Can I Edit 4k Videos with These Specs?

Question

I'm upgrading my computer to an iMac and I'm wondering if these specs would work for editing 4-5 minute 4k videos in AAE with limited effects, nothing crazy. Specifically I want to make sure that the CPU and GPU are strong enough to handle 4k editing and rendering in a reasonable time. Is the 405$ upgrade from the Radeon Pro 580X with 8GB of GDDR5 to the Radeon Pro Vega 48 with 8GB of HBM2 necessary? That's a lot of money and if the Radeon Pro 580X is good enough I really don't want to spend the extra 400$, but I will if it's the difference between laggy and seamless editing. Any help appreciated, thanks!

SPECS

3.6GHz 8-core 9th-generation Intel Core i9 processor, Turbo Boost up to 5.0GHz
24GB 2666MHz DDR4 memory
Radeon Pro 580X with 8GB of GDDR5 memory
2TB Fusion Drive storage
Magic Mouse 2
Magic Keyboard - US English

Warren Heaton · Answer

Use Apple ProRes422 (LT) or Apple ProRes422 (HQ) and you're good to go with either graphics card.

For video, the 580X is great. You'd want the Vega 48 if you're going to start to work with 3d rendered VR environments (or some other extremely GPU intensive task). If you do get into that, you can always add an eGPU later.

Have you looked at Crucial.com for RAM? Since the iMac is one of the few Apple computers to allow users to upgrade RAM on their own (as you may know, it's super easy to do so by just laying the iMac flat on a soft surface or towel and opening a small door on the lower back of the unit). So, you might consider going with an 8GB model and ordering more RAM right at the start.

-Warren

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