Jun 7, 2017 - I'm calling this build Video Editor on a Limited Budget Pro. A video editor's best friend, a graphics processing unit (GPU) is designed. Better gpu fan control for the NVidia Quadro M4000. Get it from Sapphire TRIX Utility. So when using a 4 K external display for editing via Mercury Transmit using RedCode material in 6K, set Playback Resolution to half and basically playing a 3k resolution movie on a 4 K monitor still looks.
GeForce RTX 2080 is one of the most powerful graphics cards and the second most powerful graphics card in the. It comes after GeForce RTX 2080 Ti which is the flagship graphics card from Nvidia and the most powerful gaming graphics card in the world right now. GeForce RTX 2080 is built on the latest from Nvidia, which is the most advanced GPU architecture and it supports Ray Tracing, Artificial Intelligence and Deep Learning. RTX 2080 comes with 2944 CUDA Cores and 8GB memory having 256-bit interface. In additions to, the card comes with RT Cores for Ray Tracing and Tensor Cores for Artificial Intelligence and Deep Learning. The card supports features such as Nvidia G-Sync, Ansel, Virtual Reality (VR), GPU Boost, Vulkan, Real Time Ray Tracing and multi-GPU setup through NVIDIA NVLink bridge.
It is much faster than the and its performance is comparable to in normal games i.e. With no Ray Tracing and DLSS enabled.
The card is designed for VR and high-end gaming, and can run any latest game with ultra graphics card settings at 4K (with Ray Tracing turned off). The Founders Edition of this card from Nvidia is an Overclocked version but RTX 2080 is also available from different having different coolers, form factor, design and clock speeds. So, here I am going to list down the best RTX 2080 cards based on different factors and requirements. Must Read:.
Best Overclocked (OC) RTX 2080 If you are looking for a RTX 2080 card with highest overclock then MSI GeForce RTX 2080 GAMING X TRIO is what you should get. This card is a beast and I think it is easily the biggest and powerful RTX 2080 card of all. The card comes with Base / Boost Clock of 1515 / 1860 MHz and memory clock of 7000 MHz. For cooling, the card has got an enormous cooler ( TRI-FROZR cooler) with a massive heatsink and triple fans with double ball bearings. The heatsink consists of concentrated heatpipes for better heat transfer and dissipation. To cool down heatsink, there are three fans (TORX Fan 3.0) located on top of it.
All the three fans consist of dispersion and traditional fan blade design. Dispersion Fan Blades are curved and are designed for accelerating the airflow while traditional blades push the air down to the heatsink in an effective way. Due to higher clock speed, the card does perform a bit better than RTX 2080 cards from other brands.
On the back of the card there is a solid steel backplate that gives the card rigidity and it also helps a bit in cooling too. The card comes with RGB lighting on the sides and RGB logo which can be controlled or can be synced using the MSI Mystic light software. The card is 327mm in length and requires a bigger PC case to fit it. It uses two from the PSU for additional power and needs a for its working. Connectivity options include three DisplayPort, one HDMI port and a USB Type-C port for connecting your VR Headsets directly. Overall, a powerful RTX 2080 card and possibly the fastest of all RTX 2080 cards.
MSI GeForce RTX 2080 GAMING X TRIO Specifications CUDA Cores 2944 GPU Clock 1515 / 1860 MHz Memory Clock 14000 MHz Memory Size 8GB GDDR6 Memory Interface 256-bit Bus Interface PCI Express 3.0 DirectX 12 OpenGL 4.5 Power Connectors 8-pin x 2 Output Ports DisplayPort x 3 (v1.4), HDMI 2.0b x 1, USB Type-C x 1 Best Value for Money / Dual Slot RTX 2080 Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2080 WINDFORCE OC 8G is the best value for money and best dual slot RTX 2080 graphics card. Almost all the RTX 2080 cards have massive heatsinks and occupy more than two slots on your motherboard. Some have 2.5 slot design and some can occupy up to 3 slots on the motherboard. This can render the third slot of your motherboard useless and if you have a micro-ATX motherboard then it will be almost impossible to add an external card in the third slot. Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2080 WINDFORCE OC 8G is a true dual slot solution and it does not interfere with the third slot at all.
