Basic Avid/System Questions

T

This Is Dave

Member
I'm thinking I'm probably gonna go with Avid as my editing software. Just had a few basic questions.

First off . . .does something like this . . .

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-AVID-Xpress-Pro-Video-Editing-Computer-System-NLE_W0QQitemZ140098966025QQcategoryZ140076QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Look legitimate? I'm kinda weary of buying things off of unauthorized dealers but I think I need a new computer to edit effectively (mine is old and slow) and having one preset specifically for editing sounds like a good idea. It comes with the latest version of avid xpress pro (which normally retails for more than this system). So do you think this is just a good deal or some kind of scam?

Secondly, it says they will customize it (the computer) to how you want it . . .so if I plan on editing films i shoot on my dvx100b, what would be the best way to customize it?

Any advice is appreciated!
 
Don't go for it.

First, it's not a certified system so that means Avid won't help you when you have problems. You likely will have problems, especially if you try to add a Mojo. Avid certifies certain systems, meaning they guarantee they will work if you buy them. It's worth the extra money. This system doesn't even have a certified graphic card, which may cause huge problems.

Second, it's Avid Xpress Pro EDUCATIONAL, meaning you probably can't transfer the license and you definitely can't use it to make money. Doing so would violate the EULA--the education version is sold to students and others who work in a learning institution and can't (shouldn't) be used for profit. You use it to learn with, then buy or upgrade (if possible) to the commercial version.

Plus, this is way too cheap of a price. Remember, if it's too good to be true, it likely is. There is no mention of the license transfer cost (if you can transfer--I'm not 100% sure if you can transfer educational licenses), you will likely need more hard drive space, 3Gb of Ram would be better than 2, you need a Quadro card instead of a G-Force.... I say avoid it and contact an Avid reseller. The HP xw8200 is certified and you can usually find one really cheap these days (it's been replaced by the 8400). Ask if they floor models they're selling, get prices, go certified.

Better to spend more outright than be stuck with a system that won't run and software you can't use to make money!

Michael.
 
Many Geforce cards work fine and 3GB is overkill for DV editing. However, you're right about the software, I doubt you can legitimately transfer ownership of the educational version.

Certainly if you have the money available then buying a certified system would be better.
 
MarkG said:
Many Geforce cards work fine and 3GB is overkill for DV editing. However, you're right about the software, I doubt you can legitimately transfer ownership of the educational version.

Certainly if you have the money available then buying a certified system would be better.
Click to expand...

3GB is NOT overkill if you consistently have more than 3 apps running as I do during edit sessions.
 
3GB is NOT overkill if you consistently have more than 3 apps running as I do during edit sessions.
Click to expand...

Good for you. But most people don't run three memory-hungry applications simultaneously... if you're just editing there's no reason to need 3GB for DV.
 
Good catch MarkG. I didn't pay attention to the fact the original poster would be editing DV. If you're only doing DV, 2GB is perfect.

If you start to venture into HD or expect to be running multiple, multiple streams of SD, 3GB is nice. We're running an Xpress Pro and Media Composer on 2GB--no problems. When we move to HD (if, we move to HD) we'll get another gig.

Regarding GeForce cards--yes, many people have them running smoothly. I still recommend a Quadro card, though. Easier to troubleshoot if something goes wrong and you're not using an uncertified card. I've seen too many problems that are graphics card related.

Mike.
 
Ok so I guess I wont buy from these folks, thanks for the replies.

