Desktop for video editing

[chrismard]

I am in need of a beast for video editing...specifically 1080p. I am looking for suggestings on a rig.

Considering the dell xps 8300. Is 8gb enough or should I go for 12? Does it really matter what video card I get since I am not doing gaming? It seems some editing software claims gpu acceleration with nvidia cards. Anyone know how upgradable this is. Dell's site doesn't indicate what ports /bays are available. I notice that firewire is missing. I still need that for analog video.

I could save several hundred dollars by going with a dx4860 gateway.....but am I asking for trouble? When I went to the support page for this 4 month old unit it had only the basic drivers, no manual, no faq's and no user forum. Is gateway support that bad?

Another option is an HP h8-1020. A little concerned that hp is going to sell off its pc business. Should I be?

btw...all the models have intel core i7-2600 processors.

 

[gmaster456]

Gateways are fine. I have a couple around here and they both work fine. *Knock on wood*. You say you want a rig thats good at crunching 1080p video. How often are you editing? Is it a job where time is money? To answer some of your other questions. 8 gigs is plenty. You could even go for 4 or 6.

 

[Harvey]

Gateways are fine. I have a couple around here and they both work fine. *Knock on wood*. You say you want a rig thats good at crunching 1080p video. How often are you editing? Is it a job where time is money? To answer some of your other questions. 8 gigs is plenty. You could even go for 4 or 6.

I beg to differ for a couple of reasons:

1. Almost all ready built machines from any maker come with undersized power supplies. I'm helping a friend with an HP desktop with a Phenom II X4 820 and 8 GB of RAM and onboard video. It came with a puny 300 watt PSU, which is far smaller than I would recommend for that basic setup. If he wants to add a serious vid card to play games, the CPU and RAM are nice, but that PSU will let him down in hurry. The same would be true for video editing where, in addition to your video demands, you may often be accessing multiple drives.

Some of them, including this HP, also have these cutsey flip down front panels in front of the optical drive that won't allow you to install anything other than a burner. I wanted to install a mobile rack to hold a backup drive, and it wouldn't allow it

2. Of all the ready built brands, Gateway truly sucks the most! I've run into more grief dealing with friends' Gateways than about any other current ready built brand.

If you ever need drivers or other data about your machine, especially if it's over a year old and out of warranty, it's a toss up whether you'll find it by simply searching for the model or part number. Their site is a bad joke, and you can count on being the butt of it when you need it most.

If you phone them for support, even when your machine is still under warranty, the first thing they'll try to do is sell you an extended warranty. I know. It happened when I was helping another friend who was stuck with one of their POS machines, which also had a puny PSU.

If you know what you need for your work, build it. You'll know what you've got to start, and everything in it will be in a standard form factor that is easily replaceable and/or upgradable, and you won't be tied to any brand specific drivers or burdensome, bloated software.

 

[chrismard]

No..its home videos....but I make them quite often. Not too worried about encoding speed...just don't want any timeline slowdowns.

The Dell has a 460 watt power supply so that should be fine. The HP is only 300 watts but the Gateway is 500 watts. Still, gateways lack of driver support concerns me as I hold onto computers for 6 or 7 years.

 

[Harvey]

Build what you want, and you'll know that every component and every piece of software is what you want, and you can replace or upgrade any individual component as the need arises. Between Fry's B&M stores and Newegg and other good online vendors, you may find enough stuff on special over a few weeks that you'll probably pay less, as well.

If you're a college student, or you have a relative or friend who is, you can save a bundle on Win 7 Pro with Microsoft's offer for students for $30. You need a .edu e-mail address to qualify.

Note -- I'm a moderator which is why I can see that you're posting from an area with Fry's stores.

