Limecraft Edge is a powerful ingest solution for data handlers, DITs and edit assistants. It is responsible for the heavy lifting of audio-visual material, including a range tasks such as file verification, audio sync, colour correction (processing LUTs), transcoding, and ingest. The objective is to prepare the material for viewing and editing, thereby automating as many steps as possible that would otherwise be manual. This article gives you a sense of the hardware specifications for Limecraft Edge
In general, Edge can be installed on Windows or on Apple MacOS. Edge is freely available for download via Limecraft for Team and Enterprise subscriptions. To use it you'll need to get a valid license key via support@limecraft.com. More info: Getting Started with Limecraft Edge.
Limecraft Edge runs on Windows and macOS. For lightweight ingest, backup and proxy creation, start with 4 CPU cores, 8 GB RAM and a 256 GB SSD. Parallel transcoding and larger production workflows typically require 8–12+ CPU cores, 16–32 GB RAM and a larger SSD cache. RAW processing may also require GPU acceleration. Since the 2026.4 release, we have added GPU support for certain types of conversions.
| Workflow | CPU | RAM | SSD cache | GPU |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Backup and web proxies | 4 cores | 8 GB | 256 GB | Usually not required |
| Parallel web and edit proxies | 8+ cores | 16 GB | 512 GB | Workflow-dependent |
| High-volume/multi-camera | 12+ cores | 32 GB | 1 TB | Recommended for RAW |
1. What Determines Limecraft Edge Processing Performance?
All common transcoding operations, from ProRes to mp4 require 4 cores to run a single transcoding job in real time. Ingest operations, as far as restricted to the transfer of files, only require a proper network connection and don't substantially contribute to the CPU consumption. Memory usage is moderate.
More complicated input formats like image sequences (ARRIRAW or DPX), Sony SRMaster, X-OCN or encrypted formats like RED will consume more and a graphics hardware accelerator is recommended to achieve maximum performance.
Some parallel operations, like modifying the frame rate or processing LUTs, will significantly increase the CPU consumption, so we need to take into account 2 cores on top for real-time processing. Other operations such as (de)multiplexing audio tracks, don't contribute to the CPU load.
Finally, when using checksum calculations before and after transfer jobs, we will take into account 2 cores per real-time job.
2. CPU Requirements for Real-time Transcoding
In what follows, we assume you'll want to process material in real-time or faster. We therefore advise you to look for a solid workstation or server running Windows or MacOS. The minimum number of CPUs or cores (3GHz or more) depends on the pipeline (see below), and we assume it can use at least 16GB of memory (ECC) and min 256 GB SSD drives for running the operating system and the application cache.
In case you have any questions about the sizing of Edge workstations depending on your specific requirements, please feel free to reach out using support@limecraft.com.
3. Recommended Hardware by Workflow
Lightweight operations - in case Edge is used for backup, creating web proxies and transferring the material, it can run on a normal portable computer using the following minimum specifications.
- Min 4 Core CPU
- 8 GB RAM
- 256 GB SSD (for caching of transcoded versions)
- Windows or Mac
- USB 3/C or Thunderbolt for reading the source material
Normal production load - in case Edge is used in post-production to process the backup and to create web and edit proxies (ProRes or DNx) in parallel, we recommend the following minimum specifications.
- Min 8 Core CPU for transcoding
- add two cores per complication (frame rate conversion, LUTs, MD5 hashing, watermarking,...)
- 16 GB RAM
- 512 GB SSD (for caching of transcoded versions)
- Windows or Mac
- USB 3/C or Thunderbolt
Heavy load - in case you want to use Edge for processing larger volumes, such as continuous drama (processing material coming from multiple studios in parallel) or reality shows (handling the output from a complex camera setup), we recommend to scale Edge accordingly.
- Min 12+ Core CPU for transcoding
- 32 GB RAM
- 1 TB SSD (for caching of transcoded versions)
- Windows or Mac
- USB 3/C or Thunderbolt
For RAW and computationally demanding formats, we recommend a supported GPU with sufficient dedicated video memory. Contact Limecraft Support for the current compatibility recommendations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Limecraft Edge run on a laptop?
Yes. Lightweight workflows involving backup, file transfer and web proxy creation can run on a suitably equipped laptop.
How many CPU cores does Limecraft Edge need?
A minimum of 4 cores is suitable for lightweight workflows. Parallel transcoding starts from approximately 8 cores, while high-volume workflows should use 12 or more.
Does Limecraft Edge require a GPU?
Not for every workflow. GPU acceleration is recommended for demanding RAW and image-sequence processing.
How much SSD storage does Limecraft Edge need?
The recommendation ranges from 256 GB to 1 TB depending on the amount of material being processed and cached.
Does file verification increase CPU requirements?
Yes. The current article budgets additional CPU capacity for checksum calculations during real-time processing.