Thinking of Building/Buying a PC for Video Editing?

If one is thinking of building, or buying a PC for video editing, Harm Millaard has published an ARTICLE in the Adobe Hardware Forum. He has arranged it such that one can rather pick and choose from three levels of system - beginner, intermediate and full-blown advanced pro-level rig. There have been some advances in hardware, since the article was first published, but with the discussions that follow it, much has been updated.
Harm approaches the computer from the eyes of one using PrPro, but with the exception of the GPU requirements for the Mercury Playback Engine (MPE), PrE will benefit from his suggestions. Be sure to follow all of the links that he offers in that rather longish thread.
Also see his other NLE PC ARTICLE, and his storage requirements ARTICLE.
If one is considering a RAID setup, his RAID ARTICLE will prove very useful.
If one is considering working with external HDD's, then this ARTICLE should be useful.
Hope that this helps people, who are considering a new computer for video editing.
Good luck,
Hunt

Harm Millaard has written an update to his computer ARTICLE, and there is some good discussion in it, as well.
Hope that this helps someone.
Hunt

Similar Messages

  • I would like to build a desk top computer for video editing, business management and online learning and also have a small compatible laptop or tablet or ipad to take to university, Can someone please advise me of the best set up for this?

    I would like to build a desktop computer for video editing, business management and online learning and also have a small laptop, tablet or ipad to take to university, Can someone please advise me of the best set up for this?

    Let's see if I understand this...   You're asking for advice on building a desktop computer, in the Apple developer's forum?  Why not just buy a Mac?

  • Thinking to buy a new 15inch macbook pro retina display. Aim to use it for video editing and compositing... Is ıt worth for it?

    Hi... I am a freelance filmmaker. Now I have 2008 model mac pro and I am thinking to buy a new macbook pro 15 inch retina display. Do you think its worth for it? I aim to use the macbook mainly for video editing, video compositing (after effects) and photo editing. My current old mac pro has 12 GB and the graphics card is ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT 256 MB (Yes I still use it). My main question is, do you think its better to move to macbook pro or upgrading the old one? Making it 32 GB of RAM and buy a new NVIDIA cuda capable graphic card? I dont have enough budget to make it together... Want to hear your suggestions...

    I'm not sure, I've seen pro animators use MBPs but usually with a large monitor. Especially doing video editing, compositing and editing it might make more sense to upgrade the Mac Pro to an SSD as the boot drive. What kind of CPU setup is in your Pro?
    Check these out:
    mac pro SSD upgrades?
    SSD as system disk while users folder + data on HDD
    Early 2008 8-Core Mac Pro GPU Upgrades
    I deal exclusively with OWC. I'd call them and walk them through your system and see what they say.
    What you do takes a lot of CPU, RAM, graphics and boot disk power.
    I've upgraded my two computers to SSDs and the first thing I noticed was that Photoshop CS6 opens in 7 seconds vrs. 50 seconds when the application was on a HDD.

  • Which do you think; Windows 7: 32-bit / 64-bit, (plus unused RAM issues) is best for video editing?

    Hi there!
    Just received delivery of a Lenovo G550 with the following spec:
    2.2Ghz Core 2 Duo,
    4GB (DDR3 - 1066Hz) RAM,
    500GB HDD
    NVIDIA GeForce G210M (512MB)
    Windows 7
    The entire purpose for buying this laptop, was for video editing and it is the best spec I could find for my needs and budget.
    So what's the problem?
    1) Windows 7 is installed as 32-bit, not 64 bit. Why is this? I was given no choice in this decision.
    2) Only 2.96GB of that juicey RAM is being used by Windows 7. I need as much RAM as possible for video editing.
    3) Lenovo sent NO install disc. - When I eventually get a virus or my HDD fails, I have NO WAY to clean install the very product I have just purchased! (A laptop with Windows 7 OS).
    Considerations:
    As I understand it (please comment if there are alternative views on this); The 64-bit architecture is only useful for compatible software which has been designed to run 64-bit.
    The video editing software I use is "Sony Vegas Movie Studio HD 9.0"
    The suggested problems with Windows 7 run as 64-bit include:
    * Possible lack of driver compatibility support.
    * Possibility of 32-bit programs running SLOWER in 64-bit environment, than their native 32-bit environment.
    * Higher running temperatures & processor cooling issues.
    * No performance gains for all other programs running as 32-bit (email, internet browser, etc).
    The suggested advantages with Windows 7 run as 64-bit could be:
    * Full utilisation of the 4GB RAM. (Presently limited to 2.96GB)
    * Faster rendering and video editing tasks in 64-bit environment.
    Questions:
    4) How can I get an install disc for Windows 7? Shouldn't this come with the computer?
    5) Do you think the potential hassle and architecture conflicts are worth suffering, to get the reported performance gains of 64-bit architecture and the remaining unused RAM?
    Thank you for any help and advice!