It is the best dual slot RTX 2080 graphics card, which is also competitively priced and offers best value for your money. This is overclocked (OC) edition of RTX 2080 card and comes with WINDFORCE 3X Cooling system from Gigabyte, which consists of a slimmer heatsink with composite copper heat pipes and three 80mm fans. The middle fan is an alternate spinning fan that spins in the opposite direction to the other two fans. This is done to eliminate turbulent airflow that results in smooth airflow and allows better heat dissipation and cooling performance. The card has got RGB logo and branding on the side and you can control or sync RGB lighting with the help of Gigabyte RGB Fusion software. The back of the card features a metal backplate for protection and it also gives the card rigidity and extra strength.
The card can be easily overclocked to GPU boost clock speed of 1800 MHz by One Click only through Gigabyte’s AORUS Graphics Engine. The card requires one 6-pin and one 8-pin PCI-E power connectors and a 650W PSU. Connectivity options on the rear includes three DisplayPort, one HDMI port and one USB Type-C port that supports VirtualLink. Highly Recommended by me. Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2080 WINDFORCE OC 8G Specifications CUDA Cores 2944 GPU Clock 1515 / 1800 MHz (OC Mode) Memory Clock 14000 MHz Memory Size 8GB GDDR6 Memory Interface 256-bit Bus Interface PCI Express 3.0 DirectX 12 OpenGL 4.5 Power Connectors 8-pin and 6-pin Output Ports DisplayPort 1.4 x 3, HDMI 2.0b x 1, USB Type-C (support VirtualLinkTM) x 1 Best Dual Fan RTX 2080 If you are looking for the best dual fan RTX 2080 then it is EVGA GeForce RTX 2080 XC ULTRA GAMING. This is one of the fastest dual fan RTX 2080 cards and has good amount of overclocking headroom.
This RTX 2080 card does come with only two fans but it does not compromise on cooling performance because of its iCX2 Cooling system. The card comes with a taller heatsink and its high performance dual HDB fans do a great job in keeping the temperature down. This is a 2.75 slot card which means it will eat up three slots on your motherboard and case. This is an OC RTX 2080 card and comes with GPU Boost clock of 1815 MHz.
The card also features metal backplate and RGB LED Logo. For power, the card requires an 8-pin and a 6-pin PCIe connectors and the recommended PSU for this card is 650W. Connectivity options on the rear includes three DisplayPort, one HDMI port and one USB Type-C port. If you want to save some space on your motherboard and want a dual slot two fan RTX 2080 card then you can opt for. You can check out both these models from the link given below.
EVGA GeForce RTX 2080 XC ULTRA GAMING Specifications CUDA Cores 2944 GPU Clock 1815 MHz Boost Clock Memory Clock 14000 MHz Memory Size 8GB GDDR6 Memory Interface 256-bit Bus Interface PCI Express 3.0 DirectX 12 OpenGL 4.5 Power Connectors 8-pin and 6-pin Output Ports DisplayPort x 3 (v1.4), HDMI 2.0b x 1, USB Type-C x 1 Single Fan RTX 2080 Blower Style Cooling Here we have single fan RTX 2080 having. This can be termed as compact RTX 2080 card and it can be used in small form factor cases or mini-ITX cases where space is limited.
However, the card is still 268mm in length so you have to check the clearance for your SFF case before getting this card. The card employs blower fan cooling solution where the hot air is expelled from the rear side and nothing is left inside the PC case.
This is a dual slot card which means it will occupy two slots on your motherboard and case. This is non-OC card and comes with reference GPU boost clock speed of 1710 MHz. Due to the blower styled cooling fan, the card is relatively noisier and also runs hotter compared to the other cards with traditional dual fan or triple fan setup. The card requires 6-pin and 8-pin PCI-Express power connectors and a 650W PSU for its operations. Display connectivity options include three DisplayPort, one HDMI port and one USB Type-C port. So, if you are looking for a blower styled RTX 2080 then you have to go for this one. ZOTAC GAMING GeForce RTX 2080 Blower Specifications CUDA Cores 2944 GPU Clock 1710 MHz Boost Memory Clock 14000 MHz Memory Size 8GB GDDR6 Memory Interface 256-bit Bus Interface PCI Express 3.0 DirectX 12 OpenGL 4.5 Power Connectors 8-pin and 6-pin Output Ports DisplayPort x 3 (v1.4), HDMI 2.0b x 1, USB Type-C x 1 Best Silent RTX 2080 If you are in search for a high performance and silent RTX 2080 then ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2080 OC edition fits your criteria perfectly.
This has to be the most silent RTX 2080 card in the list because of its 0dB technology and silent Axial-tech fans. These Axial tech fans come with longer blades and the tip of the blades are connected to each other forming a barrier ring that increases structural integrity and downward air pressure.
