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PC for video editing (Adobe Premiere Pro)

A

alvalol

Junior Member
Hello everyone,

I'm looking for some advice. I want to build a PC that I would use mostly for Adobe Premiere Pro and some other tools for video and photo editing (After Effects, DaVinci Resolve). Some casual gaming, maybe, but that's not essential at all. I don't care if I can't go max graphics, etc.

I've been thinking about this :
- Processor i7 3770k or i7 3930k
- GTX 670, GT 660i or GTX680.
- 16 GB RAM minimum.

I'm a noob, but from what I undestand, the things I listed are pretty good for video editing. My budget is 2000$ max (with tax).

I would like some advice and tips if possible. Any builds that you could think of would be really appreciated.
Thanks! Keep in mind that I'm in Canada. Just in case.

Thanks again!
 
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If I recall correctly the next version of Adobe will work with either AMD or nVidia cards. I'd double check and see which ones perform better for the buck.

Is color important for you? If so, you'll need professional level monitors. At the very least Dell/HP and at the upper levels Eizo and NEC. Multiple monitors would probably improve your workflow as well. Monitors at this level can eat a budget rather quickly.

You'll also probably need several hard drives, and, if you can afford it, a largish SSD for a thrash drive.

You really need to fill out the form on the sticky if you want better advice.
 
Go watch this guys videos. They were made this year 2013.

He actually does some trial and error with Stats for you to consider. Especially for your Drive setups, Video cards and RAM.

Don't let the first video turn you away from the last two.

He's been a Pro Photographer and Video Production guy for over 20 years or so I think.

Part 1

My Monster Video Editing Computer Build


Part 2

Dave's Monster Computer Speed Tests and Computer Recommendations for DSLR Editing



Part 3 is only like 8 minutes long and has his refined Dive setup with diagrams.

Generic Disk Setup for Premiere Pro and DaVincci Resolve



These might help you with ideas for your build and how to set it up for what you're going to be using it for.
 
I have seen dino computer run that program and Photoshop and a illustrator so I don't know if you need all that for a video editing computer.
 
xXdragonbatXX said:
I have seen dino computer run that program and Photoshop and a illustrator so I don't know if you need all that for a video editing computer.
Click to expand...
Depends entirely on what he is doing, a faster computer is going to make working with large files much easier. And if he is doing some actually video work it will be much quicker in encoding.
 
Hey guys, thanks for your answers. I just checked the sticky. Sorry for not posting this earlier.

Sporinator, I saw those videos. If I recall correctly, they're very good and they helped me understand what is needed for a video editing computer, but his build is kind off too expensive for me, see below.

Also, keep in mind that this would be my first build and that's why I'm looking for advice so much. I don't want to make any mistakes. I'm doing as much research as I can, but it can get pretty confusing some times. For example, there's multiple models for the same video card. Let's say I choose one model, how do I decide which one to get?

1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.
Adobe Premiere Pro, After Affects.

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread
1800$ Max

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.
Canada

4. IF you're buying parts OUTSIDE the US, please post a link to the vendor you'll be buying from.
We can't be expected to scour the internet on your behalf, chasing down deals in your specific country... Again, help us, help YOU.
On pcpartpicker they find pretty good prices.

5. IF YOU have a brand preference. That means, are you an Intel-Fanboy, AMD-Fanboy, ATI-Fanboy, nVidia-Fanboy, Seagate-Fanboy, WD-Fanboy, etc.
Intel and Nvidia.


6. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.
I could use my LG DVD drives I think? My Monitor, mouse, keyboard and that's about it.

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.
Overclock

8. What resolution, not monitor size, will you be using?
1440x900 is what I'm using now. But I don't know which one I'll be using.

9. WHEN do you plan to build it?
Note that it is usually not cost or time effective to choose your build more than a month before you actually plan to be using it.
I have the money now, I want to build it now!

X. Do you need to purchase any software to go with the system, such as Windows or Blu Ray playback software?
Windows 7 is what I'm using now. I feel comfortable with it. Some people recommend building a new system with Windows 8, but I'm really unsure about that. I don't even know if it works well with CS6.
 
