Computer Spec/Parts Help

Hello, I need some help.

I desperately need a new computer. I've been doing a lot more HD video editing lately and a lot more coming up in the future. My poor old MacBook from 2006 isn't cutting it and needs to be retired.

I need to decide on waiting for the next iMac or building a PC. Being a Mac user my entire life, my knowledge on the later is very limited. Also, it doesn't seem that the tech specs for recent Macs are that impressive for their price.

I need some help picking out parts for a good video editing rig in the range of $1,000 give or take a few hundred.

I'm hoping to run Avid or Adobe Premier. I'd also like to be able to do some light gaming.

Any info or a parts list would be really helpful. I know the basic components to putting a pc together but there's so many options out there and finding what I need, when I don't really know what I need is very difficult. I go on newegg.com and I'm just overwhelmed.

All of you video editors out there, what works best for you?

I have an Alienware case supposedly in the mail.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time.

-jon

 

AVCHD is a real bastard to edit. Glitchy as all shit unless running under very good hardware. Id suggest making the jump to PC if you're confident enough. If you're interested in a build I could probably suggest something that would run good.

 

In terms of performance/cost ratio there's no argument, PCs are cheaper and more powerful.

Are there any software suites you'd miss on Windows? You don't really want to be relying on a hackintosh.

The build choices for a video editing rig are actually pretty simple, basically just prioritise the best CPU you can afford as that'll make the most difference.

 

There isn't a whole lot at the moment I'd miss. Honestly all I use my MacBook for now is little video projects for YouTube, Garageband, and surfing the internet.

Things are moving forward with video productions and I'm starting to edit full pilot episodes of tv shows and I need powerful rig capable of running a professional editing program.

Any suggestions on a motherboard?

That'd be great. Like I said, I'm not used to picking out components and not sure what to look for exactly. My whole life I've had everything given to me in a nice neat little packaged and I feel it has hurt me in the long run. :lol:

Is it a lease to own program? I don't know if Apple would let me lease a MacBook.... :redface:

Thanks for all the responses.

 

Ill see what I can do. The budget is very tight IMO but are you editing AVCHD?But I agree. OEM PC's really dumbed down my opinion of PC's. When I built my current rig I felt so much more free and really got some good deals for what I used it for at the time. (Wasn't editing HD that much back then).

Heres a build i got. 1kUSD = 622GBP


Some bits are debateable but I think its a pretty solid system.

 

You say you used Macs your entire life? You're gonna regret getting a Windows computer. Just wait for the new iMacs, or find an older model Mac Pro within your budget.

 

Does the motherboard need to be that expensive?

I'd also go i7 CPU, and RAID (possibly SSD though you'd need to check what's optimal in that area as I don't know much there). You'll also want a fairly decent PCI-E soundcard.

 

Thanks for the build! I'll definitely look into those components.

Maybe I'm confused but I don't think I'm editing AVCHD. I'm currently using tiny cameras such as Kodak Zi8, GoPro Hero, and Flip UltraHD.

ALSO, I totally forgot, I need a capture card in order to capture HD gameplay from the 360, PS3, Wii etc. Any advice there? I've been looking for Mac stuff but I don't want to take the plunge because it'd be useless with my current macbook. thanks again for the help.

This is what I'm not sure of. I'm comfortable using a Windows based pc, I have a trial version of Windows 7 on my macbook right now just for kicks. I'm thinking if I really need anything in Windows I could always boot into it from a mac. But everyone is always like PC > Mac so, I'm trying to figure out if that's really true for what I need.

 

Like I said. Bits were sketchy. I think if you wanting to do pro video editing you will definately need an i7 and a better graphics card. By then your pushing 1kGBP though really. For normal HD though that build should be fine.

 

It's actually been a few years since I was heavy into this stuff. How is GPU acceleration these days, is it important? Having a powerful GPU never used to make a difference as all processing was done CPU-side (professional rigs would go for high end CAD cards for the high-quality DACs, mind, but that's an image quality rather than performance concern).

 

In my humble opinion: *nix > Windows > Mac

I used to be a super hard-line Windows supporter. After moving to Ubuntu Linux, I never looked back. Power is nothing to be afraid of, and with Ubuntu you can take as little or as much as you want. I mean, kids in Africa can use it, why can't people here?

 

Avid alone is going to eat up your budget...and then some! Why not stay with Mac and use whatever software you've already bought?

Avid's Mac systems are great, but way beyond your budget.

As I'm sure you can't afford Avid's capture system (who can?!), try looking at something like Hauppauge's HD PVR. You'll find capture tests of it on Youtube.

 

Because professional video editing suites aren't ported to linux.

The *nix/Windows debate often comes down to taste, but in this case not so much. His real options are Windows 7 and OSX.

 

Anything a Mac can do a PC can do just as well if not better. Some of what a PC can do, A Mac Can't.

Seriously man if you use Garage band for making music, then there tons of better DAW programs for windows and even mac for that. Garage band sucks Period.


And if you are going to be video editing and are using an LGA 1155/56 system you need at least 8GB of RAM.

@Alchy, I don't know about GPU acceleration in Video editing but in video Decoding as of the last few years it's been becoming more and more prominent. A lot of low end GPU's can handle 1080p Decoding in real time very well.
And even then, CPU's are so powerful now that both do a great job.



So, Thread OP you need a PC capable of Light gaming(which will be of no issue depending the resolution you use so let me know that) Video editing and has an HD capture card?(assuming with an HDMI input?)

