choosing a pc for video editing please help

[gezzer]

hi im not a very techy person, i know a bit but im having trouble picking what kind of spec is needed for a video editing pc.
i want a pc that i can do photo editing and video editing at a enthusiast/ hobbyist level that will get the job done.

i know i need something fast, but i dont know if an i5 or i7 processor would be best and if id need the power of the i7 for that.

also what are the advantages of custom building over this kind of machine you could find at -dare i say - pc world. for example this kind of machine http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/dell-studio-xps-8100-4433-04802650-pdt.html

my budget is between £700-£800

many thanks

 

[Meds]

Benefits of ordering a custom build over shop bought PC;

- On a like for like basis, the custom PC will generally work out cheaper
- You pay for what you want, don't get things that you don't need included in a bundle
- We can build a PC based on your requirements & budget
- Built by enthusiasts, generally a better build quality
- More personal buying experience

Anything else people can think of?

To be honest, this would do the job nicely and is well below your budget;

Case
STYLISH PIANO BLACK ENIGMA CASE + 2 FRONT USB
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i5-2400 Quad Core (3.10GHz, 6MB Cache) + HD Graphics
Motherboard
ASUS® P8H67-M LX SI: MICRO ATX MAINBOARD, LG 1155, SATA 6.0Gb/s
Memory (RAM)
8GB SAMSUNG DDR3 DUAL-DDR3 1333MHz (2 X 4GB)
Graphics Card
1GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTS450 - 2 DVI,HDMI,VGA - DirectX® 11, 3D Vision Ready
Memory - 1st Hard Disk
1TB WD CAVIAR GREEN WD10EARS, SATA 3 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Memory Card Reader
INTERNAL 52 IN 1 CARD READER (XD, MS, CF, SD, etc) + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT
Power Supply
450W Quiet 80 PLUS Dual Rail PSU + 120mm Case Fan (£29)
Processor Cooling
INTEL SOCKET LGA1155/1156 STANDARD CPU COOLER
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Facilities
ONBOARD 10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT - AS STANDARD ON ALL PCs
USB Options
6 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL (MIN 2 FRONT PORTS) AS STANDARD
Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence (£79)
Office Software
FREE Microsoft® Office Starter 2010 (Limited functionality Word & Excel)
Anti-Virus
BULLGUARD INTERNET SECURITY - FREE 90 DAY TRIAL
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) (£5)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 11 to 13 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £661.00 including VAT and delivery.

Configure Here: http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/computers/intel-sandy-bridge-pc/

However, if you're happy to pay a little more then we can probably bump up the CPU & PSU and keep it close to £700.

 

[shades]

I am shocked to see you have forgotten the Silver warranty Meds !! Might want to add a firewire card to that too depending on connection from video camera. Always worth having anyway, IMHO.

 

[ETJ]

This is exactly the question I was going to post ...... THANKS

For further clarity then ... would the above pc spec be OK for editting large hd video files through decent software like Vegas Pro or Adobe After Effects ?

 

[Meds]

I would say so yes, but if you're worried or would rather have a more powerful PC (using your whole budget of £700 - £800) then I can certainly put together a quote for you

I'd change the following;

i5 2400 to the i5 2500
nVidia GTS450 to the nVidia GTX460
450W PSU to the 600W PSU

This would take the price to £750 (ish).

 

[Randomthom]

Shades is right to point out the possible requirement of Firewire (though most HD camcorders are USB now).

Given the nature of Video files, particularly talking HD video, you'll need as much hard drive space as you can afford! Bear in mind that full HD video clocks in at around 14Mb/s so your 5 minute video of your kids on the swings is 4.2Gb. Note that most "HD" camcorders aren't full 1080p HD, most are 720p, some are 1080i (i = interlaced = approx half the size files).

If you're going to be doing a lot of HD work then the things that matter are;
Processing Power (Quad-Core is a must for HD)
Hard Drive space & speed (no eco-drive nonsense for this work)
Quality software (Adobe Premiere Pro or AVID are top, Sony Vegas is reasonable).

Hope that helps!

 

[ETJ]

Thanks for your help

I am looking to edit my DSLR video (from Canon 550d). I am shooting in full 1080p and you are right, the files take up a frightening amount of disc space and memory. My poor laptop tries its best, but its not really workable.

Therefore I want to be sure that what I get is fully up to the job. So a couple more questions:

I have read that its better to have the media / video files stored on a separate hard drive than the OS or editting programme. Is this really the case? If I get a 1TB hard drive partitioned would this help, or is it better to get two 500 gb drives?

Also .... do you think i would notice any difference between a quad i5 and an i7 processor for this kind of work?

 

[Randomthom]

Hey ETJ,
I'll answer some of your questions here, in some disordered kind-of way!
You WILL notice the difference between processors. If there is any task where processing power makes a difference more than any other it's in video editing. Rendering is a VERY processor intensive task.

As for hard drives, the one benefit of two PHYSICAL hard drives is drive failure won't affect both drives, physical failure on a partitioned drive will likely affect both partitions. The way video editing assaults hardware, I'd recommend having a 2nd physical hard drive. I'd probably recommend having at least 1.5Tb between them, 500Gb for the windows drive should be all you'll ever need.

A canon 550D eh? Lurvely

 

[colour]

................And, since your Cam looks to be File rather than Tape-based, you would Download the Files from your Cam to your 2nd Internal HDD, via Cam's supplied Software.

BTW - You still need an External HDD formatted to NTFS, to Backup your System & Data Files, using a Backup Program eg; Acronis TrueImage Home.