    contact lenovo support line for windows 7 dvds, but make sure if they send recovery dvds instead of windows 7 dvd.
    most of people are having trouble with installing windows and drivers, so companies has found as this as solution to send recovery dvd -if asked- or using hidden partition to recovery system - like one key recover - instead of.
    but if you ask me, they need to send dvds.
    i'll contact the mods and admins about this issue, please stay connected to this post.
    anyp wrote:
    the member should contact lenovo, as of recently users are entitled to request media for 32 / 64 bit if they purchased one and want the other.

  • My first PC build for video editing purposes

    I have done some research into building my own video editing PC. I want to spend about 800 pounds. I will list some of the components I have so far. Any suggestion would be welcomed and appreciated.
    ASRock Z77 Extreme6 Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) Motherboard - £159.98
    4 x Kingston 4GB 1333MHz DDR3 Non-ECC CL9 DIMM Memory - £12.76 each
    For CPU I am going to wait for the Ivy Bridge Core 17 to come out
    PNY nVIDIA Geforce GTX 570 Graphics Card with 1280MB GDDR5 PCI-Express
    £210.97
    I have heard that it does not matter how fast the RAM is but it is more important how much you have. My Mobo can take 2800 Mhz. I have also heard that the graphic card is important when video editing. It acts as a secondary CPU which enhances the performance.
    Is all the above information correct?
    Thanks
    Dominic

    I have ordered most of my components for pc build for video editing purposes. Here is the list. Any critism would be welcome.
    MOTHERBOARD 
    AsRock Z77 Extreme6 Motherboard (Socket 1155, Intel Z77, Up to 32GB DDR3, ATX, USB 3.0, 4 x SATA3 6.0 Gb/s, 7.1 CH HD Audio with Content Protection)
    £ 145 – Amazon
    CPU
    Intel 3rd Generation Core i7-3770K CPU (4 x 3.50GHz, Ivy Bridge, Socket 1155, 8Mb L3 Cache, Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0)
    £ 230 – Amazon
    RAM
    Corsair CMX16GX3M4A1333C9 XMS 16GB (4x4GB) 1333MHz CL9 DDR3 Four Memory Module Kit
    £70– Amazon
    GPU
    Asus Nvidia GeForce 2GB GTX 670 DirectCU II Graphics Card
    £ 350 – Amazon
    CPS
    OCZ 850W ZX Series PSU 80+ Gold Rated Ultra Quiet Double Ball Bearing Fan and EU Cable (– Pos Probs – cables short especially for CPU. May need CPU extension cables but these are cheap. Also says compatible with Sandy Bridge NOT ivy bridge. Im assuming it is compatible though)
    £ 100 – Amazon
    BLUE RAY 
    LG BH10LS38.AUAU 10x Inter
    £62.00 – Amazon           
    CASE
    BNIB ANTEC 1200 (TWELVE HUNDRED) BLACK STEEL ATX FULL TOWER COMPUTER CASE £ 120 – ebay
    The only thing left to buy are the hard drives. I have decided on a system  of a
    C: Boot drive 500 gb (7200) for the OS
    Pair of drives in RAID 2 x 2 tb
    E: Export drive. Single (7200) 3 tb
    Somebody suggested to me that I should get SSD. However, am I right in saying that these drives, although fast, are too small for video editing purposes and also too expensive? Perhaps I should wait until they get bigger and less expensive. A future upgrade.
    Thanks for any comments in advanced
    Dominic

  • I am planning to buy mac mini 2.5Gzh. I will be using it mainly for video editing and I am planning to upgrade up to 8GB. Is it a good buy or should I try some other alternative.

    I am planning to buy my next desktop. I will be using this mainly for video editing. I am not a professional video editor, I normally do home made videos for youtube, like tutorial, DIY project etc. I use Nikon D3100 camera and some basic green screen techniques as part of recording. So my basic video editing would be just syncing audio, editing videos to cut un-necessary frames etc and some basic effects. I am also planning to buy final cut pro.
    So my question is should I buy the mac mini or Imac?

