graphics card is the next essential requirement. Both components are equally important for video editing. Upgrading your RAM or buying a high-end graphics card can be expensive, but the results will be definitely worth the money.

Hopefully, this article has cleared your doubts regarding how much RAM for video editing. Cheers!

Nicolas Gilli

Hi, I'm Nicholas Gilli, I'm a blogger who is very much interested in blogging about film-making gadgets. I have experience as a cinematographer in the film industry for more than 15 years. My blogs would comprise of articles about film making gadgets and guides on how to use them. Even if you are a beginner you will learn a lot about cinematography here. Happy reading.

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