Video Transfer & Rendering

[Dragon Chaser]

I am building a system primarily for video transfer/rendering of miniDV tapes (both SD and HD format), not for gaming. I am using Dell computer (Studio XPS series) as a guidance.

Will AMD Phenom™ II X6 1055T and ATI Radeon HD 5450 do a decent job? I intent to keep the budget under $1K.

Any advice will be very appreciated as well as suggestions on other components such as case and monitor.

 

[Alvin Smith]

Actually YOU WANT nVidia card ! WITH OpenGL 3.X

Look at Zotac and PNY and EVGA cards ... VERIFY the OpenGL ver is at least 3.0 (3.2 is desirable)

A few options ... proper airflow is needed for passively cooled cards ....

My requirements are identical to your own, except I require silence, for live audio recording ... If you do voice-overs or accoustic recording, choose the first, fanless card (still needs a really quiet 120mm case fan pointed at it) ... I'm gettin two 240s.

The second card is a true, single slot card (very handy) and is lower power than a standard 9800 ... it gets all it's pwr from the cardbus slot and will fit any case ... it also will do SLI ... it only pulls 75Watts max per card .. great for multi-mon x3 or x4

The 3rd card is a noisier, two slot card ... it is faster and will game.

You *DO* want nVidia ... (you do).


ZOTAC ZT-20404-20L GeForce GT 240 1GB 128-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500138


http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5274327&sku=P56-9824
PNY VCG98GTEE1XPB GeForce 9800 GT EE 1024MB Graphics Card - 1024MB, GDDR3, PCI Express 2.0, SLI Ready, (Dual Link) Dual DVI, Stereo, Dual VGA Support

ZOTAC ZT-20109-10P GeForce GTS 250 1GB 256-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500152&cm_re=zotac_250gts-_-14-500-152-_-Product

 

[Alvin Smith]

PS ... An AM3 955(BE) or 965(BE) with a good cooler should be PLENTY for what you are doing ...

BUT ... *IF* shorter output renders are VERY important (or if using CS5 to edit), you MAY wish to step up to an X58/930 based platform ... do not stop in between the two choices I have given ... or ... you will be wasting money and time.

= Alvin =

 

[Dragon Chaser]

PS ... An AM3 955(BE) or 965(BE) with a good cooler should be PLENTY for what you are doing ...

BUT ... *IF* shorter output renders are VERY important (or if using CS5 to edit), you MAY wish to step up to an X58/930 based platform ... do not stop in between the two choices I have given ... or ... you will be wasting money and time.

= Alvin =

Alvin,

Thank you for your outstanding suggestions. I'll go with AM3 955(BE) and PNY VCG98GTEE1XPB GeForce 9800 GT EE 1024MB. Since I am just an amateur editor, I probably use Pinnacle Studio V. 14 instead of Adobe CS5 for starter.

Any suggestion on the memory? Would 4GB Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1333MHz - 2 DIMMs do the trick?

Thanks again and wish you had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend.

David

 

[Alvin Smith]

Pinnacle is owned by AVID ... they will squeeze you for every dime, at every turn and VEGAS IS WAY BETTER (and easier and more fun ... interactive/animated tutorials are context sensitive and always available ... whatever you are doing ... steps you thru).

SONY Vegas Movie Studio Platinum 9 Pro Pack @ $95
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832135216&cm_re=vegas-_-32-135-216-_-Product

Your RAM
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
$120
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231303&cm_re=ripjaws_1600_4gb_cas_7-_-20-231-303-_-Product

BE CERTAIN TO GET THAT PNY CARD FROM TIGER ... YOU WANT "PB" and "EE" in the part# ... newegg HAS ONE ALMOST IDENTICAL ... NO "PB" ... NO OpenGL 3.x .
... Don't get the one that newegg sells ... it is not the correct "sub-sub" ("PB") model.

= Alvin =

 

[Dragon Chaser]

Pinnacle is owned by AVID ... they will squeeze you for every dime, at every turn and VEGAS IS WAY BETTER (and easier and more fun ... interactive/animated tutorials are context sensitive and always available ... whatever you are doing ... steps you thru).

SONY Vegas Movie Studio Platinum 9 Pro Pack @ $95
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832135216&cm_re=vegas-_-32-135-216-_-Product

Your RAM
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
$120
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231303&cm_re=ripjaws_1600_4gb_cas_7-_-20-231-303-_-Product

BE CERTAIN TO GET THAT PNY CARD FROM TIGER ... YOU WANT "PB" and "EE" in the part# ... newegg HAS ONE ALMOST IDENTICAL ... NO "PB" ... NO OpenGL 3.x .
... Don't get the one that newegg sells ... it is not the correct "sub-sub" ("PB") model.

