GPUs are playing increasing roles in video editing and rendering, unlike in the past when video processing was an entirely CPU affair. What’s the Best Graphics Card for Video Editing and Rendering in 2023? We will provide you with invaluable information on what graphics cards you should get for your video editing and rendering/transcoding projects.
With the preponderance of graphics cards, it’s actually overwhelming trying to sift through all the available models, and it is quite easy to whip out your card and make a purchase. But the question is, do you really need that piece of hardware? Are you going to get good value on that card, assuming you want to use it solely for video editing and rendering or transcoding?
This review attempts to answer those questions. First and foremost, here’s our breakdown of the best of the best. Please note that we will be using the terms rendering and transcoding interchangeably; the difference between the two terms is minimal.
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Comparison table of the best Graphics Card for Video Editing and Rendering in 2023
Budget Video Editing and Rendering GPUs
Photo
BEST AMD GPU FOR 720/1080p
BEST NVIDIA GPU FOR 720/1080p
Title
Gigabyte Geforce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB GDDR5 128 Bit PCI-E Graphic...
XFX Radeon RX 560 1295MHz, 4gb GDDR5, 16CU,1024 SP, DX12, DP...
EVGA GeForce GTX 1060 3GB SC GAMING, ACX 2.0 (Single Fan),...
XFX Radeon RX 570 RS XXX Edition 1286MHz, 8gb GDDR5, DX12 VR...
ZOTAC Gaming GeForce GTX 1650 OC 4GB GDDR5 128-Bit Gaming...
MSI Gaming GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 192-bit HDMI/DP 6GB GDRR6...
Quick Specs
RAM: 4GB GDDR5
ARCHITECTURE:Pascal
COMPUTE:768 CUDA cores
DIMENSIONS:H=40 L=229 W=118 mm
RAM BANDWIDTH:128 bit
RECOMMENDED PSU: 300W
RAM: 4GB GDDR5
ARCHITECTURE:Polaris
COMPUTE:1024 Stream Processors
DIMENSIONS:8.31 x 1.57 x 4.41 inches
RAM BANDWIDTH:128 bit
RECOMMENDED PSU: 450W
RAM: 3GB GDDR5
ARCHITECTURE:Pascal
COMPUTE:1152 CUDA cores
DIMENSIONS:6.8 x 1.5 x 4.38 inches
RAM BANDWIDTH:192 bit
RECOMMENDED PSU: 400W
RAM: 4GB GDDR5
ARCHITECTURE:Pascal
COMPUTE:2048 Stream Processors
DIMENSIONS:6.8 x 1.5 x 4.38 inches
RAM BANDWIDTH:192 bit
RECOMMENDED PSU: 500W
RAM: 4GB GDDR5
ARCHITECTURE:Turing
COMPUTE:896 CUDA cores
DIMENSIONS:151 x 284 x 59 mm
RAM BANDWIDTH:128 bit
RECOMMENDED PSU: 400W
RAM: 6GB GDDR5
ARCHITECTURE:Turing
COMPUTE:1,536 CUDA cores
DIMENSIONS:5.10 x 1.70 x 8.10 inches
RAM BANDWIDTH:192 bit
RECOMMENDED PSU: 450W
Title
Gigabyte Geforce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB GDDR5 128 Bit PCI-E Graphic...
Quick Specs
RAM: 4GB GDDR5
ARCHITECTURE:Pascal
COMPUTE:768 CUDA cores
DIMENSIONS:H=40 L=229 W=118 mm
RAM BANDWIDTH:128 bit
RECOMMENDED PSU: 300W
Title
XFX Radeon RX 560 1295MHz, 4gb GDDR5, 16CU,1024 SP, DX12, DP...
Quick Specs
RAM: 4GB GDDR5
ARCHITECTURE:Polaris
COMPUTE:1024 Stream Processors
DIMENSIONS:8.31 x 1.57 x 4.41 inches
RAM BANDWIDTH:128 bit
RECOMMENDED PSU: 450W
Title
EVGA GeForce GTX 1060 3GB SC GAMING, ACX 2.0 (Single Fan),...
