Should I order???

[Norm_Li]

Hey,

I was playing around with the lens today at Leo's camera store to see the comparison between the footage with it on and off... I captured some... and captured it to my computer...and opened it into a 16x9 project window.

It doesn't seem THAT much wider than the normal lens and it has some distortion...like.. the objects at the edge (at full wide) become bent shaped (poles, ..or anything that is supposed to have a straight line)..

I basically want a cinescope 2.35:1 true ratio... which I doubt a lens for the DVX will come out any time soon. Should I get this 16x9 anamorphic lens or not???? It doesn't seem like a huge difference in quality (expected) or wideness..

I can get it for around 785 USD with 2 day shipping from the US..but is it really worth my money or should I spend it elsewhere... food...rent...mattebox.....(since I am now considered a poor film student in Vancouver)...

My computer is kinda slow now and I"d like to upgrade or buy a g5 dual or something.. and a nice apple HD 23" flat monitor with that.. but man.. tah'st expensive! and if i spend money on a lens now.. then a computer upgrade will have to come MUCH later....

what should i do?!?!? Comments PLEASE!

Norm

[Lil_Red]

Definitely the computer now and worry about the lense later. Being able to do quality editing compensates for that anamorphic lense. I am not convinced there is a real market for 16x9 right now although it is coming, your wedding videos and such can be letterboxed if you want that look. Since you are a student don't you have access to the schools equipment for your experimentational stuff?

[Norm_Li]

If I decide to default from buying the lens and upgrading my computer....

...I'm deciding on whether to upgrade internal components or buying a new one altogether? Alienware Area51 (Quite expensive but pretty good)... or the Apple G5 Dual 2.0 Ghz?

IF I have the g5, I would want the 23" HD cinema display as well... but man, that's so out of my student budget!

I would love to have a cinescope 2.35:1 lens for my DVX. 16x9 just isn't wide enough for me!!! I'm a widescreen fanatic.

I already know all about letterboxing, cropping, resizing, etc to make my footage look like it was shot on an anamorphic lens and having my quicktime windows appear to be rectangular 16x9....(I've fooled so many people with my video clips). But it's not real 16x9...and I won't be able to output to film if I don't have the anamorphic lens. Not sure if I need to do that anytime soon...

The school I recently heard is really stingy on allowing students to borrow or use any of their equipment (Yeah, I know.. that sucks). I also heard they hardly have any equipment (not to mention that the equipment is old I heard) and many students have to share among the limited cameras etc. LUCKILY I have the Cobra Crane, DVX100, Manfrotto/Bogen legs and tripod, decent computer, etc. I don't know if I should add an anamorphic lens to that or a KICK-ASS computer. I heard there is a lot of classroom politics in that school too and I don't want to be grouped with the people that aren't very good or have no inspiration.

[Norm_Li]

How much do those systems you listed cost? I can't spend more than $4000 on the new system.

I think it would much cheaper just to upgrade the components of my existing computer for about $1200.

What do you think?

The g5 tower and the Alienware Area51 tower look awefully cool though!! ;D I know that doesn't matter.. hehe.

[Neil Rowe]

the barrel distortion you see with the ana lense on is actually from the dvx's standard leica lense.. if you go full wide with the standard lense in a narrow hall you will notice the distortion.. amy wide angle lense on top of the dvx standard lense only magnifies the distortions already present.. most people using the ana lense just stay above z20 to keep distortion out, and below z90, to keep sharp focus on closer objects. ..but if you thin you get alot of distortion at full wide with a 1:85 ana lense you would laugh at how distorted it would be even at z20 with a scope anamorphic lense.. , besides the dvx dosent quite have enough pixels to spread around that wide of a frame.. it would get pretty smeared on the horizontal axis. the dvx right now is best suited for the scope ratio by using the 16:9 adaptor in conjuction with a 16:9 cropped matte for a final scope image- I believe SHAI has some great images done this way in a post in the frame grab area of this site, it would be about as well suited for blowup to film as any other film shot without an anamorphic adaptor, using a 16:9 cropped image, and of course absolutly wonderful for small format viewing.

[Guest]

Mad_Cow, what information are you basing the statement "the new G5 is one of the slower solutions out there." on? Are there benchmarks posted somewhere that reflect this? If so, where can I find them? I was under the impression that the new G5 dual 2Ghz processors machine was one of the fastest solutions, not the slowest.