I think I do want to buy a computer and customize it for maximum editing potential. Any computers (and how to cutomize them) best for avid you guys can reccomend? Hoping to buy something around 1000 bucks? Is that too cheap? Thanks again.
 
if you look on the avid website, there's lists of workstations that have been approved (including ones that are several generations old, which can be had for much cheaper, as previously mentioned) go for one of these older models, i say. but in regard to that i do have a question: im trying to put together a workstation through hp using avid's specifications and minumum requirements (theres a .pdf floating on the site somehwere), but often when you start customizing a workstation, the minimum avid requirements are usually the higher-end options. this makes no sense to me when, on the same data sheet, avid says you need a Pentium4 3.6 Ghz, then two workstations up you need 2 xeon dual-core processors running at 2.66Ghz each! if this is saying older workstations can run avid fine on a P4 single core system, why do you need to buy the dual processor 4-core option on a newer system? i could save a lot of money and still get a brand new workstation if i could, say, lose an extra processor! i understand the 2GB RAM DV/3GB RAM HD, and won't compromise on that, but the same can be said for the graphics cards. why is an fx3500 the minimum requirement if a fx550 works on older models?
 
Ok, after days of searching and sleuthing, I'm thinking of going with the Dell Precision 390 (an avid approved system). As I customize it, I've come up with a few more questions . . .

First, for the video card- Is the 128MB PCIe x16 nVidia Quadro FX550 enough (I plan on editing a large amount (feature length films) of SD footage from my DVX100B) or should I jump up to the 256MB PCIe x16 nVidia Quadro FX 3450. Avid said the FX550 is tested and approved but I might want to side with caution? The price difference between the two is over $400. . .

Second, is 160 GB hard drive enough?

Overall, is the Precision 390 a good choice for someone a good choice for someone wanting to a substantial amount of SD editing on a budget? Anyone with the 390 want to testify?

Any help is really appreciated.
 
As functions are added, you need more horsepower

As functions are added, you need more horsepower

Avid used to be more hardware based, meaning you had dedicated, proprietary boards that help push your system along. It's now a software based NLE, like FCP and Premiere. You can add hardware to it, like an Adrenaline box for the Media Composer and Mojo's for Xpress Pro, but they're basically break out boxes, giving you more I/O options.

Yes, older versions of Avid ran just fine on slower systems. However, as you increase the capabilities of the editor and start to take advantage of newer, faster processors and more advanced graphics cards it starts to become a requirement that your system be more powerful. With the capability to edit HD you need more CPU power. The graphics card starts to play a more important role too, although I couldn't tell you how (I'm not a programmer, just an editor--much of the under the hood stuff is lost on me).

You might be able to run an older card like the FX550, but if you can afford the higher end model--get it. You're basically playing a gambling game--if you go for the bare minimum now, you probably won't be able to upgrade in the future. You're dealing with only SD now--what if you need to more to HD? Best to go with the best you can afford now so you won't be left behind in the next upgrade cycle. You never know--maybe there will be bug fixes you need and they're available in the next release, but your system can't run that release.

My 2 cents. I'd go with the FX3450 card, the fastest processor you can afford, and at least 2GB of RAM. RAM is easy enough to upgrade if you find you need more. Right now 2GB should be plenty.

160GB hard drive--I assume you mean for your system drive, right? That should be plenty. It'll hold all of your programs and still have room left over for additional media (like graphics, etc...). You'll need additional drives for your Avid media, however. How many--depends on how much footage you need to ingest, and at what resolution. I'd call an Avid reseller and ask them what configurations they offer, or maybe someone can post here about their setup.

Best of luck with your system!

Mike.
 
Hey Mike

Thanks for the reply, I think I'm pretty much set on my system set up, but I'm a little confused about one thing. You said I'll need additional drives for the actual footage intake. Would it be wiser to just get more GB's on my one drive (double the 160?) or is it better to have two separate drives? Say I have about 25 hours of footage and then i dump the cut footage to a DVD . . .so if I have 25 hours of footage (at a high resolution) at any given time, how many GB's on the second drive would you recommend?
 
here is a simple answer... DV=4.59min per gig, so lets say 5 min per gig. If you are working at a "higher resolution" which you can but would need to buy a mojo to do so, you may be working at 1:1 uncompressed SD which is 1 min per gig. Use this info to figure out how much storage you will need.

Also regarding the graphics card the 3450 is excellent.... but a fx1500 will work just as well and be less costly and finally I would recomend you look at an xw8200 or xw8400 as opposed to the dell.
 
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