ideas behind building an editing suite from scratch?

[FREUDENBERG_FILMS]

Ok I have now out grown my tired old PC.

All my software is PC based so I won't be updating to Mac.

I want to edit in perfect real time as well as be able to use 64 bit.

Has anyone here recently built a PC based editing suite for editing MXF / HD files in real time?

If so what components did you use or recommend?

[imustdirect]

Windows Vista Ultimate $319.95
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9650 3.0GHz Quad-Core Processor $324.99
Seagate Barracuda 1.5TB $124.99 - Get two
LG 6X Blu-ray Disc Burner & HD DVD-ROM Drive $179.99
Corsair Dominator 6GB (3 x2GB) DDR3 $259.99 - Get two

[David Jimerson]

Definitely do not need the Ultimate edition of Vista.

What software are you going to be using?

[gkb444]

I would suggest getting a velociraptor drive for your software/programs drive in addition to what imustdirect suggested, they run faster than standard drives. what software are you using? what kind of projects do you do? don't forget to get a nice graphics card, i skimped a little on mine, regretfully.

Mainboard : Asus P5KC
Chipset : Intel P31/P35
Processor : Intel Core 2 Quad Q9400 @ 2666 MHz
Physical Memory : 4096 MB (2 x 2048 DDR2-SDRAM )
Video Card : ATI Radeon HD 3600 Series
Hard Disk : SAMSUNG (1000 GB)
Hard Disk : WDC (74 GB) - raptor drive
Hard Disk : WD (500 GB)
DVD-Rom Drive : ATAPI iHAS120 6
Monitor Type : AL1715 - 17 inches
Monitor Type : Samsung SyncMaster - 25 inches
Network Card : Attansic (Now owned by Atheros) L1 Gigabit Ethernet 10/100/1000Base-T Ethernet Controller
Operating System : Microsoft Windows XP Professional 5.01.2600 Service Pack 3

this is what i'm running with avid mc3 (software only) and have been very happy so far. I need to upgrade graphics card and always want more RAM but it's done the job so far.

[Take_1]

Have a go at these ... LINK (http://www.videoguys.com/Guide/E/Videoguys+DIY+Video+Editing+Workstations/0x85116d3a87b8f56f392a6ec35cc787b4.aspx) I've built a few of them over the years and they are sweeet! Just don't deviate from their setup and you'll be fine.

[Dustmunkey84]

Definitely do not need the Ultimate edition of Vista.

What software are you going to be using?

If you want to run MC3 in 64-bit you will need ultimate or business.

[FREUDENBERG_FILMS]

The main software I use is as follows:

Adobe After effects CS3
Premiere pro CS3
Photoshop CS3
Maxon Cinema 4D R11 (3D program)

I will be looking at upgrading to CS4 production bundle soon as CS4 has use of 64 bit.
I use dynamic link a lot between After effects and Premiere pro. Problem is my current computer hates it and wont play projects with dynamic link back in real time.

[David Jimerson]

If you want to run MC3 in 64-bit you will need ultimate or business.

Yes, I would recommend Business -- but Ultimate is overkill, unless you plan to take advantage of the "Media Center" stuff (which doesn't help with editing).

[David Jimerson]

The main software I use is as follows:

Adobe After effects CS3
Premiere pro CS3
Photoshop CS3
Maxon Cinema 4D R11 (3D program)

I will be looking at upgrading to CS4 production bundle soon as CS4 has use of 64 bit.
I use dynamic link a lot between After effects and Premiere pro. Problem is my current computer hates it and wont play projects with dynamic link back in real time.

While technically 32-bit, CS4 already does take advantage of 64-bit architecture.

[TedRR]

Vista Ultimate 64
SpeedEDIT for real-time multilayered workflow. Works with our .mfx files and most other formats without making duplicate files. :thumbup:

Two, four drive arrays at 2TB each.
I used to only go SCSII but now am happy with SATA ll 16mg cache.

My system might be old by today’s standards, (not quite 2 years), but I get great real time performance which is what my clients appreciate.
I might suggest having someone build yoru system unless you are very computer savy. 1 day down would cost me more than what it costs to have it built!

[imustdirect]

You do need Vista Ultimate 64 or Business 64. They both let you go up to 128GB of memory. 32bit limit is 4GB.

[FREUDENBERG_FILMS]

Thanks guys a lot of options here.

[phasion]

i find that hd speed is the hardware that causes the most bottleneck so i would recommend going with velociraptors

ram not so much as important as processor

i have 4gb ram and its plenty so far and core2quad 2.6ghz and it edits quite well in realtime

[ChipG]

If you want to run MC3 in 64-bit you will need ultimate or business.

Avid MC has a few bugs in 64 ultimate and they will not certify it, 64 business is the one to get for that program.

[jrmiller_entertainment]

ram not so much as important as processor

but when he's using AE he's going to love having more RAM. (and cinema 4D I think)

[phasion]

thats true about the ram previews.
good thing DDR2 is kinda cheap these days.

[djbobbyrhodes]

On a somewhat of a side note:

If you're looking to buy online, or via catalog, I can definitely vouch for Tiger Direct (http://www.tigerdirect.com/). I ordered a DVD burner from them a while back. When UPS came to deliver, my neighbor (in apt) signed for the package. But, he left it on top of the mailbox. Needless to say, it was stolen before I got back into town.

ONE phone call to Tiger Direct and they replaced it free of charge. No extra shipping, no forms to fill out. Just replaced it. They now have a customer for life.