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1. P63
   Member

   

   I'm getting tempted to build a new pc for video editing. I have no interest in switching to a Mac, no offense, so please don't suggest the switch.
   My requirement is to build a machine that i can maybe get 5 years of video production work out of. My thoughts:

   Antec Sonata
   Asus P5
   8G DDR3
   2T (2x1T, Raid 1)
   XP Pro
   LG BluRay

   For capture I use iLink from my FX-1.  So what is missing from the shopping list? Is there a video card that is more optimized for video editing than gaming? I don't plan to do any gaming, and would like to use a 1080p Toshiba as one monitor, then whatever for a second monitor... or maybe two Samsung 24" monitors. Any recommendations are appreciated.

   Posted 4 months ago # Login to Send PM

2. ralck
   Member

   

   First off, I hope your going to put a CPU in that thing! :-P  I would suggest a quad-core because it should help your render times (most editing software is at least dual core, and newer versions will certainly support more cores if they don't already).

   You are going to need to get a XP Pro 64-bit to be able to address all that memory.

   I would recomend you look into RAID cards.  If you RAID using the motherboard controller, you are almost always tied to that controller, so you can't easily move the raid to a different machine (and if your motherboard dies, you have to get the exact same motherboard as a replacement to access your raid).  This is probably going to cost you at least 300 for a decent one.  The nice thing about it, however, is that any quality raid card will accept 4-6 drives at a minimum so you can expand your RAID at a later time (newegg carries one card that can accept 24 drives... but I don't think you want to spend $1k on a RAID card :-P).

   I don't know which editing software you use, but Avid requires an nVidia card and suggests their Quadro FX cards (workstation cards).  Workstation cards are designed to take render load, but I always thought it was more for things like 3D modeling (Maya or AutoCAD), so I don't know if this will actually help you.  Both nVidia and AMD have good offerings as far as video cards (both in the desktop "gaming" market and workstation market), so I'll let you decide which one is best for you.

   Other than that, I highly suggest the Dell 2408WFP monitor.  It's a 24" 8-bit monitor so you are dealing with true 16.7 million colors (as opposed to a 6-bit monitor which can technically only do approx 262 thousand colors and using dithering techniques mimic 16.2 million colors).  All in all, it doesn't matter which size/brand you get, but I strongly suggest you get an 8-bit panel.  I suggest the Dell because I have it and love it and even the uncalibrated delta E is quite minimal. :)

   Now, if your going to have that much resolution, you also might want to look into a laser mouse if you don't have one already.  These aren't the same as optical mice- they are more sensative so you will be able to move the mouse less to travel the same distance.  I use a Microsoft Sidewinder mouse and can be found on Ebay for about $25, but this is a "gaming" mouse, so you might want to look at a more "normal" mouse.

   My last question, and also the most important- what power supply to you plan to use?  Without knowing your CPU and GPU choices, I would say you'll probably want at a very minimum a 650W and always a trusted brand (Seasonic, Silverstone, PC Power & Cooling, higher end Thermaltakes).  Let me know your CPU/GPU choice and I can help make sure you get the power you need.  Remember, you wouldn't buy a corvette and put regular gas in it, so don't run your computer on a crappy power supply! :)

   Hope this helps, let me know if you have any questions.

   Posted 4 months ago # Login to Send PM

3. P63
   Member

   

   ralck,

   You have given me more useful info than all the other info I've gotten off the rest of the web for the past three weeks!

   1. Quad core P4

   2. Thanks for the info on the raid card, I wouldn't have thought of that.

   3. The Sonata case comes with a 400W ps...

   4. I use Studio 12. Any idea how it runs on xp64?

   5. Thanks for the monitor recommendation

   6. got the mouse

   7. Is there any advantage to getting a high-zoot graphics card? Say a dual PCI-x card as opposed to PCI-E (dunno if I got the letters right).

   8. Are there any cards which will help reduce rendering times?

   Thanks again for all help.

   Posted 4 months ago # Login to Send PM

4. ralck
   Member

   

   Hrm... this quote stuff is not working correctly for some reason...

   • Quad core P4

   I think you mean Core 2 Quad.  The P4's netburst architecture was retired when the Core architecture was released (well... sort of, it's still used in the Itanium line I believe... but that's not something you'll be buying :-P).

   • The Sonata case comes with a 400W ps...

   Get a new one!  With a quad core and that amount of RAM, a 400 will be struggling.  And that's not considering a video card and RAID card!  I don't want to make any specific recomendations just yet, but you will need more power than that.

   • I use Studio 12. Any idea how it runs on xp64?

   I have rather limited experience with XP64, but the bigger issue is drivers for your hardware.  It has a different driver structure, but programs should run just fine (of course, this isn't guaranteed).

   • Is there any advantage to getting a high-zoot graphics card? Say a dual PCI-x card as opposed to PCI-E (dunno if I got the letters right).

   PCIe and PCIx are different.  PCIe stands for PCI Express and is common on most consumer motherboards.  You'll want to have at least 1 PCIe 16x (this means it's PCI Express and utilizes 16 lanes - it's what the modern day "gaming" cards, and most, if not all, of the modern day workstation cards use).  PCIx is not the same thing.  I can't remember off the top of my head what it stands for (I think it's something like PCI eXpansion).  I've only ever seen this type of slot on server motherboards, so I don't think this is what your going to want.  I don't know how they compare performance-wise either.

   • Are there any cards which will help reduce rendering times?

   I've only used "gaming" cards myself, so I don't know what the workstation cards are capable of with render times.  Hopefully someone else has some experience and can chime in.  One thing I do know is that most modern day graphics cards are LONG!  I've got an nVidia 8-series card in my computer (I wish my old card died a little closer to the ATi 4-series cards, but that's life :-P).  It barely fits in my case!  I have a fairly standard mid-tower sized case.  Most workstation cards are even longer, so make sure whatever card you buy will fit in your case.

   Posted 4 months ago # Login to Send PM

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