= Alvin =

Your knowledge and attention to detail are impressive. If you don't mind, I might as well ask your recommendations for the rest of system configurations:

o Case
o Mother Board
o Power Supply
o Hard Drive
o Sound Card - may sound odd to you, but this is not a critical item for my projects
o Firewire, USB interface, etc.
o

 

[Alvin Smith]

Did you say you wanted the 890FX/955(BE) or the X58/930 ??

4GB or 8GB ram ??

One or two gpu cards (2 monitors or more than 2 ?? )

How much do you want to spend on Audio ?? ($0 = mobo audio ... $200+ = XLR combo x2 w/sw).

What edit sw ?? Vegas? ... Liquid? ... Premiere LE ?

How is all your current master video archives stored? VHS? .. DV-25? .. HDV? .. AVCHD?

... What do you see yourself (actually) doing, in the coming 4+ years?

= Alvin =

 

[Alvin Smith]

any need ?

http://www.zzounds.com/item--PRSINSPIRE

 

[Alvin Smith]

OK ... DV-25 and HDV ... prolly MP4/H.264 to YouTube, etc. ??

That ... for under $1000 ?? ... USING your HDTV as a mon? ... Do you have one?

I assume you already have kb/mouse/spkrs ... What model HDTV and Monitor ??

Win-64Pro included in price ?

= lemme know =

= Al =

 

[Dragon Chaser]

Did you say you wanted the 890FX/955(BE) or the X58/930 ?? 955(BE)

4GB or 8GB ram ?? 4 GB

One or two gpu cards (2 monitors or more than 2 ?? ) one

How much do you want to spend on Audio ?? ($0 = mobo audio ... $200+ = XLR combo x2 w/sw). minimal

What edit sw ?? Vegas? ... Liquid? ... Premiere LE ? Vegas

How is all your current master video archives stored? VHS? .. DV-25? .. HDV? .. AVCHD? miniDV tapes (mostly in DV format, some in HD format). Camera is Sony HDR-FX1 (3CCD)

... What do you see yourself (actually) doing, in the coming 4+ years? I'll PM you on this

= Alvin =

Budget is flexible, 1K is just a starting point. Monitor has not been determined yet, looked at Dell STB2210

You recommend Win7-64 Pro over Win7-64 Home Premium?

 

[Alvin Smith]

Yes ... Win64-Pro.

Understand all of what you said.

Will do a build for you (prolly tonite) ... Will stay conscious of budget.

If you already have an HDTV, that would be fine ... 32"~48" optimal .. 120Hz 1080P mandatory.

Otherwise ... Look for a good (ASUS?) 1920x1200 LCD mon with refresh of under 6ms.

Best would be a 24"~28" 1920x1200 (workspace) and a 22"~48" 1080P HDTV (output).

Does it need to be especially quiet? ... double as an HTPC? ... game much?

= Al =

 

[Dragon Chaser]

Yes ... Win64-Pro.

Understand all of what you said.

Will do a build for you (prolly tonite) ... Will stay conscious of budget. Need not to be too conscious , thanks Alvin.

If you already have an HDTV, that would be fine ... 32"~48" optimal .. 120Hz 1080P mandatory.

Otherwise ... Look for a good (ASUS?) 1920x1200 LCD mon with refresh of under 6ms.

Best would be a 24"~28" 1920x1200 (workspace) and a 22"~48" 1080P HDTV (output).

Does it need to be especially quiet? No ... double as an HTPC? No ... game much? No Almost like a standalone system for occasional use.

= Al =

 

[Alvin Smith]

got it ... I sent you the preliminary sketch config in that PM I replied to.

I'll get actual links and do your total tonite.

