I have been editing videos for the last 4 years as my side hustle, and I have learnt many things along the way. Not only about the video editing software (primarily Premiere Pro) and their uses but also how to effectively run them on my computer to get the best outputs. If I rank the most important PC components for video editing, I would say CPU, GPU, RAM, Storage Drive, Monitor, etc.
Most people just focus on RAM, CPU, and GPU and often ignore the storage drive. In fact, I have seen many people running their operating systems on the SATA drives. We all know that all the data is stored on your HDD or SSD before it is loaded to the RAM and then the CPU cache. So, a slow storage drive can have a major impact on file loading, cache building, playback, and exporting as well.
So, in this article, I will tell you why having the right storage drive is important for video editing. So, let’s get started.
Let’s understand the video editing workflow and hardware involved
1. Footage Import
Your raw footage is copied to the editing program from the storage drive. These files are generally organized in libraries or bins to streamline the workflow. If you are working with big files, i.e., 4K or 8K files, a fast storage will heavily impact the importing speed.
2. Rough Cut
Now, different editors have different styles, but I personally review the footage and create a rough sequence. It includes identifying key scenes and selecting the best takes. Here, the CPU matters the most because of the large amount of data calculations included during these cuts. RAM also has a little role in handling that quick information, but storage has very little to do here.
3. Detailed Editing
The next step is generally fine-tuning the transitions and timings. Multiple layers can be utilized for effects and transitions. Again, the CPU handles these complex processes while the RAM multiple clips and effects on the timeline run smoothly. RAM basically ensures the quick access of the data to the CPU. A slow storage drive can have a negative impact here if the files are in high resolution.
4. Compositing, color grading, and visual effects
Adding visual effects and adjusting colors is generally the next step, where the green screen shots can also be used. Modern editing and color grading software depends heavily on GPUs for these tasks, while some application of CPUs is also there.
5. Audio Editing
Adding audio effects, music, voice-overs, etc, comes in this step. Audio balancing, adjusting tones, etc, are important when working with audio. Large audio files are handled by the storage and RAM, but the CPU is still the main component involved in processing.
6. Rendering, Previewing, and Exporting
The preview render creates a temporary render file in real-time, which doesn’t put a lot of stress on the system. However, when we do the final render, GPU and CPU can be utilized to their full potential depending on the resolution and size of the output video.
Exporting the video file includes writing a huge amount of data on the permanent storage drive (HDD or SSD) and this is where the need for a good storage medium appears. An SSD with faster read/write performance and big SLC write cache and DRAM would help. Once the video file is exported, you may have to move it to another drive or an external drive, and this is where a faster storage drive will help.
What is happening in the background?
The importing looks simple as we move files from here and there, but your editing software creates proxies or references to those files. Some software may transcode those files to more familiar formats like ProRes or DNxHD. The software also works with metadata, which includes information about frame rates, resolution, color profile, etc.
The Non-Linear editing software like Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro works on the non-distructive editing, which means your changes are stored in the form of instructions rather than the final modifications to the original files. The timeline is the layered instruction set to the program and user to work in a structured way.
The Real-time playback is mainly the task of RAM, but when it is filled up, the software may drop frames or even require rendering where GPU is utilized instead of the RAM. Proxy editing is widely used on low-end or average computers to work on low-resolution versions of the same files, but during rendering, the original files are exported.
Mathematical filters and transformations are utilized for color grading and effects. GPU acceleration like CUDA and OpenCL speeds up this process by giving these works to the CPU or GPU.
Rendering is the most interesting part. To compile everything in a single video file, the process includes decoding, processing, encoding, bit rate setting, and a lot more. Here is how it works:
- Decoding: In this process, the raw video and audio data from source files are extracted.
- Processing: All the effects, color corrections, and transitions are applied to the final file.
- Encoding: Compressing the final video into a format like H.264, HEVC, ProRes, or DNxHD using codecs.
The Importance of a Fast SSD in Video Editing
A fast SSD results in efficient footage importing and quick data transfer. If you are working with large raw files, a fast SSD will make you wait less than a slower SSD or a hard drive. Now, because you have rapid access to the files, you also have the ability to quickly sort, organize, copy, move, or delete the files. Basically, you don’t have to wait for almost anything when it comes to video files, whether they are raw or edited ones.
While storage isn’t directly involved in it, a fast SSD will help in smooth playback and real-time editing. When working with large files, a fast SSD ensures that the data is delivered efficiently to the editing software without any lags. Buffering, which is a nightmare for editors, is completely eliminated when you equip your computer with a fast SSD.
Video editing software creates a lot of cache files for smooth playback and instant access to large files. A fast SSD will help create those cache files rapidly, making previews smoother.
All in all, because there is no storage bottleneck, your overall productivity is increased with a faster SSD.
In all this, fast storage will have some importance in improving either the workflow or increasing the speed of operations. From smoother playbacks to rendering the final videos, fast storage will always give you some boost in editing performance.
Impacts of a slow SSD or Hard Drive on Video editing workflows?
A slow SSD will delay file transfers and file importing. If, by any chance, in 2025, you have a hard drive set as your primary OS drive, you may have to wait for too long just for the files to arrive inside the editing software. The playbacks will be choppy, and the timeline will feel sluggish. The playback speed will be very bad. Also, because cache building is slower, it will negatively impact the playback and affect rendering. So, the overall work efficiency will be reduced heavily just because your storage drive is not able to catch up with other components in your computer.
