I'm planning to buy or upgrade a PC in about two months, ideally during the holiday sales season. I already have a 1TB M.2 SSD, a 256GB SATA SSD, and a 1TB hard drive, so I can reuse my existing storage.
My current system has a Ryzen 5 5600G, 16GB of DDR4 memory, and an inexpensive ASUS motherboard. I mainly use Premiere Pro and Photoshop for work, and I'd like to start learning After Effects.
With newer AMD and Intel platforms expected to bring new sockets and memory standards, I'm unsure whether to build a new system around a current Core Ultra or Ryzen processor, or upgrade my existing AM4 system with a Ryzen 9, a suitable motherboard if necessary, more RAM, and a dedicated graphics card. I'm particularly considering an RTX 5070. Would upgrading my current PC provide better value than starting over, and is NVIDIA still the strongest choice for video-editing software?
3 Answers
For Premiere Pro, After Effects, and DaVinci Resolve, NVIDIA cards are generally a safe choice because CUDA support and hardware encoding are well supported. An RTX 5070 should be a strong option if the price is reasonable, though make sure the card has enough VRAM for your projects. For editing, 32GB is a practical minimum, while 64GB is preferable if you work with high-resolution footage or expect to use After Effects heavily.
Don’t choose parts solely based on upcoming platform rumors. Compare complete system prices and local availability closer to your purchase date. Your existing storage can be reused, but check its health and keep active projects on the fastest drive. A current-generation platform gives you a longer upgrade path, while upgrading to a 5950X is cheaper if your motherboard and power supply are suitable.
If your budget is below roughly $2,000, staying on AM4 can make sense. A Ryzen 9 5950X would be a major CPU upgrade for editing, and moving to at least 32GB of DDR4 RAM would help with larger projects. Check whether your current motherboard supports the processor and whether it can handle the power requirements; you may only need a BIOS update, but a weak board could be a limitation. You’ll also need to verify that your power supply can support the graphics card.
I’m trying to decide whether the CPU, motherboard, RAM, and power-supply changes would still cost less and offer better value than building a completely new system. I’m also leaning toward an RTX 5070 and want to know whether NVIDIA remains the best option for editing.