[Norm_Li]

http://www.apple.com/powermac/performance/

I know that has a few benchmark diagrams of the G5 compared to the other PC based systems.

It seems like the G5 still rides over all pf them...especially the dual processor.

[Mr-Joe]

Hey,

Ok I am not a apple fan... I dont like them because I like to play games here and there and quite frankly macs suck for gamming....

But if you are using it for editing purposes only and LOVE final cut pro then go with the mac...

But let me tell you about the PC side.. First off dont go with AMD... I was a die hard AMD fan and there processors just arnt as good as Pentiums right now... The pentiums front side bus speed is up to 800 mghz where the AMD is still around 333...... Thats a huge difference.. The pentium motherboards have hyperthreading and are better for multi tasking ... AMDs are more of a gamming processor.... the pentium is good for editing or doing 3d grafix...

First off dont buy from alien ware... you can get a better computer for a MUCH cheaper price than alien ware... alien ware makes gamming pcs first off they OVER CHARGE for whats inside...

You can build a pentiume 4, 3.0 800mghz Front side bus Asus motherboard with hyperthreading and 8x agp along with a DVD burner, A ATI raddeon 9800 and 512 megs of Corsair DDr ram for about $1,000 bucks if not cheaper..... This is if you build it yourself... Now that same computer would go for about $3,000-$4,000 with alien ware because they know most people dont have time to learn how to build one cause it looks so confusing when you open the case....This is very untrue... It is not that complicated... mabee take a book out from the library or something they will show you step by step how to place it together.. A great site to purchase from is www.pricewatch.com ... they search the internet for the best prices.... or www.newegg.com ... that is a great site as well...



Now I say go with a ATI card over NVIDIA .. I used to be a HUGE NVIDIA fan.. I would run my mouth how ATI sucks and crap... but Not any more..... ATI is burning away NVIDIA right now..... Nvidia even tried to cheat on there benchmarks by building a special driver that had a secret thing in it to make it preform better for benchmark tests.. it was more complicated than that but they did get caught cheating....

Any ways look up some new benchmarks between ati and nvidia... you will see even teh crappiest new ATI card BLOWS away the BEST Nvidia card right now.....

Ok, I hope this helps but if you go with a PC and your going to buy a Gamming pc LIke Alien ware... try going with Falcon North West.. there PC's are more reliable and they have much better technical support....

I think there site is www.falcon-nw.com im not sure look them up on a search engin....


Ok hope this helps.. feel free to email me with questions or something...


Later.

[Norm_Li]

Cool.

But with 64bit AMD out, I heard it's not useful until applications are developed to support it? Like, would my Premiere Pro run ANY faster with the 64AMD? Or it has nothing to do with it since it's a 32bit program?

I don't know much about all of this stuff in detail so any information would be greatly appreciated.

What would you recommend I do with $2500-3500 CDN for better/faster video editing/rendering/real-time?

Norm

[Norm_Li]

Wow, you know a lot about computers!!!

Okay, so Madcow, what is my best solution for a computer upgrade? Should I just replace the internal components necessary to run the AMD64bit? Is that what you have now?

Could you give me a list (along with the estimate cheapest prices I can find them at and the total overall price) of all the components I need to buy in order to have a system that will be more uptodate and have much faster rendering/editing/real-time capabilities? ...and less crashes!

I don't want to pick out the crappy components tha will break down too easily but I also can't afford to spend too much.

Currently, I have a 1.6 Ghz, 256 RD Rambus RAM, 64MB Nvidia Geforce 2 card, 52X Cd-rom, Sony Dru500a dvdwriter, network card, firewire and usb 2.0 cards, master 60gb HD, secondary 160GB HD, and an external 250GB HD. I think I have an Asus motherboard.

Suggestions on setups please?!

Norm

[Norm_Li]

http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproduct.asp?featureitem=1&description=19-103-413&DEPA=0

AMD 64bit 1600Mhz... $404 USD why so cheap? I thought would be more than that?

Is that the right one to buy?

[J.R. Hudson]

Definatley the computer!

That's all I have to say about that.

[Mr-Joe]

Hurm.. So your telling me that for $750.00 you get a 2.2? that is faster than the intel 3.2? ????? also... that is an outragous price... for $400 you can get a 3.0 pentium with asus motherboard 800fsb hypertrheading 8x agp .,... That is a VERY fast computer and will run any editing program or 3d program with ease.. I work with 3d studio max and that takes a alot out of computers but the new pentiums run them with NO lag issues at all... You make the pentium sound like a crappy processor...