How to choose the right SSD for video editing
It is best to go for the highest that you can go in terms of storage if your budget allows. However, I can recommend a few SSDs depending on your computer’s specifications.
1. High-End Workstation
System Specs:
- CPU: Intel Core i9 13/14th Gen or AMD Ryzen 9 or equivalent
- RAM: 64GB or more
- GPU: NVIDIA RTX 3080/3090 or equivalent
Recommended SSDs: Gen 5.0 or Gen 4.0 NVMe
| SSD Model | Generation | Interface | Sequential Read Speed | Sequential Write Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samsung 990 Pro | Gen 5.0 | PCIe Gen 5 NVMe | Up to ~7,450 MB/s | Up to ~6,900 MB/s |
| Kingston Fury Renegade | Gen 5.0 | PCIe Gen 5 NVMe | Up to ~7,300 MB/s | Up to ~7,000 MB/s |
| Samsung 980 Pro | Gen 4.0 | PCIe Gen 4 NVMe | Up to 7,000 MB/s | Up to 5,000 MB/s |
| WD Black SN850 | Gen 4.0 | PCIe Gen 4 NVMe | Up to 7,000 MB/s | Up to 5,300 MB/s |
2. Mid-Range Editing System
System Specs:
- CPU: Intel Core i7 (11th Gen or above) or AMD Ryzen 7 or equivalent
- RAM: 32GB
- GPU: NVIDIA RTX 3070 or equivalent
Recommended SSDs: Gen 3.0 or Gen 4.0 NVMe
| SSD Model | Generation | Interface | Sequential Read Speed | Sequential Write Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samsung 970 EVO Plus | Gen3 | PCIe Gen3 NVMe | Up to 3,500 MB/s | Up to 3,300 MB/s |
| WD Blue SN550 | Gen3 | PCIe Gen3 NVMe | Up to 2,400 MB/s | Up to 1,950 MB/s |
| Crucial P5 Plus | Gen4 | PCIe Gen4 NVMe | Up to 6,600 MB/s | Up to 5,000 MB/s |
| WD Black SN770 | Gen4 | PCIe Gen4 NVMe | Up to 5,150 MB/s | Up to 4,900 MB/s |
3. Entry-Level or Budget Editing Setup
System Specs:
- CPU: Intel Core i5 (lower generations) or AMD Ryzen 5
- RAM: 16GB
- GPU: Mid-range or older GPUs (e.g., NVIDIA GTX 1660)
Recommended SSDs: Gen 3.0 NVMe or SATA SSDs
| SSD Model | Generation/Interface | Sequential Read Speed | Sequential Write Speed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crucial MX500 | SATA SSD | Up to 560 MB/s | Up to 510 MB/s |
| WD Blue SN550 | PCIe Gen3 NVMe | Up to 2,400 MB/s | Up to 1,950 MB/s |
| Samsung 860 EVO | SATA SSD | Up to 550 MB/s | Up to 520 MB/s |
Now, these aren’t the best or final recommendations because there are hundreds of SSDs in the market. These are just the popular ones based on your system specifications. I would also recommend you to use your motherboard’s support pages to check the compatible and suitable SSDs before you make a purchase. You can also use PCPartPicker to choose the right SSD for you.
How much SSD capacity is needed for video editing?
SSD capacity would vary widely on your workload and use cases. The main criteria are project resolution and length. You can get an idea of what you need like this:
Project Resolution and Length:
- HD Editing: Projects in HD (1080p) generally require less storage—often, around 250GB to 500GB per project can suffice. 1TB would be a great pick if you do other stuff along with video editing
- 4K Editing: 4K footage is much more data-intensive and larger in size. For a professional workflow, a primary drive of 1TB to 2TB is often recommended for active projects.
- 8K or High-Frame-Rate Projects: These can demand even more space, so consider 2TB or more if you’re frequently working with such high-resolution content.
How to optimize your SSD in Premiere Pro?
1. Set the media cache to a Fast SSD
- Go to Edit → Preferences → Media Cache.
- Click Browse and select an SSD for Media Cache Files.
- Enable “Automatically delete cache files older than [x] days. It is good to keep it for 30 days.
This prevents cache buildup that can slow down your SSD.
2. Configure Scratch Disks Properly
Scratch disk is created to improve performance. It stores the video previews, backups, media cache files, audio previews etc. To optimize these settings, follow these steps.
- Go to File → Project Settings → Scratch Disks.
- Assign different SSDs for:
- Captured Video: Fast SSD
- Captured Audio: Fast SSD
- Video Previews: Fast SSD (not OS drive)
- Audio Previews: Fast SSD (not OS drive)
- Media Cache: Dedicated SSD (or main SSD if only one available)
Keeping these separate prevents bottlenecks and improves responsiveness. However, if you don’t have multiple drives, it is good to keep the settings as they are.
What can’t a fast SSD do for video editing?
Upgrading to a faster SSD from an already fast one would not speed up CPU-intensive tasks like encoding and rendering. It would not replace GPU acceleration and help in 3D rendering. Also, a faster SSD can never replace the physical RAM and handle its job. All the video editing programs will load files to the RAM for quick access, and that speed can never be achieved by an SSD.
Beyond a certain point, the export speed can’t be increased by upgrading to a much faster SSD. In a nutshell, a fast SSD will only improve loading times, project access, and overall responsiveness, but CPU, GPU, and RAM are still crucial for high-performance video editing.
I hope this helps!