As AI data centers continue to suck RAM like oxygen; laptop manufacturers PC enthusiasts are feeling the squeeze. The shortage caused Long-awaited Steam Machine delayWhile this is a tragedy for gamers, the RAM crisis is also affecting creators.
Graphic designers, photographers, and video editors also need RAM. It’s not for smooth framerates, it’s for running the software efficiently. Programs like Photoshop and Premiere Pro require RAM to load assets and effects. Without enough memory, your creative software will run slowly and may even crash.
Minimum RAM is a good place to start
The two main ones, Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve, have minimum and recommended hardware specifications that are a good starting point. Modern macOS computers can’t be upgraded by adding more RAM, so we’ll focus on Windows PCs instead.
Premiere Pro has even more lenient requirements. You only need to run Premiere Pro on a PC with as little as 8 GB of RAM, making it suitable for even budget laptops and PC builds. However, if you want to edit 1080p videos, add effects, and more, you’ll need more. Premiere Pro recommends 16 GB for editing HD (720p) video.
That said, if you’re shooting in FHD (1080p) or UHD (4K) and need a quickly responsive timeline, 16 GB may not be enough. For 4K video editing, Premiere Pro recommends 32GB of memory. This is also sufficient when applying effects.
Not much different from DaVinci Resolve. However, the minimum requirements are higher. Windows requires at least 16 GB of RAM to run the latest version of the software, Resolve 20. If you use Resolve’s VFX engine, Fusion, you need at least 32 GB of memory. With this much memory, editing 4K video is very possible, but the computer can struggle with long timelines if there’s a lot of text and effects layered on top of each other.
When you’re starting out, what your software company recommends is good enough. However, eventually you will realize whether you need more.
64GB of RAM is the sweet spot for me
For the past two years, I’ve worked primarily as a videographer and editor, relying on my PC to put food on the table. Originally, when I built my first PC in 2019, I started with 16GB of DDR4 Corsair Vengeance memory. It wasn’t much, but I was able to do some light editing work in Premiere Pro.
I ended up switching to DaVinci Resolve and doubling the memory with four 8GB Corsair Vengeance RAMs. The 32 GB of RAM made the computer more responsive and allowed me to tackle more complex editing tasks. Take advantage of the additional memory to[Fusion]We were able to implement basic VFX through tabs.
Still, as I shoot more and more in 4K, I felt like I needed a little more memory. Last year I doubled the memory again to 64 GB of Corsair Vengeance RAM. This has maxed out the amount of RAM that the motherboard supports.
Editing is even more fun with 64 GB of RAM. Editing 4K timelines is more responsive, with little software lag even when timelines are longer than 10 minutes. They were able to apply more VFX and animation to their videos, resulting in higher quality videos and higher hourly rates.
My sweet spot is 64 GB of memory, but that doesn’t mean it’s the gold standard. Editors who edit 8K video or do a lot of VFX may need more memory, while quick and simple edits may not need as much memory. In most cases, 32GB is sufficient.
32GB of RAM is enough for most editors
More RAM is always better when editing videos, but it’s not always necessary. Depending on the type of video you’re creating, you may need less. For example, if you’re editing short vertical videos for TikTok, Instagram Reels, or YouTube Shorts, the recommended minimum memory is fine. It may not be the smoothest, especially when stacking effects, but it’s good enough without having to spend a fortune on more memory.
It’s you can 16 GB of memory is sufficient, but 32 GB is best for most people. With this much memory, you can edit timelines up to 4K, use more effects, and expect smooth timelines that won’t get jagged even if your video is longer than a few minutes.
This solution is far from cheap today. last year, 32GB DDR5 Corsair Vengeance Kit (2 x 16GB) hovered About $100very reasonable price. Today, the same kit costs nearly five times as much. As a general rule, paying more than four times the retail price isn’t right for me, even if I can afford it. If you feel the same way, there is another path.
Use older DDR4 memory
The RAM shortage is severely impacting DDR5 RAM prices. This is a newer, faster RAM standard that is compatible with modern motherboards. Because of their speed, it is this data center that AI data centers gravitate toward, leaving old data centers behind. DDR4 RAM kit as the only viable option.
Although using DDR4 RAM is cheaper than DDR5, it is not a “cheap” solution. These kits are also affected by the shortage, but they still pale in comparison to the price. Still, if you can get your hands on a reasonably priced set, go for it. However, there is one more problem. DDR4 kits will not work natively with newer motherboards that require DDR5 RAM.
The easiest solution is to buy an older motherboard that is compatible with DDR4 RAM. This also requires purchasing a new CPU that is compatible with your motherboard, but it can still be cheaper than buying a DDR5 RAM kit, which can cost upwards of $400. You may be able to save even more by buying second hand.
Another option is to use a DDR5 to DDR4 adapter on the motherboard. You can keep the same motherboard and CPU while using DDR4 RAM. Sounds great, except these adapters aren’t sold yet. It was reported that ASUS was developing an adapter like this Fast forward to 2021, and the threat of running out of RAM was a joke. All we can hope for now is that Asus will come to its senses and start selling adapters soon.
Video editing software can be tricky when working with large 4K or 8K files, especially when using RAW footage. These files are great for color grading, but even the best systems can have too many features. Frames are dropped and time is wasted as the timeline catches up. Add transitions, subtitles, and other effects and you’ll soon be spending more time waiting than editing.
A hardware upgrade is one way to resolve this issue. Fast storage solutions like NVMe SSDs are great and rely on GPU acceleration. Adding more RAM or even faster RAM can help, but as you already know, that’s not that easy to do these days.
proxy media This is one option that doesn’t cost anything other than adding more storage on your computer. This type of media is essentially an exact copy of the source footage at a lower resolution. Although it doesn’t look as good as the original, the proxy media is small enough to make your work much easier.
Timeline scrubbing is now more responsive, even when layering effects. When you’re ready to export your video, the software uses the original footage so you can get the quality you’re looking for without the extra hassle of using larger files.
conclusion
The RAM crisis is impacting everyone from casual users and gamers to creators who rely on high-end hardware to prepare their meals. There’s no such thing as too much RAM in a video editing device, but there is such a thing as too little RAM.
For video editing, 8 GB of RAM is too little and 16 GB is barely enough. For most editors, the sweet spot is 32 GB, especially when working in 4K. Although an expensive investment, switching to an older motherboard to use DDR4 RAM or relying on proxy media are less financially burdensome workarounds.
Creators will have to deal with this until RAM stocks normalize in the next few years. Either let AI take over your videography job, or find a workaround and spend a lot of money on hardware because of AI data centers.
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