Now I was unaware of the new amd processors but as far as I was conserned everyone had been telling me to stick with intel....

[SirAllen]

"you get a 2.2? that is faster than the intel 3.2?"

Beats it easily. Plus, when 64 bit software comes out it will absolutely crush it.

I don't have one (or two...) yet, but they make me salivate ;)

Intel is falling way behind....Everything Mad_Cow said is correct, you've been hearing old and incorrect information.

[Norm_Li]

So overall........as this discussion was first posted by ME!! ;D

WHAT SHOULD I BUY?!?!?

I think I'll settle with the consumer AMD 64 though. For my budget...I'll also settle for the consumer mother board as well with the 3 GB expansion capability (how much is this and which one should I get?). Does AMD have different RAM type than Intel? I should also get a ATI Radeon Pro 9800 256 MB card right? Is 128 enough?

I looked up the AMD 64 on ebay..and it's just a square chip... if I ordered it.. it would just arrive like that? Do I attach that square AMD chip onto the motherboard? (I'm so computer component illeterate). Does that require soldering or it snaps right into place on a special motherboard that accepts AMD chips?

What do I need??

[SirAllen]

Hehe, forgive my chuckle...it's kind of like someone coming here and saying I want to make a movie, what do I need ;)

Ok, yes, the CPU just drops into the socket and you use a lever to lock it in. But you also must add a heatsink and fan to the top of it, and it's best to use thermal paste to do so (as opposed to the sticky tape that's usually on the bottom of the heatsink). And make sure you plug the fan in before turning it on or your processor will only last about 10 secs before it goes poof.

"Does AMD have different RAM type than Intel?"

No, it uses the same memory type, but most likely your current memory is of the slower variety, so you'll most likely want to upgrade. Think of it as buying say an XL1s without a lense and then slapping a $25 dollar one on it...same principle if you're going to use slow ram on a higher speed bus.

Oh, I just noticed you have RAMBUS memory back when Intel was basically forcing people to use it, so yes, you'll have to get DDR memory which both current day Intel and AMD MBs use.

"ATI Radeon Pro 9800 256 MB ..is 128MB enough?"

Depends, if you're a hard core gamer or if you're going to run multi-monitors at high resolutions, I'd opt for the 256MB, otherwise 128 should do ok.

There's also a few other things you might want to be aware of/research. Depending on the wattage of your power supply you may need to get a new one. Also, when you swap out your motherboard make sure and pay attention to your cables. Notice how the red lines always line up pin 0, and make sure the HD light, PWR, SPKR, RESET and all of those wires are labeled and hooked up correctly to your new MB.

It's been 10 months since I built a system, so I'm not as up to date in current computer parts as Mad_Cow and others probably are, so I'll defer to them for any specific recommendations.

In the meantime, if you want more information or really want to become confused you can hop over to anandtech.com or tomshardware.com and check out their forums.

[Norm_Li]

Are any of these these good combo purchases (Motherboard/CPU)?

(1)
Gigabyte - GA-K8NPRO nForce3 Althlon64/Socket 754 DDR400 AGP8X,ATX with cpu - Athlon 64 3200+ and fan
Part - MBGBK8NPRO320064
Price: $545

(2)
Gigabyte -
ONLINE ORDER ONLY - GA-K8N Pro GAK8N Pro NVIDIA nForce3 150 Platform, Audio, GBLAN, ATA133RAID, DDR400, 1AGP, 5PCI, ATX with cpu - AMD ATHLON 64 3200+ 1600MHZ with cpu heatsink & fan, complete combo kit.
Part - BZBP#K8NPRO-3200+
Price: $541

(3)
Gigabyte - GA-k8NPRO nForce3 Althlon64/Socket 754 DDR400 AGP8X,ATX with cpu - Athlon 64 3200+ fan,CPU Retail Box with Three year warranty
Part - COMBOK8NPRO32
Price: $571

(4)
Gigabyte - GA-K8N PRO, NVIDIA nForce3, RAID, SATA, DDR-400, 8X AGP, Audio, Firewire, USB 2.0, Gbit LAN, Retail! with cpu - Athlon 64 3200+ fan, Retail Box with Three Year Warranty! Price: $569

If I go with one of these, I will also get the ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 128MB, and 1-2 GB of Corsair DDR400 RAM.