    Great advice from RRFS!
    For video editing, do go for 16 GB of RAM ffrom OWC & consider the twice as fast i7 2.6 model, see Geekbench scores here..
    http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/mac_mini/specs/mac-mini-core-i5-2.5-late-2 012-specs.html
    http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/mac_mini/specs/mac-mini-core-i7-2.6-late-2 012-specs.html

  • Which MacBook Pro w/ Retina to buy for Video Editing?

    Hi, I am looking into buying a MacBook Pro for Video Editing. This is not my main machine because I already have an i7, 16GB  RAM, GTX 760 2TB HDD machine at home. My home machine beasts through  my daily editing but I am stumped on which MacBook is worth the money!
    I am comparing the...
    13" Retina with
    i7
    256 GB SSD
    16GB RAM
    Integrated Graphics
    for $1849 (with EDU discount)
    VS
    15" Retina with
    i7
    512 GB SSD
    16GB RAM
    GT 750m with 2GB DDR5 Memory
    for $2,479 (with EDU Discount)
    I don't really care about the screen size, I'll be using thunderbolt storage anyways, I am mainly wondering if the GT 750m will make much of a difference in editing footage. Mainly AVCHD 1080p but also I'd like it to be able to handle 4k in small amounts. I would mainly use proxy's at that point but just in case. I also don't do a ton in After Effects, but may need to send some shots here and there of for VFX work. This is mainly for if I'm on the go and need to make an edit or I need to do photography work (Lightroom and Photoshop)
    Thanks,
    Cameron Gallagher

    Both will work fine with 1080p AVCHD but you will notice an increase in performance simply because Premiere LOVES a good GPU and the 750M is a good one as far as laptops go. Yes, its more but if you're serious about performance go with the better GPU.
    That being said...save a bit and go with this below (same as your 2nd option but cheaper):
    Refurbished 15.4-inch MacBook Pro 2.5GHz Quad-core Intel i7 with Retina Display - Apple Store (U.S.)
    It'll save you $400. Bam! Thank me later. Apple's refurbished program is top of the line. Comes fully warrantied and you can get apple care, etc. if you want as well. It's like buying it new. These refurbished computers are often just ones bought and then returned within a few days by customers trying things out and there's absolutely nothing wrong with them. They can basically be looked at like new.

  • Advice on Pc build for video editing with Premier Pro

    I have recently managed to save up £1500 for a new PC for video editing. The following are the specs I am considering for the build:
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    256GB Samsung 840 Pro Series Basic, 2.5" SSD 7mm 3-core MDX, 21nm Toggle NAND, Read 540MB/s, Write 520MB/s
    850W Corsair Professional Series Gold 850AX, Modular, 90%Eff', 80 PLUS Gold, SLI/CrossFire, EPS 12V, Quiet Fan, ATX, PSU
    16GB (2x8GB) Corsair DDR3 Vengeance Jet Black, PC3-17066 (2133), Non-ECC Unbuffered, CAS 10-11-11-31, XMP, 1.5V
    2TB WD WD2002FAEX Caviar Black, SATA 6Gb/s, 7200rpm, 64MB Cache OEM
    Pioneer BDR-207EBK Blu-ray Writer Quad Layer 12x BD-R, x8 DVD±DL x16 DVD±R Up to 128GB Retail
    Antec 902 Nine Hundred Two V3 Mid Tower ATX Case, USB3, With Side Window w/o PSU
    Creative Sound Blaster Recon3D PCI-E Soundcard 5.1Ch THX/Dolby Optical In/Out OEM
    Asus P8Z77-V, Intel Z77, S 1155, DDR3, SATA III - 6Gb/s, SATA RAID, PCIe 3.0 (x16), DisplayPort/ DVI-D/ HDMI, ATX
    2GB EVGA GTX 670, 28nm, PCIe 3.0 (x16), 6008MHz GDDR5, GPU 915MHz, Boost 980MHz, Cores 1344 +Free to Play Bundle
    Edimax EW-7722PnD N600 Wireless Dual-Band PCI Express Adapter Dual 300N
    Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64 Bit SP1, Operating System, Single, - OEM
    I have been advised to get a full size case rather than a midi. Any other advice would be greatly appreciated!

