Judge My PC benchmarks! at DVinfo.net

Ben Boer · March 8th, 2006, 04:23 PM

Judge for Yourself

Let me know what your suggestions are to this system I am about to get.
I did some research and would like to double check with the pro’s in the business.
I’m a student so I’m on a budget. It’s the best I can do for now.
I’m not sure about all the other extras I should be getting , so if you do pls let me know

Main Uses:

Able to work in these formats : Mini DV(mainly) and other formats through to VHS

NLE editing, converiting from firewire to DVD, Mpeg2, DivX and all other encoding conversions, adding 3D and special effects.

My NLE PC specs:

Mother Board: Intel® 'Vanguard' 915GL P4 FSB800 Integrated MB, 4xDDR400 (dual)Slots,2xPCI, 1x PCI E x1 Intel High Audio (6 CH), 4x SATA. 1x PATA, 8xUSB, MICRO ATX, Intel Pro 10/100 LAN

Processor: Intel® Box Pentium-4-630 3.0GHz Pro (LGA775) 2MB OD 800MHz FSB, EM64T –Hyper -Threading

Video Card:Sparkle Nvidia® GeForce™ 6600GT 128MB DDR3 128Bit PCI-E 16x TV-Out DVI/SLI with VIVO

Ram: MDT® 1024MB DDR2 Ram 533Mhz FSB Module 240-pin (X2)

Hard Drive:for video storage- 120Gb Barracuda 7200rpm SATA8Mb Cache
for windows -80Gb Barracuda 7200rpm SATA 8Mb Cache

Optical Drive :LITE-ON Dual 16xDVD+/-R, 8x DVD+/-RW, 4x Dual Layer

Benchmarks:

Let me know what you guys think of the following averaged times for the following tasks:

DivX6 from 182MB VOB MPEG-2 source,
encoded 720x576 @25 fps = 6min48sec

Pinnalce 95MB source encoding,
transitions and 3D rendering =2min23sec

XviD, 182MB VOB MPEG-2 source encoding
720x576 @25fps =5min28sec

If there are any other essentials you think I need please let me know.
I welcome all your opinions on these specs and benchmarks.

Thank you
Ben

Glenn Chan · March 8th, 2006, 04:38 PM

1- What editing system are you planning on using?

2- The best budget system to get may be get a hot deal on a base Dimension 9100 system from Dell. Then throw in your own upgrades. This only works if:
- You know how to build a computer, or think you can learn how. It's kind of as hard as programming a VCR.
- You are ok with buying a computer from the big manufacturers. Typically, these kinds of computers have proprietary parts that limit upgradeability (but computers generally aren't upgradeable anyways when they become obsolete).

Support is moving towards India-based support because it's cheaper. The first-level support almost always reads from troubleshooting scripts.
-You're in the US. Pricing elsewhere may not be as aggressive.

Check hot deals sites for info on how to get deals on such a system. The system can come with a Pentium D 2X2.8ghz processor, which should be faster than the processor you list (it has two cores instead of one; like two CPUs in one).

The Dell would actually be about $80 cheaper than building your own with parts of newegg.com, and takes less time.

3- You'll likely want more hard drive space. If on a budget, wait for hot deals on hard drives. In the US, rebate deals can be very good on hard drives.

The video card usually doesn't affect performance at all, so you can save some money there.

Kevin Shaw · March 8th, 2006, 05:01 PM

At this point I wouldn't build or buy an editing system which didn't at least have a dual-core processor, like a Pentium D 830. Spend an extra $100 or so and you'll have a computer with a much longer lifespan, especially if you start getting into high-definition video.

Raza Ahmad · March 8th, 2006, 06:41 PM

well... not a ton, but a bit... and AMD processors are right up there with the Intel based competition in terms of performance, maybe a notch or too lower, but for the price drop, its way worth it...

Switch from a G-Force to a low end Quadro or a FireGL... GForces are gamer cards... Quadros and FireGLs are more for professional use, i think you can get a Quadro 540 for an equivalent price... The Quadros and (some) FireGLs are also better supported by Maya and AE (don't know what you are planning on using for animation/3d).

Why go 120? For just a notch more you can probably get a 250 gigger for your video drive...

Roughly for the same price, get a lightscribe optical.... save yourself from the sharpie madness forevermore...

Rough thoughts... more coming... maybe...

-raza

Kevin Shaw · March 8th, 2006, 10:43 PM

Better check your price lists again: AMD's charging more than Intel now for things like entry-level dual core processors.

Ben Boer · March 10th, 2006, 03:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raza Ahmad

well... not a ton, but a bit... and AMD processors are right up there with the Intel based competition in terms of performance, maybe a notch or too lower, but for the price drop, its way worth it...

Switch from a G-Force to a low end Quadro or a FireGL... GForces are gamer cards... Quadros and FireGLs are more for professional use, i think you can get a Quadro 540 for an equivalent price... The Quadros and (some) FireGLs are also better supported by Maya and AE (don't know what you are planning on using for animation/3d).