Quick Specs
RAM: 3GB GDDR5
ARCHITECTURE:Pascal
COMPUTE:1152 CUDA cores
DIMENSIONS:6.8 x 1.5 x 4.38 inches
RAM BANDWIDTH:192 bit
RECOMMENDED PSU: 400W
BEST AMD GPU FOR 720/1080p
Title
XFX Radeon RX 570 RS XXX Edition 1286MHz, 8gb GDDR5, DX12 VR...
Quick Specs
RAM: 4GB GDDR5
ARCHITECTURE:Pascal
COMPUTE:2048 Stream Processors
DIMENSIONS:6.8 x 1.5 x 4.38 inches
RAM BANDWIDTH:192 bit
RECOMMENDED PSU: 500W
Title
ZOTAC Gaming GeForce GTX 1650 OC 4GB GDDR5 128-Bit Gaming...
Quick Specs
RAM: 4GB GDDR5
ARCHITECTURE:Turing
COMPUTE:896 CUDA cores
DIMENSIONS:151 x 284 x 59 mm
RAM BANDWIDTH:128 bit
RECOMMENDED PSU: 400W
BEST NVIDIA GPU FOR 720/1080p
Title
MSI Gaming GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 192-bit HDMI/DP 6GB GDRR6...
Quick Specs
RAM: 6GB GDDR5
ARCHITECTURE:Turing
COMPUTE:1,536 CUDA cores
DIMENSIONS:5.10 x 1.70 x 8.10 inches
RAM BANDWIDTH:192 bit
RECOMMENDED PSU: 450W
Last update on 2023-09-28 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Mid-Range Video Editing and Rendering GPUs
Title
Sapphire 11306-02-20G Pulse AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT Gaming...
ZOTAC Gaming GeForce RTX™ 3060 Ti Twin Edge OC LHR 8GB...
ASUS GeForce GTX 1060 6GB ROG Strix OC Edition VR Ready HDMI...
MSI Gaming GeForce RTX 2060 Super 8GB GDRR6 256-Bit HDMI/DP...
ASRock Radeon RX 5700 XT Taichi X 8G OC+ 8GB (Renewed)
MSI Gaming GeForce GTX 1070 Ti 8GB GDRR5 256-bit HDCP...
Quick Specs
RAM: 12GB GDDR6
ARCHITECTURE:RDNA 2
COMPUTE:2560 Stream Processors
DIMENSIONS:12.50 x 8.5 x 2.75 inches
RAM BANDWIDTH:192 bit
RECOMMENDED PSU: 600W
RAM: 8GB GDDR6
ARCHITECTURE:Ampere
COMPUTE: 4,864 CUDA cores
DIMENSIONS:11.46 x 8.62 x 3.46 inches
RAM BANDWIDTH:256 bit
RECOMMENDED PSU: 600W
RAM: 6GB GDDR5
ARCHITECTURE:Pascal
COMPUTE:1280 CUDA cores
DIMENSIONS:11.73 x 1.57 x 5.28 inches
RAM BANDWIDTH:192 bit
RECOMMENDED PSU: 400W
RAM: 8GB GDDR6
ARCHITECTURE:Turing
COMPUTE:2,176 CUDA cores
DIMENSIONS:9.1 x 1.7 x 5 inches
RAM BANDWIDTH:256 bit
RECOMMENDED PSU: 500W
RAM: 8GB GDDR6
ARCHITECTURE:RDNA1
COMPUTE:2560 Stream Processors
DIMENSIONS:10.70 x 4.40 x 1.40 inches
RAM BANDWIDTH:256 bit
RECOMMENDED PSU: 550W
RAM: 8GB GDDR5
ARCHITECTURE:Pascal
COMPUTE:2432 CUDA cores
DIMENSIONS:11 x 5.5 x 1.7 inches
RAM BANDWIDTH:256 bit
RECOMMENDED PSU: 500W
BEST AMD GPU FOR 4K
Title
Sapphire 11306-02-20G Pulse AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT Gaming...
