Which computer should i get.

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sailorstarstudios
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Which computer should i get.

Post by sailorstarstudios » Fri Feb 26, 2010 3:15 pm

alrighttt so my computer is really realy old and im gonna get a new one. and im finding it pretty hard, on what computer i should get for video editing. Im having a really hard time thinking if i should get an imac or another type of computer. i uses sony vegas but ill switch to final cut. but which one do you think is better and the which comeputer is the best suitable for video editing.(:

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Re: Which computer should i get.

Post by mirkosp » Fri Feb 26, 2010 3:31 pm

If you want to keep editing easy and costs sane, then stick to PCs and windows.
You'll want to look out for a core 2 quad cpu (or possibly an i7), somewhere between 4 and 8 gb ram, 1 or 2 TB of HDD (perhaps with a couple hundreds GB worth of SSD for your OS and applications), a Nvidia gpu with CUDA support, and a 64bit windows 7 OS. Prices will vary, but I think you should be able to manage it under 1k bucks. I'm not too good with hardware knowledge, so other people will be able to provide more specific and possibly correct information.
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Re: Which computer should i get.

Post by Kariudo » Fri Feb 26, 2010 5:44 pm

I'd like to know your budget before suggesting something specific but I do have a few recommendations.

-Mac is expensive, and not any better for editing than Windows...unless you're going into the industry.
-Dual Core is all you'll need. You would be fine with a single core, but dual core is about the same price as single core and perhaps even a little cheaper (has been for a while now).
-Get as much hard drive space as you can. Look for a 7200 rpm drive, shy away from 5400 rpm and flat out don't get a 4200 rpm. 10000 rpm dives are better, but you'll have to install it yourself.
-SSDs are fast, but expensive and relatively low capacity. Cheap SSDs aren't worth it.
-The video card won't help you in editing, and there aren't really any decent encoders that can make use of CUDA or ATI Stream
-Unless you do a lot of 3D modeling/compositing you won't need more than 6GB of ram

If you feel comfortable with building your own computer, you can usually save some money
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Re: Which computer should i get.

Post by mirkosp » Fri Feb 26, 2010 7:31 pm

Kariudo wrote:-The video card won't help you in editing, and there aren't really any decent encoders that can make use of CUDA or ATI Stream
With CS5 adobe is set to use CUDA to its fullest in all the applications, but that's for the future. As it stands, CoreAVC and DGDecNV are still good reasons to buy a cheap CUDA compatible GPU, though.
Kariudo wrote:-Unless you do a lot of 3D modeling/compositing you won't need more than 6GB of ram
Lotsa ram helps a ton when dealing with encoding of HD sources, especially if you wanna go high with lookahead settings.
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Re: Which computer should i get.

Post by Kariudo » Fri Feb 26, 2010 7:57 pm

Forgot about CS5. The point I guess I was trying to make is that encoding is going to be a very small fraction of your editing process, so going out of your way (and diving into your monies) to shave a few minutes off your final encode time won't make too much sense for the typical editor.

Same kinda thing with the ram. Unless you constantly encode HD sources, you'd probably be better served by saving the money you would spend on a high capacity, high-performance ram kit (and mebbe get a nice 24"+ monitor :mrgreen:)
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Re: Which computer should i get.

Post by Enigma » Fri Feb 26, 2010 8:05 pm

kari lieks em big ;x

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Re: Which computer should i get.

Post by Elcalavero » Fri Feb 26, 2010 11:35 pm

sailorstarstudios wrote:alrighttt so my computer is really realy old and im gonna get a new one. and im finding it pretty hard, on what computer i should get for video editing. Im having a really hard time thinking if i should get an imac or another type of computer. i uses sony vegas but ill switch to final cut. but which one do you think is better and the which comeputer is the best suitable for video editing.(:
First let me say that Apple Macs are garbage. Overpriced and although more reliable than PCs, are not worth the cost.
I wouldn't bother switching to Final Cut Pro, as the program itself, is not much better than Sony Vegas. They both accomplish
the same thing but I think Sony Vegas is a much better program.(Personal opinion of course.)

As for the PC.

I would go for

CPU/Processor: A Quad Core Processor (Intel Core Quad Q6660 or Higher)
Video Card: (Nvidia Geforce GT220 or Higher)
Ram: (8 Gb of Ram)
Hard Drive: (1 TB of disk space)

Make sure the operating system on the PC is 64BIT Windows Vista or 64BIT Windows 7

If by any chance in the future you want to upgrade the pc or add more components. Make sure that the PC you get is not a MicroATX motherboard. Make sure it has a full size ATX motherboard. Same applies for the BTX form factor.

Monitor? Well one comes with the PC if you buy it at the store, but if you buy the monitor and computer tower separately. I would recommend a 1080p monitor.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... -_-Product

Thats the one I use, and I think currently the cheapest 1080p moniter available...

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Re: Which computer should i get.

Post by Dr. Derpface, J.D. » Sat Feb 27, 2010 6:40 am

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/Publi ... r=17802908

On the higher end of the price range, but should last for quite a long time. One Raptor for the OS/Applications, the other 2 in RAID-0 to be nothing but scratch space for Vegas/Premiere/AE/Whatever, and the 2 Samsungs in RAID-1 for storing anything you're not working on (will end up with 1TB of total space between the two, since it writes the exact same data to both drives for redundancy). Shipping will be a pain on the power protection, but you don't want to just leave your computer plugged into a $5 Wal-Mart power strip.
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Re: Which computer should i get.

Post by post-it » Sat Feb 27, 2010 12:48 pm

MAC, PC, high end, low end ... these things are not part of the equation when it comes to Video Editing.

a MAC works at 2.6 gig and can transfer the video just as fast as the newest PC with i7 and a controller.

what you are looking for is not Rate Of Speed; rather, storage and sequencing accuracy. On that note,
all three platforms fail! ( iLife, Blender, Magix, Vegas, and Primiere )

:book: find a computer that your happy with and beef-up the RAM. :book:

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Re: Which computer should i get.

Post by Dr. Derpface, J.D. » Sat Feb 27, 2010 4:26 pm

Or if you really wanna get serious about editing, drop the $$$$$ on an Avid Nitris DX system. :mrgreen: :wink:
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