Photo/Video Editing PC

[MarkBarbieri]

My PC is getting a bit old and my Windows install is getting pretty nasty. I'm planning to hold out until the Fall when Windows 7 is available. I'll do a new hardware and software build at that point. I'm starting my research now so that I'll be ready to order by October (I'm kind of slow). I plan to keep my existing case and power supply. I'll use some extra drives from a NAS that is being upgraded.

I'm not all that plugged in to current PC hardware technology. Can someone look over my proposed build and give me a sanity check? I want to use this for photo and video editing/rendering, so I'll be pushing large volumes of data and using a lot of CPU. I don't need a great gaming video card, but one with a GPU that could help with H.264 rendering (if they make such a thing) would be great.

Here is what I have spec'd so far:

Motherboard - Asus P6T Deluxe V2 ($290)

Processor - Intel Core i7 ($280)

RAM - 6x2gb Corsair XMS3 DDR3 1600 ($230)

Video Card - ?, I've been told that the NVidia Quadro series is what I want for video because it has good Open GL support, but I suspect that it is only useful for heavy video effects generation (which I don't do).

Storage - ?, I'm tempted to buy a 3Ware 9650SE-8LPML and build a 6 disk RAID 6 array of 750 meg drives. The card is $520. I'm not sure if the extra performance and RAID 6 are worth going that route vs the motherboard RAID chip.

Boot Drive - Is it worth buying a SSD? A 15,000 RPM drive? Just stick with a cheap and reliable 7,200 RPM drive?

OS - Windows 7, but what version? I don't need to connect to a domain. What advantage is there to buying a version other than Home Premium? I haven't tried the beta, but my friends all love it.

Any other advice for a video editing platform? I suppose I should check out what Apple has to offer, but I'm so deep into Windows software that it would probably be prohibitively expensive and inconvenient to make the switch.

 

[bostran1]

Mark,
Unfortunately, I can't give you any critiques or suggestions about the PC. However, Apple does have some great options available starting at $1,999 for laptops and $1,499 for a desktop with 24-inch screen. For video, you could give iMovie a shot but I bet you would be more of a Final Cut user. Final Cut Express goes for $200 more. One other thing to keep in mind with Apple is that they will teach you how to use your computer and any Apple software you purchase. Its a great program called One-to-One training. I know its a big switch but there are many people making the switch nowadays.

Send me a PM if you're interested and I am happy to help out if you want more information on what Apple has to offer.

 

[JR6ooo4]

sorry, its been way too long since I built a few PCs...

try the PC Gamer site/forum... for great info on current deals and hardware capabilities.

Mikeee

 

[MarkBarbieri]

Mark,
Unfortunately, I can't give you any critiques or suggestions about the PC. However, Apple does have some great options available starting at $1,999 for laptops and $1,499 for a desktop with 24-inch screen. For video, you could give iMovie a shot but I bet you would be more of a Final Cut user. Final Cut Express goes for $200 more. One other thing to keep in mind with Apple is that they will teach you how to use your computer and any Apple software you purchase. Its a great program called One-to-One training. I know its a big switch but there are many people making the switch nowadays.

Send me a PM if you're interested and I am happy to help out if you want more information on what Apple has to offer.

I think I'm going to stay away from Macs for now. I have a dozen PC's in the house and car and I like to keep them all on one platform. Also, Macs are a bit too closed for my tastes. I'm constantly adding and upgrading parts on my PC and my understanding is that the Mac world doesn't provide the same level of tinkering options. Then again, if Windows 7 turns out to be as bad as Vista, I may be looking at alternatives.

sorry, its been way too long since I built a few PCs...

try the PC Gamer site/forum... for great info on current deals and hardware capabilities.

Mikeee

I'm sticking to photography/video sites for advice. I worked with some hardcore gamers and while they offer generally good advice, they have a hard time seeing the world from anything but a gamer perspective. A video editing PC and a gaming PC are very different (or at least they were back when I knew more about PC technology).

I have to admit that after looking at this stuff for a couple of days, I'm less sure that I want to bother with a major upgrade. I'm less confident now that the real world performance improvements are going to be worth the cost. I like shiny, new, cool stuff, but I also like my money.

 

[JR6ooo4]

PC world testing said windows 7 was not that much faster than vista. so even that is confusing things more.

Mikeeee

 

[pjacobi]

I've always had good luck with ASUS motherboard, so the P6T should do you well.

6x2Gb seems a little much. I suggest 3x2GB to start and upgrade when 4Gb sticks become available. You will need the 64-bit version of Windows 7. It's due to be available for download via MSDN is a couple weeks.

Most video cards have plenty of power. Look for the best single-slot solution. Consider an ASUS video card.

Instead of RAID, I suggest two identical drives. Leave the second drive powered-off, except when doing weekly ghost backup. Unlike RAID, this will protect you from a virus and disk corruption, plus provides an immediate spare in the case of head crash. Western Digital Velociraptors are the fastest SATA disk available, but only 300Gb.


-Paul