While I've built several of my past video editing PCs, I'm thinking about buying one off the shelf this time.

I'm thinking about this one: Its got a fast processor, adequate graphics (yes?), I'll add 16 Gb of memory and an external USB3 drive

ASUS BP1AE-I7477S001B Desktop Computer BP1AE-I7477S001B B&H

G-Technology 4TB G-DRIVE USB 3.0 External Desktop Hard 0G02537

Good idea or bad idea?

looks ok, really depends on what codecs are you working with...

Ah, OK... Let's see---I've been doing a lot of time lapse assembly--taking jpegs and making them into a movie. I've got a lot of AVCHD (that I had been converting to the Canopus HQ--if I don't have to do that, that would be great). And I have a Canon T4i which is H.264, right?

Output format will generally be WMV, I think.

How does codec choice affect computer choice? (Part of the reason I don't want to build a new computer, I haven't kept up with all the intricacies of computer video editing technology)

That's not exactly an editing PC, if that is all your budget allows I guess you'll be okay for a while, a proper system is going to cost 3x more. The 4770 i7 is a very good CPU so that's will hold, get as much RAM as you can afford 4Gb won't be enough 16Gb if you can. See if you can upgrade your hard drive to a Samsung EVO SSD, although it won't speed up rendering your system will be incredibly! fast.

WMV is not a popular format, go with H.264 (mp4).

That machine only has a 250W. power supply and that's not even close to being powerful enough for a modern PC, especially if you start adding anything to it.
Since you've built your own in the past, take a look at the various offerings from CyberPowerPC (http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/) where, for not much more money, you can get a much better machine.

Take a look at avadirect.com. They have built two computers for me that I use for editing. I like their site because you can pick your parts and they have a stellar customer rating.

If you haven't settled on a source for your new PC, take a look at Puget Systems. My Puget Systems custom PC is excellent as well as their lifetime support. You can configure the PC online and they will also spend time with you on the phone without any sales pressure.

Spending a lot of money is just not going to happen right now. It is my understanding that vegas (and edius) are fairly light weight in terms of computing power needs. As I looked at those sites, they seem to tell me I need an expensive graphics card and a xeon processor. I am currently editing (well, assembling time lapse videos - with some pan/crop) on a laptop with an i3, 5400 rpm drive and built in graphics. It's slow but workable. (Heck, I started video editing on an Amiga with a 50 mHz proc!)

So, I'm not sure I see the need for a custom built computer nowadays. I looked at some of the HP 'creative workstations' and they have small power supplies. Between newer components requiring less power and the fact that there really isn't room for much else, is that really a current limitation or just a holdover from older days?

One of the things I liked about that one listed above is that is supposedly quiet. That is a bigger requirement than expandability.

I don't have the specs in front of me but maybe I should just try to fix my core 2 quad based system (Asus p5k something or other). The cpu cooler fell off in transit (NYC roads and a well worn truck).

No reason you can't order a PC, especially if it's returnable, and try it out.

See how the unit works for you. If you're not doing multicam work or super complex stuff maybe the unit at B&H would work well for you.

My problem with the unit you chose above is the integrated graphics, but PCs have really come a long way. The integrated graphics might work out just fine for you if the processor is powerful enough.

My suggestion would be to go ahead, try it out but be prepared to return it if it's not right for you. You would only lose out on the cost of shipping.

Best of luck with your decision. PC shopping isn't easy on a budget so I completely sympathize with your dilemma as you try and figure which way to go.

Well, from my reading here and various places across the web, I was under the impression that a graphics card was overkill for vegas & edius. They don't use the card like Premiere, for example. Is this correct or not?

Now, I have used that older system for edius multicam. But that computer did have a low end (in 2007) gfx card. Does anyone know how current Intel built in graphics compare?

Current versions of Vegas use the video card for GPU Acceleration. NewBlue plugins use the video card for GPU Acceleration. So, yes, the video card can make a differences.

