New editing machine...What should I get?
- Thread starter Dan_Lahav
- Start date
Re: New editing machine...What should I get?
They do, but I can't say as I'd go for one yet, just on the cost/benefit ratio. Their best capabilities can't really be unlocked yet (due to the nature of the software, not the processor), and there will be more for less $$$ later.
But for $1500, Dan, you can pretty much shoot the moon. You always want the fastest processor with the most (and fastest) memory you can get, and you'd be able to do that with a P4 system, no sweat. Also, look to a good-sized system hard drive and then string together a couple 160GB or 200GB drives in a RAID for your data.
Most editing software doesn't utilize the graphics card, so that won't help you much unless you're using Pinnacle Edition. For editing, don't sock too much away on that. Just be sure to have a dual-head card so that you have the option of using a dual-monitor setup. I use Nvidia cards myself.
Just the way I look at it. YMMV, of course.
They do, but I can't say as I'd go for one yet, just on the cost/benefit ratio. Their best capabilities can't really be unlocked yet (due to the nature of the software, not the processor), and there will be more for less $$$ later.
But for $1500, Dan, you can pretty much shoot the moon. You always want the fastest processor with the most (and fastest) memory you can get, and you'd be able to do that with a P4 system, no sweat. Also, look to a good-sized system hard drive and then string together a couple 160GB or 200GB drives in a RAID for your data.
Most editing software doesn't utilize the graphics card, so that won't help you much unless you're using Pinnacle Edition. For editing, don't sock too much away on that. Just be sure to have a dual-head card so that you have the option of using a dual-monitor setup. I use Nvidia cards myself.
Just the way I look at it. YMMV, of course.
Re: New editing machine...What should I get?
Thanks David. Now about that RAID, i was thinking about hooking up 2x 7200 RPM maxtor 250gb's, and using one of those non-scsi new western digital 10,000RPM drives as my main. I know all RAID configurations are supposed to be the exact same Hard drive... So is it possible to just RAID those two Maxtor HD's and have the WD as a main? Is there a mobo that will support this sort of thing? I know nothign about RAID setups so a little enlightenment might help
Thanks
Thanks David. Now about that RAID, i was thinking about hooking up 2x 7200 RPM maxtor 250gb's, and using one of those non-scsi new western digital 10,000RPM drives as my main. I know all RAID configurations are supposed to be the exact same Hard drive... So is it possible to just RAID those two Maxtor HD's and have the WD as a main? Is there a mobo that will support this sort of thing? I know nothign about RAID setups so a little enlightenment might help
Thanks
Re: New editing machine...What should I get?
Most MoBos will now support a RAID setup -- I'm thinking ASUS in particular. Remember, though, that most of the time, the RAID channels will be a pair of Serial ATAs, so you DON'T want IDE drives, you want Serial drives.
I've heard that 250GB drives aren't rated for RAID yet, but if Loser's using them with success, then I guess it's OK.
I would also seriously look at zipzoomfly.com. I buy most of my computer hardware from them. Great prices, free 2-day delivery.
Most MoBos will now support a RAID setup -- I'm thinking ASUS in particular. Remember, though, that most of the time, the RAID channels will be a pair of Serial ATAs, so you DON'T want IDE drives, you want Serial drives.
I've heard that 250GB drives aren't rated for RAID yet, but if Loser's using them with success, then I guess it's OK.
I would also seriously look at zipzoomfly.com. I buy most of my computer hardware from them. Great prices, free 2-day delivery.
Sol M.
Veteran
Re: New editing machine...What should I get?
Yes, Zipzoomfly is really nice. Their catalog isn't quite as large as other vendors (such as New Egg), but if they carry the product you're looking for, it'll probably be cheaper than almost anywhere else (including New Egg), and the free 2-day shipping isn't bad at all
New Egg is good because they've got almost everything you'd need at good prices, but I often mix and match (i.e. buy different components from different retailers), and always come out with a better deal than if I had simply bought everything from one retailer. Just make sure to check ResellerRatings.com before you buy from any vendor you don't have previous experience with.
Yes, Zipzoomfly is really nice. Their catalog isn't quite as large as other vendors (such as New Egg), but if they carry the product you're looking for, it'll probably be cheaper than almost anywhere else (including New Egg
), and the free 2-day shipping isn't bad at all New Egg is good because they've got almost everything you'd need at good prices, but I often mix and match (i.e. buy different components from different retailers), and always come out with a better deal than if I had simply bought everything from one retailer. Just make sure to check ResellerRatings.com before you buy from any vendor you don't have previous experience with.
Re: New editing machine...What should I get?
Yeah,
If you're interested in getting the absolute best price for your comp parts you can always go to www.pricewatch.com. But like Jive said, check out www.resellerratings.com before you buy from some place that you don't know so that you're not taken for a sap.
I've heard that Zipzoomfly is really good, but have no personal experience with them.
Yeah,
If you're interested in getting the absolute best price for your comp parts you can always go to www.pricewatch.com. But like Jive said, check out www.resellerratings.com before you buy from some place that you don't know so that you're not taken for a sap.
I've heard that Zipzoomfly is really good, but have no personal experience with them.