Those are the main things I will need to replace in my computer right? I may have to purchase another power supply right?

SO my existing firewire card and USB card, would they be able to fit into the slots on the new Gigabyte motherboard? I hope there won't be different types of slots or numbers of pinned.

This is going to sound really stupid, but okay...for example....

Gigabyte - GA-K8N PRO, NVIDIA nForce3, RAID, SATA, DDR-400, 8X AGP, Audio, Firewire, USB 2.0, Gbit LAN, Retail! with cpu - Athlon 64 3200+ fan,

Why does it say NVIDIA nForce3, Audio, Firewire, USB 2.0? There's no video card, firewire card, USB 2 card that comes with it so why would it say that? I really don't understand why. What does that mean? What are the standard pin #'s for video cards, firewire, USB cards? I want to make sure everything is purchased correctly before I attempt to do anything, as it would be time costly to make any stupid mistakes! Oh, and how do I know what type of power supply box I will need that will be compatible with my new system?

Will all of my software that I currently run on my Intel P4 work on the new AMD system? Will this AMD64 last me a good bit in terms of speed of rendering/editing of video? Any new developments I should know about that I should hold off on this upgrade?

What's the main difference between the AMD Athlon 64 and the 64FX chips? Faster right...? How much faster?

Corsair
ONLINE ORDER ONLY - PC3200 DDR 1GB Kit 400MHz Value Select Memory Retail Manufacturer Part#: VS1GBKIT400 Lifetime Warranty. 2x 512MB, DDR400, 64Mx64, NonECC, 184 DIMM, unbuffered, CAS2.5, 32Mx8 DRAMs
Part - 80098-21
Price: $ 174

Is that a good price for 1GB of Cosair DDR400 RAM? Will this fit most of the GIGABYTE MB's listed above? How will I know if the Hyperthreading technology is in the AMD64 chip? Or is that technology in every single AMD64 and AMD64FX chip?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Norm

P.S> SOOO sorry about all the questions...I wish I knew more so I didn't have to bother you guys! I guess we all have to learn somewhere and sometime :)

[Mr-Joe]

Wow madcow, I definatly stand corrected.... I guess I have had so many people drilling in that the Pentiums were better...


So what exactly is the new AMD processor called.... the Athlon64 ... or Athlon64 fx? When I see 2.2 It sounds like its extreemly slow.... Why cant amd just call it a 8.0 cpu speed *lol* im joking but they have always been on a differnent track like I remember they had the 2800's and like 2600's which were not 2.8's and 2.6's but equivlent to like a 2.1 or 2.2...... So I can never tell how fast they are....


I am building a new comp and I havent ordered the parts... but you definatly recommend the Athlon64 ??? you think that is the best processor right now.... also you say the gigabite motherboard is great with it....

What is a duel channel memory in comparison to a single channel memory ... Does that mean it runs like 2 times as fast ?

Well thanks for the info it is good to know...

[Mr-Joe]

Hey Mad cow what do you think about this package... also alot of these packages say single channel DDR soc 745... what does that mean...


http://www.buyxtremegear.com/64combo.html


what do you think about that for $519 .....

[Mr-Joe]

Also, You said the K8NNXP board uses nvidia Nforce things.... Does that mean I cant use an ATI card on that board?

[SirAllen]

"Why does it say NVIDIA nForce3, Audio, Firewire, USB 2.0? There's no video card, firewire card, USB 2 card that comes with it so why would it say that? "

All those things are built into the motherboard, just like you have USB built into your current motherboard. The on-board audio is probably pretty weak though, I'd get an audigy 2 platinum or something equivalent and not use onboard. But the onboard firewire, USB 2, and even ethernet (network) if you get one with those built in it will suffice nicely. You can sell your old cards or throw them in the closet.

Also, the nForce3 is NOT necessarily a video card, it's the chipset the motherboard uses (nForce3 is the best). Some of them have video built in, some do not. Again, I wouldn't use the onboard video for any kind of work machine so you don't need to pay extra $$ for a MB with onboard video.

[SirAllen]

Again, nForce3 is just a chipset, like VIA, Intel, etc. Some chipsets have video built in for on-board video, some do not. No matter if they do or don't, you can put your own, any brand video card in it and it'll work fine.

