Building a Dell Editing System

ChuckS

ChuckS

Veteran
Currently I have a dual Athlon system with 1GB RAM, Canopus DV Rex RTPro, running Premier 6.5 on Win2K which provides great real time (SD) performance. I would like to build another editing system and I have noticed that there a quite a few people running Premier on Dell systems, which leads to my question:

1. Does PPro1.5 run well on a Dell workstation?
2. If so, which one?
3. The Canopus DV Rex RTPro has a breakout box that works well for all I/O [including a full resolution real time feed to a broadcast monitor] would I need an additional graphics card with a breakout box with a Dell?
4. Same question for audio?
5. Can I get real time performance with PPro 1.5 on a Dell workstation?
6. Does anyone have this configuration and how do you like it?
7. Any suggestions on other PC workstations I should consider?

I already have about 10 Dell computers running at my wife’s business :cheesy: so I’m hoping Dell has a kick ass system that I could add to the mix. :thumbsup:

Any input would be greatly appreciated. :beer:
 
I purchased 2 new Dells last week. Both dedicated for editing (no other software, no web access, no antivirus, etc.). Have 20 weddings to edit this season and it seems every bride is requesting the 8mm look, etc. Could only afford 1 top end unit but I figured the second was still worth getting to help with rendering times.

PC 1 – Dell Precision 670 with dual 3.4 xeon + 4M Ram + (4) 74Gb 10K Raptor HD drives = $2800

PC 2 – Dell Dimension XPS 3.4 + 2M Ram + (1) 74Gb 10K Raptor HD + (1) 400Gb SATA HD = $1700 (Dell outlet)

THEY PERFORM EQUALLY FAST in rendering times using PPro1.5. Rendering times on the same 5min clip were identical with and without Magic Bullet and only 20% faster than the 2.8 system I already owned. I’m sending back the 670 and getting another XPS.

Save yourself some money; go with faster drives and forget the second cpu. I’ve read all sorts of opinions about this here and on other sites, that they’re better for video, but as far as I can tell in a real-world direct comparison, the only advantage to dual processors is if you’re going to try to do other things with the PC while you’re rendering. If that’s the case, it’s the same cost and much better performance to purchase a complete second PC and toggle between them using a KVM swith (allow you to use same pair of monitors + keyboard + mouse, etc).

Good luck!
 
I am very satisfied with DELL; it's all I have ever purchased after my first joke of a computer in 1997 (Hewlitt Packard); currently I have:

Dell Workstation (Precision) PWS470
Xeon CPU 3.20 GHz (Hyperthreading)
3.19 GHz, 1.00 GB of RAM
Nvidia Quadro FX 3400 (For my Battlefield gaming of course)
Raid storage
Audigy Soundcard (Only 2 speakers right; but prepped for Sorround and Dolby 5.1)

Hell, this machine has more than what I need or am used to and I dont even know how to use half of whats in here; but I love it; smoking fast; $3200.00
 
Thanks John,

Is there a difference between the Xeon and P4? All the Dells that I curently have are P4's [but they aren't really doing much POS software etc.]

If you had to choose between another gig of RAM or upgrading from the Nvideo Quadro FX 1400 to the 3400, which do you think would give you more bang for the buck?
 
Chuck - are you opposed to building your own machine? You can usually get more and better quality parts for your money if you have the confidence to do it yourself.

Or check out Alienware's built for video-editing machines.

I have the Alienware Area-51m 7700 laptop that I use for daily work/surfing/DVXusering.... but I built my editing machine around a Koolance watercooled case. 5 Internal harddrives, 3 DVD burners!
 
Sirius_Doggy said:
Chuck - are you opposed to building your own machine? You can usually get more and better quality parts for your money if you have the confidence to do it yourself.

Or check out Alienware's built for video-editing machines.

I have the Alienware Area-51m 7700 laptop that I use for daily work/surfing/DVXusering.... but I built my editing machine around a Koolance watercooled case. 5 Internal harddrives, 3 DVD burners!
Click to expand...
Thanks Sirius_Doggy, I found the Alienware site very informative. I will probably post some more questions after I've read up on the different options. :happy:

Building my own system is a little more than I'd like to tackle, I don't know enough about the individual components and would probably end up spending more time and money than I bargain for. :huh:
 
No problem Chuck. I don't know much about the Canopus DV Rex RTPro as I'm a Matrox RTx100 guy myself. But I'm sure the Canopus website has all the "recommended" specs for hardware to build your own. And there's always a bug or two to get them completely stable but still the best way to go. You get better components for less money.

Good luck whichever way you decide to go. If you decide to go with a Dell, at least start with the XPS system and build it maxed out as best you can.
 
Sirius_Doggy said:
No problem Chuck. I don't know much about the Canopus DV Rex RTPro as I'm a Matrox RTx100 guy myself. But I'm sure the Canopus website has all the "recommended" specs for hardware to build your own. And there's always a bug or two to get them completely stable but still the best way to go. You get better components for less money.

