Be it for professional video editing, personal or casual, video editing tasks can be very demanding. They often require a machine of considerable power, and getting the hardware you need can be difficult.
With how resource-intensive most video editing software is, you need as much processing power as possible to be able to smoothly edit and preview your video clips in real-time, and a strong graphics card to handle special effects and rendering.
The key to find which are the best computers for video editing depends on your workflow. The typical video editing workflow goes as follows: importing video files, sequencing and cuts, playback, adding transitions and effects, adding sound effects and/or music, then finally encoding and video file rendering.
This list is here to help you find the best video editing computers and see exactly what you need by providing details on 10 desktop computers that are pre-built and equipped for smooth and efficient video editing performance.
10. SkyTech Azure 12700F
Specifications
CPU: INTEL Core i7 12700F
Graphics: RTX 3070 8GB
RAM: 32G DDR4 with heat spreader
Storage: 1TB SSD
The SkyTech Azure 12700F is a powerful PC that will make editing videos a much smoother task and is easily a great gaming desktop. The SSD is a much faster and more reliable form of storage in comparison to HDDs. This will be better for storing cached footage during the editing process and will give you a more streamlined and optimized experience.
The RTX 3070 is capable of handling and rendering 4k and 6k video footage with ease and is capable of rendering out fully edited videos within minutes.
For reference, a comparison was made between an RTX 3070 and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 (an older, more affordable graphics card still decent by today’s standards). An 18-minute video was rendered in a standard H.264 MOV format.
The GTX 1080 completed the rendering in 13 minutes, whereas the RTX 3070 finished in 7 minutes and 35 seconds. This is a 55.53% improvement in export time, making this computer easily one of the best workstations for video editing.
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
9. CYBERPOWERPC Gamer Supreme R9
Specifications
CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
Graphics: AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT 12GB
RAM: 32GB DDR4
Storage: 1TB PCI-E NVMe SSD
The CYBERPOWERPC Gamer Supreme R9 is a strong machine, making it a good video-editing computer. The RAM and SSD will allow you to manage multiple programs at once seamlessly.
This PC comes in 2 colors and you can get different bundles that include a LED monitor, or slightly different hardware.
While this PC ships with Windows 10, users can easily upgrade for free to Windows 11 through Windows Update.
The SSD that comes with the Gamer Supreme R9 is 1GB, but you can easily upgrade and add a new HDD or SDD for more space. If you are unfamiliar with upgrading, be sure to check out our guide on how to upgrade your PC.
If you are video editing, you might want to get an additional drive for storage, or if you use an external drive, that is fine as well.
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
8. Victus 15L
Specifications
CPU: Intel Core i7-12700F
Graphics: RTX 3060 12GB
RAM: 32GB DDR4
Storage: 512GB NVMe SSD + 2TB HDD
The Victus 15L is a more affordable option for video editing pcs, with good hardware and more storage space, making it a great video editing PC.
Having both an NVMe SSD and a larger HDD means you can place your important software and system files on the SSD for faster speeds while also putting all your other files on the HDD for efficient storage management.
You could place your editing software and any other important programs on the SSD, then use the HDD for all your raw footage, sound effects, music, and more. And with an RTX 3060, you’ll be able to render your video projects in a short time.
This computer is also more affordable than the previous options and is easily a great PC for editing videos.
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
7. Alienware Aurora R10
Specifications
CPU: AMD Ryzen 9
Graphics: AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT 16GB
RAM: 32GB DDR4
Storage: 2TB SSD
The Aurora R10 is one of the available pre-built gaming computers that are of quality and offer good performance.
The R10 is not the latest build by Alienware (currently they have the R14) but in terms of how the R10 is priced now, you can’t go wrong.
With a total of 15 USB ports, you can easily use any additional peripherals for professional video editing or streaming on Twitch. Check out our best prebuilt PCs for Twitch Streaming if you are interested in that as well.
