Specs For A Basic Video Editing PC?

[bob4432]

Originally posted by: DaFinn

Originally posted by: Matthias99

Originally posted by: VTrider

Originally posted by: Accord99
Get two HDs (but don't RAID them), so you can have one drive reading and the other writing. Should greatly improve performance for anytime you have streaming operations with a large video file.

Are you saying this would move large video files faster than a RAID 0 array?

Depends on what you're doing and what the array is attached to.

RAID0 (I'm assuming a 2-disk RAID0) doubles the STR of the disks involved. If you were reading from and writing to the same RAID0 (since your system sees it like a single hard drive), you'd run into the same problem as with two drives on the same channel -- the disks can't read and write simultaneously, so it greatly drops your throughput (and it also puts a lot of extra strain on the read/write heads, as they have to seek back and forth constantly while this is going on). In this case, you might actually be better off with two separate drives.

However, loading a file from the RAID0, or writing a file to the RAID0 (if the source was another drive in the system) would be faster. Fastest of all would be to have two RAID0s, and read from one and write to the other. But you would need one to be attached to the chipset directly, or else the limited PCI bus bandwidth would start to constrain you (or you would need both to be on PCI-X or PCI Express buses, which have more bandwidth to begin with).

2 disks is better than 1 OR raid 0 array. And SCSI is better then anything previously mentioned.

In my personal videoediting machine i have:
P4 3,4Ghz
1Gb RAM
Adaptec SCSI card + 10Krpm scsi drive for os and applications
2x 120Gb 7200rpm/8Mb cache SATA drives in raid 1 for storage
DVD+-RW
Terratec GF FX5900 Ultra VIVO 256Mb
in additon I have external 200Gb drive for extra storage.

I find the machine to be more responsive under heavy load w. SCSI disk!

scis, scsi, scsi, scsi

 

[JoshRtek3]

I'm currently spec'ing-out a system for video editing. Here's what I've come up with:

CPU: Intel Pentium 4 3.4 GHz
Case: Lian-Li PC-61 Midtower Alumnium
DVD+-ROM: NEC 16X Double Layer DVD±RW Drive
DVD-ROM: Asus DVD-E616P1 16X DVD-ROM / 48X CD-ROM Drive
Floppy Drive: Sony FD MPF9201121-1/MPF920-Z (Z/121) 6082 1.44MB 3.5in Floppy Disk Drive
Hard Drives:

System: Western Digital Caviar SE WD1200JD 250 GB Serial ATA 7200 RPM
A/V Scratch: 2 x Western Digital Caviar SE WD2500JD 250 GB Serial ATA 7200 RPM

Memory: Kingston KVR400X64C3AK2/2G 2GB Kit DDR400 PC3200 Memory
Motherboard: Asus P5AD2-E Premuim 925XE Chipset Socket 775
Power: Antec TruePower True430 430W Power Supply
Sound Card: Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Sound Card
Video Card: Asus Extreme AX800XT/2DT Radeon X800XT PCI Express 256MB

I'll be running Avid Xpress Pro version 4.6. Any other suggestions? I plan on raid the A/V scratch disks in RAID 0. I'm also thinking of swapping the system drive to a Raptor 74 GB instead of the WD 250 GB 7200 RPM. What do you all think? Thanks!

 

[bob4432]

Originally posted by: JoshRtek3
I'm currently spec'ing-out a system for video editing. Here's what I've come up with:

CPU: Intel Pentium 4 3.4 GHz
Case: Lian-Li PC-61 Midtower Alumnium
DVD+-ROM: NEC 16X Double Layer DVD±RW Drive
DVD-ROM: Asus DVD-E616P1 16X DVD-ROM / 48X CD-ROM Drive
Floppy Drive: Sony FD MPF9201121-1/MPF920-Z (Z/121) 6082 1.44MB 3.5in Floppy Disk Drive
Hard Drives:

System: Western Digital Caviar SE WD1200JD 250 GB Serial ATA 7200 RPM
A/V Scratch: 2 x Western Digital Caviar SE WD2500JD 250 GB Serial ATA 7200 RPM