 

[gmaster456]

I beg to differ for a couple of reasons:

1. Almost all ready built machines from any maker come with undersized power supplies. I'm helping a friend with an HP desktop with a Phenom II X4 820 and 8 GB of RAM and onboard video. It came with a puny 300 watt PSU, which is far smaller than I would recommend for that basic setup. If he wants to add a serious vid card to play games, the CPU and RAM are nice, but that PSU will let him down in hurry. The same would be true for video editing where, in addition to your video demands, you may often be accessing multiple drives.

Some of them, including this HP, also have these cutsey flip down front panels in front of the optical drive that won't allow you to install anything other than a burner. I wanted to install a mobile rack to hold a backup drive, and it wouldn't allow it

2. Of all the ready built brands, Gateway truly sucks the most! I've run into more grief dealing with friends' Gateways than about any other current ready built brand.

If you ever need drivers or other data about your machine, especially if it's over a year old and out of warranty, it's a toss up whether you'll find it by simply searching for the model or part number. Their site is a bad joke, and you can count on being the butt of it when you need it most.

If you phone them for support, even when your machine is still under warranty, the first thing they'll try to do is sell you an extended warranty. I know. It happened when I was helping another friend who was stuck with one of their POS machines, which also had a puny PSU.

If you know what you need for your work, build it. You'll know what you've got to start, and everything in it will be in a standard form factor that is easily replaceable and/or upgradable, and you won't be tied to any brand specific drivers or burdensome, bloated software.

I'm all for building your own rig as much as the next guy and under other circumstances would have recommend it. But this thread isn't about that, this guy wants a prebuilt, and as far as my own experience goes, I've had good luck with gateways. They are just subsidiaries of ACER. Same parts, same support etc. Also, There was nothing mentioned about gaming in the OP. So a 300w PSU is plenty for said hardware.

 

[gmaster456]

No..its home videos....but I make them quite often. Not too worried about encoding speed...just don't want any timeline slowdowns.

The Dell has a 460 watt power supply so that should be fine. The HP is only 300 watts but the Gateway is 500 watts. Still, gateways lack of driver support concerns me as I hold onto computers for 6 or 7 years.

If thats the case, An i5 2500 is plenty.

 

[chrismard]

Yep...spent lots of money at Frys. I certainly could build a pc...I have done that in the past. Didn't have good luck on the system last time....many bios/startup issues . Don't have the time to futz with a home built system.

 

[Harvey]

Yep...spent lots of money at Frys. I certainly could build a pc...I have done that in the past. Didn't have good luck on the system last time....many bios/startup issues . Don't have the time to futz with a home built system.

Well sh8 howdy! At least, you came to at least one of the right places for good info.

Check forums, like our Audio/Video & Home Theater and Video Cards and Graphics forums. Maybe it will inspire you to try again.

 

[chrismard]

I need firewire and would like usb 3 ports. Are there no prebuilts with them? Certainly not dell.

 

[dclive]

A Mac (like a Macbook Pro, $999 at Microcenter) would be a wonderful choice, since iMovie is built in, and for most home use that is more than enough.

If you do want a PC, I'd check out techbargains.com, gotapex.com, and slickdeals.net and get the cheapest i7 or quad-i5 that you can.

You need to determine if the software you want to use will take advantage of a high-end video card. If so, obviously buy that card. If you don't think you'll be speed-dependent, though, the concern doesn't make sense, and even Intel's built-in video 'card' is fine.

If you're just doing basic (home) editing, 4GB or 8GB is fine.

Honestly, getting software you really like is better than worrying about tiny differences in hardware or most other details. Find the software you really like, whether Mac or PC, and then from there go with a good deal from one of the sites I listed.

I wouldn't worry about power supplies. Dell/HP/etc. have been in the business a long time, and that 300W to 350W PSU has been a standard for a long time. CPU power used is going down, not up, and so it's less and less of a concern, especially if you aren't piling in monsterous graphics cards and 5-8 hard drives into a single system; if you DO do those things, get a 400W - 500W PSU.

Dell is happy to put a USB3 card into their PCs.