So yes, ATI cards work fine in nForce3 motherboards.

[SirAllen]

Yeah, I've heard M-Audio is better quality. The reason I mentioned the Aud 2 Plat is because of the faceplate, I LOVE having all those connections, controls on the front of my computer. And it's pretty good quality wise (I have no complaints).

[Mr-Joe]

Alright , Which motherboard can you recommend that does not have a onboard video card...... what is the model number so I can look it up on new egg.... And what type of ram is best to get for the motherboard...


Thanks

[Mr-Joe]

Wait, MadCow_Guy ... Check this out
http://www.amdmb.com/article-display.php?ArticleID=259&PageID=10


I have been reading many reviews about the amd 64 3200 processor... and it seems that the P4 3.2 beats it every time???

The Amd 64 only wins by a small amount when they test it in quake 3 and unreal tourney .... those are games...

And yes I know your gonna say the Fx processor is alot better but it is $700 .... I mean thats alot for processor man...

I mean for money wise mabee the pentiums might be a better choice... It seems that the P4 3.2s a running much more stable against the 64 3200's .... In some benchmarks the Xp 3200's are beating the 64 chips....

Well This is just some stuff I have read...

It just seems that you mighth have gone a little over board on Making this processor look like a god... You overlooked the p4 3.2 .... That is a still a great processor... plus it has hyperthreading technology.... which the AMD's do not.

Well Id like to talk about it more so keep posting.. Im just trying to get the best deal for my buck....

[Norm_Li]

Hi Mad_Cow,

It's only the higher-end Gigabyte MBs that have the IEEE1394b i/o device right? I looked at some of the Giga MBs on the same sites and they don't have the 1394b.

If my firewire cable is one that was from the original firewire, as is the firewire port from the DVX, would having the 1394b port be compatible and double the transfer rate like you mentioned? Or do you need to have special hardware ports (for an upgraded DVX with 1394b ports?) or can it be used with existing 1394 ports to double the speed of transfer?

Is it totally necessary for me to buy the more expensive Giga MB if I can't use the 1394b yet? I think it would be very useful to have so that saving would double in speed after capturing. ($259 CDN + tax...how's the price?)

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=10513

Is that the board to get? Is $599 CDN + tax (14.5%) expensive for the AMD64 NON-FX chip? On these CDN sites, there are no "CPU/MB Combos" and it seems like I have to buy them separately. Is the CPU difficult to install myself? Would there be risk in myself damaging the CPU or MB during install?

Please reply ASAP as I would like to order the board today or tomorrow!

[Norm_Li]

I remember you saying the VIA chipsets are bad! I just never saw that in the specs of the Giga MB until just now :)

Ok, I'll wait on the 1394b then!

What video card do YOU recommend as I just looked over the entire message string and you didn't recommend one as of yet. :) Since you said you don't like ATI... that means I should go with nVidia? Which model? 128 MB is fine for me.

Norm

[Norm_Li]

3840x2400, 9.1 megapixel resolution?!?! What kind of monitor do you have? NASA's best kept secret in 2010? :)

Hey, so what video card ARE you running though? You only told me what why you don't use ATI. Matrox? Pinnacle?

I'm mainly using it for editing and 2d motion graphics. No 3d animation. Oh yeah, and I want to get start using AVID Express DV 3.5 with my new computer. Will this new setup support it without the Mojo and Nitris stuff? Or it's MANDATORY that you have them? So basically, I'll have an AMD64, 128 MB ATI or nVidia card, 1 or 2 GB DDR400 RAM, and the Gigabyte nForce3 MB.... *will AVID Exp DV3.5 work or run at all?

OVERALL, which one should I choose with my new upgrade?? All prices are in CDN$.

$459 Matrox Parhelia 128MB 512bit Triple RGB AGP OEM *
$499 Matrox Parhelia 128MB 512bit Triple RGB AGP Box
$475 ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 128MB DDR AGP8X w/S-Video & DVI-I (Sapphire) *
$515 ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 128MB DDR AGP8X w/S-Video & DVI-I Box
$525 ATI All-in-Wonder Radeon 9800 Pro 128MB DDR AGP8X w/S-Video & DVI-I Box

Oh yeah, and if I buy a Giga motherboard, will it come witha fan and heatsinks? (what exactly are heatsinks?) ...or do I have to buy them separately? I'm going with the http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=10471 for the motherboard.