= Al =

 

[Alvin Smith]

HERE IS YOUR COMPUTE CORE

ASRock 890FX DELUXE3 AM3 AMD 890FX SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard
Worldwide exclusive 4 x USB3.0 ports, Turbo UCC @ $155
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157196

AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor
Free HDMI cable w/ purchase, ends 6/30 @ $180 ("C" stepping .. 125W !! )
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103727&cm_re=965-_-19-103-727-_-Product

Scythe SCKTN-3000 92mm Sleeve "KATANA3" 3Heat Pipes CPU Cooler @ $29
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185096

ARCTIC COOLING MX-2 Thermal Compound @ $10
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186020&cm_re=mx-2-_-35-186-020-_-Product

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL7D-4GBRM
1x Winner of Customer Choice Award - Desktop Memory @ $120
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231303

SO ... COMPUTE CORE SUB-TOTAL = $494

= more to come =

 

[Alvin Smith]

THIS CARD IS THE HEART OF YOUR GRAPHICS COMPUTE/DISPLAY SUB-SYSTEM
(DO NOT make substitutions without VERIFYING ... OpenGL 3.x Support ! )

ZOTAC ZT-20109-10P GeForce GTS 250 1GB 256-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI @ $130
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500152&cm_re=250-_-14-500-152-_-Product

Two other options are available ... One is a single slot low power card and another is a silent card ... ALL viable options fall between $92 and $130

Next to the CPU, this is the most KEY component and "good options" are few ... GPU research has garnered the bulk of my research (time) since I arrived, here.
... Tricky getting just the right GPU so, if you go with something else, you should run it by *ME* !

We can discuss monitors and appropriate cables and adapters ... I need to know if you will have an HDTV near the computer and that model# (if so .. recommended!).

I also need to know if $330 sounds like too much for a 28" monitor.

= Al =

 

[Dragon Chaser]

HERE IS YOUR COMPUTE CORE

ASRock 890FX DELUXE3 AM3 AMD 890FX SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard
Worldwide exclusive 4 x USB3.0 ports, Turbo UCC @ $155
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157196

AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor
Free HDMI cable w/ purchase, ends 6/30 @ $180 ("C" stepping .. 125W !! )
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103727&cm_re=965-_-19-103-727-_-Product

Scythe SCKTN-3000 92mm Sleeve "KATANA3" 3Heat Pipes CPU Cooler @ $29
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185096

ARCTIC COOLING MX-2 Thermal Compound @ $10
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186020&cm_re=mx-2-_-35-186-020-_-Product

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL7D-4GBRM
1x Winner of Customer Choice Award - Desktop Memory @ $120
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231303

SO ... COMPUTE CORE SUB-TOTAL = $494

I assume that the Ripsaws memory will work well with ASRock AMD platform motherboard without BIOS timing tweaking. Some customers expressed their concerns about crashes and error messages.

= more to come =

 

[Dragon Chaser]

THIS CARD IS THE HEART OF YOUR GRAPHICS COMPUTE/DISPLAY SUB-SYSTEM
(DO NOT make substitutions without VERIFYING ... OpenGL 3.x Support ! )

ZOTAC ZT-20109-10P GeForce GTS 250 1GB 256-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI @ $130
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500152&cm_re=250-_-14-500-152-_-Product

Two other options are available ... One is a single slot low power card and another is a silent card ... ALL viable options fall between $92 and $130

Next to the CPU, this is the most KEY component and "good options" are few ... GPU research has garnered the bulk of my research (time) since I arrived, here.
... Tricky getting just the right GPU so, if you go with something else, you should run it by *ME* ! OF COURSE. How about the PNY VCG98GTEE1XPB GeForce 9800 GT EE 1024MB Graphics Card you recommended earlier for my application?

We can discuss monitors and appropriate cables and adapters ... I need to know if you will have an HDTV near the computer and that model# (if so .. recommended!). Probably not, my desk is not that big.

I also need to know if $330 sounds like too much for a 28" monitor.

I assume you are referring to the I-Inc iH-282HPB 28" monitor from Tiger Direct. I was thinking about Dell STB2210 since I have a gift card from BestBuy that sell them. It's 2ms slower but has higher contrast ratio; your thoughts?

= Al =

 

[Alvin Smith]

You will have to manually enter the published timings, on the RAM data-sheet and *SAVE* them, in the BIOS, NO MATTER WHAT RAM you buy ... and, as with *ANY* RAM you buy, you *may* need to up the voltages by as much as .03Volts to get it stable, at rated spec.

As with ANY RAM ... there is about a ~2%~3% RMA rate ... half of those returns are noob morons who can't log onto a forum and get help with it.

This is THE STANDARD RAM kit that WE ALL recommend for ALL AM3 mobos and, also, ALL INTEL 1156 mobos ... There are even triple channel kits for the 1366/X58 mobos. I have personally "sold" them to over 100 customers and have personally witnessed over 1000 kits sold ... NEVER (even once) has anyone come back on me to even ask about tweaks ... If they did ... I'd send them to our OC forum, just down the hall.

