Forums » General Questions

1. spakls
   Member

   

   Hello, Everyone. I trying to find the right computer for video editing and need Help! First off let me tell you what I've been through. I bought a HP  m9000t with Q6700 4 gigs of ram and gt8600 card. it froze up during rendering. HP could not help at all. I sent it back. Then I bought a Dell XPS 420 Q6600 with 4 gigs of ram and a 880GTX card. Same thing in 4 differant programs, froze up during video rendering. I spent 9hrs on the phone with dell in 2 weeks, they can't figure it out either.. Now I thinking of getting a Mac pro. Ive  been to the store 4 times. There all kinds of problems on that one too. Don't know what else to do. Also on both computers I was  using OS Vista and Windows Movie Maker did work with no problem at all.

   I have been trying to use other  programs for editing such as Adobe Photoshop and Premiere 6 & 5, Roxio 9 & 10 and Muvee 6 all froze up.

   What type of computer is everyone else using? please be specific.  I'm try to keep under $3500. You may also e-mail me at spakls@hotmail.com

    Thanks yo so much.

   Posted 1 year ago # Login to Send PM

2. D0n
   Member

   

    buy a mac.

   max the ram. 

   use final cut. 

    

   Posted 1 year ago # Login to Send PM

3. Ken
   Member

   

    spakls,

   I've been using a computer I put together with an ASUS motherboard, a 3 GHz P4 processor, and 1 GB system RAM.  My video card is an ATI with 256 MB of RAM and fits into a PCI-Express slot. I'm using an 80GB SATA hard drive for my system drive, and a 250 GB SATA hard drive for my video files.  I use Sony Vegas 7 for my NLE.  So far all my video projects have been standard definition. No problems encountered.

    I see you've been using 4 GB of RAM.  That makes me suspect you're doing high definition, right?  4 GB should be plenty for hi-def.  A dual-core Pentium would be appropriate for hi-def. It helps to have one hard drive for operating system and all your application programs, then a separate drive just for the video files. That way, the video access will not be interrupted by system activity or program loading.

   I think I saw a review of a Sony video-editing computer here on the Videomaker website a few months ago.  Might want to search for that.

   Good luck,

   Ken Hull

   Posted 1 year ago # Login to Send PM

4. Alainstamour
   Member

   

   Hi spakls,

   As a life-long PC user who switched to Macs approx 2 years ago, I could not state this more emphatically: Get a Mac.

   If you want to configure, tweak, repair, upgrade, downgrade, reboot, and reinstall for the rest of your life, by all means get a PC.

   If you want a workhorse machine you can take out of the box, depend on, and start editing right away, then consider getting a Mac.

   Are Macs 100% problem-free? No.

   Are Macs far less likely than PC's to encounter problems, crashes, freezes, and other garbage situations that will make you tear your hair out when you're trying to get your work done? Absolutely yes yes yes!

   Good luck.

   In Solidarity,

   Alain

   http://www.crazyredacesproductions.blogspot.com/

   Posted 12 months ago # Login to Send PM

5. D0n
   Member

   

    ps get two external firewire harddrives and set yourself up a raid. rediculously easy to do with a mac!

   Posted 12 months ago # Login to Send PM

6. AnglingDesign
   Member

   

   Were the systems using a 64bit or 32bit OS? Having 4GB of RAM on a 32bit OS is wasteful as the OS will not be able to make full use of it for a start due to memory addressing limitations. Applications will only use a maximum of 2GB anyway on a 32bit system unless you forcibly enable PAE in the boot.ini files to extend the range to 3GB, but this is not 100% effective at any cost nor does it make that much of a difference (in fact it can make things slower depending on configuration of the system itself).

   The other question is the drivers used on the 2 systems. Earlier nVidia drivers under Vista were notoriously flaky and freezing up issues were common with them. The larger OEM system builders do not tend to use later drivers and stay a few versions behind. This could be the problem. Another reason could be the power supply output. High end machines nowadays require significantly more power than machines of even a year or so ago. Even though a PSU could be rated by the manufacturer as being high output, the actual outputted clean power to the components could be significantly less and cause system instability (especially if the 12v power rails are not seperate or are low in number).