Quick Specs
RAM: 12GB GDDR6
ARCHITECTURE:RDNA 2
COMPUTE:2560 Stream Processors
DIMENSIONS:12.50 x 8.5 x 2.75 inches
RAM BANDWIDTH:192 bit
RECOMMENDED PSU: 600W
BEST VALUE NVIDIA GPU
Title
ZOTAC Gaming GeForce RTX™ 3060 Ti Twin Edge OC LHR 8GB...
Quick Specs
RAM: 8GB GDDR6
ARCHITECTURE:Ampere
COMPUTE: 4,864 CUDA cores
DIMENSIONS:11.46 x 8.62 x 3.46 inches
RAM BANDWIDTH:256 bit
RECOMMENDED PSU: 600W
Title
ASUS GeForce GTX 1060 6GB ROG Strix OC Edition VR Ready HDMI...
Quick Specs
RAM: 6GB GDDR5
ARCHITECTURE:Pascal
COMPUTE:1280 CUDA cores
DIMENSIONS:11.73 x 1.57 x 5.28 inches
RAM BANDWIDTH:192 bit
RECOMMENDED PSU: 400W
Title
MSI Gaming GeForce RTX 2060 Super 8GB GDRR6 256-Bit HDMI/DP...
Quick Specs
RAM: 8GB GDDR6
ARCHITECTURE:Turing
COMPUTE:2,176 CUDA cores
DIMENSIONS:9.1 x 1.7 x 5 inches
RAM BANDWIDTH:256 bit
RECOMMENDED PSU: 500W
Title
ASRock Radeon RX 5700 XT Taichi X 8G OC+ 8GB (Renewed)
Quick Specs
RAM: 8GB GDDR6
ARCHITECTURE:RDNA1
COMPUTE:2560 Stream Processors
DIMENSIONS:10.70 x 4.40 x 1.40 inches
RAM BANDWIDTH:256 bit
RECOMMENDED PSU: 550W
Title
MSI Gaming GeForce GTX 1070 Ti 8GB GDRR5 256-bit HDCP...
Quick Specs
RAM: 8GB GDDR5
ARCHITECTURE:Pascal
COMPUTE:2432 CUDA cores
DIMENSIONS:11 x 5.5 x 1.7 inches
RAM BANDWIDTH:256 bit
RECOMMENDED PSU: 500W
Last update on 2023-09-28 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
High-End Video Editing and Rendering GPUs
Title
Sapphire 11306-01-20G Nitro+ AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT Gaming...
Gigabyte AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT Gaming OC 16G Graphics Card,...
XFX Speedster MERC319 AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT Black Gaming...
NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2080 Ti Founders Edition (Renewed)
Geforce RTX 3080 Ti 12GB GDDR6X PCI Express 4.0 Graphics...
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Founders Edition Graphics Card
Quick Specs
RAM:128GB GDDR6
ARCHITECTURE:RDNA2
COMPUTE:2560 Stream Processors
DIMENSIONS:10.5 x 4.3 x 1.6 inches
RAM BANDWIDTH:192 bit
RECOMMENDED PSU: 550W
RAM: 16GB GDDR6
ARCHITECTURE:RDNA 2
COMPUTE:4608 Stream Processors
DIMENSIONS:10.50 x 4.70 x 2 inches
RAM BANDWIDTH:256 bit
RECOMMENDED PSU: 700W
RAM: 16GB GDDR6
ARCHITECTURE:RDNA2
COMPUTE:5120 Stream Processors
DIMENSIONS:10.5 x 4.7x 2 inches
RAM BANDWIDTH:256 bit
RECOMMENDED PSU: 700W
RAM: 11GB GDDR6
ARCHITECTURE:Turing
COMPUTE:4,352 CUDA cores
DIMENSIONS:10.50 x 4.55 inches, 2 slot
RAM BANDWIDTH:352 bit
RECOMMENDED PSU: 650W
RAM: 12GB GDDR6X
ARCHITECTURE:Ampere
COMPUTE:10,240 CUDA cores
DIMENSIONS:11.81 x 4.4 x 5.38 inches, 2 slots
RAM BANDWIDTH:384 bit
RECOMMENDED PSU: 750W
RAM: 24GB GDDR6X
ARCHITECTURE:Ampere
COMPUTE:10,496 CUDA cores
DIMENSIONS:12.3 x 5.4, 3 slot
RAM BANDWIDTH:384 bit
RECOMMENDED PSU: 750W
Title
Sapphire 11306-01-20G Nitro+ AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT Gaming...
