Video and Audio Editing PC

[liverpoolchety__]

Hello guys,
A friend of mine would like to buy a PC for 4K Video and Audio editing mainly. His budget is a £1000 only for the PC. Not talking about the peripherals and etc. I can not give him a good advice as i am not very familiar with the PC building. That's why i didn't posted specification - my apologies.

Thanks in advance!

 

[sck451]

Honestly that's a very tight budget for any computer right now, let alone one capable of 4K video editing. Whatever you buy will be a significant compromise.

This build is the lowest that I could reasonably recommend, and honestly I'm a little hesitant about recommending it. Video editing wants a multi-core processor: 12 or 16 cores would be perfectly sensible and not overkill, but your budget can only stretch to six. The storage is also not ideal: you really want a second M.2 drive to put current projects on. And the graphics card you want (the 1660 Super) is out of stock and won't be back for a month, according to the configurator. (And it may disappear out of stock again just as quickly!)

One of the main things this system has going for it is that it is upgradable if more budget becomes available in the future. GPU, RAM and SSDs are all easy to add. The biggest limiting factor, the CPU, will remain, however. If the budget could stretch another £200, it would mean a significant upgrade especially in rendering performance.

With the 1660 Super included, this comes to £1055. Note that this system will not work as specced: it needs a graphics card to be added!

Case
CORSAIR iCUE 220T RGB AIRFLOW MID TOWER GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600 Six Core CPU (3.6GHz-4.2GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME B550-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NONE, I ALREADY HAVE A GRAPHICS CARD
1st Storage Drive
1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
STANDARD AMD CPU COOLER
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00001]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Firefox™
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 20 to 22 working days
Price: £777.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/Wp6sPkfpt6/

 

[liverpoolchety__]

one capable of 4K video edit

Honestly that's a very tight budget for any computer right now, let alone one capable of 4K video editing. Whatever you buy will be a significant compromise.

This build is the lowest that I could reasonably recommend, and honestly I'm a little hesitant about recommending it. Video editing wants a multi-core processor: 12 or 16 cores would be perfectly sensible and not overkill, but your budget can only stretch to six. The storage is also not ideal: you really want a second M.2 drive to put current projects on. And the graphics card you want (the 1660 Super) is out of stock and won't be back for a month, according to the configurator. (And it may disappear out of stock again just as quickly!)

One of the main things this system has going for it is that it is upgradable if more budget becomes available in the future. GPU, RAM and SSDs are all easy to add. The biggest limiting factor, the CPU, will remain, however. If the budget could stretch another £200, it would mean a significant upgrade especially in rendering performance.

With the 1660 Super included, this comes to £1055. Note that this system will not work as specced: it needs a graphics card to be added!

Case
CORSAIR iCUE 220T RGB AIRFLOW MID TOWER GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600 Six Core CPU (3.6GHz-4.2GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME B550-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NONE, I ALREADY HAVE A GRAPHICS CARD
1st Storage Drive
1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
STANDARD AMD CPU COOLER
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00001]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Firefox™
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 20 to 22 working days
Price: £777.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/Wp6sPkfpt6/

Well, i was thinking for even RTX30 series graphic card and 32 gigs RAM. We might look to stretch the budget a little bit. As i have seen on the laptop i use for editing with the new versions of premiere pro it is better optimized to use the Graphics card while rendering. Would you say that the graphic card in this case is more important than the CPU?

 

[sck451]

I do some video editing in Premiere Pro on my 5600X/1660Super system and, most of the time, the CPU is at 100% and the GPU is not.

When creating a new system, I'd prioritise upgrading the CPU rather than the graphics card because the graphics card is far easier to update later. Similarly the RAM and SSD configuration.

You cannot make a build with the 3060 Ti and 32GB of RAM for around £1000. The entry point is around £1350, but it would be severely limited by the CPU, which is the hardest thing to upgrade in the future. If you want the 3060 Ti, 32GB of RAM and, say, the 5800X (current generation, eight cores), which would be a decent combination, then you are looking at around £1700.

This is kind of what I meant at the beginning of my post: a decent 4K video editing experience on a budget of £1000 involves severe compromises. Personally I would want to find a way to find a less compromised system.