   My current editing system is VERY high spec (liquid cooled QX6850, 8GB RAM, ATI Radeon HD 3870XT, 2.3TB internal storage + 2TB NAS via Gbit/Ethernet, 1000W PSU, Vista Ultimate x64) and have had no issues with locking up or freezing with it over the past month I have had it under the desk working away regardless of what I throw at it.

   Posted 11 months ago # Login to Send PM

7. freevideoworkshop
   Member

   

   Tips on Choosing a Computer  for Video Editing

   Two important questions to ask are:

   • What is your video editing need?
   • What is your budget?

   What is Your Video Editing Need?

   What are you going to use the computer for? Are you going to edit stuff for broadcast  (CNN? BBC? National Geographic?) or are you going to edit a home movie or just prepare a web video to upload to Youtube?

   If you're just going to upload to Youtube, you don't have to worry about buying a high-end system. Chances are that an entry-level system with a little additional hardware will do the trick.

   Is it going to be for a one-off use?

   If you're going to edit just one project, just one special event, and have no intention to edit anything in future, it doesn't make sense to acquire a new system unless  you have a fat back account. It makes more sense to borrow someone's computer or even rent a system to complete the project.

   What is Your Budget?

   If you've a low budget, you should start looking at your existing computer. Is it ready for video editing? In most cases, all you need to do is add a Firewire card, boost your RAM, or throw in an extra hard disk.

   If you have the budget to buy a new computer, ensure it has a firewire port. You could buy one with a motherboard with a built-in firewire port like I did.

   Most new computers are powerful enough to edit Standard Definition Video. If you're going to do High Definition stuff, then it's a different ball game.

   Read this article on how to optimize your computer for video editing at:

   http://www.freevideoworkshop.com/optimizingyourcomputerforvideoediting.htm

   Do You Need A Mac or PC?

   It doesn't matter whether you use a PC or Mac. Each has its pros and cons. Most video editing programs are made for PC though. If you're starting out, go PC to test the waters. Switch to a Mac when you're tired of PC's shortcomings.

   You certainly would not want to splash cash on a Mac if you're not going to make any money out of your video

   At the end of the day, what matters is the CONTENT of your video.  If you upload a great video to Youtube, nobody is going to ask you if you edited it on a Mac or PC. A layman doesn't care what computer you used to edit your video. He's only concerned whether the video appeals to him.

   A Mac or PC is just a tool. Videomaking is all about ideas, creativity and content. Don't blame your tools. Renovate your ideas!

   What Software Do You Need To Edit Video?

   Most beginners believe they need cutting edge software like Premiere or Final Cut Pro to produce good video.

   The truth is no Premiere or Final Cut Pro can transform a badly-shot video. Why don't you learn to shoot good video first before thinking about these programs?

   Yes, Premiere and Final Cut Pro are versatile software which boast Hollywood-style features. But do you need all these features when you're starting out? Even Hollywood doesn't use them in most cases.

   All you need with a video editing program is cut your video footage, add soundtrack, titles, some transitions and you'll have a great video.

   I've done great stuff with a budget program like Magix Movie Edit Pro.

   If you're interested, there is a free tutorial at:

   http://www.freevideoworkshop.com/magixvideoeditingcourseindex.htm

   If you're a newbie, why don't you try out the built-in Windows Movie Maker or iMovie first to test the waters.

   Or use the video editing program that came bundled with your firewire card or DVD writer.

   Video editing software technology has improved by leaps and bounds. Even an entry-level software, without the bell and whistles, can do the job for you.

   Don't go with the hype. Go with what you have first.

   Good luck in your video editing adventure!

   http://www.freevideoworkshop.com/

   Posted 7 months ago # Login to Send PM

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