How Much RAM Do I Need For Video Editing?

by Matt
(Switzerland)

I'm about to buy a new desktop PC and one of things I'll use it for is video editing (mainly vids for YouTube and my food blog). How much RAM does the machine need for this?

I'll be using Ulead Video Studio, which is beginner-friendly. I figured 2GB would probably be fine, but a friend of mine has a PC with exactly this, and Windows Vista, and he tells me he often gets 'buffering freeze' when his videos are editing (he uses Ulead too), or else the program dies altogether!

Any thoughts and reasons much appreciated!

Answer

If you are going to be video editing, 2GB or RAM is definitely running a little lean. If you were running Windows XP, you would probably be okay, but in Vista and 7, there are significant changes with the way Windows uses RAM. It will mean most applications require more RAM, but in turn they will run faster.

The short answer, I would start with adding another 2GB of RAM so you have a total of 4GB. You should be well on your way.

If you're ever not sure if you have enough RAM, it's easy enough to check. There is a Windows gadget you can enable that will show you 2 important things, CPU usage, and RAM usage. For video editing, the CPU will probably sit very close to 100%, however, if your RAM is every higher than 75% for more than 30 seconds when running common applications, you will benefit from having more RAM.

Also keep in mind, you need a 64 bit version of Windows to get any use at all out of more than 4GB of RAM. I rarely find a home user that uses more than 4GB of RAM, so this should be lots for you.