Memory: Kingston KVR400X64C3AK2/2G 2GB Kit DDR400 PC3200 Memory
Motherboard: Asus P5AD2-E Premuim 925XE Chipset Socket 775
Power: Antec TruePower True430 430W Power Supply
Sound Card: Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Sound Card
Video Card: Asus Extreme AX800XT/2DT Radeon X800XT PCI Express 256MB

I'll be running Avid Xpress Pro version 4.6. Any other suggestions? I plan on raid the A/V scratch disks in RAID 0. I'm also thinking of swapping the system drive to a Raptor 74 GB instead of the WD 250 GB 7200 RPM. What do you all think? Thanks!

make the system drive scsi - u160 card - $30, 10k rpm u320 68 pin 74GB Hdd - $220 and cable - $10-15 off ebay.

 

[mogli]

With all due respecti to SCSI, is it truly necessary for video editing. I wanted to know b/c I also wanted to rig a system up and I got reg. IDE Hdd (WD 200GB), will I not be able to perform the editing properly?

Here's the spec on the rig.

DYNAPOWER Metis Series Beige/Light Blue ATX Mid Tower Case with 430W Power supply
Model "CS-I3ALB.701" -RETAIL
$29.00


ASUS "K8N-E Deluxe" NVIDIA nForce3 Chipset Motherboard For AMD Socket 754 CPU -RETAIL

$119.00


AMD Athlon 64 2800+, 512KB L2 Cache, 64-bit Processor - Retail
$127.00


Corsair Value Select (Dual Pack) 184 Pin 512MBx2 DDR PC-3200 - OEM
Speed: DDR400(PC3200)
Cas Latency: 2.5
$146.27


NEC 16X Double Layer DVD±RW Drive, Black, Model ND-3500A BK, OEM
$68.00

I already have a 200GB WD HD from BF @ OM for $50.00
and a Mad Dog FX5200 Video card also from BF @ CompUSA for $30.00

Total = $596 @ newegg

 

[JoshRtek3]

With all due respecti to SCSI, is it truly necessary for video editing. I wanted to know b/c I also wanted to rig a system up and I got reg. IDE Hdd (WD 200GB), will I not be able to perform the editing properly?

It really depends on what you're editing. If you're editing uncompressed BetaSP, DigiBeta or HDCAM, then by all means, yes, you need SCSI. But if you're just editing MiniDV or DVCAM (a.k.a. DV25) then you absolutely do not need SCSI. Remember that, when using firewire, DV comes in at 3.5 MB/sec, which most ATA/100 drives should support.

Now, my only delimma is going with either a 250 GB 7200 RPM Serial ATA drive or the 74 GB 10,000 RPM Raptor for my system drive. I like the speed of the Raptor, but I want more space... Any suggestions?

 

[JoshRtek3]

Oh, and another little tidbit for those of you going into video editing...

If space is not a problem, then CRT monitors are actually preferred by video editors. They reproduce colors much better than their LCD counterparts. They, do, however, take up a lot of space and use a lot more power, but at least you can switch resolutions. And they're CHEAP!

 

[olds]

How is the 128MB PCI Express x16 (DVI/VGA/TV-out) ATI Radeon? X300 SE video card? It seems to come in the perfabber machines.

 

[JoshRtek3]

As long as it supports Open GL, you should be fine. All the big-name editing programs are designed to use Open GL (Avid Xpress Pro, Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premiere Pro).

 

[bob4432]

for those that have used adobe premiere and avid xpress, which do you like better and why?

thanks

 

[olds]

While I am not a Compaq fan, what do you guys think of adding a video card to this system?
http://shop3.outpost.com/produ...sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

 

[jvarszegi]

Originally posted by: JoshRtek3
Oh, and another little tidbit for those of you going into video editing...

If space is not a problem, then CRT monitors are actually preferred by video editors. They reproduce colors much better than their LCD counterparts. They, do, however, take up a lot of space and use a lot more power, but at least you can switch resolutions. And they're CHEAP!

