What is the best computer for PP2 & Aspect HD at DVinfo.net

Darryl Hill · June 1st, 2006, 09:20 AM

I am thinking of upgrading my system and I was thinking of getting a HP Workstation w/dual Xeon and Quadro 1400 or is it better to wait for the new Intel CPU's due in July (Can't remember the name) with an Gforce 7900 SLi setup?

David Newman · June 1st, 2006, 10:17 AM

Wait for the new Intel procs, they are awesome. Or if you can't wait get an Opteron base HP x9300 (which is a solid high performer.)

Steven Gotz · June 1st, 2006, 10:44 AM

OK David,

I am waiting. Now, exactly which ones are you going to recommend? If you don't know yet, I will bug you again later.

David Newman · June 1st, 2006, 10:47 AM

Conroe is/will be a HIGH performer for all our software (P2K,PHD,AHD etc.)

Richard Leadbetter · June 1st, 2006, 01:56 PM

I think Conroe ships in mid-July, with the laptop Merom chips shipping in August. Merom is essentially the same as Conroe at generally lower clock speeds and a lower front-side bus (667MHz vs Conroe's 1066MHz).

I've had a 2.16GHz Merom engineering sample benchmarked using CineForm tools on a top-end Dell notebook and the performance is significantly higher than my Athlon X2 4400 desktop system. With the extra clock speed and FSB bandwidth Conroe has, its performance should be astonishing.

Additionally, it's rumoured that the Extreme Edition Conroe chip will be clocked at 3.33GHz with a 1333MHz FSB. CineForm performance should be stratospheric!! :)

David Taylor · June 1st, 2006, 07:44 PM

We just received (yesterday) an engineering sample (PC) from an unnamed computer company with a 2.66GHz Conroe chip (single chip dual core) with 1066 MHz FSB.

The quick (but not conclusive) benchmarks we ran shows that it (Conroe machine) is about 30% faster with our CineForm Intermediate decoder than the Pentium D 955-Extreme Edition we've had for a while. That's why we think the Conroe platform and its successors will become the new reference standard for our software. I can't wait to see Extreme Edition versions of this family.

Extreme Edition versions of the 840/955/965 processors are excellent, but the older HT P4 architecture is moving over towards Conroe (lower clock speed and more CISC-like instructions) and beyond. And these new procs are in Intel's desktop lineup, meaning they'll have the normal aggressive price decline curve attached to them.

David Newman · June 1st, 2006, 09:08 PM

I didn't know we where are allowed to say anything. :)

Steven Gotz · June 2nd, 2006, 04:45 AM

I'll be happy to send you a Fedex number to use to forward any extra machines to me, like old 955EE equipped dinosaurs, just so you won't have to go through the hassle of disposing of them. ;)

Denis Danatzko · June 2nd, 2006, 07:49 PM

I was told by a local vendor that the system described below would "scream" and serve all my needs for the HVX. Is this a good choice? Or did I "buy a bridge"?

All input welcome.
Thanks.

Cineform Aspect HD 4.11 Certified Editing System
Adobe Video Bundle w/ Flash 8.0 Professional (Premiere,
Encore, Audition, etc.)
Certified AMD Tyan Motherboard w/ On-board Audio &
PCI-Express
Dual AMD Opteron 2.2ghz 275 Processors
2GB DDR400 ECC Registered Memory (4x512mb)
200GB Boot Drive 7200RPM Seagate SATA-II w/
Removable Carrier
2000GB (2TB) SATA II Seagate Raid 5 or 0 Storage w/
RAID Card
Certified PNY Quadro FX1500 Dual Link DVI w/ HD
Component Output
Xtra PCI-X Firewire 400 / 2 Port Firewire 800 Card
Windows XP Professional 32bit w/ Service Pack 2
Creative Labs Speakers w/ Subwoofer
Logitech Optical Mouse
Worldtech Shortcut Keyboard for Adobe Premiere Pro
Contour Design Shuttle Pro V2 (upgraded from
ShuttleXpress)
1 Year - ON-SITE Tech Support
(Covers basic support and parts, power supply not included.
See website for warranty)
**Hard drives do have add'l warranty, usually 3-5 years

Pioneer 16X DVD-R/RW CD/DVD Drive w/ Dual Layer
DVD+DL

David Newman · June 2nd, 2006, 09:21 PM

That is a very nice system. You will have 4 cores working for you. With that type of system you may want to consider Prospect HD Edit with an AJA LHe card (or at least upgrading to that in the future.)

David Taylor · June 2nd, 2006, 10:43 PM

Denis - yep, it's definitely a screamer. In fact, it's actually a bit overkill for Aspect HD - you really don't need four procs. You could cut back to a 955EE system (or upcoming Conroe) and save about enough to move up to PHD-Edit and get 10-bits. The 10-bit upgrade will show as incremental visual fidelity in your final result. The speed of the system underneath doesn't directly translate to higher visual quality. Just a thought....

Denis Danatzko · June 4th, 2006, 08:23 AM

David & David,
I've ordered the system I describe above. May be overkill for now, but since you pretty much confirm what the vendor told me, I'm going with it. He also told me there's room to upgrade. As long as I can do that, I feel less anxiety about the purchase.