Quick Specs
RAM:128GB GDDR6
ARCHITECTURE:RDNA2
COMPUTE:2560 Stream Processors
DIMENSIONS:10.5 x 4.3 x 1.6 inches
RAM BANDWIDTH:192 bit
RECOMMENDED PSU: 550W
Title
Gigabyte AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT Gaming OC 16G Graphics Card,...
Quick Specs
RAM: 16GB GDDR6
ARCHITECTURE:RDNA 2
COMPUTE:4608 Stream Processors
DIMENSIONS:10.50 x 4.70 x 2 inches
RAM BANDWIDTH:256 bit
RECOMMENDED PSU: 700W
BEST AMD GPU FOR 8K
Title
XFX Speedster MERC319 AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT Black Gaming...
Quick Specs
RAM: 16GB GDDR6
ARCHITECTURE:RDNA2
COMPUTE:5120 Stream Processors
DIMENSIONS:10.5 x 4.7x 2 inches
RAM BANDWIDTH:256 bit
RECOMMENDED PSU: 700W
Title
NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2080 Ti Founders Edition (Renewed)
Quick Specs
RAM: 11GB GDDR6
ARCHITECTURE:Turing
COMPUTE:4,352 CUDA cores
DIMENSIONS:10.50 x 4.55 inches, 2 slot
RAM BANDWIDTH:352 bit
RECOMMENDED PSU: 650W
Title
Geforce RTX 3080 Ti 12GB GDDR6X PCI Express 4.0 Graphics...
Quick Specs
RAM: 12GB GDDR6X
ARCHITECTURE:Ampere
COMPUTE:10,240 CUDA cores
DIMENSIONS:11.81 x 4.4 x 5.38 inches, 2 slots
RAM BANDWIDTH:384 bit
RECOMMENDED PSU: 750W
BEST NVIDIA GPU FOR 8K
Title
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Founders Edition Graphics Card
Quick Specs
RAM: 24GB GDDR6X
ARCHITECTURE:Ampere
COMPUTE:10,496 CUDA cores
DIMENSIONS:12.3 x 5.4, 3 slot
RAM BANDWIDTH:384 bit
RECOMMENDED PSU: 750W
Last update on 2023-09-28 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
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The role of the GPU in Video Editing
Now if you are a video producer/editor, you probably know that the GPU doesn’t play an active role in video processing during editing, except for GPU accelerated effects in Premiere Pro (the Mercury Playback Engine relies heavily on the graphics processor). Now if you don’t have a capable graphics card, or you are using underpowered integrated graphics, the app is going to fall back on the CPU for those processing routines.
The net result is that it is going to cost you more time in the long run, because in video editing and production, time is money. If you are going to spend like 6 hours editing and rendering a job without a dedicated powerful GPU, the same job will take probably 4 hours to achieve the same result with one. The result is that you are able to achieve more, which translates to more money.
Well, the two brands this review will cover are AMD and Nvidia – they make the best graphics cards for video editing with respect to this review. We are waiting for Intel’s XE graphics cards to become available for general consumers. For now, Intel is focusing on the data-center market, though there are reports that Intel XE graphics for the consumer market will be launched later this year.