Re: New editing machine...What should I get?
yeah zipzoom seems to have really good prices. So I guess I'm going with the fastest intel...a P4 3.4E, unless anyone can convince me otherwise. Are you guys sure i shouldnt go 64bit? This computer needs to last at least 2-3 years.
BTW.. i'm still wondering, is it possible to RAID 2 HD's and have one "unRAIDED" drive? ie. 2 identical SATA maxtors (RAID), and one Western Digital Raptor SATA 10,000RPM HDD
yeah zipzoom seems to have really good prices. So I guess I'm going with the fastest intel...a P4 3.4E, unless anyone can convince me otherwise. Are you guys sure i shouldnt go 64bit? This computer needs to last at least 2-3 years.
BTW.. i'm still wondering, is it possible to RAID 2 HD's and have one "unRAIDED" drive? ie. 2 identical SATA maxtors (RAID), and one Western Digital Raptor SATA 10,000RPM HDD
Multi-Media
Well-known member
Re: New editing machine...What should I get?
You owe it to yourself to call Mike Mc Caine at In-Sync...
their BLADE turn-key systems are worth checking out...
they are preconfigured, optimized for video editing with their software and they are very trouble free.
the toll free # is 800-864-7272
in-sync.com
If Mike isn't available, talk to Jerry Hergenrader
They also have a kick a** laptop but it's more your budget.
The tower systems work just fine... get a dual processor... the BLADE is made to thread them both. They also know about "front-end" RAM and what works best with their software. I just like the interface and the program. Besides, once you learn how to use it you can grow into HD or other programs that use the same interface.
You owe it to yourself to call Mike Mc Caine at In-Sync...
their BLADE turn-key systems are worth checking out...
they are preconfigured, optimized for video editing with their software and they are very trouble free.
the toll free # is 800-864-7272
in-sync.com
If Mike isn't available, talk to Jerry Hergenrader
They also have a kick a** laptop but it's more your budget.
The tower systems work just fine... get a dual processor... the BLADE is made to thread them both. They also know about "front-end" RAM and what works best with their software. I just like the interface and the program. Besides, once you learn how to use it you can grow into HD or other programs that use the same interface.
Sol M.
Veteran
Re: New editing machine...What should I get?
Well, a 64-bit version of Windows should be out within a year seeing as how they've got a beta version out ATM, so a 64-bit would be put to better use in time. However, there's still the fact that all software will need to be rewritten to be 64-bit functional. And the truth is, while everyone "in the know" is promising that 64-bit will blow our collective minds, we have yet to see and truly "real world" results to verify these claims.
If you want the fastest system possible, you might want to look into a dual processor system. And depending on what sort of work you'll be mainly doing on this system, you might want to look into Intel's Xeon processors (whose dual 3GHz still beats a duo of their 3.2 Extreme P4s).
Also, the big talk amongst a lot of companies at the present is network rendering. Truth be told, a PC's power really comes into play during the rendering process. Any normal NLE doesn't really need that much power to edit DV25 material. Hey, I edited projects (mostly) without problem on my old 600MHz P4! But guess what, its render speeds were terribly slow.
To improve render speed, various companies are finally buying into what more the more "industry-level" tools could do for some time now-- network rendering! Sony's Vegas 5 now supports network rendering, not to mention that Adobe's After Effects will support network rendering in version 6.5 due out in the coming month (whose network functionality is actually supposed to speed up processing as you work, not just during rendering!). There are many other tools as well that support (or will soon support) network rendering(3D tools are already heavily employing network rendering).
So what am I recommending? I'm recommending getting two (or more) nicely configured systems as opposed to one single "do it all" system. You could actually save a lot of money by getting a CPU just a step or two down from the top of the hill (as you definitely pay a premium for getting the newest chip), and you could build two systems whose collective power could be fully used to render faster than a single "uber" system for the same price! Really, you could get two 3GHz P4s for the same price as a single 3.4GHz P4! Even better, you could almost get 5 normal 3GHz P4 for the price of a single 3.4GHz Extreme Edition chip! I wonder how much difference the bigger L3 cache on the Extreme chip will make then?
When the benchmarks of the network rendering power of tools such as the upcoming AE 6.5 are showing renders taking HALF as long (a 2x speed increase) when using two computers to do the rendering (compared to a single system), I think there may be some value in this.
I've always been interested in cluster computing because it uses the power of many systems to reach even higher speeds than any single machine could on its own. Unfortunately, the majority of my tools don't support it. Now all of a sudden, we have great NLEs, Effects apps, and 3D apps that are network aware.
Nice! ;D
Well, a 64-bit version of Windows should be out within a year seeing as how they've got a beta version out ATM, so a 64-bit would be put to better use in time. However, there's still the fact that all software will need to be rewritten to be 64-bit functional. And the truth is, while everyone "in the know" is promising that 64-bit will blow our collective minds, we have yet to see and truly "real world" results to verify these claims.
If you want the fastest system possible, you might want to look into a dual processor system. And depending on what sort of work you'll be mainly doing on this system, you might want to look into Intel's Xeon processors (whose dual 3GHz still beats a duo of their 3.2 Extreme P4s).
