Is the 4080 Super WORTH Buying for Video Editing in DaVinci Resolve?

[@JuanParilli]

I have seen two of your videos and without a doubt I just stopped at what I was thinking of doing, I have a MacBook Pro 16 with M1 Pro and I was thinking of changing it for a Windows PC to see if it improves my editing experience, but your videos make it clear to me that I would be worse to change to a high mid-range Windows. I just use Davinci Resolve, and when I use many titles it starts to fail me but I'll see if I look for other types of titles, thank you for your honesty!

[@thesahdstudio]

Glad you found the videos!! I have a high end PC now and I miss my M3 Max MacBook Pro lol... But honestly it wasn't perfect either. There are things that you can do to make the process easier... Even now with my sick setup I make proxies for everything. So if you aren't doing that now that's probably the easiest bet as DaVinci makes it really easy. I even made a video on how to do that if you haven't seen it yet.

[@afonsogaspardarosa]

Something to consider is the codec you've recorded and are editing on, with codecs like blackmagic raw using almost exclusively CUDA acceleration all the while other codecs such as ProRes raw are mostly CPU intensive. ProRes raw is also optimized for mac. Perhaps, check this out and see how performance actually changes!

[@thesahdstudio]

Oh yeah I learned all of that the hard way. I have multiple videos on my channel warning people to learn this before they build a PC. I've bought/built 6 computers over the last year or two and to my surprise, the MacBook Max laptops still had the best video editing timeline experience... they aren't as good as a video card when working with effects etc but for straight up scrubbing and slicing... they are the best for me and the Codecs my Sony camera produces.

[@afonsogaspardarosa]

@@thesahdstudio I'd say anyone getting the new lumixes for BRAW should stick to PC with a beefy GPU, everyone else probably go for a nice Mac. This year's base unified memory of 24 GB on M4 Pro matches 4090s VRAM so that in of itself is pretty nuts for any high res editing on a system that starts at 1400 bucks (if I'm not mistaken for M4 Pro mac mini). Apple is onto something major for sure.

[@MrMoviePhoneEx]

What codec are you shooting in to get that kind of chop? I've been feeling this stuggle as well, but haven't been too worried since I picked up an m3 max to hold me over until I can get the parts together for a new editing PC - Still my editing PC is still going strong for most of needs with a 3950x and 3080ti - what I want is more vram, one area with the m series SOC really makes a difference.

[@MGCMorph]

From what I can tell in the video editing, your issue is with drive performance and not the 4080. Obviously I don't know what you currently have, but it doesn't look like its running on a fast NVMe in the primary socket for max PCIe lanes.

[@thesahdstudio]

Hmmm, I've got a 2tb Samsung 980 Pro. Do you know of any tests to make sure I'm getting full speeds?

[@MGCMorph]

@@thesahdstudio that’s a surprise! Yes, try crystaldisk benchmarks, it’s a very simple tool that just shows you the speeds for sequential read, write and some random access tests. What motherboard do you have and where is the drive located? If you have more than 1 nvme slot is it in the one nearest the cpu or the one often found around/near the first pcie slot where you put the gpu?

[@MGCMorph]

@@thesahdstudio I also just realised, where is the video you are editing? Is it on an external device like a camera, or an SD card? Or is it on the NVMe? Please feel free to contact me directly so we can get this sorted as I have a significantly lower spec system and can edit 4k videos without the timeline scrubbing issue you're having. I know we can get this running slick as snot!

[@trillfamily333]

@@MGCMorphhello, could I contact you as well? Sometimes I have scrubbing issues on my built pc using premiere pro,.I can tell you all the parts I have put into it.

[@MGCMorph]

@@trillfamily333 @thesahdstudio Hi Trill, yes you can, I'll try my best to help you optimise what you have. SahdStudio - would this perhaps make a good follow up video, optimising these setups for Video Editing?

[@mask_amon8637]

Hi bro, thanks for the video. By the way, I've been watching you for about 2 months now, and I was deciding which laptop to buy for work. I'm glad I saw your channel because it helped me make my choice. I bought myself a macbook m3 max 48 GB, and I don't regret buying it, it's great. Thanks for your input in my decision.

[@thesahdstudio]

Hey man! That's awesome 👊 that'll last you for years. In fact that laptop is the best video editing experience I've ever had. I sold my M1 Max today and ran even more tests on it for a future video and... well yeah I'm a huge fan of those Max MacBooks... especially the m3. Nice choice.

[@afseale]

Very nice!

[@thesahdstudio]

Funny turn of events... I returned the 4080 Super and got a HOT deal on a 4070 Super TI.... it's not quite as good but for the price I am still very happy. It's pretty much JUST as good in DaVinci as well. Are you rocking a Windows or Apple setup?

[@MainsOnSight]

Strange, I have an Intel i9-12900k and an RTX 3080 (12GB OC Version) and my Davinci Resolve editing is buttery smooth with timeline scrubbing and color grading in h.265 without using proxies

[@thesahdstudio]

Really eh? Is it footage from a Sony camera?