I believe you. I have a 2001FP, and I'm wondering how effective it will be at mucking about with digital photographs. Can I improve the color of it by getting one of those color calibrators, or is it not worth it?

 

[bob4432]

Originally posted by: JoshRtek3

With all due respecti to SCSI, is it truly necessary for video editing. I wanted to know b/c I also wanted to rig a system up and I got reg. IDE Hdd (WD 200GB), will I not be able to perform the editing properly?

It really depends on what you're editing. If you're editing uncompressed BetaSP, DigiBeta or HDCAM, then by all means, yes, you need SCSI. But if you're just editing MiniDV or DVCAM (a.k.a. DV25) then you absolutely do not need SCSI. Remember that, when using firewire, DV comes in at 3.5 MB/sec, which most ATA/100 drives should support.

Now, my only delimma is going with either a 250 GB 7200 RPM Serial ATA drive or the 74 GB 10,000 RPM Raptor for my system drive. I like the speed of the Raptor, but I want more space... Any suggestions?

250GB 7200 pata/sata, no real reason to go with sata unless all of your regular ide channels are filled up and usually everybody has the pata stuff onsale. for what you are doing, i don't think the additional speed would be worth the sacrifice in storage.

as far BetaSP, DigiBeta or and of the true high quality formats - i have never used them. if i get a BetaSP tape, i have it converted to minidv. i run a 10K rpm 36GB scsi drive that has the os and all the apps on it, and use a larger 80GB for scratch disk and also video storage. i will soon be acquiring two 160+GB pata drives since they are so cheap. as far as performance, i can "feel" that the scsi takes less cpu and runs quickly, and my computer gets used a lot. for the cost of a card ($30 - lsi u160), 36GB 10K rpm drive and cable, i felt the cost was worth the added performance, but when you start looking at 10K rpm 74GB scsi drives they are ~$200, which is pretty steep. newegg has the 146GB ones for $620, definately out of my price range. i feel a fast system drive is good, even a single 15Krpm 36GB would be nice, albeit a little expensive mated with a couple of large pata drives make a excellent, reliable and moderately priced setup. my .02

 

[gsellis]

Originally posted by: JoshRtek3
As long as it supports Open GL, you should be fine. All the big-name editing programs are designed to use Open GL (Avid Xpress Pro, Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premiere Pro).

If you use Pinnacle suites, DirectX is important. A X300 should be OK, but a X600 is better. I use a 9600XT at the moment (well, actually, I have a borrowed X800 in it) and it is good up to HDV. For the light work it sounds like she is doing, a X300 would be good. The latest ATI drivers are supposed to have significant OpenGL improvements. 3D performance is not important.

EIDE and SATA are fast enough for 1080i HDV also. As for SATA vs PATA, the only big difference you will see currently is ... the cable.

 

[olds]

Originally posted by: oldsmoboat
While I am not a Compaq fan, what do you guys think of adding a video card to this system?
http://shop3.outpost.com/produ...sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

 

[JoshRtek3]

for those that have used adobe premiere and avid xpress, which do you like better and why?

I've used both Avid Xpress DV and Adobe Premiere extensively. I started on Premiere, and I went in kicking and fighting Avid, but now I prefer Avid, hands down. It is a much more mature program, has powerful tools, a an extremely simple and fast interface. Avid is all about keyboard short cuts. I can perform cutting on this program faster than Adobe Premiere or Final Cut Pro. If you have the cash, upgrade to Avid Xpress Pro. It shares many features with Avid's high-end system, the Film and Media Composers. Plus, Avid Xpress Pro has color correction from Avid's finishing program called "Symphony."

I believe you. I have a 2001FP, and I'm wondering how effective it will be at mucking about with digital photographs. Can I improve the color of it by getting one of those color calibrators, or is it not worth it?

Nah, just buy a cheap 19" CRT... It'll work for you much better.

I believe you. I have a 2001FP, and I'm wondering how effective it will be at mucking about with digital photographs. Can I improve the color of it by getting one of those color calibrators, or is it not worth it?

EIDE and SATA are fast enough for 1080i HDV also. As for SATA vs PATA, the only big difference you will see currently is ... the cable.