If you would rather go Corsair, at 1333/CAS8 ... no prob, .. no worries ... I doubt you would see/feel the difference, except that the RipJaws might cut 12 minutes off of a 5 hour HDV/H.264 output render. Whatever makes you comfortable ... not any really big deal (performance-wise).

********************

DELL monitors are generally "very good". according to their reviews ... I worked at DELL and they aren't any "worse" than any other major system builder ... Also, there is MUCH to be said about local purchase ... local inspection (for dead pixels) ... Local returns/exchanges ... and no shipping (offsets local taxes on heavy stuff).

MY BIG PROBLEM , with your choice is that it is 22 inches ... TOO DARNED SMALL FOR VIDEO EDITING ... PERIOD !

Get a monitor that is 24 inches to 28.5 inches because you WILL NEED the REAL ESTATE and your old eyes ain't what they used to be. I cannot emphasize the disadvantage of a 22" mon enough, here.

Edit sessions can be longish ... the screen will be very crowded and cluttered with LOTS of small text and tiny icons ... DO YOUR OLD SELF A FAVOR ! ... Your clients and your talent (actors) may also wish to sit next to you and review footage or participate in the edit process.

Do what you want but, this is my 3rd NLE/Edit rig and I have ALWAYS had two monitors and two 19" CRTs provided an only marginally useful environment, for *MY* needs. Arguably ... display real estate is the most enabling (or hindering) aspect of the edit rig.

Your choice, ... your money ... your time ... just don't tell me if you plan to "buck" this (my best) advice, because I would perceive that (all) my efforts had been wasted, to cap such a rig with such a crappy human interface.

PS: Since a bigger screen also means a bigger "subject" ... Given *YOUR* particular subject matter ... that might be very flattering ! (ha ha).

Drives are also important ...

I want to dedicate another lengthy post, to that, because of how the partitions are to be set up and how the workflow should be implemented, with them. (maybe later).

= Al =

 

[Alvin Smith]

Intel 80 GB SSD (G2 model) @ $230
Spinpoint F3 1TB HDD @ $70
ASUS SATA DVDR @ $26

You want a 250GB primary partition (fast outer tracks) as a workspace, and the rest as a secondary partition for archives and non-critical apps (games, etc.).

The Antec 300 ILLUSION case comes with adequate cooling (fans) ... "ILLUSION".
@ $60

Get THIS PSU (don't cheap out ... this is important)

CORSAIR CMPSU-550VX 550W ATX12V V2.2 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply
Voted Best Power Supply Manufacturer by Custom PC 2009 @ $80
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139004&Tpk=Corsair%20550w

That is ALL ... Approximate total (without LCD, KB, MSE, OS, SPKRS, SHIPPING)

You DO want Win64-Pro (OEM), BTW ...

TOTAL ... $1100

That is a primo rig ... very close to your starting budget ... hope that helps, a bit.

Busy, busy ... sorry for the wait.

= Al =

 

[Alvin Smith]

Sorry ... spaced out that you wanted the 9800-EE (PB) ... Get it from TIGER (correct sub-model) ... and knock $20 off your total ...

(actually a very good choice ... prolly the best, overall).

... NEW TOTAL ... $1,080 USD

= Al =

 

[Dragon Chaser]

Your choice, ... your money ... your time ... just don't tell me if you plan to "buck" this (my best) advice, because I would perceive that (all) my efforts had been wasted, to cap such a rig with such a crappy human interface.

= Al =

No need to get upset. I am not "bucking" your advice, was merely my thoughts. Your efforts are certainly NOT wasted since I truly appreciate your assistance.

How about the other minor stuff like USB and firewire card like Rosewill PCIE FireWire 1394a Card 2+1 Ports Model RC-504 and other system interface cables or jumpers if not supplied?

Have a good weekend. I will start to order components next week.

 

[Alvin Smith]

The Rosewill 1x Firewire 2+1 was in my cart, before it expired (got wiped) ... Always good to have a dedicated Firewire Lane ... will allow use of external HDD or RAID during ingest (on the Native Port) ... Will also let you ingest while your DAW (Sound i/o) is plugged into another lane. ... Of the 3 ports, on that card, just use one, at a time, to insure no saturation/contention.