It features a PSU swing arm, which provides benefits like toolless graphics, expansion bays, and a compact chassis. But this computer’s design comes with some potential issues.
The swingarm is supposed to allow the graphics card to be perfectly positioned for good airflow, but with the chassis’ design it doesn’t always work properly.
The computer may experience overheating issues which causes the fans to accelerate and generate a lot of noise. But fortunately, this PC has an included liquid cooler which should help.
The swingarm also has an added safety feature, a stop-anywhere locking mechanism in order to avoid any damage or injury.
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
6. CUK Stratos Mini Gaming PC
Specifications
CPU: Intel Core i5-12600KF
Graphics: RTX 3080 10Gb
RAM: 16GB DDR4
Storage: 1TB SSD
The manufacturers put a lot of effort into building these computers and they ensure that you will receive quality and optimal performance.
The Stratos Mini features front panel side vents, dual side panel doors, and 4 high airflow fans that keep the computer cooled.
This PC comes with a stronger graphics card than other options on this list but has less RAM and a slightly weaker CPU.
With the power of the GPU and the computer’s good airflow design, it would make for a good video editing and rendering computer.
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
5. Apple iMac
Specifications
CPU: Apple M1
Graphics: Apple M1
RAM: 8GB unified memory
Storage: 512GB SSD
While the iMac features weaker hardware than the other options while remaining at a similar price, it makes up for it with its good computing power and all-in-one features.
Unified memory means the computer’s CPU and GPU share memory locations rather than having separate RAM allocations and types.
The iMac also comes with high-quality built-in speakers, studio-quality microphones, and a 1080p HD webcam, and features a 24-inch 4.5K display.
With its lightweight and sleek design, it means it’s easier to transport it if you need to. This is a really good Apple computer for video editing.
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
4. Continuum Micro Gamer PC
Specifications
CPU: Intel Core i9-12900KF
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti 8GB
RAM: 32GB DDR4
Storage: 512 SSD + 2TB HDD
The Continuum Micro Gamer PC features a good airflow design where the cooling is provided by 6 high airflow fans, and the RGB lights and fans are all remote-controlled.
The manufacturers guarantee quality and performance by making the PCs and benchmarking them themselves, so you would certainly receive your money’s worth.
It’s a very good computer for video editing and is more affordable and of better value than some of the others on this list.
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
3. 2022 HP Pavilion
Specifications
CPU: Intel i5-10400F
Graphics: RTX 3060 12Gb
RAM: 32GB DDR4
Storage: 1TB SSD + 2TB HDD
The HP Pavilion is the most affordable computer for video editing, while still offering really good performance with its hardware.
This is the most cost-effective option because you receive a strong computer, with wireless adapters and peripherals, meaning you won’t have to spend extra money on those items. Plus it has a lot of storage.
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
2. Asus ROG Strix G10
Specifications
CPU: Intel Core i7-11700
Graphics: RTX 3060 12GB
RAM: 32GB ddr4
Storage: 1TB SSD + 2TB HDD
The ROG Strix G10 provides great performance with its hardware. While it’s a gaming computer, it makes for an excellent video editing and rendering PC.
It features a powerful chipset and the RTX 3060 delivers the power required to perform heavy multitasking. But it’s evident that it was built as a budget computer.
The front panel is made of plastic, and the metal side panel is flimsy, so this chassis isn’t very sturdy.
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
1. HP OMEN 30L
Specifications
CPU: Intel Core i9-10850k
Graphics: RTX 3080 10GB
RAM: 32GB DDR4
Storage: 1TB PCIe NVME SSD + 2TB HDD
The best prebuilt PC for video editing is the HP Omen 30L. The Omen 30L is a desktop computer built for intense video gaming and therefore makes it a really good computer for video editing.
Its strong GPU and newer CPU make video editing and rendering, and content creation a breeze. But it’s easily the most expensive option here.
But given hardware availability issues, it’s better to go for this than trying to build your own.