The fans are also IP5X dust resistance that allows smoother operation, longer lifespan and silent operation. The 0dB technology allows the fans to stop spinning when the GPU temperature falls below 55°C, making this card completely silent and they kick back in action automatically when the temperature rises above this threshold value. The card features Dual BIOS and includes a physical switch to switch to performance or quiet mode. This is also one of the highest overclocked RTX 2080 cards with GPU boost clock of 1860 MHz, that matches with the MSI GeForce RTX 2080 GAMING X TRIO. This is a very powerful and huge RTX 2080 card having 2.7 slot design. The heatsink is massive with copper heatpipes for better and faster heat transfer, and the back of the card has got a metal plate for providing strength and rigidity. The card has good overclocking capabilities and you may overclock it to higher frequencies using Asus GPU Tweak II overclocking utility.
The card also includes RGB lighting that can be synced using the Asus Aura Sync RGB software. The card requires two 8-pin PCI-E power connectors and a good 650 PSU for its working.
Connectivity options for this card include two DisplayPort, two HDMI ports and one USB Type-C port. ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2080 OC edition Specifications CUDA Cores 2944 GPU Clock 1860 MHz Boost Memory Clock 14000 MHz Memory Size 8GB GDDR6 Memory Interface 256-bit Bus Interface PCI Express 3.0 DirectX 12 OpenGL 4.5 Power Connectors 8-Pin x 2 Output Ports HDMI 2.0b x 2, DisplayPort 1.4 x 2, USB Type-C x 1 Best Looking RTX 2080 When it comes to aesthetics and build quality then my vote goes to GeForce RTX 2080 Founders Edition. This is a beautiful looking and well-made RTX 2080 card that looks very pleasing to the eyes. The card comes with dual fans, all-round metal housing and black heatsink that features vapour chamber design. The card has great build quality and it is a work of art. It is an Overclocked (OC) card and has got Boost clock of 1800 MHz, which is 90MHz higher than the reference speed (1710 MHz).
This is a dual slot design card and is pretty compact compared to some of the aftermarket gamer’s edition cards. The card requires one 8-pin and 6-pin PCI-E power connectors and a 650 Watt PSU. Connectivity options for this card include three DisplayPort, one HDMI and a USB Type-C port.
GeForce RTX 2080 Founders Edition Specifications CUDA Cores 2944 GPU Clock 1800 MHz Boost Memory Clock 14000 MHz Memory Size 8GB GDDR6 Memory Interface 256-bit Bus Interface PCI Express 3.0 DirectX 12 OpenGL 4.5 Power Connectors 8-pin and 6-pin Output Ports DisplayPort x 3 (v1.4), HDMI 2.0b x 1, USB Type-C x 1 This is a liquid cooled RTX 2080 card for custom water cooling system or PC build. The card is built in partnership with EK as it is fitted with EK water block for supreme cooling performance. The water block has a nickel-plated copper base and it covers all the major and critical components of the card that includes GPU, Memory and VRM. It also features a metal backplate and RGB LED lighting that can be controlled via MSI Mystic light software. This is an Overclocked RTX 2080 card that comes with GPU boost clock speed of 1860 MHz. It requires two 8-pin PCI-E connectors for external power and a 650W PSU for working.
On the rear side of the card, you will get three DisplayPort, a HDMI port and a USB Type-C connector that supports VirtualLink. The card has good overclocking potential because of its better cooling and you may overclock it further using MSI Afterburner overclocking software. Check out: MSI GeForce RTX 2080 SEA HAWK EK X Specifications CUDA Cores 2944 GPU Clock 1515 / 1860 MHz Memory Clock 14000 MHz Memory Size 8GB GDDR6 Memory Interface 256-bit Bus Interface PCI Express 3.0 DirectX 12 OpenGL 4.5 Power Connectors 8-pin x 2 Output Ports DisplayPort x 3 (v1.4), HDMI 2.0b x 1, USB Type-C x 1 Final Words Well, at the end I would like to say that these RTX 2080 cards may differ to each other in terms of some characteristics but all them are very powerful and can make any game bend to its knees. These RTX cards are definitely the future of gaming and a delight for high-end gamers.