[@MainsOnSight]

@@thesahdstudio no, Canon and DJI drone

[@thesahdstudio]

@MainsOnPointAerials yeah that's interesting. I wonder if it's specific to Sony footage. I'll have to try and get my hands on some other footage and try it myself. Thanks for sharing 👊

[@MainsOnSight]

@thesahdstudio I have no idea, but possibly

[@Realist-m9c]

Have to agree. I have a 1950x Threadripper with a 7900XTX 24GB graphics card, whilst it can't scrub 10Bit 4.2.2 FX3 vision with the speed editor, simple playback is smooth with Colour grade Nodes, blur, diffraction, grain all turned on.

[@sail4horizon]

Now we need to have you try out something with an Ultra chip :) I see a couple Mac Studios with M1 Ultra chips in the $2500 USD range

[@thesahdstudio]

Ohhh I would love to do that. I have a whole new appreciation for those Apple chips. In an exciting turn of events I have returned the 4080 and now have a 4070 TI Super lol. So, not quite as good but almost. I still feel like there's something wrong in my setup but I'm working with some of the other commenters to make sure all my SSD hard drives are in the right space etc because other people seem to be surprised that my results aren't better.

[@sail4horizon]

@@thesahdstudio yes that sounds like a good place to land. I think I'll go for a cheap upgrade to catch up to my 3060 12gb with a 13700k and mobo upgrade to step up to some newer hardware. But a M1 Max MBP renewed on Amazon for $1850ish is also enticing but even used that price point is hard to justify for me.

[@thesahdstudio]

@@sail4horizon They really are so expensive. It's crazy I just sold a 2020 laptop (m1 max) for $3,000 yesterday on the used market. And the guy knows his stuff too, it wasn't just some Apple fanboy. It was a techy dude... it just goes to show how good that hardware still is. Be mindful of getting the 13th/14th gen Intels by the way... not sure if you've been seeing what's going on right now! Yeesh. I hope my 14700k doesn't fail.

[@sail4horizon]

@@thesahdstudio yeah it's hard to get my mind around one of the benefits of Apple products is they hold their value in the tech world, if you don't mind being out of pocket a few thousand dollars... Yeah I've seen the problems lately. Not excited about that. Don't want my daily driver to go down when my 4790k has worked flawlessly for a decade.

[@sergiosanchez2012]

The 4080 and 4090 only make sense if you’re editing RAW footage and resolutions over 4K resolution. There’s where a dedicated GPU will obliterate a Mac silicon chip or when you’re using Noise reduction or workflows that use too much OFX. Other than that for Interframe codecs you’ll be fine if not better with any Mac silicon chip.

[@thesahdstudio]

In my experience, most Sony cameras mostly use h.265/h.265 codecs so the file sizes aren't INSANE like Interframe codecs are. That's why I've run into issues while video editing, because those codecs don't edit well with Intel/Nvidia. Previous comments said when I was editing on my 2070 that getting a 4080 would be much better, it hasn't really been the case... not for straight up video editing anyway. Like you said though, in certain cases with certain codecs things like magic mask/noise reduction are WAY faster with the GPU... that's about it so far. But I'm pretty basic.

[@DigiDriftZone]

Considering you are on a 4 year old Apple chip and it's this good, the new M4 is looking pretty wild! - 30%+ bump in performance vs the M3 in just a few months? - that's crazy! - I can't believe my M3 Max is about to become obsolete 😂 - and the studio is usually double the performance of the max, so imagine 2.3x faster than an M3 Max and like 3.5x faster than an M1 Max🤯 - yes, the Apple stuff is that good, including the new M4 iPad, it's some kind of black sorcery how thin it is!

[@thesahdstudio]

Yeah I can't wait to see what the M4 stuff is like. It's wild. You think it'll be the same prices or slight price creep? The M3 Max will still be just awesome for years though... yeah new tech always does that but who cares that it goes faster when your current one is already above the speed limit! So I sold my M1 Max yesterday to a guy and his wife owns a computer shop. Part of the deal was he traded me cash and a Asus Tuf 4070 Ti Super lol. So I'm returning the 4080 Super and, well I already have the new video card in my computer right now. It's great. My Cyberpunk benchmarks are about 15% slower but still it looks great in 4k at around 100fps. Not too shabby. The video editing should be basically as good as also. The 4080 cost me $1400 CAD after tax and I got the new one for $800 CAD... I feel much better about that.

[@DigiDriftZone]

​@@thesahdstudio Those TI cards are fantastic value! - that price difference sure as hell doesn't merit a 15% performance boost. Apple usually launch stuff at the same price and then discounts last year's models and yeh even the M1 Max is still a beast by Windows PC standards :P Are you not going to miss the Macbook? - I can totally see you getting a Mac Studio at some point 😆

[@thesahdstudio]

​@@DigiDriftZone Well I really did enjoy my time in the Apple ecosystem, but I felt I didn't get the full experience since my phone, watch, smart speakers etc were still Android/Google. Plus most of my family is all Android/Google too. There's no question though that for video editing and daily browsing it was a treat using that laptop. I'm having fun being on a desktop again though, and the PC building has been awesome. Plus having the freedom to tinker and upgrade is just exciting. I'd love to play with a Studio though. Perhaps one day. I can't remember, do you have a Windows desktop too? Any time for gaming?