    The advice to get a bigger case is correct. That GTX 670 will be a very tight squeeze inside that Antec 902 case due to the way the interior of that case itself was designed: The hard drives will interfere with the motherboard's expansion slots, restricting the length of those cards that will fit to only 9.5 inches long. Unfortunately, although a reference GTX 670 is about 9 inches long, higher-end GPUs will not fit if the PCI-e x16 slot is inline with an installed hard drive.
    Speaking of the GTX 670, it is clearly overkill on any system that's equipped with only 16GB of RAM total. Plus, you will need a third-party CPU cooler in order to perform any overckocking whatsoever of the CPU. Unfortunately, the Corsair Vengeance heat spreaders are extremely tall (over 50mm high!) that they will prevent proper installation of any decent tower-style CPU air cooler, especially if all four DIMM slots on the motherboard are being used. You will need 32GB of RAM plus at least a good third-party CPU air cooler such as a Cooler master Hyper 212 EVO (and overclock the CPU to over 4.0GHz) in order for that system to utilize anywhere near the performance capability of the GTX 670.
    Third, you do not need that particular Sound Blaster card at all: Its sound quality is surprisingly poor for a such a pricey discrete add-on sound card (or put it this way, it does not sound anywhere close to sufficiently better than on-motherboard audio to justify its cost).

  • Need advice on new mac for video editing.

    Hello!  I'm throwing $4,000 down on a new iMac to use for video editing and various other design purposes.  I'm maxing it out with a 3.75ghz quad core intel i7, 32 gigs of ram, 4 gigs of video ram and a 1t sold state hard drive.  With being a creative cloud subscriber  and updates being rolled out constantly, as a video editor do you think i'll get at least 5-7 years out of this mac.  I also do 3d animates with after effects and cinema 4d.  Thanks!  Any advice and feedback is greatly appreciated.

    I made last updates to PC configuration (updates - bold) and soon going to buy. So... maybe final check:
    CPU:  Intel Core i7-3930K 3.2GHz
    Cooler:  Corsair Hydro H70
    MB:  Asus P9X79 PRO
    RAM: Corsair Vengeance Black 16GB (4x4GB) DDR3-1600 CL9 1.35V XMP1.3
    Video:  Asus GTX670-DC2-2GD5
    HDD:  Samsung 830 Series 128GB SATA3 520/320MBs (system disk)
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    DVD:  LiteOn BD-RE iHBS212-32
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  • Best affordable choice for video editing & other stuff?

    I've been a PC user forever. I'm looking to enter the world of Mac. I do video editing with Adobe CC on a windows 7 Destop PC with an i7 Quadcore and have a nice LED monitor. I'd like a Mac capable of doing graphics well and has the processing power of an i7. I was thinking of a Macbook rather than than a iMac because I don't need the built in screen - I already have a very nice LED monitor. I also like the idea of portability. So I figure i could hook up the Macbook to my LED monitor when at my desk, and then be able to port it around when I wanted to go mobile. Is this reasonable? Is a macbook laptop capable of this kind of processing? I know my HP Powerbook with Win7 struggles doing this kind of stuff even though it has a dedicated nVidea Graphics and is an i7 2.3GHz with 16G memory, so I never use my HP laptop for video editing. I thought about the Mac Pro, but that is WAY out of my budget. Is there a Macbook that would be good for video editing and not break the bank? Like I've said, I'v discounted the idea of getting an iMac because of space & (I already have a decent size LED monitor that I'd like to continue to use and share with my Windows PC.

    the last 2 and the bottom of this link would be more than adequate: http://store.apple.com/us/buy-mac/macbook-pro

  • Mac Pro for Video Editing?

    So I have an awesome Mac Pro computer at work all well equiped with all the bells and wistles for video editing and now I'm looking to upgrade my machine at home which is currently just a macbook pro with a second monitor.
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    Just thought I'd get some insight from some of you and what your suggestions maybe?
    Thanks in advance.

    budget, time-line, stomach for 1.0 revamp (every new model, 2012 could be 3x), lack of Rosetta of course.
    production never = bleeding edge, go for a mature well tested proven design - expect to see firmware change, compatibility issues, and 3-4 months for a unified build and drivers rolled out, no?
    a nice $2200 "hold me over the hump" for the next 6-12 months for now, W3690/X3690 DIY (the w3680 3.33 6-core is mere $620)
    no easy answer that I see with all the products Intel has on their plates.