If you have any doubts or question regarding these RTX 2080 cards or having trouble selecting the right one then you can ask me your queries by leaving a comment below. Hey man, I have the OMEN by HP Obelisk Desktop PC which comes with a blower style RTX 2080 (no third party branding). It runs at a max temp. Of 86 Celsius when I’m running heavy games. Never drops below 82 when I’m playing BF1 for example. I was thinking of replacing it with one of the ones you talk about in your article, but I am not sure which one would be ideal considering that my PC case is relatively smaller than other gaming custom builts. I am a total noob in the PC world.
This is my first ever gaming PC so bear with me please. Also, it looks like my pc has a 6 pin and an 8 pin connectors for the graphics card. From your article, I was liking the Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2080 WINDFORCE OC 8Gand the EVGA GeForce RTX 2080 XC ULTRA GAMING, but first problem is the stock PSU is 500W only.
Second one is more of a concern because I’m scared that the non-blower style cards could accumulate too much heat in the case considering its “smaller” than regular custom builts being a “sufficiently” engineered pre-built. Do you think my card is running too hot? If so, what would you recommend I should do? I am already going to install another fan for airflow on the top of the case where they left a palace for an additional one.
Should I replace my card with one of the above? And will I REALLY need to get a different power supply unit? I’d really appreciate your response so much!
Posted on by Updated Dec. 16, 2018, with revisions to my recommendations based on additional personal experience.
Last week, Apple announced upgrades to the venerable Mac mini. And this upgrade turned a diminutive system into a powerhouse. So much so that I’m getting a ton of email about whether we can use the Mac mini for video editing.
The short answer is: Yes. NOTE: on using the Mac mini for video editing with Final Cut Pro X.
This provides real-world performance data. Like all computers, you get the best possible performance by buying a fully-tricked out, top of the line system. And, like all computers, that may require more money than you have to spend. So the purpose of this article is to help you prioritize balancing cost vs. SYSTEM DESCRIPTION (All images courtesy of Apple.) Based on my research, the new Mac mini is a solid machine for video editing, with the ability to configure the system with up to 64GB of RAM, a 6-core Intel i7 desktop-class processor, and a 10Gigabit Ethernet port. The I/O available on the new Mac mini allows users to connect a number of devices through its 4 Thunderbolt 3 ports, 2 USB-A ports, HDMI 2.0 port, and analog audio output jack. With these ports, you can connect a 5K display plus a separate 4K display, or up to three 4K displays.
NOTE: The system offers Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports, this means that you’ll need to purchase an adapter to connect any Thunderbolt 2 devices. These adapters are readily available from a number of vendors, including Apple, for about $50. Links. Mac mini Overview:.
Mac mini Tech Specs: The system also natively supports:. Up to three 4K displays: Two displays with 4096-by-2304 resolution at 60Hz connected via Thunderbolt 3 plus one display with 4096-by-2160 resolution at 60Hz connected via HDMI 2.0. – OR –. Up to two displays: One display with 5120-by-2880 resolution at 60Hz connected via Thunderbolt 3 plus one display with 4096-by-2160 resolution at 60Hz connected via HDMI 2.0 LARRY’S PRIORITIES When it comes to optimizing a computer system for video editing, when you can’t purchase the top of the line, here are my spending priorities:. GPU. RAM. Storage speed and capacity.
CPU speed Increasingly, both Final Cut Pro X and Adobe Premiere Pro CC are leveraging the GPU for effects, rendering and export. However, the Mac mini does not give us an internal choice for GPU. When it comes to optimizing a computer system for video compression, my priorities shift:. CPU speed. Storage capacity and speed. RAM.
GPU While some video transcoding and compressing codecs are multi-threaded (which means they take advantage of multiple cores in a CPU), many others are not. These single-threaded codecs take advantage of pure CPU speed more than the GPU. UPDATE: I’ve been using the Mac mini outlined here for about two weeks, and running a series of media compression tests with it.
Based on this, I’ve changed my recommendations for both RAM and SSD capacity. THOUGHTS ON THE GPU Here’s the key point behind deciding which GPU to get. A graphics processing unit is optimized for pixel manipulations: texturing, rendering, color grading, exporting anything that involves manipulating the colors of pixels. All you are getting when you purchase a “higher-grade” GPU is more speed. Not better quality, just speed. If you are a student, a hobbyist, or someone with indeterminate deadlines, there’s no compelling reason to get a faster GPU; the faster speed doesn’t justify the cost.
If you are someone living with constant deadlines, who does a lot of effects and color grading, and needs projects exported “yesterday or sooner,” then a faster GPU makes sense. One of the big limitations of the original Mac mini was its reliance on an Intel Iris graphics card. This was woefully underpowered for any serious graphics work, such as video editing. That changed with the latest release.