Is there really no difference between E/IDE and Serial ATA? I though the sustained transfer rates of Serial ATA were much faster than ATA/100. Plus, I'll take that thin cable any deal. I freaking hate IDE ribbon cables...my worst organizational nightmare.

 

[Markfw]

Originally posted by: oldsmoboat

Originally posted by: oldsmoboat
While I am not a Compaq fan, what do you guys think of adding a video card to this system?
http://shop3.outpost.com/produ...sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

Looks OK except needs more memory, but I would go the Athlon64 system above, except a better PSU and a 3200+ cpu instead(the 2800+ would be OK if budget demands it). The PSU change is mandatory, that 430 watt is crap.

 

[Steve]

Originally posted by: JoshRtek3
Is there really no difference between E/IDE and Serial ATA? I though the sustained transfer rates of Serial ATA were much faster than ATA/100. Plus, I'll take that thin cable any deal. I freaking hate IDE ribbon cables...my worst organizational nightmare.

SATA has a max theoretical transfer rate of 150MB/s on the burst, while ATA's best is 133. However those are not sustained speeds, and no ATA drives can transmit that fast off their media. 60-70MB/s at best.

 

[bob4432]

Originally posted by: JoshRtek3Is there really no difference between E/IDE and Serial ATA? I though the sustained transfer rates of Serial ATA were much faster than ATA/100. Plus, I'll take that thin cable any deal. I freaking hate IDE ribbon cables...my worst organizational nightmare.

at this point in the game, sata hdds are basically pata drives with different connectors, except the new 74GB raptors. i still look for big @$$ pata drive because they are so d@mn che@P if you want fast hdds, you go 10K or 15Krpm scsi hdds. but the 15k are so damn expensive, i think it is overkill unless you are rich.

thanks for the info on premier vs avid. maybe i will d/l avid free to get a feel for it. i appreciate the info on xpress pro, but i definately do not need that, my stuff is pretty simple.

 

[bob4432]

Originally posted by: sm8000

Originally posted by: JoshRtek3
Is there really no difference between E/IDE and Serial ATA? I though the sustained transfer rates of Serial ATA were much faster than ATA/100. Plus, I'll take that thin cable any deal. I freaking hate IDE ribbon cables...my worst organizational nightmare.

SATA has a max theoretical transfer rate of 150MB/s on the burst, while ATA's best is 133. However those are not sustained speeds, and no ATA drives can transmit that fast off their media. 60-70MB/s at best.

run hdtach, 60-70MB/s is too generous, mid 40s-mid 50s. i think my 10k rpm 8MB cache u320 main drive going into a u160 lsi card is at about 60MB/s sustained and i have read that the 15k rpm ones are about 70MB/s, but the faster access time is noticeable. just out of curiosity i put in a 60GB IBM Deathstar (fast hdd, but this is the 2nd one i have had, so i don't trust it) and i noticed a difference in gaming (believe it or not, not just loading but also playing) and whenever i do anything that stresses the machine, the cpu overhead of ide vs scsi doesn't sound like much, but you can definately notice it.

 

[olds]

After pricing out parts, I decided to buy one. This way, all warranty work (if needed) will happen with one vendor instead of shipping components off.
I need to add a hdd to it and a fire wire card, both of which I have.
Specs:
Pentium 4 Processor 530 with HT Technology (3.00GHz, 800 FSB, 1MB)
Microsoft Windows XP Home
1 GB DDR2 SDRAM 533MHz (2 DIMMs)
160 GB EIDE SATA Hard Drive (7200 RPM)
128MB PCI Express ATI Radeon X300 SE
56Kbps Data/Fax Modem
16X DVD ROM Drive
16X DVD + RW Drive

 

[gsellis]

That should be fine. I would slap another HDD in it that was greater than 160GB. But hey, you need to save something for a birthday present, right?

If she is using Studio 9, the deal on the Plus pack may still be on. That might be a nice add-on too if she does not have it. It adds multi-track editing and some advanced features. It also has a Ken Burns type still wizard.