One of the many great features of that 9800GT-EE(PB) is that it is truly a single slot solution ... more expansion for studio peripherals and controllers or just extra USB ports. ... Low power ... gets all power from the cardbus ... will SLI ... not terribly noisy.

A few (several) folks did mention the fan would rub against the plastic shroud and the trimmed the shroud or wedged something under the shroud, to lift it slightly ... I think those folks did not have decent case cooling and the shroud might have warped ... no big deal at all, in any event ... 2 or 3% complained of that and all fixed it easily.

The only reason I switched to the ZOTAC 240 was because of passive cooling and, with lot's of "in studio" live recording (mostly effects and accoustic bridges), I need the entire rig to broadcast less than 60 Decibels ... That silence is costing me about $350 extra dollars (including the 2nd SSD so I can disconnect my spinner during live recording and still not have to resort to using the boot/apps SSD for project workspace ... My 2nd SSD also provides a dedicated "render to" pipeline, so that during LONG output renders, I can use the spinner as a streaming read drive and the scratch SSD as a destination. This means the data flows in one direction and the buffers are not flushed for every read/write op transition.

I did not spec you a VERTEX2 SSD ... they are expensive and you can get by without it ... great to have for renders, tho ... As I said ... I NEED it to record live sound wile the 1TB SAMSUNG F3 is "removed" (removable drive tray).

Fancy Schmantzy ... I know ...

BEFORE I FORGET ... You are gonna need an ICY-DOCK 2.5">3.5" drive carrier.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817994083&cm_re=icy-_-17-994-083-_-Product

this one holds 2 SSDs ... if you decide to blow your budget (like me). ... $20
ICY DOCK MB990SP-B Dual 2.5" to 3.5" SSD & IDE/SATA HDD Bracket
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817994087&cm_re=icy-_-17-994-087-_-Product

 

[Alvin Smith]

ALSO ...

SABRENT CRW-UINB 68-in-1 USB 2.0 Internal Card Reader w/ USB 2.0 Port supports SDHC/VISTA
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820300608

Logitech MX 518 8 Buttons 1 x Wheel USB Wired Optical 1800 dpi Gaming Mouse
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826104178

I purchased one of these ... AMAZING! ... Coffee killed it ... bought another nxt day.
Logitech 920-000914 Black 106 Normal Keys Wired Ultra-thin Illuminated Keyboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823126043&Tpk=Logitech%20illuminated

FINALLY ... Once you decide on a Display ... You *MIGHT* need a display adapter and be sure you also get the correct cable, for that, and that it is long enough.

I have 10 foot long Firewirex2/USBx2/HDMIx2 (all in a bundled-snake) and it reaches the couch, on the far side of the room (I have 52" LCD).



= Al =

 

[Dragon Chaser]

FINALLY ... Once you decide on a Display ... You *MIGHT* need a display adapter and be sure you also get the correct cable, for that, and that it is long enough.

Dell will have a sale on ST2410 for $190, what do you think about that monitor?

Also in case of power outage any suggestion on UPS?

 

[Alvin Smith]

DELL has a good reputation for vetting very decent displays ... They always seem to get good reviews.

Yes ... I see 24" as entry level, for prosumer graphics and any "time-line"-based content-creation layouts. ... Two monitors, IMO ... Try it ... you will NEVER go back.

UPS ? ... I have sold a lot of them, to "conservative" clients ... Personally? ... I prefer to just hope I am not one of the (statistically few) unlucky ones.

Just do a full-tree back (drag-n-drop) of your content drive, every week or even once a month, unless you have legal contracts and accounts receivable, riding on it.

But to just answer ... APC American Power Conversion ... Get one that has software for remote shut-down (usually RS-232 based control) ... get one that can keep your PSU going at normal load for ~20 minutes.

Windows is MUCH better at recovering from hard crashes than in those OLD DAYS, when UPSs made up for that instability.

Living in Austin (where the weather changes every 15 minutes ... I might go for a good surge suppressor ... that makes more economic sense, to me.

= APC =

If you are a TRUE FREAK ... Go for a TRUE uninterruptible AC>DC>AC design so that you are ALWAYS running off of PURE/CLEAN battery based "purely sinusoidal" power wave-form. You gonna pay BIG tho ... leave all that crap to the enterprize market.

Mostly a feel good thing ... peace of mind, etc. ... and a really good PSU. like a $150 Seasonic would go further toward protecting your system with "well conditionned" power and surge tolerance.

If your neighborhood has frequent brown-outs and power outages ... yeah ... sure.

= Al =