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xXdragonbatXX said:
I have seen dino computer run that program and Photoshop and a illustrator so I don't know if you need all that for a video editing computer.
Click to expand...

Video encoding with a encoder that scales well with cores, like x264, will use every iota of CPU resources given to the encoder.

Define "dino" for me. I tried light encoding Divx or XviD on a Pentium 4 Celeron and it was totally unusable while the encode was being done.
 
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The first thing you'll want is definitely a better monitor. Figure at least $700 for a good 1440p, reasonably well factory-calibrated, color accurate monitor from Dell or HP. The OS is about $100, which thus leaves you with $1000 for the hardware. Fortunately, that is plenty.

Look at mfenn's $1000 build, but get a i7-3770K and get 32GB of RAM instead (get two of these 2x8GB sets; it's a good price for some high quality RAM, even after the shipping charge). To account for the increased spending in these areas, you'll need to get a weaker graphics card; for just light gaming, a $200 card like the GTX 660 is plenty (play on medium with most of the details at 1440p).

Obviously, you're in Canada, but prices are pretty similar, so you'll get an idea of how much each part should cost.
 
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Sleepingforest said:
The first thing you'll want is definitely a better monitor. Figure at least $700 for a good 1440p, reasonably well factory-calibrated, color accurate monitor from Dell or HP. The OS is about $100, which thus leaves you with $1000 for the hardware. Fortunately, that is plenty.

Look at mfenn's $1000 build, but get a i7-3770K and get 32GB of RAM instead. To account for the increased spending in these areas, you'll need to get a weaker graphics card; for just light gaming, a $200 card like the GTX 660 is plenty (play on medium with most of the details at 1440p).

Obviously, you're in Canada, but prices are pretty similar, so you'll get an idea of how much each part should cost.
Click to expand...

If he doesnt need accurate colour reproduction getting a standard IPS monitor would be much cheaper than a professional level monitor.
 
Monitor wise, I'm set. I can borrow any for colorization, and I already have two that I used for other projects. So don't worry about that. It's really the tower I need advice for.

Thanks again.
 
In that case, my advice would be to get a larger, faster SSD (256GB or even 512GB). They are extremely helpful as scratch space. Make sure you max out the RAM, because video editing will take everything it can get. I would stay with the lower power GPU since gaming your primary purpose, unless you KNOW your programs can use more CUDA cores or something. Get a better, quieter case like the Fractal R4.

Remember to get Win7 Pro: the Home Premium edition is artificially locked down to 16GB of RAM. Also, keep in mind that you don't have to spend all your budget; saving some for later upgrades is probably prudent.
 
Adobe Premiere Pro does use CUDA, that's why I'm having a hard time choosing which video card I should buy.

I am not trying to spend all my money, but if a good build required me to, I guess I would. I heard about Fractal cases, I might get one as well.

Thanks sleepingforest.
 
If you need CUDA, a GPU from the last generation (Fermi and the GTX 5xx series) is better than the Kepler 6xx cards, which have a greatly reduces compute ability.
 
Sleepingforest said:
The first thing you'll want is definitely a better monitor. Figure at least $700 for a good 1440p, reasonably well factory-calibrated, color accurate monitor from Dell or HP. The OS is about $100, which thus leaves you with $1000 for the hardware. Fortunately, that is plenty.

Look at mfenn's $1000 build, but get a i7-3770K and get 32GB of RAM instead (get two of these 2x8GB sets; it's a good price for some high quality RAM, even after the shipping charge). To account for the increased spending in these areas, you'll need to get a weaker graphics card; for just light gaming, a $200 card like the GTX 660 is plenty (play on medium with most of the details at 1440p).

Obviously, you're in Canada, but prices are pretty similar, so you'll get an idea of how much each part should cost.
Click to expand...

Is he building a Laptop?
 
alvalol said:
X. Do you need to purchase any software to go with the system, such as Windows or Blu Ray playback software?[/B]
Windows 7 is what I'm using now. I feel comfortable with it. Some people recommend building a new system with Windows 8, but I'm really unsure about that. I don't even know if it works well with CS6.
Click to expand...