Can I ask you where you work? You are very knowledgable about computers and you seem to work with many graphics/video/3d programs. What do you do as a living?

Norm

[SirAllen]

"and if I buy a Giga motherboard, will it come witha fan and heatsinks?"

Fan and heatsinks don't come with motherboards, they come with the retail packages of the CPU. The OEM CPUs usually don't include fan and heatsink, so make sure you know which you're getting. Also, the fan and heatsinks that come with the retail versions are usually just enough to keep things cool, if you plan on overclocking or want things really cool then you may want to get a good seperate fan/heatsink combo.

[Norm_Li]

I'm thinking that maybe I should go all-out and get the new ATI Radeon Pro 9800XT 256MB. And slap in 2 GB of ram instead of 1 GB...

Then I won't have to upgrade for a long time......

Do you think having this video card is necessary? $629 + tax CDN$

[Norm_Li]

Ok guys, first off, thanks for ALL of your help and advice. It has been priceless!

Secondly, I pressed the order button last night and here is what I ordered:

ATI Radeon 9600 Pro 128MB video card
AMD Athlon64 CPU chip
Gigabyte K8N nForce3 Athlon64 motherboard
2x Samsung 512MB PC3200 DDR400 RAM

I know you're going to probably freak with the video card and the RAM, but I have to save money and having the TOP NOTCH stuff is just too expensive for me. I saved about 800-1000 by going with these. It all came out to $1350 CDN with taxes/shipping already included.

Does the video card and motherboard both need seperate heatsinks/fans? How many do I need to buy? I saw in an earlier post by SirAllen that I have to make sure I know which motherboard I am buying so that I know which heatsink/fan combo to buy. You all see the ones I ordered now so can you direct me to the right type of heatsink/fan to buy? I believe I need a 300W ATX power supply. I'll have to open up my computer today and see if I already have one of those.

How does the heatsink/fan attach on to the motherboard? Is there room allocated for it to attach or it's going to have to fit over the little circuitry parts of the MB? What tools will I need to totally install this new system? Will I need new cables to attach the new video card, MB, and cpu to my computer? Do they come with cables when I buy them? I need to know these answers so that I'm not stumped when it arrives! :)

Will installing any of these things affect my harddrive and require a certain type of setup procedure before removing the existing components to replace? If I remove the existing stuff and replace them with the new components, can I just start up my computer and it will work? Or will my computer just be stalled when I boot it up and I won't be able to get anywhere? Do I need to make changes to the BIOS (I have no clue about BIOS settings and what to alter)?

Please help me! Also, if you all could provide me with any *additional details I should know about, please speak :)

Sorry about all the questions but you guys are all so knowledgable and are a direct Q&A/FAQ database in itself!

THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR HELP!

[SirAllen]

I know you're going to probably freak with the video card and the RAM

Nah man, that video card blows my current card away and I've been surviving just fine w/ 1 GB ram. I mean, it's no Mad_Cow 4000x3000 resolution quad 1024 bit 10 zillahertz 25GB RAM system, but it'll still kick A ;)


Does the video card and motherboard both need seperate heatsinks/fans?

The video card will come with it's own fan/heatsink. I'm not sure about the CPU though, it depends if you got the retail or OEM version or if they throw in the fan/heatsink with the combo. You'll probably have to call them if it doesn't say on the website.


I believe I need a 300W ATX power supply

Yeah, you'll need at least that. I've been pushing my 375 watt to the limit with a lot of hard drives and cards installed, so if you need a new one I'd get a 400, and Emermax makes great power supplies.


How does the heatsink/fan attach on to the motherboard?

It should come with instructions. It's not too dificult, but usually requires a good bit of force or a screwdriver to clip the final clip on. Just be careful not to slip or put too much pressure at an angle on the CPU while attaching it. And no, they shouldn't overlay any circuitry.


What tools will I need to totally install this new system?

All you need is a flat-head and phillip's screwdriver.


Will I need new cables to attach the new video card, MB, and cpu to my computer? Do they come with cables when I buy them

They'll come with all the cables that will be needed, you can even use your old ones but I'd swap them out for good measure.


can I just start up my computer and it will work?

