Best place to upgrade your PC

Brian_Rice

Brian_Rice

Carbonite Member
Hi all --

This might be better suited in the hardware section, but I was wondering where people here think would be the best place for me to upgrade from my existing PC (not looking to go into a Mac).

Editing 24mbps AVCHD.

Where do you think I'd get the most bang for my buck?

Also, any additional spec recommendations.

Thanks!
 
Can you build one yourself or know someone who can build it for you?

wannabeapilot said:
honestly though youll notice the biggest performance boost if you transcode from the raw avchd clips to something like cineform
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Seconded. The added bonus is to transcode down to 720p (the camera doesn't resolve any actual resolution beyond this) and not only does it perform better (and doesn't take that long to do), but it'll make the noise in the picture less noticeable.
 
If you have the knowledge to be able to build your own and live near a Microcenter, I'd go that route simply because Microcenter price matches Newegg, Tigerdirect, Best Buy (anyone who isn't Amazon, basically)
 
We have a microcenter nearby. I would not be equipped to build one myself. My dad used to have his stuff done at Tiger and he ended up getting a little fed up with the process over the years and eventually just started buying completed models.

I was thinking about just getting a pre-built quad core and be done with it. Maybe I'll swing by microcenter and see what they say and I'll check out NewEgg as well. Just trying to figure out what is the bare-bones best I can get that will handle 24mbps AVCHD video flawlessly.

I'm a little confused about the Cineform stuff. First off it looks like the one I'd need is $500. Right now I take my .mts files straight into Premiere Pro. This Cineform thing looks like some kind of go-between. Why take the files from .mts and change them into .mov just for the sake of editing?

The only issue I'm having (the reason for the upgrade), is that the higher the mbps the more challenging the information is to work with. When I bring the .mts files onto my friend's quad core computer (even at 24mbps), it's smooth sailing.

Could you elaborate on why you change your .mts files for editing and how it improves the image?

The idea of transcoding down to 720p doesn't really apply if your computer is having problems even downloading 24mbps video from the camcorder. The data has to be on the computer before it can be transcoded (unless I'm mistaken). But my computer isn't comfortable taking in data over 17mbps, so the best I could do is transcode 17mbps data, but that doesn't solve the problem and it still doesn't quite make sense to me.

ADD: Yeah, I just checked the specs for Cineform. They're pretty much the exact same specs your computer needs to manage 24mbps data (e.g. greater than my box). This probably wouldn't apply to my situation.
 
Try avadirect.com they are one of the most highly rated computer builders around and very reasonably priced. Do your research first and decide what componets will work best with you NLE software, then use thier configurator to get a price. Had mine built in 2009 to work with P2 and Edius for about $1,500 and no regrets. Here is my setup. Edius 5, HDSPARK, Asus P6T Deluxe mobo, i7-920 processor, Antec 900-2 case, Corsair 650 watt p.s., Corsair 3GB XMS3 PC3-12800 DDR3, Sapphire HD4830, WD 160GB Caviar system drive, 1TD WD Caviar Black video drive, Lite-on IHAS324, Sound Blaster X-FI Titanium, Vista 32 bit, Amtron P2 card reader.

Would have loved to gotten a 64 bit system with more memory but at the time P2 card readers had drivers that would only work on a 32-bit. Never have had a memory isssue.
 
Thanks Mark --

I'm also considering keeping components of my current computer and just changing out the motherboard and processor. Obviously I'll have to move all of my programs and plug-ins somewhere in the interm as I'll almost certainly have to re-install the OP system on the driver, but I think it will probably be the least expensive route to go. The processor I have now runs pretty hot so the current set up (sans the motherboard and processor) should be able to handle the load of an i5/7.
 
Been looking into cineform. From what I'm seeing the files actually get transcoded as you download them. I'm still working with on of the last Pentium Ds ever made...lol

The good news is, though, that from what I've been reading my Pentium D might have a motherboard that's compatible with a Core 2 Duo processor. If that's the case, I can essentially just change out the processor and move on -- still potentially picking up Cineform if the computer is still unable to effectively manage 24mbps.

Most of what I've been reading has people suggesting Cineform NeoScene ($130), not NeoHD ($500). Not sure what the difference is between the two.

ADD: Additionally, Cineform says that its software will still function on hardware lesser than what's recommended, but that PERFORMANCE may downgrade. If by performance they mean, say, the length of time it takes for each file to transcode, that's nothing. If by performance they mean the image that comes out on the other end, then that will be of some issue.

All of this transcoding talk has got me thinking, though. Since my friend has a quadcore that plays and edits AVCHD footage at 24mbps just fine, would it make sense to just transcode my footage at his house on Premiere Pro to MPEG or AVI and then just bring it home to edit on my machine? Or would Cineform on a pentium D relay a better result overall (since by the time I cut and print a completed piece it will have essentially been copied twice).
 
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I spoke with the people over at Cineform via email. Pretty awesome news in that they're saying the processor will not affect the image quality but will only affect the length of time it takes the video to transcode.

My plan is to purchase NeoScene -- is that sufficient for my needs?

Thanks!
 
Brian_Rice said:
I spoke with the people over at Cineform via email. Pretty awesome news in that they're saying the processor will not affect the image quality but will only affect the length of time it takes the video to transcode.

My plan is to purchase NeoScene -- is that sufficient for my needs?

Thanks!
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Neoscene is a fantastic intermediate format. Their .avi's are much smoother to work with than the native .mts files. But the file sizes Neoscene generates are quite larger than the native files...just be aware of that. But hey, storage is cheapo!
 
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