 

[liverpoolchety__]

I do some video editing in Premiere Pro on my 5600X/1660Super system and, most of the time, the CPU is at 100% and the GPU is not.

When creating a new system, I'd prioritise upgrading the CPU rather than the graphics card because the graphics card is far easier to update later. Similarly the RAM and SSD configuration.

You cannot make a build with the 3060 Ti and 32GB of RAM for around £1000. The entry point is around £1350, but it would be severely limited by the CPU, which is the hardest thing to upgrade in the future. If you want the 3060 Ti, 32GB of RAM and, say, the 5800X (current generation, eight cores), which would be a decent combination, then you are looking at around £1700.

This is kind of what I meant at the beginning of my post: a decent 4K video editing experience on a budget of £1000 involves severe compromises. Personally I would want to find a way to find a less compromised system.

Yeah, i do video editing on 32gb of RAM, RTX2060 and Ryzen 7 4800h - on a laptop. It is not the best for 4k video editing but i would say it is not that bad. I was checking the laptops with 32gigs, RTX3060-70 but i am not sure about the CPU (Intel i7 10870H). Do you think that in future PCS will offer some laptop with RTX30 series and AMD CPU'S ?

 

[sck451]

Honestly I have no idea. Of course, a laptop is bound to be even more compromised in terms of performance than a desktop of a similar price.

 

[Ash_]

AMD cpu upgrade isn’t too bad, it’s intel where the issue is, as you will almost certainly need a new motherboard and if you’re not competent at building, a motherboard change is going to be a nightmare for you, especially if you need a psu swap too.

overall though, you really do want the 5900X here, i’d favour the 3900X over the 5600X here, but it’s still not happening in budget

 

[liverpoolchety__]

Do you think that the Audio card also matters for the audio creation and editing? Do you think that it does worth it to pay more for audio card?

 

[Stephen M]

In the majority of cases onboard audio is fine now. I would not waste money on a card and if it transpired you felt one was needed later on it could be added.

 

[SpyderTracks]

Do you think that the Audio card also matters for the audio creation and editing? Do you think that it does worth it to pay more for audio card?

For those kinds of uses you don't want a gaming soundcard, you'll want a proper audio soundcard.

I'd recommend Andertons, they have a really good selection and brilliant customer services. Once you've got enough cash saved up down the line, give their sales line a call, they're all musicians themselves and won't sell you rubbish:

USB Audio Interfaces - Andertons Music Co.

Start recording today with a USB audio interface from Andertons. Widely compatible, it's a staple for your studio. Now with 0% finance and free delivery.

www.andertons.co.uk

 

[Stephen M]

If you use Ardour or any other Linux compatible audio software a dual-boot is worth considering, Ubuntu Studio has a low latency kernel.

 

[liverpoolchety__]

Okay, so basically my friend received a configuration from PC Specialist and it looks like this:

He asked me what would you change if i spend £500 more? That configuration is £1,548.00.

Thank you!

 

[liverpoolchety__]

Case
FRACTAL DEFINE 7 BLACK QUIET MID-TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X Eight Core CPU (3.8GHz-4.7GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF X570-PLUS GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0, CrossFireX) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3600MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
6GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2060 - HDMI, DP - VR Ready!
1st Storage Drive
1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 6900MB/R, 5000MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H100i RGB PLATINUM Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
Wireless Network Card
WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00001]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Firefox™
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 15 to 18 working days
Price: £1,933.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/ZEnHjT0hwz/

Would you please tell me what you didn't like in the previous configuration? Also about the graphic card, do you think that it is good enough for 4K video editing and so on?

 

[SpyderTracks]

Would you please tell me what you didn't like in the previous configuration? Also about the graphic card, do you think that it is good enough for 4K video editing and so on?

You’re limited by budget at the moment, prices generally rose by £100 overnight, no joke, due to worldwide shortages, prices are through the roof at the moment, a build of this caliber would have been about £1400 6 months ago.

 

[liverpoolchety__]

You’re limited by budget at the moment, prices generally rose by £100 overnight, no joke, due to worldwide shortages, prices are through the roof at the moment, a build of this caliber would have been about £1400 6 months ago.

