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Flawless video editing requires good computer specs and good computer specs require a fitting motherboard. While it is not uncommon to want to upgrade the specs of a computer or sometimes build a custom computer for video editing, an inadequate motherboard can rain on one’s parade.
Knowing the best motherboards for video editing will help individuals make the very best decision based on what they want and their budget.
Quick Overview
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Editor's choice | Best motherboard for 4K video editing | Best High-end Intel Motherboard | Best AMD motherboard for video editing | Best X99 motherboard for Video Editing |
| Check The Latest Price | Check The Latest Price | Check The Latest Price | Check The Latest Price | Check The Latest Price |
5 Best Motherboards For Video Editing in 2022
ASUS ROG Zenith II extreme alpha - Editor's choice
Highlights:
- Effortless large-scale video editing with top-of-the-line overclocking.
- Dedicated M.2 heatsinks that contain the temperature even when work has been going on for a while.
- A whopping 4733 MHz DDR4 quad-channel that can take up to 256GB of RAM just for flawless video alterations.
The ASUS ROG zenith II Extreme alpha is the perfect example of power and efficiency. Built for Thread Ripper processors, has 16 Infineon power stages and a corresponding VRM heatsink. With this motherboard, you will be getting 4 PCIe x16 slots that support multiple graphics cards.
Connectivity wise, this mobo has a lot of options with USB 3.2X2 Gen2 Type-C ports, dual USB 3.2 front panel connector, 10GBps Ethernet and Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax).
The ASUS ROG Zenith II Extreme alpha carries 3 M.2 slots (can be increased by 2 with ROG DIMM.2 expander), 4 SATA slots and an amazing SupremeFX S1220 Audio codec for the best audio output.
It’s an industrial-grade video editor’s dream motherboard because of its massive VRM and overclocking which means uninterrupted workflow.
MSI Creator TRX40 - Best motherboard for 4K video editing
Highlights:
- Powerful and very stable 16-phase VRM quality for unbelievable power efficiency even when working with high end videos.
- M.2 Xpander-Aero for four additional Gen4 M.2 slots to increase SSD capacity as much as possible.
- Super connectivity with dual LAN and 20Gbps Type-C ports.
If you are looking to build a High-End Desktop (HEDT) computer with one of the best AMD motherboards for video editing, this motherboard is just right for you. It is quite pricey but you will be getting premium value for the extra cost. Although all motherboards on this list can help edit 4k videos with the right component, this motherboard is the cream of the crop in case you work with large scale 4K (also 6K and 8K) video editing.
Of course, it comes with sTRX4 socket for powerful 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen threadripper processors of choice. These processors have high core count (up to 64 cores) that helps make video edit easy. It has a powerful 16-phase VRM design and MOSFET cooling. It also has a M.2 Xpander-Aero that provides additional 4 Gen4 M.2 slots to the original 3 slots on the motherboard.
In terms of connectivity, this mobo has a 10G LAN, 20Gbps Type-C port, and six SATA ports for your SSD. The heatsink is coupled with PWM fan headers to keep high temperature at bay.
MSI MEG Z490 Godlike - Best High-end Intel Motherboard
Highlights:
- Super fast connectivity with thunderbolt 3 and dual LAN.
- 16+1+1 power phases for solid power usage.
- Top of the line cooling solution with the Frozr heatsink.
MSI MEG Z490 Godlike is the high-end Intel motherboard you need when you are into industrial video editing. This motherboard is the best production from Intel yet with its premium qualities. With this motherboard you get an LGA1200 socket and 4 X DIMM sockets that can collectively hold 128GB of RAM. The multi-GPU support also comes in handy when making high resolution video edits.
Just like the MSI Creator, this mobo has dual LAN (10G super LAN and 2.5G LAN). Instead of only Type-C ports though, it has super-fast thunderbolt 3 ports accompanied with a Wi-fi 6. It uses the INTERSIL power design 16+1+1 phases and a quality cooling solution (Frozr Heatsink) to ensure the processors work optimally.
