Editing System: to build or not to build?

_joe

_joe

Member
What's the pros and cons of building your own video machine versus looking for computers specifically built to be compatible with Avid, FCP, etc.

Have any of you built your own machines? or is it not worth the hassle?
 
Warranty and proven engineering are the first things that come to mind when considering OEM machines.
Jim
 
Hi

I built my first two AVID's boxes years ago, that was when you just about "had to". that was a nightmare time when things went wrong.
Now days it's much better value and faster to buy a stock Macpro or Macbook pro chuck in a Kona or blackmagic card, Load FCP studio, bit more ram and your 50 times better off than we were in the pioneering days of the first avid's.
Best resourse's too these days, is that if and when problems do arise, you can easily find a solution on a forum somewhere. (try that if your "robinson crusoe" with your one off build).
even saleguys run for shelter when you call to say , "Hey mate i've got this issue".
you have to be self sufficient in my experience, or pay a support agency to do any repairs these days.

Good luck...

cheers
Tom K
olinevideo.com.au
 
If you are insane and enjoy running hacks, there are people running FCP on PCs. Not supported or reliable but there are geeks out there who enjoy tearing their hair out ;-)

And no, I am not one of them.

Dan
 
Hi dan,
Really, if you were to do a wish list of what a good edit Machine would be, then the Macpro just about fits 90% of everything, even with it's few shortcomings.
If they could crossbreed Leopard with the old windowsNT OS that would be a stable beast.
Most issues these days are OS related and can be avoided by having a OS Back up partition or better still a boot able external HDD.

cheers
Tom K
olinevideo.com.au
 
Yeah, I was considering the macpro, just didn't know if the $$ offset of building the system would really be worth it. If I understand correctly, I'll save some cash by building, but I'll be tough to find solutions to problems with an odd-ball mix of hardware.

I guess either way, I'm going to have to save up and keep borrowing public access equipment :-/
 
I know, I have a G5, an MBP and a Mac Pro, my daughter has a Macbook and my wife an iBook. Love them all. I hate PCs, I got rid of the last one in my household four years ago and life has been much better since then.

D
 
Hi Puredrifting,
agreed,
I have a 3ghz Macpro, an older Dual 1.25 as a back up editor, an old windows lappy for field offloading my P2 camera files, a 2. something windows box for testing media, my wife uses a Quicksilver for the office books.
just made redundant an older sawtooth with 1ghz CP update.
Most mac's are great, But i did have a PPC Quad 2.5 that was a lemon, I dumped it after 17 months (Power supply blew "twice") for the Macpro.

cheers
Tom K
olinevideo.com.au
 
as per the majority of posters it's 2009 now and cpm and dos hacks aside, just go buy a complete system. a macpro or macbookpro work great with fcs/fcp.

why make a rod for your back as they say.

also why spend your creative time messing with the hardware and do forth.

w
hong kong
 
benefits of building ur own?

pc for pc NLE - could save u a chunk of change if u know how to buy and put together your parts

but every part put in a editing workstation by companies has been tested and certified that those parts are 100% compatible with the NLE. HP makes some really good workstations now, and PC wise they do all the avid systems.

mac is overpriced, but rock solid. Avid is mac based too, so is premiere, fcp, whatever.

and as of now you can still put more ram in Mac then a pc. with PC and the new i7 processor you max out at 24 gb of ram, plus i7 isn't officially supported by most NLE's yet, it might work, it might not, i don't have that kind of money to test it out :]

mac holds 32 gb. probably gonna be more once they figure out a way to get i7's in there...
 
I can't see that much RAM for editing. Graphics, yes, 3D animation, yes. But for editing, isn't that kind of overkill? I may be mistaken but I don't even know if most applications can physically address very much RAM.

D
 
If you get a MacPro, don't forget the Applecare Extended Warranty! Mac Pros are pretty reliable now. If you are going to by a computer, get a Mac for editing.

I build PC windows computers for friends and families because it's fun and upgradable and I get to choose the which manufacturer to use for each component. If you know what you are doing, you can save a lot of money and build a high quality machine. Do the research on the current HP workstations to see what parts they use and see if they really do use premium parts.

puredrifting, you are correct
32GB of RAM? You don't need that much unless for 3D and Graphics.

something to consider: Computer technology gets outdated fast. Make sure the system that you are buying/building is compatible with future technology for upgrades.
 
Would anyone mind chipping in what amount of RAM they are editing with and what they are editing? Currently I only have 4GB and I'm editing DVCPro HD, and hating life. I cannot wait to upgrade....
 
If you know what you're doing building your own machine, you'd never do it any other way.

Why would you put your creative energy into it? Because it's as much fun as editing. And knowing every nook and cranny of your editing machine lets you know exactly what it can and can't do.

I have 4 GB DDR3 RAM and edit P2 stuff very smoothly.
 
Being the owner of a hackintosh, I would only recommend it if you know your way with assembling computers. I have a 3.0 quad core with 8gb ram and two drives, a 640gb for system and software and a 1tb for editing; I built it for under $500 + $130 for Mac OSX leopard. It works just like any mac would, although I get a bug from time to time (computer won't turn off or go to sleep, and quicktime playback is jerky) but I have learned to live with it.
 
eL ProduceR said:
Being the owner of a hackintosh [...] I built it for under $500 + $130 for Mac OSX leopard. It works just like any mac would, although I get a bug from time to time
Click to expand...

by the power of Greyskull :Drogar-Shock(DBG): $630 for a mac?

I have to admit, it's rather appealing to build a machine to edit on, if not for educating myself on the intricate workings of computers, perhaps even become self sufficient with solving computer errors!

however, seeing how I don't have a strong background in assembling computers or how to check components for compatibility with the variety programs I want to learn, I'd hate to blow $1,000 on a system only to find that the programs couldn't run.

any suggestions on resources to learn what to look for in computer parts and future proofing? I'm hoping something like 4 or 5 years out of this investment.

that anandtech site looks like a great spot to start from, so I'll be soaking it up like a sponge.

but thanks again everyone for your advice and tips! keep em coming :-P
 
When building your own PC, just be aware of the parts issues and warranties. Some of the parts houses are only interested in your cause, up to the point where they part you and your money. Something goes south on you, and it might become an epic battle trying to get it taken care of. I found that out when I had an AMD processor go bad. It was the first and last time I ever had that problem, and the parts house basically said "too bad". I finally got through to AMD, and they said "no prob", and had one in the mail that day.

The other issue you might run into, is compatibility. Premiere Pro has some issues, depending on what hardware you use. I don't have a clue about Avid.
 
I have been debating this for 7 months. I quickly ruled out PC in the first months. I built my last two computers, mostly for gaming. The more I looked at the Mac Pro, the more I wanted it. I configured it every which way. Looked at the Avid specs, FCP specs and Adobes. The MP can do all three which is a plus. Upgrading (from what I've seen) looks very simple, I am however puzzled how to run multiple Nvidia cards since SLI is not supported (correct if im wrong). But to me, the MP is a work horse and well worth the money/investment you put into it. Hopefully I'll have mine soon!
 
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