Building New Video Editing Computer - HELP!

K

kimbahpnam

New Member
Hey guys, I'm looking to build a new computer and I need it powerful enough to do some video/photo editing (ie. Final Cut Pro, Photoshop, etc). I just got a new camcorder that records in 1080/60p and would like a machine powerful enough to run Final Cut Pro smoothly.

What are the minimum requirements I would need to do that?

I am looking for best bang for buck so I think I will have to go PC with this one although I will be running OSX and Windows XP or 7 on it.

What do you think I should get?

Should I wait for Intel's Sandy Bridge?

Thanks
 
Welcome to the forums! :)

If you want OS/X is pretty much has to be a Mac...they don't allow you to install it on non-Apple hardware.

It can be done, but it's really restrictive on what hardware you can use, and it violates the EULA on the software so we're not allowed to talk about it here.
 
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you have to talk about the software. I'm just interested in building a stable computer that can put up with video editing.
 
Regardless of the motive, we're not allowed to talk about making hackintosh machines since they're not legal. Most forums are like that.

We can help you out with the hardware, though. There are a lot of good Windows alternatives to final cut, many of which cost significantly less than $1000.

Waiting to see what Sandy Bridge does would be a good idea, considering it's ~2 weeks away. We can go ahead and get an idea of wha the build might look like, though.

What's your budget, and what all does it have to include? (Just the tower, or the OS/mouse/keyboard/monitor/speakers/etc?)
 
sorry, i meant to write "don't have to talk about..."

Budget is up to $1000 for the tower and guts alone. I am just going to use my old keyboard, mouse, OS, etc. I just don't know whether to go for XP x64 or Windows 7. If they'll perform the same I'd stick with XP.

I'd like at least a 500GB HD, but other than that I really don't know what I should be looking at in terms of specs. I assume at least 4GB of RAM.

I actually have an old Antec tower and power supply I don't mind reusing (if I can) to use monies towards more powerful gear. My power supply might be outdated though. It's an Antec True 480.
 
Ah, alrighty. $1k is a good budget for just the hardware.

You'll want windows 7. Among other things, XP is much less stable, not as secure, loses all support in 2014, and doesn't support DirectX 10/11. And if you have a 32-bit version like most people, it doesn't support more than 3.2GB of ram.

For the difference in price, a 1TB hard drive is the way to go right now. Samsung Spinpoint F3 or Western Digital Caviar Black. They're about the same speed...the question is if the extra price on the WD is worth it for 2 more years of warranty.

I'd definitely get a new power supply. What model is the case, though? It might be suitable for a modern rig if you're alright with dismantling the old one. Personally I'd keep the old PC and use it as a backup/file server or something. :/
 
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The only thing I will say with regards to video editing is focus on the processor. Video editing is one area where multi-core processors really shine. Major performance increase over dual core. Converting raw video data into video files(especially HD) takes major processing time and you can greatly reduce it with the right processor. I would recommend getting a cheaper video card and a better processor. Video cards ironically don't really have anything to do with video editing. A $60-80 card will be more than sufficient.
 
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