There is also the M.2 Xpander-Z Gen 4 slot that provides an additional M.2 slot so as to increase storage capacity. All in all, this mobo is a godlike motherboard for high-end video editors.
GIGABYTE AORUS X570 Master - Best AMD motherboard for video editing
Highlights:
- It has an incredible VRM Setup with Fins-array heatsink for optimum efficiency
- A plethora of USB port options including the USB 3.2 Gen2 port for connectivity.
- High quality audio output and signal-to-noise ratio powered by ALC1220-VB codec and ESS SABRE Hi-Fi DACp.
This motherboard has a wonderful 14-phase VRM set up. Coupled with this is a state of the art cooling system of Fins-Array heatsink. It uses a X570 chipset and triple M.2 Gen 4 slots with its own heatsink ensuring flawless functionality.
It has a super Audio output – Realtek ALC1220-VB Audio Codec – that is appealing to video editors and a Multi-GPU support system for both AMD Quad-GPU Crossfire and NVIDIA QUAD-GPU SLI. In terms of connectivity, the AORUS X570 Master has one of the most appealing options with its rear I/O shielded and it houses 4 USB 3.2 Gen2 ports , 2 Gen1 Type-A ports and 4 USB2.0 ports.
Connecting to the internet is fun because of this motherboard’s 2.5GBE LAN Wi-Fi. Overall, if you are opting for the best AMD motherboard for video editing, then the GIGABYTE AORUS X570 Master is your best bet.
MSI MEG X299 Creation - Best X99 motherboard for Video Editing
Highlights:
- A whopping eight SATA III slots for all the SSDs you need. There is also the thunderbolt bus-type for your SSD for the best transfer rates.
- Two Thunderbolt 3 ports with a host of other USB ports for fast connectivity.
- Dedicated heatsinks for the three M.2 slots keep the high temperature at bay during heavy video editing.
If you are a fan of the intel X99 series, you would want to know the best x99 motherboard for video editing. The answer is the MSI MEG X299 Creation and you will see the reason why this motherboard ranks as the best of the Intel x99 series.
This motherboard boasts eight SATA III ports, 4 PCIe x16 slots, and a lot of USB port options. It also has the much-coveted Thunderbolt PCIe card for blazing transfer speeds which is very important for video editors.
The X299 chipset supports all Intel Skylake-X and KabyLake-X series processors. It has Multi-GPU support for NVIDIA SLI and AMD CrossFireX combined with a Quad-channel DDR4 computer memory that has a frequency of 4200 MHz RAM 256GB. This mobo comes with an Xpander-Aero that helps add Four extra PCIe M.2 slots and an accompanying GPU grade cooling. No wonder it’s the best x99 motherboard for video editing.
Quote Box
The processor you have in mind should be a major determinant when getting a motherboard. The reason for this is because Intel processors and AMD Ryzen processors require different chipsets(1) and in extension different motherboards.
Computer Hardware and Video Editing
Video editing, like any other function you want your computer to perform, needs one or more hardware components to work perfectly. However, editing videos is one of the top functions you can ask of your computer, and it requires well-rated hardware specs to work. So, which computer hardware performs the tasks of editing videos?
Motherboard (as the name implies) connects all the individual hardware components. Each hardware component can interact with the other on the motherboard. Unfortunately, not all motherboards are suitable for the upgrades or the hardware components for video editing that we have in mind, so it’s imperative to seek out the best motherboards for video editing.
What we will be looking out for from the best motherboards for video editing will be their ability to fit in with different hardware component specifications for video editing.
Generally speaking, every file to be edited goes through six steps, and these steps have corresponding hardware designated to perform the processes. The editing software to be used usually follows these steps, and the steps are:
- The software reads the data from computer memory
- The software decodes the video file
- The software manipulates the video file to the desired standard
- The edited video is stored to have a smooth playback
- The video is encoded to the desired codec.
