DIY video editing computer build?

I agree on the RAID 0 for system drive and something else for storage. Reinstalling an OS is one thing, but loosing your data is another! A RAID5 is a safer way to make a big storage drive also, maybe by buying older cheaper 500GB drives or something.

Higher RPM drives don't necessarily have a lesser life span.

If you are working with DV footage, the i7 is overkill. I'd go with the cheaper core2duo. I'm editing MXF (DVCPRO HD) files and AVCHD files on my core2duo. The AVCHD lags a bit, but cineform can take care of that right away.

Windows 7 does rock. I have Vegas x64 on windows 7 Ultimate and everything works great. Including Raylight!

What you want to look for in system drive performance is the MB/sec specs of the drives in question. There are some 7200RPM drives that can out perform a 10K drive in terms of MB/sec.
 
To add more fuel to the fire, I recently picked up a Corsair 128G SSD that I plan on installing Windows 7. Bit pricey, but I was curious.
 
been looking into that drive too. problems with SSD at the moment is they slow down as they get full, inherent fault for now and ultra pricey. are you installing it in a laptop or desktop? they make a housing for it to convert a 2.5 inch disk to 3.5 so u won't have space and mounting issues in ur tower.
 
I plan on using it in a desktop workstation. Just want to test it and see how it compares to the 10K raptors. I might use it at work if it shows improvement. I tried to ghost the raptor, but since the size difference it didn't work. Will have to start from scratch.
 
Thanks. I actually went to the Adobe site for graphics card compatibility info and Nvidia was on the list.

I agree re: the Windows tweaks. I have all the bells and whistles turned of in XP on my current system, and am running the "classic" display. It does seem to make a difference.

OK, a couple more questions:

1. I'm assuming there are specific 64 bit Vista drivers for the graphics card. What about sound card drivers? Must they also be updated for Vista 64 bit?

2. Is there a specific way to partition hard drives so they are best suited for video editing work, or is this process a standard operation?
 
1. You should be supported in terms of Vista/Windows 7 (Go for windows 7, Vista sucks) as you'll be buying new hardware.
2. I would have a separate drive for the Operating System and programs, and keep all of your data separate.

You could even image your system drive (the one with your OS on it) when you get everything installed and configured, incase of a drive failure, or corruption, you could easily restore it and be back online. A RAID 1 may also be an option to keep your system up and running as much as possible. But that is really overkill. Just keep a running tab of what you need to have installed on your system and it won't take that long to re-install... worst case.....

Or you could Ghost an image to another drive and keep it on a shelf somewhere.....

<---GEEK
 
Beware of Fake Motherboard RAID. Intel, Megaraid and others that feature in-built RAID-0 and RAID-1 functions into the motherboard.

They are actually software RAID for operating systems incable of it, like XP. with a software level driver sending I/O to JBOD.

Buy an independent PCIe RAID controller hopefully one with Write Cache (use that for your video I/O).
Use on-board RAID-1 for OS. Never use RAID-0 for OS/System drive (ever).

With the current retail prices on Xeon CPU's though, It's possibly cheaper to buy something already built.
 
Inspiration

Inspiration

Here's one of my favorite threads if you want a little inspiration.

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=13731

The thread goes back about 5 years...It's interesting to see what we thought was "cool" or "hot" vis-a-vis computer edit systems. Oh, how fast things get outdated.!

Keep up the search!


Jeffro
 
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