Is this computer good for video editing?

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Kionon
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Re: Is this computer good for video editing?

Post by Kionon » Wed Jun 24, 2009 12:50 am

Crap, missed this one. Maybe some repetition to follow:
milkmandan wrote:
Kionon wrote:Also macs do just fine with FireWire drives.
yeah, PC's do fine with FireWire as well, but thats not the point. I was more over referring to lighting smooth editing.
So was I. I meant I have experience with macs doing smooth editing from firewire devices. Hell, I used to edit on a mac via direct live firewire streams.
You are right, she doesn't "NEED" more power, but then again who does? I've seen people edit on machines way worse than her mac.
but that isn't the point.
Actually, it is. Unlike me, who wants to spend money for the hell of it and buy a Mac Pro, even though I know I don't need that much power, lalalagirl does not seem to be the type to want to just throw money all over the place. So, since she wants to be reasonable with her money, she shouldn't pay for what she doesn't need. That IS the point.
If lalalagirl has, and is willing to spend more for a smoother AMV creation experience, getting a new computer will help.
Or maxing out as many specs as she can on her current one. I promise you, she is NOT utilising that MacBook to its potential right now, and she hasn't even maxed it. If she does max it, I'd be very, very surprised if she came back and said "wow, I see no difference at all, this." It just won't happen.
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Re: Is this computer good for video editing?

Post by mirkosp » Wed Jun 24, 2009 11:41 am

A quadcore is close to being a minimum requirement nowadays, actually. The HD is taking over, Kio, and not all the dual cores can handle it well, especially when it comes to editing with said footage. A quad core, on the other hand, will give her a pc that can work with 720p and 1080p footage in real-time... so yeah, that's something she might like. When it comes to 1080p, I know that some dual cores can't even playback it properly, so yeah... considering the situation nowadays, getting a prebuilt with a q6600 and 4gb ram isn't useless, nor will it cost an insanely high price. She doesn't have to buy an i7, but a more basic quad core is certainly something she will want to look into.
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Re: Is this computer good for video editing?

Post by Kionon » Wed Jun 24, 2009 5:24 pm

mirkosp wrote:A quadcore is close to being a minimum requirement nowadays, actually. The HD is taking over, Kio, and not all the dual cores can handle it well, especially when it comes to editing with said footage. A quad core, on the other hand, will give her a pc that can work with 720p and 1080p footage in real-time... so yeah, that's something she might like. When it comes to 1080p, I know that some dual cores can't even playback it properly, so yeah... considering the situation nowadays, getting a prebuilt with a q6600 and 4gb ram isn't useless, nor will it cost an insanely high price. She doesn't have to buy an i7, but a more basic quad core is certainly something she will want to look into.
I am currently in 1080p right now on the macbook, and have no problem with HD footage on it, and I have the same processor. Granted, I also have 4GBs of ram, and I am running Snow Leopard.

If she wants a quad core, then yes, she'll need to buy a PC. The only quadcore Mac is the Mac Pro. And that's a lot of overkill.

I'm still unconvinced. I think you people are projecting what you want or what you will do onto her. If she was serious about editing at your level, it is my opinion she would not be looking at a pre-built system from one of the mainstream brands. If she didn't want to get her hands dirty (and I don't blame her, I don't like it either) she could find a smaller, custom company with warranties and service. However, I think she is basically asking if it will handle making the average AMV, and for that, the MacBook is more than enough. How many AMVs come out in 720p or 1080p now? How many editors have blu-ray drives? Very few. Again, in a few more years, when these things become more common place, then she can spend the money for a really, really nice system. No need to go bargain basement HP at this point. I just don't think you're being very practical.
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Re: Is this computer good for video editing?

Post by milkmandan » Fri Jun 26, 2009 9:57 pm

Kionon wrote:I'm still unconvinced. I think you people are projecting what you want or what you will do onto her. If she was serious about editing at your level, it is my opinion she would not be looking at a pre-built system from one of the mainstream brands. If she didn't want to get her hands dirty (and I don't blame her, I don't like it either) she could find a smaller, custom company with warranties and service. However, I think she is basically asking if it will handle making the average AMV, and for that, the MacBook is more than enough. How many AMVs come out in 720p or 1080p now? How many editors have blu-ray drives? Very few. Again, in a few more years, when these things become more common place, then she can spend the money for a really, really nice system. No need to go bargain basement HP at this point. I just don't think you're being very practical.
I wouldn't assume what she wants. She asked for suggestions, of course we will project what we would prefer she do. That's why shes here asking O_O
No need to be so defensive.
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But yes, you are right, for what she wants, a simple upgrade will help greatly and will be much cheaper. I can believe your Mac can handle ur everday AMV needs just fine. My old P4 (specs way worse than yours handled AMVs just fine as well).

however she did ask specifically that she wanted a system that wouldn't slow down and etc.
Since she has had this Mac for 2 years now, it probably is pretty filled up with crap in the HDD and is acting very sluggish
if she doesn't know anything about how to optimize her HDD or even bother to clean it up and is willing to just buy a new computer, getting a PC would be recommended.
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Re: Is this computer good for video editing?