[@bryans8656]

Based on what you experienced my recommendation is to return the 4080 and stick with your MacBook for video editing, and your PC with the 2070 for gaming. (But I'm biased. My M3 Pro MBP is my primary computer and my modest Windows PC is my gaming device, so I hope you view my advise with a grain of salt. Or maybe a pound).

[@thesahdstudio]

I think that's not a bad idea. The more I'm gaming on the 4080 obviously the more I'm liking it but it sure cost a lot. I have someone coming to pick up the MacBook Pro today so I might just be done with that chapter for now... I'm kind of sad about it but I just wanted to sell it while it was still worth something you know? Whether I keep the 4080 or not is still up in the air. I don't know if I care about Ray Tracing as much as I thought I would... I feel like I could get an AMD card for half the price and be pretty much as happy.... or just wait for the new cards. Appreciate your thoughts!

[@alisheikh1582]

Which monitor is that?

[@thesahdstudio]

I just reviewed it! It's the LG Ultragear and you can find it on some wicked sales. Definitely recommend it on sale. I reviewed it here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/onrJkoOPrZxrgrM

[@MrKahikolu]

Sorry to hear you're having a bit of buyers remorse, but at least you can still return the 4080. I upgraded my whole PC rig late last year (7900X CPU+4080 GPU), and it's been a blast. But lately I've only been playing a game that can run on a potato 😅. The thing I've found that really pushes the 4080, is AI workloads, if you've ever dabbled in that.

[@thesahdstudio]

Haha yeah it's funny watching yourself get 700+ fps realizing you cannot benefit in any way from it. Thanks for the message. So, funny turn of events...I sold my M1 Max yesterday and the guy who bought it traded me a 4070 Ti Super as part of the deal. It was a crazy good price so I got it and am returning the 4080 Super! After taxes the Super cost me $1400 CAD and I got the Asus Tuf 4070 Ti Super OC for $800! Almost half price. It's worse but not that much. My remorse has been replaced with the joy of a good deal and I can still play Cyberpunk in 4k at a decent frame rate! lol. What you playing?! I'm just finishing Alan Wake right now. It's fun to get into a story.

[@MrKahikolu]

@@thesahdstudio Nice! Congrats on the getting a such a solid deal. At almost half the price, that 4070ti seams like a much better fit. Even for me when playing graphically demanding games, I’m CPU limited with the 4080 chilling at like 60% utilization on 1440p xD. I’ve been hooked on a game called Balatro, it’s a roguelike deck builder sort of like Slay the Spire. Alan Wake looks awesome, I’m just waiting for a sale.

[@thesahdstudio]

@@MrKahikolu Oh I've got about 40 hours in Balatro hehe. Love it. It needs to be released on tablet though... love finding games like that. Yeah I bought Alan Wake 1 for like $2 on the Steam Summer Sale... I have a hard time spending money on games unless I play it for years hehe. I'm excited about Path of Exile 2. Hopefully I can get into Cyberpunk soon here. I also installed GTA 5 to test it out and my gosh it looks so good. I want to play it again.

[@Realist-m9c]

If you use film grain, hallation, diffraction, blur etc the Apple will bog down. My M3 MacBook literally locks up, with the GPU pegged at 100%. I think the Apple is fine for straight cuts and exports but adding Fusion or heavy grading seems to slow things down. At least that has been my experince between my Apple M3 and my PC workstation. I'm hoping the M4 Max will be better.

[@thesahdstudio]

Is your M3 a pro or a max? That stuff works well on my PC but now I need proxies where on the M3 Max I didn't. I agree that straight up cutting is better on the Apple stuff and VFX/magic masks etc is way better with a video card.

[@Realist-m9c]

@ it an M3 (not a Pro or a Max).

[@thesahdstudio]

So I got to the bottom of why I was so underwhelmed with the video editing experience with the 4080. If you are curious, I made a video about it which you can watch here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/l6e5dZ2GfKqdocU

[@kerosene4751]

LOL just say it. What a lame cross-sell. "Watch video 2 for an explanation of the misinformation in video 1." LOL No thanks.

[@thesahdstudio]

@kerosene4751 well it requires explanation... Which is why I made an entire video about it. But I hear you it's nice to get all the answers in one video if possible. I usually try and do it that way.

[@kerosene4751]

@@thesahdstudio I meant you could have said something like "I figured out it was a driver issue / codec config issue" etc, you could have said the GENERAL ballpark reason and still linked to your other video. Instead you pulled a clickbait news trick: "Shoppers discover their worst nightmare on aisle 5: [link]"