All configurations of the new Mac mini use the Intel UHD Graphics 630 card. For editors who are working primarily in HD with limited motion graphics and effects, or who have deadlines that are flexible, the Intel UHD Graphics 630 will work well.
For users who need faster performance, for example, working at higher resolutions such as 4K, with RAW video, or with more complex graphics and effects, the Blackmagic eGPU or newly announced Blackmagic eGPU Pro are great options for these types of graphics-intensive tasks. The updated eGPU Pro includes a Radeon RX Vega 56 graphics card with 8GB of high bandwidth memory. The card offers similar performance to the graphics card in iMac Pro. Links. Here’s a link for more information on the Blackmagic Design eGPU:. Here’s an Apple KnowledgeBase article on how to setup FCP X in macOS Mojave for an external eGPU: My recommendation is to go with the internal GPU, until you find yourself spending too much time waiting. A slower GPU does NOT mean you can’t edit, it simply means that tasks like rendering and exporting may take a little longer.
If you need more speed, add an external GPU as your budget allows. THOUGHTS ON RAM The Mac mini ships with a minimum of 8 GB of RAM, which can be user-upgraded to 16, 32, or 64 GB. The good news here is that you can upgrade the RAM at any time, without needing to make a decision at the time of purchase. 8 GB of RAM is fine for HD editing in both Final Cut and Premiere. 4K and above frame sizes benefit from 16 GB of RAM. I have not found a compelling reason to install more than 32 GB of RAM.
While the extra RAM won’t hurt, you won’t see as big a performance boost as you will by going from 8 to 32 GB of RAM. (As a note, all my iMac systems have 32 GB of RAM.) While you can buy RAM from Apple and have it factory-installed, you can save hundreds of dollars by buying RAM from reputable third-party companies like. UPDATE: My revised recommendation is that for a video compression system, 8 GB of RAM is fine. For video editing, more RAM is better. To keep costs low, you can purchase the minimum 8 GB configuration, then upgrade to at least 16 GB from a third-party source as you need more. If your workflow feels fast enough, you have enough RAM.
If you are spending too much time waiting – add more. THOUGHTS ON THE CPU Apple makes it hard to compare CPUs because one is an i3, another is an i5 and the third is an i7. In looking for an understanding of the differences, I found this recent PC Magazine article: “If you want a plain and simple answer, then generally speaking, Core i7s are better than Core i5s, which are in turn better than Core i3s. Nope, Core i7 does not have seven cores nor does Core i3 have three cores.
The numbers are simply indicative of their relative processing powers. “The more cores there are, the more tasks (known as threads) can be served at the same time. The lowest number of cores can be found in Core i3 CPUs, i.e., which have only two cores. Currently, all Core i3s are dual-core processors.” i5 CPUs are quad core, but “they don’t support Hyper-Threading which is the ability of a single core to serve multiple threads. “This is one of the many reasons why Core i7 processors are the creme de la creme. Not only are they quad cores, they also support Hyper-Threading. Thus, a total of eight threads can run on them at the same time.
“The upshot is that if you do a lot of things at the same time on your PC, then it might be worth forking out a bit more for an i5 or i7. However, if you use your PC to check emails, do some banking, read the news, and download a bit of music, you might be equally served by the cheaper i3.” Here’s the link to the full article: My recommendation is to upgrade to the 6-core i7. Video editing and compression, especially at larger frame sizes, requires a beefy processor. Also, it’s important to mention that these are all Intel 8th-generation 65W desktop-class processors — not mobile processors meant for notebook computers. THOUGHTS ON STORAGE The Mac mini comes with up to 2 TB of internal SSD which, according to reports, is blindingly fast.
The problem is that in today’s media environment, 2 TB is not enough storage. I regularly shoot projects that take multiple terabytes of storage. So, even if I invested in a 2 TB SSD, I’d still need to buy external storage. Remember, also, as your frame sizes increase or you move to HDR or high-bit-depth media, a single spinning hard drive won’t be enough. You’ll either need to purchase a RAID or another SSD. Frankly, for a full suite of editing apps, plus the macOS, you really only need 100 GB of storage. So if you are on a tight budget, a 256 GB SSD will be enough.
Personally, I like having a bit more space for exports and working files. UPDATE My recommendation is the 512 GB SSD and reserve it for the macOS, applications and general workspace.