Yeah, well sort-of. When you boot up windows it'lll install all the hardware again, and probably ask for a bunch of drivers. Most likely what you should do is ignore any options to install drivers on the first boot up, boot up, install the nForce3 drivers, reboot, you may have to reboot a few times before everything gets set up. You should also install any other MB device drivers when you install the nForce ones, like for the built in ethernet, sound, etc.

Other than that, everything else should stay the same.

A few other things to be sure of, make sure you pay attention to the wires that are attached to the motherboard so you know which ones they are. Be sure and reference your MB manual to hook them back up correctly. Also, make sure there is either thermal tape or thermal paste between the CPU and heatsink. Some heatsinks come with thermal tape, you just peel it and stick it (after the CPU is in the socket BTW). Thermal paste is the best, which is kind of like elmer's glue and you just apply a very thin layer to the top of the CPU and apply the heatsink.

[Mr-Joe]

Ok, Couple things...

Hey MadCow_Guy, Your right, ATI used to be a big issue with drivers...

But not really anymore... They update there drivers about every 1 to 2 months.... a New one just came out after the other one has been out after about a month and a half...

And Norm... Yeah hes right your gonna want about a 400+watt power supply..

And I dont recommend just keeping your hard drive the way it is...

If you dont format and install windows from a fresh start you could has some mega problems.... It is recommended that if you get a new motherboard ... and you also got everything else new ontop of that ... that you format your harddrive and start from fresh....

[Norm_Li]

I think I'm almost done with all the questions!

Do I need a specific brandname/model# heatsink/fan combo with the AMD64 CPU chip? Does brandname really matter for this? Is the cool-gel/sticker thing MANDATORY with the new AMD64?

Do I need a specific brandname/model# power supply or it doesn't matter? I was looking at them on ncix.com and 400-450W run anywhere between $79-159.99 CDN. Will they die on me quick?

Can I just take the existing fan/heatsink from my motherboard and use it on my new one?

So...which order?

1) Install new hardware components
2) Back-up maindrive contents
3) Re-install windows XP
4) Install new hardware drivers

OR...

1) Back-up maindrive contents
2) Re-install windows XP
3) Install new hardware components
4) Install new hardware drivers

OR....

1) Back-up maindrive contents
2) Re-install windows XP
3) Install new hardware drivers
4) Install new hardware components

Or none of the above?!? What's the right order. I don't want to fool anything up.

Thanks a million!

Norm

[Norm_Li]

I received all of my stuff and I installed the CPU, RAM, video card, but........

THE FREAKING HEATSINK is so hard to install and I couldn't do it??? DAMNIT.

I'm afraid I might ruin the CPU if I try again so I don't want to force anything in case it might snap or break.

I don't know what do to :( I read the instructions (which were somewhat unclear and the pictures were so small).

HELP!

[sjz55]

I agree that AMD chips are now great...but one problem...You will most likely use Microsoft for an OS..and that is the weak link..all this talk about CPU's.......While the G5 may not be the fastest they are quite good and you get OS X which a super reliable OS. The G5s also feature PCI-X bus already and the Front side bus can run up to 1000 mhz. I love everything about AMD except the OS I have to run. The G5 will also give you a choice that you can't get from any pc running Windows.... Avid or Final Cut...and Final Cut is a beautiful place to edit from this camera...I know you can get Avid on the pc..but no Final Cut....... my 2 cents anyway.

Steve

[Zoomforce]

Avid runs on PC's.. *but more so windows XP is a very good OS and Longhorn has 64bit support. You can also use Linux, and before you balk at that check what is at the heart of OS X. There is one program that you dont get on Mac... Sony Vegas... that arguablly is a FCP killer, and definately works better with our camera. Oh make that two.. you cant use Premier Pro either.

The only think I like about apple is the Industrial Design of thier products.. but some PC aftermarket companies like Cooler Master make some pretty nice cases etc.

I was recently in LA and our hotel had a PC and a G4 in the business center for internet access.. everyone was lined up to use the PC and the G4 was just sitting there so I went on it and tried to check my email.. man oh man, The mouse kept crashing and I had to reboot the thing 4 times. I dont know if it is because I have been brainwashed in the Microsoft/PC world since the early 80's but the mac seems slow as hell to me when it was working.

When Apple came out with the g5 and lied to everyone telling them it was the first 64bit PC (after BOxx was selling AMD 64bit systems for months before) It really pissed alot of people off.