Thanks again.

David Taylor · June 4th, 2006, 08:41 AM

Hey Denis, let us know how many HD streams you can sustain simultaneously with Aspect HD on that system after you get it tuned up. That'll be a fun benchmark. We have 275 systems at CineForm but we don't have any RAID 5 drive configurations. I suspect with a RAID 5 (or four-drive RAID 0) the drive subsystem should be able to sustain close to 12 streams (+/-) of 1080i. You may run out of CPU in the range of 10-12 streams. Let us know....

Denis Danatzko · June 4th, 2006, 09:19 AM

Will do my best. I don't have the system yet; expect to take delivery this week or next. (I have to get more furniture and rearrange my "studio", so it will be a while before I can accommodate, but will keep you in mind).

Your input has been encouraging...Thanks again.

Denis Danatzko · June 4th, 2006, 09:38 AM

David,
do you work at Cineform? The vendor I'm dealing with speaks VERY highly of Cineform products, and says he speaks to some folks there often. Actually, he persuaded me to steer away from an Intel HP system - and the popular NLE system used on an HP - in order to gain the benefits of Aspect HD and what he claims is the increased speed of AMD.

At present, my concern is working with my indie "mentor" - who uses Avid, and does not yet have Express Pro HD, but expects to upgrade in the near future. I need to be able to provide him with video. I suspect I can do that directly from my camera, but am unsure as to what would be best if giving him edited footage.

My vendor suggests I get a Citidisk for DTE, but haven't heard enough good about them yet to convince me to go that route, i.e. do they play well w/the HVX-200? Are you aware of any problems I'm likely to run into if I go w/Citidisk?

June 1st, 2006, 09:20 AM	#1
Darryl Hill New Boot Join Date: May 2006 Location: Longwood Florida Posts: 15	What is the best computer for PP2 & Aspect HD I am thinking of upgrading my system and I was thinking of getting a HP Workstation w/dual Xeon and Quadro 1400 or is it better to wait for the new Intel CPU's due in July (Can't remember the name) with an Gforce 7900 SLi setup?

June 1st, 2006, 10:17 AM	#2
David Newman CTO, CineForm Inc. Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Cardiff-by-the-Sea, California Posts: 8,095	Wait for the new Intel procs, they are awesome. Or if you can't wait get an Opteron base HP x9300 (which is a solid high performer.) __________________ David Newman -- web: www.gopro.com blog: cineform.blogspot.com -- twitter: twitter.com/David_Newman

June 1st, 2006, 10:44 AM	#3
Steven Gotz Trustee Join Date: May 2002 Location: Clermont, FL Posts: 1,520	OK David, I am waiting. Now, exactly which ones are you going to recommend? If you don't know yet, I will bug you again later. __________________ Steven Gotz http://www.stevengotz.com

June 1st, 2006, 10:47 AM	#4
David Newman CTO, CineForm Inc. Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Cardiff-by-the-Sea, California Posts: 8,095	Conroe is/will be a HIGH performer for all our software (P2K,PHD,AHD etc.) __________________ David Newman -- web: www.gopro.com blog: cineform.blogspot.com -- twitter: twitter.com/David_Newman

June 1st, 2006, 09:08 PM	#7
David Newman CTO, CineForm Inc. Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Cardiff-by-the-Sea, California Posts: 8,095	I didn't know we where are allowed to say anything. :) __________________ David Newman -- web: www.gopro.com blog: cineform.blogspot.com -- twitter: twitter.com/David_Newman

June 1st, 2006, 01:56 PM	#5
Richard Leadbetter Major Player Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 323	I think Conroe ships in mid-July, with the laptop Merom chips shipping in August. Merom is essentially the same as Conroe at generally lower clock speeds and a lower front-side bus (667MHz vs Conroe's 1066MHz). I've had a 2.16GHz Merom engineering sample benchmarked using CineForm tools on a top-end Dell notebook and the performance is significantly higher than my Athlon X2 4400 desktop system. With the extra clock speed and FSB bandwidth Conroe has, its performance should be astonishing. Additionally, it's rumoured that the Extreme Edition Conroe chip will be clocked at 3.33GHz with a 1333MHz FSB. CineForm performance should be stratospheric!! :)

June 1st, 2006, 07:44 PM	#6
David Taylor Major Player Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Solana Beach, CA Posts: 853	We just received (yesterday) an engineering sample (PC) from an unnamed computer company with a 2.66GHz Conroe chip (single chip dual core) with 1066 MHz FSB. The quick (but not conclusive) benchmarks we ran shows that it (Conroe machine) is about 30% faster with our CineForm Intermediate decoder than the Pentium D 955-Extreme Edition we've had for a while. That's why we think the Conroe platform and its successors will become the new reference standard for our software. I can't wait to see Extreme Edition versions of this family. Extreme Edition versions of the 840/955/965 processors are excellent, but the older HT P4 architecture is moving over towards Conroe (lower clock speed and more CISC-like instructions) and beyond. And these new procs are in Intel's desktop lineup, meaning they'll have the normal aggressive price decline curve attached to them.

