Best CPU For Video Editing in 2022
With the rise of YouTube, ever more intuitive editing software, and a quality camera at the hands of most thanks to the wide-spread adoption of smartphones, video editing is one of the most in-demand skills.
While all this means more people than ever can get into video editing, the demands remain steep, requiring in most cases a beefy rig. In particular, video editing places a heavy demand on the CPU as one of the most processor-intensive tasks out there. A better CPU can prove vital in cutting down rendering time and inject some much-needed flow into the creative process of chopping and slicing video.
Whether you are a budding content creator, a professional piecing together high-quality marketing material, or simply want to save life’s precious moments for posterity, you’ll need a CPU up to the task. But, which CPU is best suited for video editing? Today, we’ll be answering that very question as we zero in on the very best CPU to bring your cinematographic visions to life.
Products at a Glance
Best CPU For Video Editing in 2022
- Top-tier video editing performance
- Most powerful retail CPU on the market
- Core and thread count
- Pricey option
- Lowest-priced high-end video editing CPU
- Excellent editing and gaming performance
- Not quite as suited to video editing as the AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
- Fantastic task handling capabilities
- Video editing performance not too far below the top-tier CPUs
- Lags behind Intel when it comes to single-core-favoring tasks
- Superb 1080p/2K video editing performance
- Affordable for an Intel chip
- Performance declines at 4K and above.
- Price
- Affordable
- Top of the pile when it comes to price-to-performance
- Performance is limited compared to more expensive CPUs
Our Verdict
Of all the CPUs out there, the AMD Ryzen 9 3950X stands tall as the best CPU for video editing. It requires an investment, so it is geared towards those that want the very best performance and for whom money is no object. It’s an excellent CPU from the folks at AMD and fully deserves its reputation as the best consumer-grade chip on the market today.
Jumping across the battle lines, we have the Intel Core i9-9900K. Despite a dip in video editing task handling, it’s still one of the best out there and will more than handle anything you can throw its way. For those looking for a mid-range option, both the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X and Intel Core i7-9700K are versatile CPUs offering a seamless editing experience.
Round-off our selection of the best CPUs for video editing is the extraordinarily affordable yet surprisingly capable AMD Ryzen 5 2600X, a perfect entry point to editing for newcomers and amateurs alike.
With that, our guide to the best CPUs for video editing comes to an end. We hope you’ve gleaned some useful information and now feel comfortable about making that all-important choice. Drop us a line in the comments section below with any questions or comments.