Also, the big talk amongst a lot of companies at the present is network rendering. Truth be told, a PC's power really comes into play during the rendering process. Any normal NLE doesn't really need that much power to edit DV25 material. Hey, I edited projects (mostly) without problem on my old 600MHz P4! But guess what, its render speeds were terribly slow.
To improve render speed, various companies are finally buying into what more the more "industry-level" tools could do for some time now-- network rendering! Sony's Vegas 5 now supports network rendering, not to mention that Adobe's After Effects will support network rendering in version 6.5 due out in the coming month (whose network functionality is actually supposed to speed up processing as you work, not just during rendering!). There are many other tools as well that support (or will soon support) network rendering(3D tools are already heavily employing network rendering).
So what am I recommending? I'm recommending getting two (or more
) nicely configured systems as opposed to one single "do it all" system. You could actually save a lot of money by getting a CPU just a step or two down from the top of the hill (as you definitely pay a premium for getting the newest chip), and you could build two systems whose collective power could be fully used to render faster than a single "uber" system for the same price! Really, you could get two 3GHz P4s for the same price as a single 3.4GHz P4! Even better, you could almost get 5 normal 3GHz P4 for the price of a single 3.4GHz Extreme Edition chip! I wonder how much difference the bigger L3 cache on the Extreme chip will make then? When the benchmarks of the network rendering power of tools such as the upcoming AE 6.5 are showing renders taking HALF as long (a 2x speed increase) when using two computers to do the rendering (compared to a single system), I think there may be some value in this.
I've always been interested in cluster computing because it uses the power of many systems to reach even higher speeds than any single machine could on its own. Unfortunately, the majority of my tools don't support it. Now all of a sudden, we have great NLEs, Effects apps, and 3D apps that are network aware.
Nice! ;D
Re: New editing machine...What should I get?
dan,
im running of a promise raid controller on an ASUS board. and also running a 120 gig and 20 gig off standard eide ports .. it was not easy to get it all running. it took about 4 hours on an evening, of sidestepping hardware or software issues , and working with the 250 gig drive software that lets your computer get smart enough to work with the 250 gig drives, but in the end by some miracle it started working, and i just never touched it since. been running fine for quite a while now. i was thinking if you wanted to run that other drive ..if your board also has the ata100 like mine, would that be fast enough for you to run the raptor off of, or does it have to be serial ata?
dan,
im running of a promise raid controller on an ASUS board. and also running a 120 gig and 20 gig off standard eide ports .. it was not easy to get it all running. it took about 4 hours on an evening, of sidestepping hardware or software issues , and working with the 250 gig drive software that lets your computer get smart enough to work with the 250 gig drives, but in the end by some miracle it started working, and i just never touched it since. been running fine for quite a while now. i was thinking if you wanted to run that other drive ..if your board also has the ata100 like mine, would that be fast enough for you to run the raptor off of, or does it have to be serial ata?
Re: New editing machine...What should I get?
If you're going to be running four hard drives, a DVD burner, maybe another optical drive, a kick-ass video card, and a kick-ass sound card, you better make sure you've got a big enough power source. I use a 600w source. You may not actually *need* all of that, but better safe than sorry. Just make sure you have plenty of power.
If you're going to be running four hard drives, a DVD burner, maybe another optical drive, a kick-ass video card, and a kick-ass sound card, you better make sure you've got a big enough power source. I use a 600w source. You may not actually *need* all of that, but better safe than sorry. Just make sure you have plenty of power.
Z
Zoomforce
Guest
Re: New editing machine...What should I get?
yes... get the biggest power supply you can.. dont worry about thinking about the hydro bill, if you use a 600 watt supply but your sytem only uses 300watts, the power supply only runs at 300 watts so you dont need to pay the extra power. Under powered supplies or cheap power supplies is now the #1 cause of crashes.
Serial ATA (150mbs) or ATA133, ATA100 or even ATA66 will all give the same performance, as hard drives cant even outpipe that ATA66 chains. Only when you get into Fast Raid setups do you need the extra bandwidth, and SATA are great because they are more power efficent (so they say) and use really skinny cables that help keep the system cool and also are serial, so you dont need to pipe 2 drives off the same controller.
Never mix a CD drive and a Hard drive on the same channel (ide cable) and make sure that your drives are setup to be UDMA, even in Windows XP it doesnt always select the right speed.
yes... get the biggest power supply you can.. dont worry about thinking about the hydro bill, if you use a 600 watt supply but your sytem only uses 300watts, the power supply only runs at 300 watts so you dont need to pay the extra power. Under powered supplies or cheap power supplies is now the #1 cause of crashes.
Serial ATA (150mbs) or ATA133, ATA100 or even ATA66 will all give the same performance, as hard drives cant even outpipe that ATA66 chains. Only when you get into Fast Raid setups do you need the extra bandwidth, and SATA are great because they are more power efficent (so they say) and use really skinny cables that help keep the system cool and also are serial, so you dont need to pipe 2 drives off the same controller.
Never mix a CD drive and a Hard drive on the same channel (ide cable) and make sure that your drives are setup to be UDMA, even in Windows XP it doesnt always select the right speed.