Computer for hd video editing 1k budget!

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krazykxrider

New Member
just like the title says, i need a good computer for hd video edting using sony vegas 8 pro. i will only have one computer so keep that in mind. needs to be under or around $1000. i have found 2 good computers that i think would work, but if you have a better suggestion then please say so.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9174564&type=product&id=1218044490119
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9156619&st=Dell+XPS+430-121B&lp=1&type=product&cp=1&id=1218038553111
gateway pros:
-8gb of ram
-1gb gt120 vid card
cons:
-slower 2.3 ghz processor
-ddr2 ram
dell pros:
-fast 2.5 ghz processor
-ddr3 ram
cons:
-256mb vid card
-$120 bucks more for similar performance
so out of those 2, which one would you guys pick for hd video editing? i like the fast ram and processor on the dell but the vid card is only 256mb which might be a problem. ive read on the internet that having alot of vram isnt that important for editing as long as you have a dedicated graphics card, but i dont know if thats true. if there is any other viable options, then feel free to say so, i just havent really found anything else with as a good as specs as these 2 computers. any help is greatly appreciated, thanks!
 
well i think that dells is the better choice out of those two.
the best choice would be to build your own computer. its cheaper in the end and you end up with better parts.
just my two cents.
 
im kinda ignorant when it comes to graphics cards, but the gateway has 1gb of vram, that one that you linked only has 512mb, although its very easy to run a sli configuration. whats the benefit of that card over the gateway?
 
krazykxrider said:
im kinda ignorant when it comes to graphics cards, but the gateway has 1gb of vram, that one that you linked only has 512mb, although its very easy to run a sli configuration. whats the benefit of that card over the gateway?
Click to expand...

Actually, the GT120 has 512MB. IDK why Best Buy said "up to". However, you can upgrade the card with whichever system you want to.
I'd still recommend the Gateway if I had to pick. Then, you the power supply can support it, I'd get this. Or something similar.
 
is the intel i7 good for video editing? i imagine its better than core 2 quad, but you never know, there is just so many options!
 
Yeah, the i7, when paired with DDR3 ram is remarkable! But honestly, for the best performance, you should build it yourself. I know it has been stated.
But for $1K, you are kinda limited to getting custom built machines.
 
ive never built a computer before, but maybe this is a good time to start. ive kind of looked at motherboard and cpu prices, and that alone was around 500 bucks for decent ones. i cant really see it being cheaper to build your own
 
Depends on what you call "decent".

An i7 system is going to run you top dollar, thus the $300 CPU and $200-$300 motherboard.

You could build a Core 2 system for much cheaper.
 
For video editing you want lots of RAM, fast processor and fast hard drives, video cards do not help that much for video editing. Now if you get into 3D rendering that is a bit of a different story but straight up digital video you want lots of fast HD space, lots of RAM and a fast processor. Loading video is more of crunching data than anything else.

I have built several video editing rigs in the past mainly because my friends are into editing video and were doing it for side work.

I am finally getting them into a Mac which is great since I think that final cut studio is one of the better apps out there and Shake is amazing and they are Mac only.

You can do it on a PC though no problem. I would almost recommend you look at building one, even though it won't necessarily be cheaper but you can cut corners where you may need to.

Are you also going to edit and master audio with your video? If so you may want a better sound card as well. M-Audio makes great entry level sound cards for this stuff and they are not that expensive at all. My last build I did for a friend had an ATI all-in-wonder card for all the extra video I/O and an M-Audio so he could record and master several tracks of audio from different devices at once.

The good thing about it though is you can always add equipment as you go. So building one may be better if you are going to constantly upgrade and add hardware since with a Dell or Gateway or what not you aren't always getting parts that are compatible with the standard retail parts you get on line or at a store front.
 
ya thats what i thought, i dont really need a super nice video card, audio editing will be fairly simple and probably dont need a gnarly sound card to handle what im going to do.
even though building your own seems to be the best bet, say i just dont have the time or patience to build one, what do you think of this one?
http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/system/Mega_Infinity_6000_Lightning/
it has a 2.66ghz i7 and 6gb of ddr3 ram, 7200rpm hard drive, i dont know if there are faster ones, but i imagine there are, but that seems to be a fairly mainstream speed, so what do you think?
 
Hard drives are easy to upgrade down the road, just make sure you have sufficient SATA ports and space in your case.
 
ok, i heard that for vid editing, people use one hdd for windows only, and then another hd for the video files and programs and other things, is it better to get 2x500gb drives or 1x1tb
 
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