From here: http://www.adobe.com/products/creativesuite/faq.html



Do any of the Adobe Creative Suite 5.5 or CS6 applications require updates to be compatible with Windows 8?

At this time, none of the CS5.5 or CS6 applications require updates to be compatible with Windows 8. As long as you have the latest product updates installed there are no additional updates required for Windows 8 compatibility. You can verify that you have the latest updates installed by choosing Help > Check for Updates in the product menu.
 
I was just perusing this forum for a totally different reason, but I do a lot of video editing and I built my rig just a little over a year ago, so I feel compelled to contribute.

Keep in mind my specs reflect what I could afford at the time, so you'll be able to get more bang for your buck now.

CPU: Intel i5 2500K - $200 ish?
Motherboard: ASUS P8Z68-V - something like $150
RAM: 8 GB G.skill (7-7-7-21) - like $50 - i need to get more
Graphics card: AMD Radeon HD 6870 (Sapphire) - $150-200 range
SSD*: 90GB Corsair Force GT - $150 at the time
HDD: 2TB Seagate (plus some other ones) - $120 maybe?
Optical: some ASUS DVD burner - like $18.

For me, this build works great, but it really depends on what projects, exactly, and how frequently, you'll be editing. My 5-year old Core 2 Duo setup worked just fine with captured video from miniDV tapes, but with 1080p video becoming more and more commonplace, I needed something better.

This build satisfies my needs very well: I can easily manipulate 1080p/60fps footage that DESTROYS even a similarly old Macbook Pro with an i7 processor. Why? Is it the graphics card? Probably helps. Is it the RAM? Definitely helps, and I could stand to double what I have, because Premiere can and does eat it.

The real key, though, is the solid state drive. Initially, I intended to simply keep my OS (Windows 7) on it so that it would boot fast and load basic programs quickly (I don't even have the CS programs installed to it, because they take up so much of that precious space). What I didn't expect was what a huge difference it makes when you use it as a scratch disk! I can import these massive files into Premiere super-quickly and scrub through my timeline with practically no lag. It's awesome. And rendering is fast: 5-minute videos (what I tend to work with) render in just a couple of minutes flat. Talk about a time saver. I can also alt-tab around different programs super quickly, and even leave Premiere open and play a game like Far Cry 3 without worrying about a crash.

Problems? Sure. Mainly, Premiere is a hog. I have Premiere set to maximize memory, not performance, because it WILL eat through my 8 gigs within a few hours of heavy editing. And that SSD scratch disk? Yep, it fills up pretty quickly, too. Obviously you can be proactive and erase it when you're done with a project, but the more footage you deal with, the better it is to simply have more. I would recommend putting all of your leftover budget into this area.

Anyway, hope this is somewhat helpful. The good news is that your budget is about twice as large as mine was and I think my rig kicks ass for video editing. So whatever happens, I think you'll be happy with your machine. Cheers!
 
Toupee said:
I was just perusing this forum for a totally different reason, but I do a lot of video editing and I built my rig just a little over a year ago, so I feel compelled to contribute.

Keep in mind my specs reflect what I could afford at the time, so you'll be able to get more bang for your buck now.

CPU: Intel i5 2500K - $200 ish?
Motherboard: ASUS P8Z68-V - something like $150
RAM: 8 GB G.skill (7-7-7-21) - like $50 - i need to get more
Graphics card: AMD Radeon HD 6870 (Sapphire) - $150-200 range
SSD*: 90GB Corsair Force GT - $150 at the time
HDD: 2TB Seagate (plus some other ones) - $120 maybe?
Optical: some ASUS DVD burner - like $18.

For me, this build works great, but it really depends on what projects, exactly, and how frequently, you'll be editing. My 5-year old Core 2 Duo setup worked just fine with captured video from miniDV tapes, but with 1080p video becoming more and more commonplace, I needed something better.

This build satisfies my needs very well: I can easily manipulate 1080p/60fps footage that DESTROYS even a similarly old Macbook Pro with an i7 processor. Why? Is it the graphics card? Probably helps. Is it the RAM? Definitely helps, and I could stand to double what I have, because Premiere can and does eat it.

