Uploaded November 2025 | Updated September 2026, 4 days ago

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Thinking of buying a new computer for Adobe After Effects?

In this video I break down exactly what to look for when shopping for a computer that can handle After Effects in 2026. I discuss laptop or desktops, Windows or Apple, graphics cards, storage, RAM etc...

I briefly explain how After Effects works, which gives us some clues as to what hardware to prioritise (spoiler: it's RAM), I then try to answer some frequent questions:
✅ RAM vs CPU cores – which matters more for After Effects
✅ GPU choices – does Nvidia still beat AMD?
✅ Laptops vs desktops – is upgradeability more important than RAM?

✅ My free scoring spreadsheet you can use to compare potential computers

Whether you’re a motion designer, 3D artist, editor, or student, I hope this guide will help you buy smart and get the most performance out of your budget.

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*⬇️ Download the spreadsheet here*
(Pay What You Want, including free):
- KoFi : ko-fi.com/s/1e1cfe4f84
- Fourthwall : shiveringcactus-shop.fourthwall.com/products/scorecard


*📌 Warren Heaton's Mac advice post:*
community.adobe.com/t5/video-hardware-discussions/real-world-video-editing-with-new-mac-studios-m3-ultra-base-96-ram-vs-mac-studio-m4-max-64-gb-ram/td-p/15262312

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*🔖Chapters*
0:00 Help!
1:13 Explaining how AE renders
1:54 RAM
3:27 CPU / Processor
4:49 Graphics Card
7:42 Hard Drives
9:05 Picking a computer


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*📖 References *
Puget Systems (2024) Adobe After Effects Workstation Hardware Recommendations. Available at: pugetsystems.com/solutions/video-editing-workstations/adobe-after-effects/hardware-recommendations (Accessed: 27 September 2025).

Adobe (2025) Previewing. Available at: helpx.adobe.com/uk/after-effects/using/previewing.html
(Accessed: 29 September 2025).

School of Motion (2019), Building the Ultimate After Effects Computer. Available at: schoolofmotion.com/blog/after-effects-computer (Accessed: 29 September 2025).

T-Sal,Re: Best graphic card for high performance gaming and design [Forum post], Adobe Community – Video Hardware Discussions, posted on (31-05-2024). Available at: community.adobe.com/t5/video-hardware-discussions/best-graphic-card-for-high-performance-gaming-and-design/td-p/14646610 (Accessed: 29 September 2025).

Adobe (2025) Advanced 3D renderer [Online]. Available at: helpx.adobe.com/after-effects/using/advanced-3d-renderer.html#renderer-specific-requirements (Accessed: 29 September 2025).

RjL190365 (2024, 29 April) Re: 4070 Ti Super vs 7900 XTX [Forum post]. Adobe Community – Video Hardware Discussions. Available at: community.adobe.com/t5/video-hardware-discussions/4070-ti-super-vs-7900-xtx/m-p/14594957 (Accessed: 29 September 2025).

Adobe (2024) Hardware recommendations for Premiere Pro and After Effects. Available at: helpx.adobe.com/uk/premiere-pro/kb/hardware-recommendations.html (Last updated: 14 May 2024, Accessed: 29 September 2025).


@AdobeVideo

#tutorial #gpu #aftereffects

I'm an Adobe Community Expert - which means you can find me on the Adobe forums if you need any help. community.adobe.com/t5/after-effects/ct-p/ct-after-effects?page=1&sort=latest_replies&lang=all&tabid=all

#AdobeCommunityExperts