Yeah, i have heard that there's shortage of GPU's. That's normal in those days i would say.

 

[SpyderTracks]

In an ideal world, I'd go for the 3060Ti GPU as it is a much newer, more powerful GPU...however, it's would also take you £200 over the £2k mark. However, the 2060 is more than capable of 4k editing work however

Plus the way @Nursemorph has configured it, it's a really bulletproof platform in which you could add any GPU upgrade in the future when funds are available for a significant performance boost.

It's built with long term use in mind instead of sacrificing the core PC to increase the GPU in the short term.

 

[liverpoolchety__]

In an ideal world, I'd go for the 3060Ti GPU as it is a much newer, more powerful GPU...however, it's would also take you £200 over the £2k mark. However, the 2060 is more than capable of 4k editing work however

Just about the ask you that question. I have never built a PC myself i always use laptops that's why i asked here. Yeah i was thinking aswell about the 3060 atleast. I would have never thought to change the case as i always thought that the case is just a case, such a stupid thinking . Didn't know about the RAM aswell, thanks for that.

 

[liverpoolchety__]

Plus the way @Nursemorph has configured it, it's a really bulletproof platform in which you could add any GPU upgrade in the future when funds are available for a significant performance boost.

It's built with long term use in mind instead of sacrificing the core PC to increase the GPU in the short term.

Yeah, that's true. Okay i do not know if this is off topic, but let me ask you this, do you guys think that the new Apple M1 Macs can be compared with that kind of machine?

 

[liverpoolchety__]

If the budget can be pushed to £2200, then I'd definitely put the 3060Ti in...however, if it can't or the system is needed sooner than later (although there may be a bit of a wait for the 5800x), then the 2060 will be fine and it could be upgraded later when things settle down

Case: You aren't alone...most people think the case is purely there to either look good or to simply hold the components...frequently we get people posting specs with "I chose the case as it was all the budget I had left". For me, the case should be the first thing chosen as, without a decent case, you might as well just take all your components and put them in an oven

Yeah, thanks for opening my eyes. Appreciate it.

 

[SpyderTracks]

Yeah, that's true. Okay i do not know if this is off topic, but let me ask you this, do you guys think that the new Apple M1 Macs can be compared with that kind of machine?

While the M1's are impressive as a very first attempt it's only for entry level builds at the moment, that's why the most powerful machine it's in is the Mac Mini.

They can't compare in anyway to the build @Nursemorph has configured.

Give it a couple of years though, and they'll have much more powerful updated versions in the Mac Pros. I have no doubt that Apple Silicon will vastly overtake any X86 processor within a couple of years. Apparently Microsoft are going to be producing their own ARM based chips shortly as well.

ARM is a completely different design to X86 and is relatively new. It needs FAR FAR less power to achieve the same level of performance. There's absolutely NO WAY that AMD or Intel can compete with what's about to happen in the ARM space with Apple Silicon and Microsofts upcoming chips.

If you look at the clock speeds on the M1 chips, they're set on the MacBook Pro 13" at 3.2GHz BUT ONLY USING ABOUT 35W!!! And they're able to outperform an Intel 10700k which is operating at around 5.2GHz but at about 229W

This is because ARM processors are just leagues apart in how efficient they are. Frequency is not as relevant as IPC (instructions per clock), that's how many instructions the chip is able to process at a given frequency. So if you were to set the M1 silicon and the Intel at 1GHz, the M1 would utterly destroy the Intel (and most AMD processors also).

I've heard Apple already have the M1X processor ready to go, expect an announcement in March on that.

But no, for the next few years, AMD will be king.

It's also software compatibility. The Apple Silicon platform is brand new, and very few programs have been recoded to work on it, Apple have given a 2 year window for developers to recode their solutions to run on Apple Silicon, but those deadlines are almost always missed. Check out the history in around 2007 when Apple moved from their old IBM PowerPC CPU's to Intel, it was the same thing back then, although they have learnt a lot from that process and Rosetta 2 which they use now (which is an X86 program application virtualisation layer) is MUCH MUCH better than Rosetta 1 was back in 2007.