June 2nd, 2006, 04:45 AM	#8
Steven Gotz Trustee Join Date: May 2002 Location: Clermont, FL Posts: 1,520	I'll be happy to send you a Fedex number to use to forward any extra machines to me, like old 955EE equipped dinosaurs, just so you won't have to go through the hassle of disposing of them. ;) __________________ Steven Gotz http://www.stevengotz.com

June 2nd, 2006, 07:49 PM	#9
Denis Danatzko Major Player Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: NYC Metro area Posts: 579	Will this system work well w/HVX-200? I was told by a local vendor that the system described below would "scream" and serve all my needs for the HVX. Is this a good choice? Or did I "buy a bridge"? All input welcome. Thanks. Cineform Aspect HD 4.11 Certified Editing System Adobe Video Bundle w/ Flash 8.0 Professional (Premiere, Encore, Audition, etc.) Certified AMD Tyan Motherboard w/ On-board Audio & PCI-Express Dual AMD Opteron 2.2ghz 275 Processors 2GB DDR400 ECC Registered Memory (4x512mb) 200GB Boot Drive 7200RPM Seagate SATA-II w/ Removable Carrier 2000GB (2TB) SATA II Seagate Raid 5 or 0 Storage w/ RAID Card Certified PNY Quadro FX1500 Dual Link DVI w/ HD Component Output Xtra PCI-X Firewire 400 / 2 Port Firewire 800 Card Windows XP Professional 32bit w/ Service Pack 2 Creative Labs Speakers w/ Subwoofer Logitech Optical Mouse Worldtech Shortcut Keyboard for Adobe Premiere Pro Contour Design Shuttle Pro V2 (upgraded from ShuttleXpress) 1 Year - ON-SITE Tech Support (Covers basic support and parts, power supply not included. See website for warranty) **Hard drives do have add'l warranty, usually 3-5 years Pioneer 16X DVD-R/RW CD/DVD Drive w/ Dual Layer DVD+DL

June 2nd, 2006, 09:21 PM	#10
David Newman CTO, CineForm Inc. Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Cardiff-by-the-Sea, California Posts: 8,095	That is a very nice system. You will have 4 cores working for you. With that type of system you may want to consider Prospect HD Edit with an AJA LHe card (or at least upgrading to that in the future.) __________________ David Newman -- web: www.gopro.com blog: cineform.blogspot.com -- twitter: twitter.com/David_Newman

June 2nd, 2006, 10:43 PM	#11
David Taylor Major Player Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Solana Beach, CA Posts: 853	Denis - yep, it's definitely a screamer. In fact, it's actually a bit overkill for Aspect HD - you really don't need four procs. You could cut back to a 955EE system (or upcoming Conroe) and save about enough to move up to PHD-Edit and get 10-bits. The 10-bit upgrade will show as incremental visual fidelity in your final result. The speed of the system underneath doesn't directly translate to higher visual quality. Just a thought....

June 4th, 2006, 08:23 AM	#12
Denis Danatzko Major Player Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: NYC Metro area Posts: 579	Thanks for the input! David & David, I've ordered the system I describe above. May be overkill for now, but since you pretty much confirm what the vendor told me, I'm going with it. He also told me there's room to upgrade. As long as I can do that, I feel less anxiety about the purchase. Thanks again.

June 4th, 2006, 08:41 AM	#13
David Taylor Major Player Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Solana Beach, CA Posts: 853	Hey Denis, let us know how many HD streams you can sustain simultaneously with Aspect HD on that system after you get it tuned up. That'll be a fun benchmark. We have 275 systems at CineForm but we don't have any RAID 5 drive configurations. I suspect with a RAID 5 (or four-drive RAID 0) the drive subsystem should be able to sustain close to 12 streams (+/-) of 1080i. You may run out of CPU in the range of 10-12 streams. Let us know....

June 4th, 2006, 09:19 AM	#14
Denis Danatzko Major Player Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: NYC Metro area Posts: 579	David, Will do my best. I don't have the system yet; expect to take delivery this week or next. (I have to get more furniture and rearrange my "studio", so it will be a while before I can accommodate, but will keep you in mind). Your input has been encouraging...Thanks again.

June 4th, 2006, 09:38 AM	#15
Denis Danatzko Major Player Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: NYC Metro area Posts: 579	Addendum to David Taylor: David, do you work at Cineform? The vendor I'm dealing with speaks VERY highly of Cineform products, and says he speaks to some folks there often. Actually, he persuaded me to steer away from an Intel HP system - and the popular NLE system used on an HP - in order to gain the benefits of Aspect HD and what he claims is the increased speed of AMD. At present, my concern is working with my indie "mentor" - who uses Avid, and does not yet have Express Pro HD, but expects to upgrade in the near future. I need to be able to provide him with video. I suspect I can do that directly from my camera, but am unsure as to what would be best if giving him edited footage. My vendor suggests I get a Citidisk for DTE, but haven't heard enough good about them yet to convince me to go that route, i.e. do they play well w/the HVX-200? Are you aware of any problems I'm likely to run into if I go w/Citidisk?