PC recommendation for HD video editing and encoding
Hi,
I am planning to assemble a high-end video editing & encoding computer that can edit and encode HD videos without trouble. My current Pentium 4 PC struggles even to play HD videos. I am in the process of identifying the components that are needed for this dream machine. So far I have finalized on the following: Motherboard : Asus Z97 Deluxe Processor : i7-4790k I would appreciate if you can recommend me other vital components (with specific model numbers if possible). Please also feel free to comment on the motherboard and the processor. My budget: $1500 to $2000 Regards |
Harm Millard created a benchmarking program for testing editing PCs. He has written a lot about the components that go into a good editing build - have a look around his website, probably starting here: http://ppbm7.com/index.php/tweakers-page
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The mobo and CPU look OK.
No monitor? Don't know what size you want. 21.5 to 24" should suffice, but you'll need an IPS display for video work. Good choices are fast IPS panels from 5ms to 7 or 8ms from HP, ViewSonic, Dell, and ASUS. Stay away from low-QC and godawful color from Samsung or Acer, they're too variable. Monitors for video work should be properly calibrated -- never use factory settings. No self-respecting photog or videographer would be caught working with an uncalibrated display. A calibration device and kit from X-Rite or DataColor will do the trick, with X-Rite preferred by most. DataColor has a quickie web page to illustrate why monitors should be calibrated: http://www.imaging-resource.com/ARTS.../CALIBRATE.HTM. If you thinmk the monitor you have now is OK, you're probably wrong. Try this page of manual (free) testing: http://www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/. You'll need at least two hard drives, one smaller one for the OS and programs, at least one more (two more would be better) for processing and storage. Never run video processing on the OS drive, always use the other drives for work and storage. External drive(s) in A.C.-powered, fan cooled enclosures will come in handy. Except for static storage, don't use USB-powered drives for fast work. |
Thanks for the replies.
Motherboard and processor are the only ones I have finalized. I was looking for advise on the remaining vital components such as RAM, Hard Drives, Graphics card, Cooling, Monitor...etc. I will make a note of the monitor types you suggested. Also, I will go through the link that 'rgh1' provided. Any specific recommendations on the RAM, Graphics card and Hard Drives? Should I need RAID set-up? Regards |
Taken from Harm Millard's recommendation for a balanced system based on the CPU & Mobo you've nominated:
Case: Fractal Design ARC XL PSU: Corsair Professional AX 860i Mobo: Asus Z87 WS CPU: Intel Core i7 4770K Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 412S RAM: 32GB- 4x 8GB GPU: nVidia GTX 760 SSD: Samsung 840 Pro 256 GB HDD: Seagate 7200.14 (5x or more) 2x Raid0 + Backup, 275 MB/s The $2,200 budget is only a ballpark but only $200 above your upper limit. I went with the following to save a few $ by reusing some components I already had: Case: Thermaltake Full Tower (USB3.0 on front panel) PSU: Silverstone Strider 850W Mobo: Asrock Extreme 4 Z77 CPU: Intel Core i7 3770K Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212S RAM: 32GB - 4x 8GB - 1600Mhz GPU: Gigabyte nVidia GTX 660 OC SSD: Samsung 840 EVO 256GB (OS, Programs) HDD: 5 x Seagate 3TB Barracuda (2 x Raid 0 (4HDD), 1 x Exports + Backup) I went with a an LG 23EA63 23" IPS Monitor which seemed to have good reviews at a reasonable cost and Creative Gigaworks T20 speakers which I have since upgraded to JBL LSR305's with a Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 usb interface and I also use Audio Technica ATH-M50 headphones. Hope that helps! |
The only thing I'd advise against is RAID 0. Had too many problems with it in the past. Besides, most solutions are software based, negating most of the speed advantage (even the site mentioned above recommends against it). For editing, raw I/O throughput isn't as important as when you are capturing uncompressed live I/O streams (HDMI or SDI capture).
The only problem with consumer Intel platforms (Socket 1150/55/56) is the I/O constraints due to the limited number of PCIe lanes. Most boards only come with 6 SATA ports and you lose two of them if you use the M.2 slot (on z97) for a SSD. The rest have to be added via limited PCIe slots. X79 and X99 boards don't have this problem and usually have 8 or more SATA ports (18 in the case of the ASRock X99 Extreme 11!). They also can take double the amount of RAM (more on X99 since DDR4 is available in higher density DIMMs). |
Thank you all for your replies.
I ended up buying this: Motherboard : Asus Z97-A CPU : Intel i7-4790K Power Supply : CoolerMaster 700 Watts RAM : Corsair 4 GB DDR3 (I use Windows 7 32-bit) Cabinet : CoolerMaster Hard Drive : Western Digital Green Drive 2 TB, 7200 RPM UPS : 1 KVA Fans : 2 fans fitted extra (besides the CPU cooler fan that came with the CPU box) DVD Writer : LiteON Graphics Card : Purchase deferred. Performance of the computer seems to be good so far. I am yet to test it with any real video encoding. My other question regarding UPS: The power supply that I chose has something called 'Active PFC', and some of the other forums say that, to match with an Active PFC power supply, we need to have a UPS that is 'pure sine wave'. However, pure sine wave UPS is very expensive, and hence I went with a UPS that says 'simulated sine wave' on its specifications. Is this going to be a problem? Also, the UPS says that its maximum output will be 600 Watts. Will I ever need more than 600 Watts from the UPS (though my power supply is 700 Watts)? I plan on doing only video editing and encoding. I do not plan to play games on this PC. Regards |
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DVD burner? I thought you wanted HD video. You can't burn or play HD with a DVD burner. You need BluRay. |
Most folks run the OS and applications off of a small SSD and stick with spinning rust for deep storage. There is a way to burn HD video to a DVD as AVC-HD video. My BluRay player runs those discs without a problem.
I am trying to figure out the reasoning for a 32-bit version of Windows though. If there is one application that takes advantage of tons of RAM, its video editing! |
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Thanks for the replies.
Hard Drive: I have another 1 TB internal hard drive already. I will fix that. Blueray Writer: I will purchase it in the coming months Windows 32 bit: That is what I have license for. I will try and upgrade to 64 bit later. This is not a commercial setup, just a hobby, so I plan to buy things as and when the budget permits. Please comemnt on the UPS question that I posted as well. Regards |
If you can swing for a minimum 256GB SSD internal drive for your PC's operating system (get the 64Bit for the OS) and software programs to use, you'll be very pleased with the quicker performance.
I use a 256GB SSD for my Windows 7 Pro 64bit OS, and two separate 4TB 7200RPM internal drives for data collection. The computer boots up quickly and programs also boot up much faster then using a 7200RPM HD. My PC also has 32GB RAM, so that helps as well. Just my :2cents: |
Retail copies of Windows are good for 32 bit or 64 bit installs, there are no restrictions. Only OEM copies are limited to one or the other, but they are also limited to one computer and are non-transferable.
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Thanks for the replies. I will go for SSD. Point noted on Windows as well.
Please comment on the UPS question that I posted as well. The power supply that I chose has something called 'Active PFC', and some of the other forums say that, to match with an Active PFC power supply, we need to have a UPS that is 'pure sine wave'. However, pure sine wave UPS is very expensive, and hence I went with a UPS that says 'simulated sine wave' on its specifications. Is this going to be a problem? Also, the UPS says that its maximum output will be 600 Watts. Will I ever need more than 600 Watts from the UPS (though my power supply is 700 Watts)? I plan on doing only video editing and encoding. I do not plan to play games on this PC. Regards |
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