Then, store all your and projects on externally connected media using Thunderbolt 3; preferably a RAID. After using this system for two weeks specifically for video compression, I find that the 512 SSD is the sweet spot for storage. 256 GB is acceptable, but very limiting when you need to create high-quality work files. THOUGHTS ON INTERCONNECTION For the first time since the iMac Pro, the new Mac mini includes the option to install 10 Gb Ethernet port. This option is especially useful for users who keep media on shared storage or for configurations that require high-bandwidth networking today or in the future. For comparison, a 1 Gb Ethernet connection can transfer data up to 128 MB/second. A 10 Gb Ethernet connection can transfer data up to 1.25 GB/second; ten times faster.
However, there are several “gotchas” here, because to take full advantage of this high-speed connection you will also need:. Servers that attach to the switch using 10 Gb Ethernet or faster. A data switch capable of processing data at 10 Gb speeds. Cat 6 or 6e cabling between the switch and your computer.
I fully applaud Apple for adding this connection – it is valuable and needed! However, unless the rest of your network also supports 10 Gb Ethernet – or will be upgraded to do so – adding this option won’t make any difference in your data transfer speeds. HERE’S MY RECOMMENDED CONFIGURATION This screen shot illustrates what I recommend. Regardless of which Mac mini you start with, you’ll end up at the same configuration for the same price: $1,499 (US). Also, remember that the Mac mini is just the computer, you’ll also need to purchase a monitor, keyboard and mouse.
UPDATE: This is the system I purchased and I’m very happy with the system. It is a workhorse for media compression – which is my principle reason for buying the unit. I only use it as a back-up system for video editing. I’m also planning on using it as a media asset management server, I’ll have more on that after the first of the year. EXTRA CREDIT Here are two relevant articles that may also be of interest to you:. Dear Larry, Thanks, in advance for any assistance or clarity you can provide. At the moment, I’ve got a mid-2014 iMac (21.5″), with a 1.4Ghz Intel Core i% and 8 GB 1600 Mhz DDR3.
The graphics chip, according to the machine, is an Intel HD Graphics 5000 1536MB. My problem is that I find the computer unbearably slow when trying to edit and create in FCPX. That said, I find it confusing almost to the point of desperation when I try to figure out whether I’d be better off with a new mac mini, or a new imac.
If, as I suspect, I’d be better off with either one, in which direction would you lean, and, if it’s not too much to ask, why? Cheers, in advance, Tufty. Gav: First, given your description, I recommend the 27″ iMac. Here’s an article with more details: Why? The answer is specific to your case:.
You currently have an iMac, with a Mac mini you would need to purchase a separate monitor and keyboard. Your current 2014 iMac is “too slow” – speed, with FCP X, is GPU dependent. The iMac has better GPU options than the Mac mini So, read my article, look at your budget, tell your heart to slow down, then configure a 27″ iMac to optimize it for FCP X. Thank you Larry if for me, and i already owned imac 21″ or 27″ mostly the 27″ (that is a good and ok machine for most task one can trow at it.) then wait to see if apple will come out with new refresh imac, i guess that must have be one of the reasons apple sterve the new mac mini of dedicate GPU, i dont do a lot of 4k video, but i do up to 3 to 5 hrs video in 1080, and thats a lot for not having at least ok GPU.
Also to consider the resolution of the 27″ imac! Then add up to 8GB of GPU, the imac 2017 will still be a best buy if you’re considering buying 5k monitor with the mac mini. Saurabh: Well, it depends.
Given the difference in price, I can’t see any advantage to getting an i5 chip; especially because you can’t upgrade to the i7 later. The amount of RAM you need is not dependent upon the amount of storage space your images take (300 GB) but the resolution of the images. Images are loaded into RAM for editing – so, if you are editing lots of images at the same time, or very large images, more RAM will help. It is NOT that the less RAM won’t work, but that the system won’t work as fast. On the other hand, you can add more RAM later, which you can’t do with storage or CPU. So, if you have the money, get 16 GB. If budgets are tight, start with 8 GB and add more RAM as money become available.
Seb: Your English is MUCH better than my Italian! A base-level Mac mini should be fine, especially for 1080p HD video.
The 8 GB of RAM will be fine. The smaller SSD means you’ll need to invest in external storage (an attached hard disk or RAID). The GPU means rendering will be slower, but exactly the same quality as a faster GPU. And the i3 processor will easily edit video – but will render and export a bit slower. In other words, what are are trading off – especially for HD video – is not quality, but speed.