A fast NVMe SSD where your source footage and project files live.
❌ “After Effects doesn’t use GPU” ✅ Modern AE uses GPU for many effects & 3D. adobe after effects specs
4GB VRAM minimum; 6GB+ for 4K. An NVIDIA RTX 3050 is often plenty, as more expensive cards offer diminishing returns in AE compared to 3D software. A fast NVMe SSD where your source footage
Newer versions feature High-Performance Preview Playback (HP) , which can use a fast NVMe SSD as a cache if you run out of physical RAM. GPU (The Specialist): An NVIDIA RTX 3050 is often plenty, as
Fast internal NVMe SSD for app/cache; secondary SSD for media Windows 10/11 (v22H2+); macOS Sonoma (v14+) Latest Windows 11 or macOS versions Deep Dive: Optimizing After Effects Performance 1. Why RAM is the Single Most Important Spec
🔁 Note: Adobe updates After Effects twice per year. These specs reflect version 25.x (2026). Always check Adobe’s official page for real-time updates.