Post by milkmandan » Fri Jun 26, 2009 10:05 pm

Kionon wrote:
for video editing, simply put, the better computer you get, the more you can do with it, and the smoother your editing experience will be.
render times will drop, things might not lag as much...etc..
I am afraid that's not quite true. At least not in my experience. And how do you define better? It depends on many, many factors, but mostly, as I said earlier, how you edit, and what you edit with.
oh how wrong you are..
i defined "better" right in my quote O_o
the more you can do with it, and the smoother your editing experience will be.
render times will drop, things might not lag as much...etc..
Why does the industry render on such powerful machines then?
getting a better computer is always going to improve rendering speeds.
Pixar has to send their films to a render farm to get rendered.
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I have a dual quad workstation sitting in my room right now, just come on over and create your average AMV, the experience will be smoother and when you are all done...your final export (RAW uncompressed video) wont take more than 5 minutes.
better computer = shorter render times = get things done faster.
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Re: Is this computer good for video editing?

Post by milkmandan » Fri Jun 26, 2009 10:07 pm

Kionon wrote:how do you define better?
Misread.
Better = Better CPU, better motherboard with higher FSB, faster clocked RAM, faster HDD, larger screen, more space.
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Re: Is this computer good for video editing?

Post by the Black Monarch » Fri Jun 26, 2009 11:23 pm

lalalagirl wrote: I do not want to build my own computer, all I'm asking is if this computer is decent enough to edit videos on and not lag or crash.
The short answer is yes, but if you're on a $300-$800 budget, you should look into an AMD system. Their top platforms aren't as good as Intel's top platforms, but are MUCH cheaper. You can get an ass-kicking AMD system for the same price as a mediocre Intel system.

And for the love of God, stay away from Vista. Some companies let you choose whether you want XP or Vista. HP is not one of those companies.
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Re: Is this computer good for video editing?

Post by Kionon » Sat Jun 27, 2009 12:43 am

milkmandan wrote:I wouldn't assume what she wants. She asked for suggestions, of course we will project what we would prefer she do. That's why shes here asking O_O
No need to be so defensive.
Heh. I am not being defensive. We just disagree. And what I would prefer to do for myself is not at all what I think is necessary for her. What I prefer to do for myself is clearly a Mac Pro, maxed out, with dual 30" Apple Cinema Displays. This is overkill for me. For her? Way beyond overkill.
Better = Better CPU, better motherboard with higher FSB, faster clocked RAM, faster HDD, larger screen, more space.
Ah, okay. I define better as "most practical." I think that adding ram, a faster/larger HDD, and a larger screen are all things she can practically do. I do not think a better CPU or better motherboard are practical at this juncture. She would be spending money she doesn't have to, and she would need to learn an an entirely new operating system as well. Yes, she could be editing exceedingly faster on higher specs as we both know, but I just think, in the end, the cost/benefit analysis would reveal that as her specs increase she will rapidly hit the point of (practical) diminishing returns. Until she tells us specifically that she is going to go beyond the "average" AMV, I see no sense in pointing her to massive specs. In fact, I would feel like I was misleading her by doing so.
But yes, you are right, for what she wants, a simple upgrade will help greatly and will be much cheaper. I can believe your Mac can handle ur everday AMV needs just fine. My old P4 (specs way worse than yours handled AMVs just fine as well).
Then I fail to see your issue with my advice.
however she did ask specifically that she wanted a system that wouldn't slow down and etc.
Since she has had this Mac for 2 years now, it probably is pretty filled up with crap in the HDD and is acting very sluggish
if she doesn't know anything about how to optimize her HDD or even bother to clean it up and is willing to just buy a new computer, getting a PC would be recommended.
Which is utterly silly. Do I move to a new apartment when mine gets messy? Do I buy a new car every time it needs new fluids? Of course not. If you take good care of a system and make sure to upgrade it as far as it can go, you can get a good long run out of it. I am running a PowerMac G4 Quicksilver as a file server. It's from 2002. It's running 10.5.7 Leopard.

A fresh install of the OS is always a good idea, and specifically with OS X, you should always apply the Combo Updates each time a new version comes out and not the individual Delta Updates. That way the Combo Updates can fix crap left behind by earlier versions, and the Delta versions do not do such a good job with anything outside of their own version and the version directly previous to it. Furthermore there are plenty of tips and tricks to keep OS X functioning cleanly and quickly (see Onyx).

I would be more than happy to walk her through the process. If she really has let her system go two years without tidying up, the difference she will see is probably going to be significant.
I have a dual quad workstation sitting in my room right now, just come on over and create your average AMV, the experience will be smoother and when you are all done...your final export (RAW uncompressed video) wont take more than 5 minutes.

better computer = shorter render times = get things done faster.
I don't doubt this at all. I am not questioning its veracity, but its necessity. I don't buy that it is necessary.
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