- The finished project is stored on the computer.
The corresponding computer hardware parts for each of the steps listed above are explained below.
Hardware Components and What They Contribute To Video Editing
1. Reading of Data
For the video editing software to read the RAW, unedited file, the file would have been stored on the computer ROM. The ROM is responsible for keeping files in the long term, but different types have different speeds and sizes.
- The HDD (Hard Disk Drive) is the slowest of the ROM types but has the highest capacity for storage space. It is suitable for backing up data but not optimal for video editing because of its speed. HDDs have a relatively low cost compared to other ROM devices.
- SSD (Solid State Drive) – SATA – is about four times faster than the HDD. Therefore, they are pretty good for video editing because loading your data won’t take as much time as using the HDD. In the least, SSDs can be used to save the RAW video files so that video editing software can read them faster.
- NVMe SSD (Non-volatile Memory Express) is the perfect ROM for quickly reading/loading large video files for video editing. They are ten times faster than the SATA SSD and a bit costlier but very much worth the extra cost.
2. Decoding the Video File
Most video files are encoded (primarily to reduce the size), and the video editing software has to decode this file to run alterations. The processor (CPU) is the hardware in charge of this. Thus, while interpreting the video is vital, running alterations on the video file will sway the processor type.
3. Editing Video Files
The processor also takes care of editing videos. There is the choice of either going for a Maximum Core-clock CPU or a High Core Count CPU. Maximum core-clock CPU is better for effects-heavy projects while high core-count CPU is better for decoding.
The ideal CPU will be one with a high core count and a maximum core-clock but that will simply burn up your computer. Although there are moderately high clocking CPUs with a high core count.
4. Storing Edited Video For Playback
During and after editing videos, you will want to look at the work done so far. The editing software stores the edited (cached) frames(2) on the RAM (Random Access Memory) because it is the most efficient and fastest of the computer memory.
Storing and quickly retrieving the edited video files for playback needs at least 16GB of RAM, and you can be looking at 32GB or 64GB of RAM if you are majorly working on 4K – 8K videos. Inadequate RAM size means glitches in the video editing process.
5. Encoding Edited Video
The same way the CPU is necessary for decoding the raw video file is the same way it is essential for encoding the edited footage. Encoding is essential because we will want to reduce the file size as much as possible without losing quality and pick the video’s encoding format for smooth playing on devices.
6. Storing The Finished Project
Edited videos can be stored on any ROM type, but it’s better to use the SSD. If the file is huge and you need more speed, the NVMe SSD is a better option.
All these steps have taught us how to choose the perfect hardware components and, in extension, the most suitable motherboard.
The best motherboard for 4k video editing is a motherboard that can house powerful processors and multiple RAM slots because video editing needs these premium specifications. Every motherboard on this list meets the criteria, but the MSI Creator TRX40 comes out on top for 4K video editing.
Not always. Video editing and gaming motherboards both have high specs, and one function can be substituted for the other. Still, they both prioritize specific components according to the function it was made for.
High-end motherboards can be used for 8K video editing because they have the required specs for smooth, high-resolution video edits.
Conclusion
It’s imperative to be conscious of the specifications of a motherboard before choosing the best motherboard for video editing. One crucial specification to note is the chipset because it will dictate the line of hardware components you will be getting for your motherboard. I highly recommend the ASUS ROG Zenith II Extreme Alpha for its competitive advantage over the other motherboards on this list.
Is this your first time acquiring a motherboard? Or you are already familiar with the workings of a motherboard. Which one is your personal best motherboard for video editing? Please feel free to share with us in the comments.
References:
- Gavin Phillips. (June 2019). CPU socket types explained: Socket 5 to BGA. Retrieved from https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/cpu-socket-types-explained-from-socket-5-to-bga-makeuseof-explains/
- Gabriel Torres. (Sep 2007). How the cache memory works. Retrieved from https://hardwaresecrets.com/how-the-cache-memory-works/