I can get you a list no problem.

Do you need a monitor or do you already have one? and you already have a case?
Hard drive preference?(SSD is stupid expensive and not worth it IMO right now, my 3Gbs SATA II Samsung HD103SJ boots windows 7 ult 64-bit from POST in less than 1 minute 5 seconds and windows loads near instantaneously and is fast as it is.)
Do you have speakers you can use? Anything really that we can use to cut cost


@ Person who said do you really need an expensive motherboard, If you are going with LGA1366 or LGA 1155 Motherboards are going to be expensive. They are top of the line for PC's right now with SATA III 6Gb ports and USB 3.0 ports most of the time.

And onboard sound of most Modern Motherboards is entirely adequate(Coming from someone who records music from an ASIO sound card and uses Onboard sound for just about everything else and it sounds fine.)

 

Onboard sound is not fine if he's trying to run a DAW like GarageBand. I know onboard sound has come a long way since the AC'97 days but they're still no replacement for a decent sound card.

It was me who queried the mobo cost. I checked and there were decent enough 1155 boards starting from about £90. This rig is a fairly simple build (no RAID5 or SLI or whatever else needed) so a basic board will suffice - they all use mostly the same chipsets anyway, so it's no big deal. The performance benefits of upgrading to a decent i7 CPU will outweigh the extra £100 on the mobo.

 

I Ran A professional DAW program with pentium 4 onboard sound for years when I wasn't using my ASIO sound card.
Besides MOST consumer sound cards are for playing games not recording audio.(And thus will incur major Latency issues when using it as your Audio driver with an ASIO or Midi Input)


So, basically MOST LIKELY, if he's running an interface in to record with , it has it's outputs of its' own and is an ASIO card then. paired with a good set of monitors/whether they are passive or powered/ will be fine and will cut cost.

Also doesn't absolve of the fact that garage band is complete crap and it's only saving factor is that it comes with a mac free (Whoop de doo, you practically pay for it anyway considering how expensive they are) You can use Cockos Reaper indefinitely for Free without purchasing it (As long as you aren't making commercial products) and that completely blows garage band out of the water.

 

Assuming you have a Case and a Monitor

Motherboard- ASUS Rampage III Gene Micro ATX motherboard
http://www.amazon.com/Rampage-III-G...TF8&coliid=I2UG8M50MPJATI&colid=1RYUF4PIQG4LL (There is a used one for 199.99 (I use the previous gen of this mobo the II GENE, and It is a fantastic motherboard. I got my II Gene for 156$ on amazon used because it had an open torn box.)

CPU cooler- Thermalight Venemous X(one of the best LGA 1366 coolers)
http://www.amazon.com/Thermalright-...UTF8&coliid=I6P3BK0JH3JNS&colid=1RYUF4PIQG4LL - used 54.96

+extra fan for CPU heatsink http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master...TF8&coliid=I1MGAQSM1G3X6I&colid=1RYUF4PIQG4LL

CPU- Intel Core i7 950 http://www.amazon.com/Intel-3-06GHz...UTF8&coliid=I7MU96PCCLPBS&colid=1RYUF4PIQG4LL (There is one NIB from a new seller for 255$, it's a risk to buy from a new seller, but on amazon it usually tends to have less chances of going wrong, I got this same CPU Brand new for 242$ on ebay a while back)

HDD- http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Spinp...UTF8&coliid=IB0M0C9UMJT5M&colid=1RYUF4PIQG4LL -I use this HDD, couldn't recommend it more. It's very fast for a non-SSD drive. (get one of the cheaper used ones for 48$ , a new one doesn't come with anything but the HDD and a plastic case anyway)

PSU- Corsair 650TX
http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-CMPSU...TF8&coliid=I1RW0VVKATBPEX&colid=1RYUF4PIQG4LL 89$

GPU- GTS 450
http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-SuperClo...TF8&coliid=I1TFJ0CZU0BAEB&colid=1RYUF4PIQG4LL
You can get it for 105$ and will handle a lot of games up to 1080p (not crysis or Metro 2033 at that resolution mind you). If you use a lower resolution it will work even better (The sweet spot for this card is 1440x900 for playing games, however will work fine editing video on multiple monitor outputs). The equivalent AMD card (The 5770) costs nearly 30-40$ more. This is a great deal on a video card.

RAM-G-Skill 6GB kit+ 3GB kit> same model of ram on both, just lower amount so you have 9GB of RAM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...231223&cm_re=DDR_3_6GB-_-20-231-223-_-Product
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...231222&cm_re=DDR_3_3gb-_-20-231-222-_-Product


The total for this is about 870$ Asuming you have a monitor and a Case coming in the mail.


http://www.amazon.com/Blackmagic-De...TF8&coliid=I2E10KP89WZBMO&colid=1RYUF4PIQG4LL
Is a USB 3.0 HD video capture card, it is pricey , however I could not find any decent capture cards with HDMI that would capture 1080p on Amazon and if someone can find one that would better then by all means.

With that added in , it comes to right under 1000$ (if you have a monitor, Speakers, keyboard/mouse laying around you can use and if you do infact have a case coming in)

 

Use what you like. Doesn't change the fact that onboard sound cards are unsuitable for recording (or arguably even mixing audio). Their S/N ratios are poor, they pick up background noise/pops/clicks from other motherboard components, their DACs are cheap and shitty... all of these factors should concern you if you're serious about audio production.

Nobody was suggesting a Fatality X-Fi or any of those gamer cards.