Need help selecting a workstation

D

djkoz

Well-known member
I am relatively new to the field of videography and will very soon by purchasing the DVX100A (after I get clarification about the DVX100A/DV Rack bundle that is soon to be released.)

I have approximately $10,000 to equip a small studio. I figure about $3,000 -$3,200 for the camera, another $3,500 - $4,000 or so for the workstation and monitors and the balance for everything else, including software..

I will primarily be using Vegas 5. However, I may also be using Adobe Premier 6.5 and After Effects 5.5 (both of which were given to me as a gift.)

I need help in selecting a workstation configuration and in locating a reputable dealer from whom I can get the most bang for the buck. I'd like to get a workstation that will not be too obsolete in a year.

My primary focus will be producing educational DVD, some web video and, hopefully, documentaries that will be broadcast locally on television

Your comments and suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Dan
 
Re: Need help selecting a workstation

Sounds like exciting times for you. Planning is half the fun.  Someone asked a similar question a while back and a member suggested this Dell website.  The computers are reliable, hold their value (fairly well) and you can piece together any kind of system you want. I suggest a Xeon processor (dual if you can afford it). Also load up on the RAM (1-2gb). Don't forget about harddisk space too (250gb-1tb).

Here it is:
http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?c=us&cs=04&kc=6W300&l=en&oc=sc1420&s=bsd

If I had your budget this is what I would do. It will last you 2-3 years, easily.

Good luck!
 
Re: Need help selecting a workstation

Watch out, there will be a tide of bad-mouthing to follow any posting of "Dell".

Understand that there are a lot of hobby computer builders out there that scoff at Dell's pricing and components, but if you're a novice in assembling a system you won't really be able to take advantage of the cost differences.

Look into dell's small business servers, especially if you're comfortable enough to add your own video card and operating system. It can be very affordable way to create a monstor system without doing a lot of legwork.

You could also consider creating a robust workstation machine and then buying a couple of "network render" machines. Probably overkill, but possible under your budget.

In general: RAM is great, Dual Processing is great, RAID is unnessicary and get yourself a good monitor.
 
Re: Need help selecting a workstation

Thanks for the advice.

I' have been considering Dell (I own two of their notebooks), along with 1 Beyond, DV Line and Velocity Micro, based on comments made in various forums.

Dan
 
Re: Need help selecting a workstation

Thanks for the suggestion WaveRiderXIX, the system looks great but at over $5,100 for for the workstation without monitors I'm afraid it's a bit over my budget, which is closer to $4,500 (or maybe $5,000) with two monitors.

Dan
 
Re: Need help selecting a workstation


for that budget you should be able to build a dual xeon with a fair number of sata drives.

make sure you system boot drive is one of the new 10k rpm drives, and get at least 2 gig of ram.

i know 1beyond.com in boston builds great machines but they are probably out of your price range.

i have never dealt with them but the alienware.com company seems to build high end machines.

check your area as well and see if there is someone who has a good track record building machines.

matthew
 
Re: Need help selecting a workstation

i would definitely go for the dual xeon...

although there is a new chipset out there that is meant for oem installations that will handle up to 4 xeons...

i'm waiting to get more info on that and wondering how to get a windows xp pro license that does 4 cpu's??

matthew
 
Re: Need help selecting a workstation

Hmm...4 xeons? Is it a true quad, or a dual, dual setup? Either way it's pretty cool...and outrageously expensive. This must be in response to the quad opterons.
 
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