Video editing jobbie

jimmy_lazers · 13 Apr 2006 at 20:28

Hi I was wondering if you could help me a spec for an editing system at no money prices. I have an agp 6600gt which I want to reuse as the processor does the main work unless i'm doing 3d-effects(am I right?) I have a new coolermaster case but with a really old 300watt psu. stuff like dvd/cd/monitors/keyboards as well as a good soundcard I have.

I've done a tentative spec based on a dual core with loads of ram (right lines?) I'll add another drive for raid later. I really am very poor and will have to sell stuff I like to get this (I'm a student). I only really play strategy games because I'll be on wirless networks for the next 2 years which are rubbish for fps, so gaming spec not important.

MY-006-OK OcUK Value 2GB (2x1GB) PC3200 184pin DDR Memory Dual Channel Kit (MY-006-OK)
£94.95 £94.95
CA-030-AN Antec TruePower 2.0 430W PSU (CA-030-AN)
£44.95 £44.95
HS-017-AR Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro CPU Cooler (Socket 775) (HS-017-AR)
£15.95 £15.95
OA-004-AC Arctic Ceramique Thermal Compound (2.7g) (OA-004-AC)
£1.95 £1.95
FG-008-AF AcoustiFan C-Series Ultra Quiet 120mm Fan - 3 pin (FG-008-AF)
£7.95 £7.95
MB-016-DF DFI LanParty UT NF3 Ultra (Socket 939) Motherboard (MB-016-DF)
£64.95 £64.95
CP-126-AM AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 4200+ (Socket 939) - Retail (ADA4200BVBOX) (CP-126-AM)
£219.95 £219.95
HD-051-SE Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 NCQ 80GB ST3808110AS SATA-II 8MB Cache - OEM (HD-051-SE)
£30.95 £30.95
Subtotal £481.60
Shipping (City Link Parcel Next Day (Delivered Mon-Fri)) £8.95
VAT £85.85
Total £576.40

My question is can I do this cheaper? Do I need to go dual core? I don't intend to overclock straight away but it would be nice to do in a few years when it cant keep up and needs steroids.

Any advice much apreciated.

Tommy B · 13 Apr 2006 at 20:47

You may want to consider better ram. Although I'm not sure what role the ram plays in video editing, I've got 1GB of Corsair XMS Pro and it's damn fast at video editing. I'm sure the memory gurus will let you know whether it's better to get 1GB of faster ram.

Dual core isn't too important for video editing, at least not at the moment. If you're on a tight budget then ditch it for something cheaper eg 3500+. Your system is mid-spec, so there's no point in having an awesome CPU if you don't have the GPU to utilize it!

That HD is far too small. You'd need at least 160GB tbh. I do video editing and I have an 80GB solely for windows and programmes. I've then got a 250GB and 160GB for projects!

Therfore, IMO... Downgrade processor, upgrade HD, and perhaps stick to 1GB of faster ram. Doing this should lower the price too!

IMPORTANT : If you're doing 3D work, then ignore what I've said above. 2GB is a must and dual core will be useful for future 3D apps.

jimmy_lazers · 13 Apr 2006 at 21:10

I meant 3d transitions and such rather than 3d graphics. i take your point about the processor( its always nice to have someone say 'spend less!') and the drives. One extra question if I may be cheeky! After doing some searching there seems to be an opinion that single core Intels are better than single core Amds for non-gaming. Is this lies?

Oh I forgot to mention- I'll probably end up making the scores and mixing the audio for the film and doing sync'ing and stuff. Acceptable is what I'm after- I know I can't get ideal, Luckily my life doesn't depend upon it.

jimmy_lazers · 13 Apr 2006 at 21:34

how about

CA-030-AN Antec TruePower 2.0 430W PSU (CA-030-AN)
£44.95 £44.95
HS-017-AR Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro CPU Cooler (Socket 775) (HS-017-AR)
£15.95 £15.95
OA-004-AC Arctic Ceramique Thermal Compound (2.7g) (OA-004-AC)
£1.95 £1.95
FG-008-AF AcoustiFan C-Series Ultra Quiet 120mm Fan - 3 pin (FG-008-AF)
£7.95 £7.95
MB-016-DF DFI LanParty UT NF3 Ultra (Socket 939) Motherboard (MB-016-DF)
£64.95 £64.95
CP-150-AM AMD Athlon 64 3700+ San Diego 90nm (Socket 939) - OEM (CP-150-AM)
£119.95 £119.95
HD-046-WD Western Digital Caviar SE16 250GB 2500KS SATA-II 16MB Cache - OEM (HD-046-WD)
£55.50 £55.50
MY-039-CS Corsair 2GB DDR XMS3200PT TwinX (2x1GB) CAS3 (MY-039-CS)
£109.95 £109.95
Subtotal £421.15
Shipping (City Link Parcel Next Day (Delivered Mon-Fri)) £8.95
VAT £75.27
Total £505.37

Tommy B · 14 Apr 2006 at 00:39

IMO that's much better. You won't really see a huge performance boost by getting a better processor. Games benefit most from it.

Energize · 14 Apr 2006 at 03:28

Tommy B said:
IMO that's much better. You won't really see a huge performance boost by getting a better processor. Games benefit most from it.

Erm the cpu is the most important factor in video editing, a faster processor is much better than some faster ram which will wont make a difference in encoding and tbh faster ram doesnt really help much with anything unless your overclocking. You want to buy the fastest cpu you can afford for video encoding, dual core is massivley helpfull with video editing and encoding.
Games benefit mostly from the gpu, the cpu doesnt affect framerates much at all.

Make sure the mobo has an agp slot though most are pci-e.

Tommy B · 14 Apr 2006 at 11:52

The CPU only really affects rendering time, and 2GB ram is much more useful if you're working with high definition video. There also aren't many apps which support dual core atm. I've got an Athlon 64 3500+ and it can render DV-AVI files extremely quickly.

Energize · 14 Apr 2006 at 18:11

Tommy B said:
The CPU only really affects rendering time, and 2GB ram is much more useful if you're working with high definition video. There also aren't many apps which support dual core atm. I've got an Athlon 64 3500+ and it can render DV-AVI files extremely quickly.

I agree 2 gb ram is usefull but getting fast ram over normal ram isnt, video encoding is what he is doing thats why he needs a fast cpu, when you have a lot of filters on the video or high compression settings you need a fast cpu to get it encoded as fast.