Why go 120? For just a notch more you can probably get a 250 gigger for your video drive...

Roughly for the same price, get a lightscribe optical.... save yourself from the sharpie madness forevermore...

Rough thoughts... more coming... maybe...

-raza

Hey Raza thanks for your tip
I will be getting a quadro now if I can find one at sbout the same price.
I will consider a larger hdd, I use my PC for editing, capturing and adding effects 3d or not to from miniDV format.

Will the lightscribe image look as good as its printed on paper-full colour?? how does yors work.

Thanks
Ben

Ben Boer · March 10th, 2006, 03:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kevin Shaw

At this point I wouldn't build or buy an editing system which didn't at least have a dual-core processor, like a Pentium D 830. Spend an extra $100 or so and you'll have a computer with a much longer lifespan, especially if you start getting into high-definition video.

Hi Kevin
Thanks for the tip
Im thinking about goin dual again now that you mention it.

Ben Boer · March 10th, 2006, 03:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raza Ahmad

Switch from a G-Force to a low end Quadro or a FireGL... GForces are gamer cards... Quadros and FireGLs are more for professional use, i think you can get a Quadro 540 for an equivalent price... The Quadros and (some) FireGLs are also better supported by Maya and AE (don't know what you are planning on using for animation/3

Hi

reccomendations.
What quadro card do you think I should get to replace the one I have listed (nvidia 6600gt).quadro apparently have better openGL support. and are built for NLE.

thanks
Ben

Glenn Chan · March 10th, 2006, 04:06 PM

Ben: Not many editing programs can take advantage of video card acceleration. Check the recommended specs for the program you want to use.

The workstation cards are like the gaming cards, except they aren't crippled at some openGL operations. The workstation cards also have slightly different drivers, which changes performance a little (i.e. the best workstation card is slightly slower than the best gaming card at games). At the same price point, the gaming line card can be faster depending on application. i.e. for Magic Bullet Editor's 2, I suspect the Geforce 6800 might be a lot faster than the equivalent quadro card.

Ben Boer · March 10th, 2006, 04:45 PM

thanks chan.

I'll probably be using adobe premier or pinnacle so I'll check the requirements for them.

Raza Ahmad · March 11th, 2006, 04:50 AM

http://www.lightscribe.com/

They show it here doing all sorts of crazy graphical stuff... in truth I know that it takes a loooooong burn to do that... I would recommend just using it to inscribe short text and maybe very simple line art. It would probably burn through that in a few minutes. If you are looking to do full color artworky stuff you are better off getting one of those epson cd printers and using printable dvds.

i am building a new rig now and buying a quadro 1400 pci ex. the dude who posted a few notches up is right though, make a list of software you are going to use and research your vid card choice accordingly. i am choosing this card because i work with maya (and its recommended on that) and i want to start fiddling with after effects (and its recommended on that too...).

Ok... later...

Raza

raza

Ahmet Ilhan · March 15th, 2006, 04:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raza Ahmad

well... not a ton, but a bit... and AMD processors are right up there with the Intel based competition in terms of performance, maybe a notch or too lower, but for the price drop, its way worth it...

-raza

I am not sure about AMD being less expensive or having less performance.
a test by tomshardware shows that all AMD X2 processors have better performance even compared to Pentium D 950 the most advanced pentium dual core. http://www.tomshardware.com/2006/01/...rty/page8.html

and they are definetely not cheaper. but they consume less energy/ produce less heat.

I also plan to build a PC for Vegas and I think of AMD X2 4400 as the pricy option and pentium D 930 as budget option.

and about pentium D 8XX cpu's. there are reviews claiming that they are unstable with their standard cpu fan due to the heat.

so if you prefer Intel you should go for 9XX cpu's.

March 8th, 2006, 04:23 PM	#1
Ben Boer New Boot Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 6	Judge My PC benchmarks! Judge for Yourself Let me know what your suggestions are to this system I am about to get. I did some research and would like to double check with the pro’s in the business. I’m a student so I’m on a budget. It’s the best I can do for now. I’m not sure about all the other extras I should be getting , so if you do pls let me know Main Uses: Able to work in these formats : Mini DV(mainly) and other formats through to VHS NLE editing, converiting from firewire to DVD, Mpeg2, DivX and all other encoding conversions, adding 3D and special effects. My NLE PC specs: Mother Board: Intel® 'Vanguard' 915GL P4 FSB800 Integrated MB, 4xDDR400 (dual)Slots,2xPCI, 1x PCI E x1 Intel High Audio (6 CH), 4x SATA. 1x PATA, 8xUSB, MICRO ATX, Intel Pro 10/100 LAN Processor: Intel® Box Pentium-4-630 3.0GHz Pro (LGA775) 2MB OD 800MHz FSB, EM64T –Hyper -Threading Video Card:Sparkle Nvidia® GeForce™ 6600GT 128MB DDR3 128Bit PCI-E 16x TV-Out DVI/SLI with VIVO Ram: MDT® 1024MB DDR2 Ram 533Mhz FSB Module 240-pin (X2) Hard Drive:for video storage- 120Gb Barracuda 7200rpm SATA8Mb Cache for windows -80Gb Barracuda 7200rpm SATA 8Mb Cache Optical Drive :LITE-ON Dual 16xDVD+/-R, 8x DVD+/-RW, 4x Dual Layer Benchmarks: Let me know what you guys think of the following averaged times for the following tasks: DivX6 from 182MB VOB MPEG-2 source, encoded 720x576 @25 fps = 6min48sec Pinnalce 95MB source encoding, transitions and 3D rendering =2min23sec XviD, 182MB VOB MPEG-2 source encoding 720x576 @25fps =5min28sec If there are any other essentials you think I need please let me know. I welcome all your opinions on these specs and benchmarks. Thank you Ben

