What is the best cpu for video editing?

[aigomorla]

Anyone have both that can comment?

there both great chips.

However you need to understand the difference in platforms.

The P55 is not a high end chipset.
The X58 is the high end chipset.

When you dont look at the overclocking, the P55 might actually be a better value, because of the more added features on the newer boards.

If you value overclocking, the X58 is a better platform, as its more geared to overclockers.

From a gamers point, u wont notice a difference until you start scaling on the GPU.

The X58 is a better board for multi GPU platforms. While the P55 will rock your world on a single GPU.

So its really a Toss up.

If i had to pick a machine for video editing however, i would probably grab a X58 because i can have up to 12-24GB of DDR3 on it vs a P55 where its capped at 8-16GB.

Also the extra PCI-E slots you get on a X58 would work nice if you threw in a SAS controller, and threw SSD's on.
Ruby showed me an encoding done purely on SSD's in Raid, and all i had was 1 comment.

OMG.

 

[aamsel]

there both great chips.

However you need to understand the difference in platforms.

The P55 is not a high end chipset.
The X58 is the high end chipset.

When you dont look at the overclocking, the P55 might actually be a better value, because of the more added features on the newer boards.

If you value overclocking, the X58 is a better platform, as its more geared to overclockers.

From a gamers point, u wont notice a difference until you start scaling on the GPU.

The X58 is a better board for multi GPU platforms. While the P55 will rock your world on a single GPU.

So its really a Toss up.

If i had to pick a machine for video editing however, i would probably grab a X58 because i can have up to 12-24GB of DDR3 on it vs a P55 where its capped at 8-16GB.

Also the extra PCI-E slots you get on a X58 would work nice if you threw in a SAS controller, and threw SSD's on.
Ruby showed me an encoding done purely on SSD's in Raid, and all i had was 1 comment.

OMG.

Well, I am never likely to get multiple GPU's, no need for me to for what I do.
I don't really know what the "new stuff" on the P55's is, since USB 3.0 and SATA 6.0 are not out yet. The "magic overclocker" buttons and such, I could not care less about.

I do have some minor concerns about the 1156 Foxconn socket frying issue, and, yes, I know that is only supposed to be in extreme cases, and I do plan to overclock as much as realistically possible.

It would be nice to know if there was a true difference in heat generated at approx. 4GHz between the two?

The 860 is way less idle voltage, but as I said, it would be overclocked.

Would seem nice to use pairs of DIMMS vs triplets, but then more bandwidth and capacity to the triplets as you say.

So what's that +1 or +2 for P55, and +1 or +2 for X58? <grin>

If the whole "mainstream vs enthusiast" comes down to multiple GPU's and memory capacity, then I still am undecided.

 

[u3laptoper]

In my humble opinion,

1) you should be editing on a low-powered efficient computer (saving the cost of electricity)
2) then final output to a powerhouse computer for final rendering and other specialized effects.

3) If your video is not worth any professional value, then overclocking is fine.

4) Some programs, such as After Effects utilize GPU acceleration.

 

[taltamir]

there both great chips.

However you need to understand the difference in platforms.

The P55 is not a high end chipset.
The X58 is the high end chipset.

they're not there.
they're = they are
their = something that belongs to them (their computer, the computer that belongs to them)
there = every other usage (ex: there are many things in my house, my computer is over there, etc).

As for X58 being "higher end", it is also older than P55, and P55 has more stuff integrated into the CPU.
The OC ability really depends on the specific motherboard you get not so much the chipset.

 

[Cattykit]

I'm a 5d mk2 user and you probably know what that means.

Anways, I was in the same boat as you a few weeks ago. I ended up getting i7 860 and it's currently running @ 3.7ghz. I could clock it @ 4.0ghz but it requires much more power so I sacrificed 300mhz for the sake of power and heat.

Either you choose i7 920 or 860, both will be quite equal in terms of performance. 920+X58, however, will give you better upgrade options once 6 core CPUs come along. I didn't go for 920 because I have a habit of using whatever CPU I get at least for a few years; after that a few years, it's usually better to do whole upgrade. In other words, I got i7 860 and will probably do a whole upgrade when 8 core cpus become reality.

BTW, what matters is not 860 or 920. What matters is GPU not because of what it does for video editing now but because of what it'll abe able to do in the recent future. CS5 suite is believed to have CUDA support and more NLE programs and plug-ins are, finally, taking advantage of CUDA. For now, CUDA is the deal and that means you're stuck with Nvidia cards. For that I reommand GT 240 for its great CUDA support and low power consumption. GT 240 might be regarded as the shit card by the people who think the term GPU stand for Game Processing Unit but for NLE people, it's the best deal before Fermi takes off.

 

[jvroig]

they're not there.
they're = they are
their = something that belongs to them (their computer, the computer that belongs to them)
there = every other usage (ex: there are many things in my house, my computer is over there, etc).

As for X58 being "higher end", it is also older than P55, and P55 has more stuff integrated into the CPU. The OC ability really depends on the specific motherboard you get not so much the chipset.

A grammar + technology lesson in one concise post? I'm sufficiently impressed

As for the OP: i7 920 gets my vote as well.

 

[ingeborgdot]

So what I am seeing is that the 920 MAY give me a little more but in the long run I would not really notice any difference except that I would actually save a little because of the power savings the 860 would give me.