One piece of advice - do not get an Intel HD video card. Any current AMD/ATI or nVidia card will work fine. Newer nVidia cards are more restrictive when used in Vegas.


Just looked at the specifications in your link - it's an Intel HD 4600. I would opt for a computer with a better video card as I mentioned above.

Ok, I guess I had outdated information; thanks for clearing that up.

But could you elaborate on the 'newer nvidia' card comment? I found one with a gt640. How is that?

After the GT5xx series, nVidia change the architecture and and Vegas now only uses part of the card. Therefore, a GT540 would actually be faster than a GT640.


http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/what-happens-vegas/515560-nvidia-gtx-660-ti-not-working-vegas.html

http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/what-happens-vegas/507804-building-new-supercomputer-vegas-pro-11-a.html

Agree about a video card being essential but if your plan is only to use Vegas then it's not such a big deal. I have to switch off my GPU acceleration in Vegas due to stability issues (constant crashing with it activated) so it doesn't really help I have a GPU card for Vegas. I monitor my renders & my GPU card is always at 0% usage even when using plug-ins that supposedly support GPU. My i7 4770 CPU does a great job.

+ 1 nicholas

whilst i appreciate the validity behind the recommendation regarding gtx5xx series cards, i think that when buying a new pc or upgrading a pc with a reasonably powerful cpu the logic of buying an 'old' video card needs serious consideration....

Leslie, I agree with you. So it may be worth looking at current AMD/ATI cards instead of old nVidia cards. I would steer clear of the Intel HD cards at this time, though.

Wow! My head is spinning! I read those two old threads and find I really don't know what conclusions to draw.

I looked at a bunch of those sites and they're just too pricey. More than I need I think.

But I was looking at this one: HP Z230 Series F1L58UT Tower Workstation F1L58UT#ABA B&H Photo

I wanted to stay under $1000 but maybe the added cost is worth it? With 3T internal drive, wifi and card reader--$1300. But well under the $2500 for a custom build.

What do you think?

andy, what's your main format you're editing - that could be quite a factor in deciding the pc you need. eg. dv you can edit on almost any pc, 4k would be a whole new ballgame....

Eh... somewhere in between. I do have a lot of DV footage that I still hope to use one day... But various HD formats: HDV, AVCHD and whatever my Canon t4i shoots.

At the moment, I'm just producing for youtube. I've been doing 720p24 to save on upload time. Plenty of quality for my purposes.

I don't do 4K output but I do have high res input! My time lapse videos are shot with 3k or 4k input. I see this has a great impact on preview ability.

Right now, my computer choices are an old Core2Quad Q8400 2.66Ghz winXP--vegas 9 (some kind of AMD graphics card) and my newer i3 2.4gHz.laptop Win 7-vegas 12. For rendering, the old computer is somewhat faster. But for previewing video, its pretty much a draw. With proxies, I can just about edit on the i3. But without, the old computer can't keep up.

So, I want something better than those. Money IS pretty tight. I was really hoping that old computer would work but it just won't. I suspect a hard drive might be having a problem.

So, emphasis is on CHEAP but with a GOOD (not great) editing experience. Full speed preview is more important that final rendering speed.

Does that make any sense at all?

But I was looking at this one: HP Z230 Series F1L58UT Tower Workstation F1L58UT#ABA B&H Photo (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1045283-REG/hp_f1l58ut_aba_z230_x_e3_1230v3_8gb_500gb_windows7p64_windows8_1p.html)

Looks good for the money, Andy. You would want to consider adding 8GB of Ram for a total of 16GB. B&H can probably do that for you and add to price.

The processor looks decent for what you do, but truthfully am not familiar with it.

Personally I would just keep your case and replace the MOBO, processor, ram, etc. New 8 core processors are coming very soon which is what I would want.

From some research, that Xeon is similar to the i7 4770 (?) but without graphics. So, its cheaper and I'm not paying for something I'm not going to use--seems like a good deal.

I'm just ordered that computer. I added a 3TB drive but I didn't get more ram, I can add that if it seems mandatory. Wish me luck!