As for powersupplies.. get a pcpower and cooling if you can, if not go Enermax. Its really important to get a good power supply as bad power is a prime cause of many hangs.

I also suggest you go out and buy the latest MaximumPC mag.. it tells you all about the new 64bit AMD chips.

Murphy's law, I got a little worried about AMD seeming to be outpaced by Intel so I went out about 2 months ago and switched from AMD ( I have been an AMD faithful user since I first switched to a AMD K2? 166mhz CPU a long time ago) *and actually bought my first Intel system. Now I am about to junk that new system and switch up the the AMD again.. serves me right I guess.

[Guest]

WOOHOO!

I finally succeeded in installing all the parts myself! I couldn't do it at first and my computer wouldn't start but I used my brain and got through it :) lol

This new computer is blazing fast compared to before!

What sites can I go to to do a system benchmark to see how it holds up to other good systems?

Norm

[Isaac_Brody]

Fellas,

I get all of my computer/technical information here. It's a great resource for comparisons between graphics cards and chipsets, and it has a price watcher for what vendors are selling products for.

http://www.anandtech.com

[sjz55]

I repsect Zoomforce's opinion in regard to OS's. I can only say that I have been working with video editing on pc's since Adobe'e first Premiere release. I used the Toaster, Avid and have played with Vega's but from what I have been involved with there is only 2 choices in non linear video editors, Avid and now Apples FCP. There are feature films being cut from begining to end with Final Cut and there are many edit suites that have Avid and FCp suites set up now. Apple's designed FCP to be a finishing system, it doesn't assume that your video is going anywhere else. When it comes to my small budget for equipment, I want bang for the buck. I carefully thought about dumping Win Xp before I did invest in something new but all roads led me to the same conclusion. While the upfront cost were higher to get into Mac OSX the long term ownership and speed to end of project I get with this setup will make it the most cost effective for me. And I am enjoying virtually a crash free system. I never could really say that about Windows?

Steve

[Multi-Media]

Before you order...
You owe it to yourself to at least check out IN-Sync and BLADE editing software. This is the DV version of the In-Sync Speedrazor high end editing software... (it is also the front-end control interface of the BOXX HD edit system)
They make several "Turn Key" purpose built systems.... you can go with a dual processor if you have the bucks... but they are the people who know how to configure hardware for DV editing.... (buss, RAM, and other issues that you and I as editors don't want to even understand)
Their interface is elegant and intuitive... they offer trial versions for free, so there is no risk for the experience.
I got a single processor version with 2mhz and 1gb of ram and it works nicely. They also have specifically tailored a lot of their software just for the DVX and 24p. They also offer nice touches like adjustable audio offset when doing batch capture to compensate for any sync problems.
The problem is that there are so many choices and only one budget... This is much more of a pleasant dilemma than having limited choice and trying to figure out how to make it work for your application.
Enjoy ;D

[Zoomforce]

I never gave Blade a shot.. but I can tell you many low budget features that have used Vegas. I gotta give blade a chance, sounds kinda good.

As for the whole mac vs. Pc thing. I am not doubting FCP is very good. Sjz55, I think your problem was using Premier.. that program really licked dogs ass and crashed more times than it didtn't. Windows XP is also nearly as stable as OSX..

For numbers sake.. its a funny myth that more people use Macs for editing video than PC's. Just software sake, Premier Pro sold 16x more copies than FCP 4.0 did in each of their respective 1 month introduction. And just here, very every 1 Mac user that cruises DVXuser.com there are 10 Windows users. Doesnt say much I know, but its kinda nice to be in the same boat as so many.

That said, FCP users are usually very friendly in helping each other, and have some of the best user groups around. I think its an apple thing or something but just seems like nice folks.

Who knows... someday Mac may tempt me enough to switch.. :P

[dmbdvx]

I almost agree with lil red as he has good advice. but, I recently bought a 16:9 lens adadapter. It takes some getting use to to obtain the best performace, good lighting and all. I am sure it is there just need to find the right lighting settings, etc..

You really do need a good editing platform and a wise invested their pays dividens in the end and you can always upgrade...

However, If you are going to shoot for a particual look and need a good wide screen with a dvx then the adapter is needed. Getting the footage right the first time is important, having good footage can always be edited later... having the wrong footage is much harder and is a comprimise in the end.

If a widesreeen is needed then go with the lens adapter you can always re-edit it later when the pc is up to the task./....