 

[jvroig]

Pretty much, but the sockets differ, and choosing a 1366 over a 1156 makes more sense, in my opinion, if you look consider future upgrades on it.

Of course, if you always replace your board in every upgrade, then maybe you are better off with a cheaper lynnfield processor and mobo.

 

[Cattykit]

Yes, i7 920 will give you more options to upgrade in the long run. However, if you're like me, you will want to do a whole (cpu+motherboard+possibly ram) upgrade.

The power saving is a quite more on 860 but some say it's not much when both 920 and 860 are equally overeclocked. If you google it, I think you can find benchmarks for that. Keep it mind 860 has embedded north-bridge unlike 920 which means, if process power consumption is equal, whole system power consumption is lower on 860.

 

[taltamir]

Pretty much, but the sockets differ, and choosing a 1366 over a 1156 makes more sense, in my opinion, if you look consider future upgrades on it.

Of course, if you always replace your board in every upgrade, then maybe you are better off with a cheaper lynnfield processor and mobo.

the problem with that is, those future upgrades are all going to be 300+$ at the very least.
Intel is segregating the market into "very expensive" on the 1366 and the mainstream on the 1156 (there is another socket for budget).

Also, CPU upgrades while keeping mobo are rare.

 

[cmdrdredd]

I would really like to know which is better for this between the 860 or 920,
if there is any real difference? But, to do that we would have to not have
people who own 920's recommending the 920 and people who own 860's doing
the same for their chip.

Anyone have both that can comment?

Overclocking or no? That IS a HUGE determining factor here for my recommendation. The 860 runs higher speed with more agressive Turbo performance than the 920. However, the 920 can overclock better on lower voltages. So in turn if you overclock I'd say 920 because it will hit 4Ghz at lower voltages that will help curb the heat output a bit.

 

[KamiXkaze]

Core i7 920 makes the most sense, however to suggest that X component will lead to future proofing I don't think so. Maybe in 6 months to a year, but the further out you go the less likely that concept becomes valid.

kXk

 

[luv2increase]

I believe the Core i7 920 would be your best option. If you have the money and do not care to wait another 2-3 months, I would get the 6core/12thread variant. Granted, it will most likely be $1000, but those extra 4 threads will do you well with the "correct" software that will fully utilize those 12 threads.

You also need to remember that OpenCL, DirectCompute 10 & 11, ATI Stream & Nvidia CUDA are all going to be BIG players in the video editing/transcoding software that will be being released over the next year or 2. When they learn how to efficiently utilize CUDA cores and Stream processors, "ANY" CPU will have no chance.

Everything is in a transition right now to GPGPU so you most likely should have started a thread on which GPU is best for video editing.

You should heavily consider purchasing a DX11 GPU. Since you aren't into multi-GPU setups, I would consider the 5850, 5870, 5970 or the GTX360/GTX380 when they debut. Do not buy a DX10 GPU now because you won't be able to reap the benefits of DirectCompute 11 which AMD is pushing software developers extremely hard right now to implement in the media software.

 

[Viditor]

The correct answer should be different questions...
1. What kind of video editing?
2. What's the best platform for $XX.XX?

Will you be doing much rendering of efx, transitions, layers or keys?
Is it for a professional setup?
What is the software platform you're planning to use?

 

[ingeborgdot]

Football video editing, home movies video editing.
I use Sony Vegas Pro.

As for future proofing one thing I found out that future proofing usually only goes into a year or so to the future. There are so many things that change every day that is not a viable thing to me. There really is no such thing as future proofing.

I will do some OC but with the MSI board I want and the reviews that talk about it their onboard OC button is a great deal. OC to 3.4 with one push will do all I need which is all I want anyway.

After reading the reviews and checking the power consumption ratings the 860 will give me exactly what I want. Much lower power consumption and an OC to 3.4 with the push of a button and it will be every bit as good as a 920.

 

[jvroig]

After reading the reviews and checking the power consumption ratings the 860 will give me exactly what I want. Much lower power consumption and an OC to 3.4 with the push of a button and it will be every bit as good as a 920.

Note that overclocking can greatly increase power consumption, depends on the chip and how high of an overclock we are talking about. I'm not sure if the 860 reaches 920 power levels when overclocked to 3.4, I just hope you took that into account when you researched the power levels, or at least looked at the power levels when already overclocked.

 

[ingeborgdot]

Can anyone tell me how a 920 future proofs me more than the newer 860? That confuses me.

 

[aigomorla]

Can anyone tell me how a 920 future proofs me more than the newer 860? That confuses me.

920 -> possible upgrade is Gulftown 6c/12t -> And then a possible 8c/16t in the future.

860 -> 2c/4t -> 4c + GPU -> 4c/8t ->End

U have the possibility to double your cpu power on the LGA1366 platform over the LGA1156 platform.

 

[Spicedaddy]

I would really like to know which is better for this between the 860 or 920,
if there is any real difference? But, to do that we would have to not have
people who own 920's recommending the 920 and people who own 860's doing
the same for their chip.

Anyone have both that can comment?

860 if you want cheaper motherboards and lower power consumption, 920 if you want the triple channel ram and upgrade path to 6-cores.

 

[ingeborgdot]

By the time 6 cores is a viable option and that has anything that takes advantage of it I will be in the game for a new mobod and cpu anyway. That will be at least 2 to 3 years down the road.