While After Effects will "run" on minimum specs, professionals working with 4K media or complex 3D layers will need a system that meets the recommended standards to avoid crashes and lag. Minimum Specification Recommended (for 4K / Professional VFX) Intel 6th Gen / AMD Ryzen 1000 or newer Intel 11th Gen+ / AMD Ryzen 3000+ or Threadripper Operating System Windows 11 v24H2 or macOS Sonoma (v14) Latest Windows 11 or macOS RAM 32 GB for 4K; 64 GB+ for complex projects GPU 4 GB VRAM (Maxwell gen or newer) 8 GB+ VRAM (NVIDIA RTX series preferred) Storage 8 GB for install + high-speed media drive NVMe SSD for App & OS; separate SSD for Cache Display 1440 x 900 1920 x 1080 or greater (DisplayHDR 1000) Deep Dive: Key Hardware Components 1. RAM: The Critical Performance Bottleneck
64-bit operating system is mandatory. Adobe Help Center +1 Component Minimum Requirement Professional Recommendation Processor (CPU) Intel 6th Gen / AMD Ryzen 1000 Intel 11th Gen+ / Apple M1 or newer Memory (RAM) 16 GB 32 GB (HD) to 64 GB+ (4K/VR) Graphics (GPU) 4 GB VRAM (NVIDIA Maxwell+) 8 GB+ VRAM (NVIDIA RTX series) Storage 8 GB for install + high-speed drive NVMe SSD for Cache (64 GB+ space) Display 1920 x 1080 resolution HDR 1000 for HDR workflows 2. Why RAM is Your Most Critical Asset While many apps rely heavily on the CPU, After Effects is notoriously "RAM-hungry". Adobe The Preview Bottleneck adobe after effect system requirements
After Effects uses the GPU for features like Lumetri Color, 3D layers, and ray-traced effects. After Effects System Requirements - Adobe Help Center While After Effects will "run" on minimum specs,