Good luck whichever way you decide to go. If you decide to go with a Dell, at least start with the XPS system and build it maxed out as best you can.
Click to expand...
I searched through the Dell website and never found the XPS syetems [until I used the link you provided] - thanks for the link, those look like they might be pretty nice systems. As I get closer to my decision I'll probably have a lot more specific questions, for now I'm just trying to read everything I can.

Recently I went to an Adobe demonstration where they were showing off PPro 1.5 and AfterFX on a Dell workstation and everything ran in real time without any kind of graphic accelorators [like Matrox or Canopus]. Since this will be an additional editing system I was hoping I wouldn't have to purchase another Canopus card. But how do you manage video and audio I/O? I have a BetaSP and DVD that I capture from.
 
You'll need some type of capture card if you desire to capture component. The best you'll get with most video cards is S-video which would be fine if you were dumping from VHS but since you have a Beta deck.....component is the way to go.

Maybe something like THIS though I'm not familiar with this card so I can't say for sure if it's any good.
 
I was going to build my own system, but then Dell gave my wife and I credit when we bought her laptop through them. I went with the Dimension 3000 and stuffed it with as much memory and the biggest processor they would put in it. I've been using it for six months now running Premiere Pro 1.5 and I love it. I've currently got half a feature film, all the footage from a short, and all the footage from a wedding on it and there is still plenty of room to spare and I haven't experienced any lags in performance.
 
Thanks everyone for your advice. :thumbup:

I'm looking at the Dell Dimension XPS Generation 4 Desktop: Pentium 4 Processor 550 with HT Technology (3.40GHz, 800 FSB) 2GB RAM, 256MB Nvidia GeForce 6800 Graphics Card, etc.. ~$2400.

I also discovered that Dell has a factory outlet, when I started looking at it I got all excited :happy: - a similar system to the one above is $1000 less, then I noticed that the systems were refurbished :cry: . I'm not sure why a company that builds systems on demand would have refurbished systems, but does anyone have any experience purchasing a refurbished Dell? [If I get a refurbished system I can afford a 24 inch UltraSharp Widescreen Digital Flat Panel :thumbsup:] I believe they have the same warranty.

Also, any opinions regarding XP home vs. Professional? :undecided
 
Don’t worry PCs from the outlet. They’re not refurbished per say but more customer returns (like the workstation I just returned because I discovered the XPS provided faster rendering PPro1.5). I own a business and have purchased plenty (over 20) Dells over the years. Some new, some from the outlet. Dell stands behind their product either way. Can’t say I have not had problems (with both categories), but Dell has always corrected them for me quickly and painlessly. For a company their size, the have the absolute best service practices I’ve ever experienced.

Couple pointers when buying from Dell:

1. If you can, buy through the small business section. (Make up a business name if you have to—say you’re a consultant or something). There are better deals offered under the small business section and everything is a little less expensive than going through the Home section.

2. Shop around on the Dell website. There are many ways to purchase the same system, and often times you can get significantly better deals depending on where you go within the dell website.

3. You’ve already found the dell outlet. That’s a good thing. Sometimes the deals are good there. Sometimes they are not. Do not assume just because it’s in the Outlet that it is a bargain. But, often you can find AMAZING deals there. And you have the option to extend the factory warranty up to 3 years when you buy, so there is really no worries. I have baught several PCs from the outlet and have never come to regret it.

Always use XP Pro, so I cannot comment or compare to XP Home. I believe the differences are more related to security issues than anything else.

Good luck with your purchase!
 
Sorry to keep buggin everyone about this :embarasse, as I mentioned earlier I have a Canopus DV Rex RTPro, it has been great but I would like to upgrade from P6.5 to PPro 1.5 and it appears that the relationship between Adobe and Canopus is not what it used to be. I have not heard good things about the integration between the two and my card is no-longer "officially" supported. This, in part, is what started me on this quest for a new system.

I have heard good things about the Matrox RT.X100. They make a lot of claims on their website about improved performance and added features. Something that I did not like about Canopus was that for the most part when I edited in 6.5 in order to get R/T I used their transitions, rarely did I use the Premier transitions. It seems that PPro 1.5 has moved beyond this level of performance offering as many R/T transition without an accelerator card (Canopus or Matrox).

So do I need one of these? Is anyone using the Matrox RT.X100 with PPro and if so how do you like it?

Sorry about dragging this out, but this thread has been very helpful. :)

Thanks
 
I use the RT.X100 with PPro1.5 and love it. You are still sometimes limited to using the "Matrox" effects/wipes. Also, on their forum you hear a lot of people complaining about the system but much of that is because they have not built the machine to the "Matrox" specs.

Check out this link for specs on the Matrox website.

Here's the Validated computer systems.

You will not get much support from Matrox if you stray from their specs. Fortunately I built my machine to their specs and have very few problems. My system is very stable.
 
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