March 8th, 2006, 06:41 PM	#4
Raza Ahmad Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: los angeles, ca Posts: 61	save yourself a ton of money and go amd well... not a ton, but a bit... and AMD processors are right up there with the Intel based competition in terms of performance, maybe a notch or too lower, but for the price drop, its way worth it... Switch from a G-Force to a low end Quadro or a FireGL... GForces are gamer cards... Quadros and FireGLs are more for professional use, i think you can get a Quadro 540 for an equivalent price... The Quadros and (some) FireGLs are also better supported by Maya and AE (don't know what you are planning on using for animation/3d). Why go 120? For just a notch more you can probably get a 250 gigger for your video drive... Roughly for the same price, get a lightscribe optical.... save yourself from the sharpie madness forevermore... Rough thoughts... more coming... maybe... -raza

March 11th, 2006, 04:50 AM	#11
Raza Ahmad Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: los angeles, ca Posts: 61	lightscribe http://www.lightscribe.com/ They show it here doing all sorts of crazy graphical stuff... in truth I know that it takes a loooooong burn to do that... I would recommend just using it to inscribe short text and maybe very simple line art. It would probably burn through that in a few minutes. If you are looking to do full color artworky stuff you are better off getting one of those epson cd printers and using printable dvds. i am building a new rig now and buying a quadro 1400 pci ex. the dude who posted a few notches up is right though, make a list of software you are going to use and research your vid card choice accordingly. i am choosing this card because i work with maya (and its recommended on that) and i want to start fiddling with after effects (and its recommended on that too...). Ok... later... Raza raza

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March 8th, 2006, 04:38 PM	#2
Glenn Chan Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 4,750	1- What editing system are you planning on using? 2- The best budget system to get may be get a hot deal on a base Dimension 9100 system from Dell. Then throw in your own upgrades. This only works if: - You know how to build a computer, or think you can learn how. It's kind of as hard as programming a VCR. - You are ok with buying a computer from the big manufacturers. Typically, these kinds of computers have proprietary parts that limit upgradeability (but computers generally aren't upgradeable anyways when they become obsolete). Support is moving towards India-based support because it's cheaper. The first-level support almost always reads from troubleshooting scripts. -You're in the US. Pricing elsewhere may not be as aggressive. Check hot deals sites for info on how to get deals on such a system. The system can come with a Pentium D 2X2.8ghz processor, which should be faster than the processor you list (it has two cores instead of one; like two CPUs in one). The Dell would actually be about $80 cheaper than building your own with parts of newegg.com, and takes less time. 3- You'll likely want more hard drive space. If on a budget, wait for hot deals on hard drives. In the US, rebate deals can be very good on hard drives. The video card usually doesn't affect performance at all, so you can save some money there.

March 8th, 2006, 05:01 PM	#3
Kevin Shaw Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Sacramento, CA Posts: 2,488	At this point I wouldn't build or buy an editing system which didn't at least have a dual-core processor, like a Pentium D 830. Spend an extra $100 or so and you'll have a computer with a much longer lifespan, especially if you start getting into high-definition video.

March 8th, 2006, 10:43 PM	#5
Kevin Shaw Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Sacramento, CA Posts: 2,488	Better check your price lists again: AMD's charging more than Intel now for things like entry-level dual core processors.

March 10th, 2006, 04:06 PM	#9
Glenn Chan Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 4,750	Ben: Not many editing programs can take advantage of video card acceleration. Check the recommended specs for the program you want to use. The workstation cards are like the gaming cards, except they aren't crippled at some openGL operations. The workstation cards also have slightly different drivers, which changes performance a little (i.e. the best workstation card is slightly slower than the best gaming card at games). At the same price point, the gaming line card can be faster depending on application. i.e. for Magic Bullet Editor's 2, I suspect the Geforce 6800 might be a lot faster than the equivalent quadro card.

March 10th, 2006, 04:45 PM	#10
Ben Boer New Boot Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 6	thanks chan. I'll probably be using adobe premier or pinnacle so I'll check the requirements for them.