Video Editing + Game PC Build suggestions.

[iggyss_mod]

Hello,
I am thinking of building a PC.

The PC will be used for mainly for video editing, with programs like Premiere and graphics editing with Photoshop.
About games, well, not a hardcore fan but Oblivion and FEAR is a must these days

Requirements

Motherboard: Asus definitly
CPU: Pentium 4 3GHz+ definitly
Graphics Card: ATI or nVidia can't decide
Ram: ... I dont know

For the motherboard it would be good if it supported IDE since I own 2 IDE HardDrives 160GB each, the FireWire support for DV would be great too.
But the main concern is the future upgrade, I want the mobo to last as long as possible and I am willing to give all the money there.

The CPU is pentium because I went to a couple of stores and asked a few people and it seems that they all recommend Athlon only if you buy the PC for gaming, but for video editing its Pentium eyes shut. (Talked also to a professional in the field of video editing he recomended Pentium too) so they convinced me.

The Graphics card is the problem, I can't deside wich to chose ATI or nVidia, right now i am searching the web for differences cons and pros in that area but still haven't desided. (But leaning towards ATI)

My main concern is that I've heard of some incompatibilities with systems, like "this" RAM brand does not do well with this "kind" of motherboard.
4~5 years ago when I was choosing my current system with no knowlege at all about hardware or PCs I got lucky because I never had problems with my system.

So to sum up, I will give all the money on the motherboard but the CPU and Graphics will be replaced in the future when I will have higher expectations of my system.

Any help or suggestion is apreciated.
Location Greece sorry for the mistakes.

The money is an issue, (I am a working student) but not much, so if I cant get the system now I will get it in a month or so, no rush there.

 

[timberwolf1]

Hello iggyss_mod,

With regards to your questions on building a video editing and game PC, here are my opinions.

1) Video editing needs a LOT of CPU and RAM power. You'd be well advised to spend it on a good CPU - your Pentium 4 is a pretty good choice. I don't think you need to do dual core though. I suggest a minimum of 1 GB.

2) Video editing (in general) does not need a spectacular video card. But games like Oblivion and FEAR will require it. So it depends on how you see it - if you want good game graphics, I'd suggest a 7900 GT at least. Don't think you need to go SLI (i.e. dual graphics cards). Right now, nVidia cards are outselling ATI.

3) For the mobo, try to get a state of the art - RAID, SATA, USB2, onboard video and sound, Firewire. Don't need it to be SLI or dual core though. The DFI LAN Party series is one of my favorites.

If you're interested in finding out more, do read the following articles:

1) How To Choose A Motherboard

2) How To Build A Video Editing Computer

 

[pat]

make sure you have good cooling and large case. Intel vs AMD don't hold true anymore. If you can get dual core, go for it. AMD dual core run way cooler. Don't use anything lower than 830D (3.0 GHz) if you go dual core. RAID will help working with big video files. Just make sure that the drive are not tied too close together. Heat will kill them.

depending of the kind of editing you want to do, you may only need onboard sound, but a simple sound card would do good too.

Noise is what will become the most annoying thing in your system, and you'll notice it more when editing because the heat produced by the hdd will make the case temp to raise a well as the cpu one. I don't know if it is something you care about, but I went silent for my motherboad, and video card fo this very reason.

You said you're on a budget, but don't spend too much on the motherboard for excessives feature you won't need.

 

[iggyss_mod]

Sorry for the delay and thank you for the advice.
Still thinking and estimating.

 

[kais]

dude wth is up with you all. dont get the p4 90nm. if you get a proc. get the pentium d 930 its only like 230 bucks. wtf! and nvidia doesnt outsell ati the x1900's is fucking nvidia up the ass

 

[kais]

u should look at the cpu and vga charts to see how good the pentium d 930 is over the pentium 4 630 and the 7900gt and x1900xt

 

[shadowduck]

Video Editing and Gaming:

CPU: AMD Opteron 165 (if you are into overclocking) or X2-4200+ if you are not (sorry AMD smokes Intel, and the AMD dual cores run way cooler)

Motherboard: If you are not overclocking and do not need onboard Firewire get the Asus A8N-E. Otherwise get the DFI Lanparty Ultra D (the first level Asus board with firewire the A8N-SLI is AWFUL). The DFI board also overclocks much better. The board does have IDE.

Video: 7900GT or 1900XT.. your choice, the ATI seems to be better at the moment

RAM: Corsair XMS 2GB (2x 1GB) $189 before rebate @ Newegg

Granted, AM2 comes out on May 23, so you might want to wait for it, as S939 is dead for future upgrades. But, AM2 does not offer much in way of performance gains + requires DDR2 memory. Unless AMD drops 65mm CPUs on the 23rd, go with S939 IMHO.

 

[sdrawkcaBgoD]

I was waiting for someone else to say it first because I don't wanna be the one starting a clash, but thank you for pointing out the AMD/Intel thing. The idea of Intel being better for video editing should have died with the introduction of dual core CPUs. The Pentium D is cheaper and will perform about equally with an AMD X2 3800, but everyone should keep in mind that this is a video editing AND gaming PC. In which case, I'd go for a 3800.

Check out this link:

http://www23.tomshardware.com/cpu.html


Note that the 3800 and Pentium D 930 are almost neck and neck in video editing (slight advantage to the 3800) but in gaming the 3800 wins in every test. Granted, it's not by much. But I lay that at the feet of the somewhat dated games and low resolutions used in the tests. The gap would open significantly in newer games, IMO.
Of course, the original poster said he wasn't considering AMD chips at all, so the point is pretty much moot.

Also, RAID 0 is definitely worth considering for this build.

 

[shadowduck]

Also, RAID 0 is definitely worth considering for this build.

Very good point, or maybe even RAID 0+1 for some fault tolerence.

 

[sdrawkcaBgoD]

Another thought:

Why go single core "definitely"? If it's really a video editing build, go dual core and don't look back. Also, most people you ask at a computer store don't know jack about computers. And, yes, I'm talking about the people who work there, too. And there are a good deal of professional video editors who have no idea what's going on inside the very machines they work with every day. Don't take their word for it and don't take mine. Look at the link Iposted earlier and also take a look at his one as well:

http://www.tomshardware.com/2005/11/21/the_mother_of_all_cpu_charts_2005/

Alright, I promise I won't preach any more about the advantages of dual core vs. single core and AMD vs. Intel. Just do yourself a favor and check out those links. Good luck with your build!