Video editing is one of those tasks that really push your CPU to its limits, this is because it will use as many cores as possible to run effectively. Due to this, you’ll often see professional video editors with PCs that would seem overkill with processors up to 32 cores. The fact that video editing uses many cores at once, means it is a multithreaded task that benefits from both cores and clock speed.
Ryzen 7 processors are the mid-top range processors in AMDs lineup of CPUs, they’re often seen as a great balance between Ryzen 5 and Ryzen 9 processors. If you’re not looking to break the bank, but you want a great performing processor, you’d most likely go with the Ryzen 7. The Ryzen 7 processors feature decent single-core performance with exceptional multicore performance.
Answer: Ryzen 7 processors are the competitors to Intel’s I7 lineup of processors, so they’re pretty strong from this perspective. In terms of video editing, at 4K you will want at least 8 cores to video edit smoothly, in the Ryzen 7 lineup of processors, you can find CPUs with 8 cores and 16 threads, so yes it is definitely worth it for smooth 4K video editing.
How Good Are Ryzen 7 Processors?
AMD is known to provide decent processors for content creation, they usually outperform Intel in this aspect, the Ryzen 7 processors are no exception, they’re able to perform exceptionally well when it comes to streaming, video editing, and 3D modeling. While AMD isn’t known for its gaming performance, it will still make a decent gaming processor outperforming Intel’s 10th gen processors, this would make it a great processor if you want to game on the side.
Price-wise, it is more affordable than its I7 competitors, so it offers superior multi-core performance for a more affordable price. This will make it the best option for users wanting to build a great video editing machine without breaking the bank. If you’re getting into video editing or looking to expand your skills, this would be the perfect processor for you.
So from performance to price perspective, the Ryzen 7 is a great processor providing great multicore and single-core performance for an affordable price. Comparing the Ryzen 7 to its closest competitor the I7 11700K, it features superior multi-core performance as well as not generating as much heat, so you will not require a robust cooler to keep it performing well. This is due to the Ryzen 7 processor being a 7nm chip whereas the i7 11700K is still 14nm.
How Many Cores For Video Editing?
When it comes to video editing, it’s hard to put a number on how many cores you need for video editing because there are so many processors and resolutions. To put it simply, it depends on what resolution you want to run at, the lower resolutions such as 1080P do not require powerful processing power, but higher resolutions such as 4K does.
Video editing at 4K requires a decent amount of processing power as it’s 4x as large as 1080P, you’ll often notice that 4K video editing systems will feature only top-tier processors. If you’re going for 4K video editing, we recommend between 8+ cores to generate a smooth experience. Ryzen 7 processors are known to fit these criteria therefore they would make the best processor for 4K systems.
For lower resolutions such as 1080P, you do not require as much processing power, but you still require a capable processor such as a mid-tier Ryzen 5 CPU. 1080P video editing will require at least 6 cores to create a smooth experience, the Ryzen 5 processors fit best in this criteria but the Ryzen 7 processors could be a great option if you want the best of the best.
How Do Threads Work & Are They Good For Video Editing?
Threads are a series of programmed instructions which will make it seem like you have double the number of cores, this is because a single physical core is split into two virtual cores. Each core will come with 2 threads and what a thread does is increase the efficiency of each core allowing it to process two sets of instructions simultaneously. CPUs will often display the number of cores and threads they have, and it will look something like 8c16t (8 cores, 16 threads).
An 8 core 16 thread CPU will perform better than an 8 core 8 thread equivalent, this will only hold true for applications that can benefit from having more cores. These sorts of applications are multithreaded, and software video encoding and editing applications are such applications. So having CPUs with threads will improve the video editing performance significantly.
Nowadays, CPU manufacturers such as Intel and AMD have implemented SMT technology which stands for simultaneous multithreading, so it’s unlikely you’ll find a CPU without it. Intel’s version of SMT is hyperthreading and it is featured in all I9, I7, and some I5 processors, it is said that hyperthreading can improve performance by up to 30% depending on the application. Video editing may experience an improvement of performance due to having hyperthreading due to its multicore nature.
AMD Ryzen 7 Vs Intel I7 For Video Editing
Intel and AMD have been competing heavily for decades, and they both excel in different areas. Currently, video editing benefits from having more cores, so it may seem that Ryzen 7 is the obvious winner, but it isn’t that simple. Ryzen 7 processors provide amazing multi-core processors for a decent price, but Intel provides very strong CPUs for a more premium price. So Ryzen 7 processors can be seen as the best option for strictly video editing, it doesn’t really surpass intel in single-core performance, but it is a great affordable multi-core option.
Intel isn’t known for their multi-core performance as they’re too busy dominating the gaming market with their single-core performance, but they have processors that have amazing multi-core performance too. The Intel I7 lineup of processors can seem less accessible to a lot of people, this is because Intel tends to be the more overkill option if you’re not trying to leave any performance on the table. For video editing, Intel processors are a great option if they feature an iGPU as it can boost performance by up to 40% due to their encoders and decoders.
However, both options are very capable of video editing at 4K, it really depends on your preference as both CPUs have their strong suits. AMD processors are more affordable but are less capable in the single-core perspective, and Intel CPUs are more expensive, but offer insane single-core performance if you’re trying to game on the side. In this case, if you’re strictly a video editor, we will recommend the Ryzen 7.
Ryzen 7 Vs Ryzen 9 For Video Editing
As we know, the Ryzen 7 competes with the i7 processors, both have their strong suits, nonetheless still great 4K options. Ryzen 7 processors are a great affordable option, they have CPUs that feature 8 cores and 16 threads which should be just enough to streamline the 4K video editing process. This is the best option if you’re looking to expand on your video editing skills and are looking to become a professional in the future.
The Ryzen 9 processors are the top-of-the-line processors that are essentially the best a Ryzen chip can get, it leaves no performance on the table making it a 4K video editing beast. Ryzen 9 processors will easily beat the Ryzen 7 processor when it comes to multi-core performance, the best Ryzen 9 chip has 16 cores and 32 threads which is absolutely overkill. This should be enough processing power to handle even 8K video editing which has four times as many pixels is 4K.
For the average-professional user, purchasing a Ryzen 9 processor can be quite overkill and expensive, for this reason, we will reserve this processor for video editors that really need it. The Ryzen 7 is plenty enough for the average video editor as there is really no need to edit at resolutions higher than 4K. 8K displays aren’t really worth it at the moment as the technology isn’t ready yet.
Conclusion
The verdict is that the Ryzen 7 processor can be seen as the sweet spot when it comes to video editing, it has enough cores to be a great option at 4K, and it’s quite affordable. We recommend the Ryzen 7 processor over the i7 counterparts and the i9 simply because it’s affordable and effective.