The real key, though, is the solid state drive. Initially, I intended to simply keep my OS (Windows 7) on it so that it would boot fast and load basic programs quickly (I don't even have the CS programs installed to it, because they take up so much of that precious space). What I didn't expect was what a huge difference it makes when you use it as a scratch disk! I can import these massive files into Premiere super-quickly and scrub through my timeline with practically no lag. It's awesome. And rendering is fast: 5-minute videos (what I tend to work with) render in just a couple of minutes flat. Talk about a time saver. I can also alt-tab around different programs super quickly, and even leave Premiere open and play a game like Far Cry 3 without worrying about a crash.

Problems? Sure. Mainly, Premiere is a hog. I have Premiere set to maximize memory, not performance, because it WILL eat through my 8 gigs within a few hours of heavy editing. And that SSD scratch disk? Yep, it fills up pretty quickly, too. Obviously you can be proactive and erase it when you're done with a project, but the more footage you deal with, the better it is to simply have more. I would recommend putting all of your leftover budget into this area.

Anyway, hope this is somewhat helpful. The good news is that your budget is about twice as large as mine was and I think my rig kicks ass for video editing. So whatever happens, I think you'll be happy with your machine. Cheers!
Click to expand...
One major reason for your jump in encode speed is your CPU.

Laptop i7s are usually dual cores unless they have a Q in their name.
Laptop CPUs are also underclocked processors compared to their desktop counterparts, usually. 2011 Macbook Pros have a 2.8 Ghz i7, for example.

In other words, laptop i7s without a "QM" in its name are practically the equivalent to being underclocked i3s with Turbo Boost.
 
Torn Mind said:
One major reason for your jump in encode speed is your CPU.

Laptop i7s are usually dual cores unless they have a Q in their name.
Laptop CPUs are also underclocked processors compared to their desktop counterparts, usually. 2011 Macbook Pros have a 2.8 Ghz i7, for example.

In other words, laptop i7s without a "QM" in its name are practically the equivalent to being underclocked i3s with Turbo Boost.
Click to expand...

Cool, thanks for the info. I was having a discussion with my boss recently about this—we were really baffled at how ineffective the i7 in that Macbook seems to be. (I didn't purchase it; I've been a desktop builder for the last ten years.)
 
Here's a nice editing build for you. I highly HIGHLY recommend getting a higher resolution monitor than 1440x900.
 
alvalol said:
Monitor wise, I'm set. I can borrow any for colorization, and I already have two that I used for other projects. So don't worry about that. It's really the tower I need advice for.

Thanks again.
Click to expand...

I highly HIGHLY recommend getting a higher resolution monitor than 1440x900. With that in mind, here's a nice editing build for you.

Xeon E3-1230 V2 $240
ASRock H77 Pro4/MVP $80 - IMHO, you're out of your mind if you OC a video editing machine
DDR3 1600 16GB $98
GTX 660 $200
Corsair Neutron 256GB $200
Seagate 2TB 7200 RPM x2 $198
Lite-ON DVD Burner $20
XFX Core 550W $64 AR
Fractal Design R4 $110
Total: $1211 AR

That's a damn good editing machine, but you could double the RAM and add more HDD space as needed. I also wasn't clear on whether or not you needed another copy of Windows, so I didn't include it. If you do need it, make sure that you get Professional so that you can upgrade to 32GB of RAM.
 
Hey mfenn, thanks for the build. It looks good, only thing is the processor that I haven't seen recommended anywhere else. I'll make some research and make my decision. Thanks again!
 
alvalol said:
Hey mfenn, thanks for the build. It looks good, only thing is the processor that I haven't seen recommended anywhere else. I'll make some research and make my decision. Thanks again!
Click to expand...

it is a Xeon which is a server CPU, it is usually more reliable, the downside is you can't over clock them, but they provide better performance than the nonserver CPUs anyway (when comparing to a direct counter part). Basically, for video editing, it will be your best bet.
 
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