  • Computer for Video Editing for the Present and Beyond

    In an earlier post I announced that I have been a Premiere Elements user since Day One, and I also mentioned I was looking to have a new computer built from scratch rather than purchase from Dell or HP. I am close to finalizing that build, and am looking forward to upgrading to Elements 8.0. I am also looking forward to becoming a subscriber to Muvipix.com. Becoming a part of the Adobe Premiere Elements Forum coupled with being an eventual subscriber to Muvipix.com has elevated my enthusiasm for video editing. Special Thanks go to Bill Hunt and Steve Grisetti for anchoring this Adobe Pre E Forum. Your advice has motivated me to take my video editing with Premiere Elements to another level.
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    700W     OCZ Power Supply
    Triple     Channel DDR3 (6 GB RAM - 3x2GB)
    64-bit      Windows 7 Home Premium
    (2) Western     Digital 1T HDDs
    22xDVD+/-RW      Burner
    ATI  Radeon 4670 Video Card DDR3 (dual     monitor support)

    jcrystal76 wrote:
    I read your computer spec sheet. Thanks for sharing. You  said the ideal thing to do is use the computer just for video editing.  Best way to go. However, you still need an OS, which requires updates.  And you need to update drivers, and then there are product updates and  add-ons. You need to connect with the Internet to do all of this
    I do not have $$ or space to have 2 computers, so my single computer is for day to day work, and video editing as a hobbyist... which of course is not "ideal" for video editing... but I don't make $$ at this, so I use what I have
    I am still learning about Win7 64bit, so do not have all the startup process optimized... that is my next project, to figure out what does not need to be running, and remove that un-needed stuff from the startup
    You also asked about backup... the IMAGE program I use is mentioned in http://www.pacifier.com/~jtsmith/ADOBE.HTM#SmartOwn
    I make a boot drive image to external USB hard drive before installing any new software

  • What preset MacBook pro would be better for video editing and eventually college?, What preset MacBook pro would be better for video editing and eventually college?

    Hi,
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    Any computer made today, Windows or Mac, will be MILES ahead of what you are now using.
    Raw CPU speed is not the total benchmark of a computer. Look at it this way. A 2.6GHz CPU made today is much faster then a 2.6GHz CPU made just a few years ago, like 3 years ago. the difference between a 2.6 and a 2.9GHz CPU is 3 tens of 1 GHz, 300MHz. The percentage difference is about 8-9 percent (.08-.09). Back when CPUs were listed in MHz, 120, 300, 600, if you have a 300MHz CPU and you replaced it with one that was 300MHz faster that was a Big Jump. You doubled the computing power. Today 300MHz, .3GHz, is next to nothing. Especially for the price jump.
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  • I am 12 and want a 13 inch Macbook for video editing and stuff I cannot do on my iPad.

    I need a Macbook for video editing and stuff I cannot do on my iPad (flash web browsing, iMovie or Final Cut Pro for YouTube, small games, photoshop, Reaktor 5, etc). I was thinking of buying the MacBook Air 13" refurbished intel core i5 for $999. I can pay up to $1,300 so I was thinking of getting the 13" MacBook Pro with retina display refurbished intel core i5 for $1,260. But then I couldn't buy many accessories or AppleCare. I do not really want to buy the non-retina MacBook Pro because it is not as portable and I am only 12 but I don't know much about how heavy it is because there is no apple store where I live but this is why I came here. So which MacBook should I buy? (I am probably going to wait until the new MacBooks in June 2013)

    Hilary:
    Welcome to Apple Discussions.
    Congratulations on your upcoming graduation and the really wonderful gift you anticipate from your parents. Unfortunately, I am unable to give you information about upcoming Apple products or promotions, as I honestly don't know.
    All my purchased music, and games, and videos, etc are on the computer I am currently using. Is there a way to transfer all of it to my new MacBook I will be receiving?
    If the computer you are currently using is a Mac, yes, it can be transferred. One of the difficulties with the new MacBook is that it does not have any firewire ports, which will make networking a bit of a pain, but it can be done. Post back after you have your new computer with specs and we will give you directions on how to do it.
    And are they going to make a new Macbook? So should I wait?
    While I do not have any specific information about upcoming products, it is fairly certain that Apple will be coming out with new products. Of course this is a continuing process so you can be waiting for a long time. I would, personally, go ahead and get one now, and that should certainly see you through college. By then who know what wonderful products will be available!
    Please do post back with further questions or comments, if you have any.
    cornelius

  • What is the best Apple notebook for video editing and pro music creation?

    What is the best Apple notebook for video editing and pro music creation?
    I know I could opt for the most expensive and probably get what I want that way, but I´m not made of money, so what are your suggestions for minimum criteria and which would you recommend?

    MacBooks Pro are great Macs with a good hardware, so all of them will work for the use you want, but I think that you want the biggest display possible because of your uses. In this case, it has to be a 15-inch non-Retina MacBook Pro, with the settings you want. Note that, after buying the Mac, you can upgrade the HDD and memory without voiding the warranty, so you are free to install as much memory and the HDD size you want after buying it. It's my opinion, but you are free to do whatever you think it's better

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