Cpu to go for the low-budget editor

Mar 15, 2003
12,668
103
106
My trusty i5 mac mini seems to be slowly dying after 3+ years and will be need to be replaced after Christmas for a video project I need to edit (1080p d-slr footage). I'm comfortable with premiere but am a bit behind on the cpu curve. Considering that I'm a student and parent, I need to keep costs low for what is essentially a hobby. What cpu would you go for if your main bread and butter is editing 4k footage?

Assisted-gpu encoding is something that confuses me. Is the integrated gpu on intels sufficient for gpu-assistance, or is stepping up to a dedicated gpu still necessary? I'm platform agnostic, intel/amd suits me just find, but for shits and giggles I may give OSX86 a try and hear intel is just easier.
 

Cerb

Elite Member
Aug 26, 2000
17,484
33
86
My trusty i5 mac mini seems to be slowly dying after 3+ years and will be need to be replaced after Christmas for a video project I need to edit (1080p d-slr footage). I'm comfortable with premiere but am a bit behind on the cpu curve. Considering that I'm a student and parent, I need to keep costs low for what is essentially a hobby. What cpu would you go for if your main bread and butter is editing 4k footage?
We need monetary values to worth with. An i3 would work fine, but...

Assisted-gpu encoding is something that confuses me. Is the integrated gpu on intels sufficient for gpu-assistance, or is stepping up to a dedicated gpu still necessary? I'm platform agnostic, intel/amd suits me just find, but for shits and giggles I may give OSX86 a try and hear intel is just easier.
A GPU can help with video in applying effects, like adjusting colors, fading between segments instead of quick cutting, along with adding CGI (even things like tacky fireworks overlays). Do that enough, and you could see reduced times from the most powerful GPUs available. Don't do it much at all, and none will be worth buying. It's hard to make a blind guess. As good as integrated Intel is, these days, you really won't need an add-on card for the editing process itself, if you're trying to save money.

For a Hackintosh, Gigabyte has been the go-to company since we got UEFI motherboards, but I know no more than that.
 

Ken g6

Programming Moderator, Elite Member
Moderator
Dec 11, 1999
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I would suggest considering the cost of a system overall, rather than just the CPU. What's your overall budget? Are you doing anything besides video editing?

A Mac Mini is a lot smaller than most - but not all - other systems. Are you looking to pay a premium for something that small, or is a big box OK?

Edit: Here's a general guide to building for OSX: http://www.tonymacx86.com/building-customac-buyers-guide-october-2015.html
 

Geforce man

Golden Member
Oct 12, 2004
1,737
11
81
My trusty i5 mac mini seems to be slowly dying after 3+ years and will be need to be replaced after Christmas for a video project I need to edit (1080p d-slr footage). I'm comfortable with premiere but am a bit behind on the cpu curve. Considering that I'm a student and parent, I need to keep costs low for what is essentially a hobby. What cpu would you go for if your main bread and butter is editing 4k footage?

Assisted-gpu encoding is something that confuses me. Is the integrated gpu on intels sufficient for gpu-assistance, or is stepping up to a dedicated gpu still necessary? I'm platform agnostic, intel/amd suits me just find, but for shits and giggles I may give OSX86 a try and hear intel is just easier.

I would look at replacing the HDD with an SSD, if you were happy with the performance otherwise. Typically the first (and usually within reason only) thing to die in a PC (or mac) is the Hard Drive, as from 3 years ago, I would imagine a spinner is in there. Pick up a 512gb SSD for 150$, and you're set for another 3 + years.
 
Mar 15, 2003
12,668
103
106
I would look at replacing the HDD with an SSD, if you were happy with the performance otherwise. Typically the first (and usually within reason only) thing to die in a PC (or mac) is the Hard Drive, as from 3 years ago, I would imagine a spinner is in there. Pick up a 512gb SSD for 150$, and you're set for another 3 + years.

Sorry for abandoning this thread. Yes, the mac mini was upgraded with an ssd and for the last year or so has been having random shut down and mysterious happenings. I run it pretty hard - it's a media/plex server and I edit video on it, so I think it's lived it's life and isn't worth the trip the the apple store
 

Yuriman

Diamond Member
Jun 25, 2004
5,530
141
106
Computers really shouldn't last only 3 years. My father is still using a machine I put together in 2006, and I ran Folding@Home ( 100% loaded 24/7) on it for years. I still have a few boxes from <2005 floating around, too. I'd call it defective, and that's the type of thing warranty should cover.

That said, it really depends on your budget. An i7 machine is probably more performance per dollar than an i3, considering there are so many fixed costs.
 
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VirtualLarry

No Lifer
Aug 25, 2001
56,570
10,200
126
Computers really shouldn't last only 3 years.

Depends. I've built budget boxes for people, using "case PSUs", and sometimes, those simply are DOA, or die within a few years. Then again, a PSU with a five-year warranty cost as much as a quarter to half of their total system cost, so you have to keep everything in perspective.

I've had in OEM branded rigs with failed PSUs too, at around the 4-5-6 year mark. Or especially, after a thunderstorm.

I would say five years is a good lifespan for a PC, with some PCs needing a new HDD or PSU within three years.

This is all talking about desktops. Cheap laptops like Acers, sometimes last hardly more than a year.