Video card for editing and gaming

Hello,

I am trying to figure out whether workstation video cards are good for video editing, or are they really only good for 3D applications or CAD as I've read? I haven't really found a definitive answer yet.

I'm referring to personal video editing programs for home use, like Premiere Elements or Pinnacle Studio, not the professional ones, so my system is going to be a more run of the mill PC (ie. quad-core processor and 4 GB ram)

That being said, I do play some games (like WoW, and maybe Diablo 3 or Battlefield 3 in the future) so a gaming card would certainly be welcome.

Anyone with experience in this area would be greatly appreciated!

 

If doing serious video editing for commercial purposes, a good workstation card would probably be best. But since this is for home projects, just about any card will do - the better will just be faster. The best gaming cards make pretty good all-purpose cards. But workstation cards don't do well with games or other programs that display very fast moving animated 3D images.

So a decent gaming card should suit your needs well. However, don't forget that graphics cards are often the most power hungry component in the computer, often much more than the CPU. So before buying a new card, make sure your power supply can meet the power demands, and has the necessary connections too. It is common to need a bigger supply when upgrading graphics - so plan on budgeting for it.