video editing / playback on a new Dell system

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

I want to buy a budget system but want to do some video editing and
playback. Is a Celeron Processor at 2.4GHz (Dell 2400 series) and 384
megs ram adequate for smooth editing/playback ? If not, what is the
minimum system for smooth editing / playback ?

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

Ghostrider <-00-@fitron.142> wrote:

> Jim wrote:

>> I want to buy a budget system but want to do some video editing and
>> playback. Is a Celeron Processor at 2.4GHz (Dell 2400 series) and 384
>> megs ram adequate for smooth editing/playback ? If not, what is the
>> minimum system for smooth editing / playback ?

> IMHO, the preference would be for the fastest, standard
> CPU's that can be obtained along with at least 1 GB of
> RAM, if not more. The next requirement would be for the
> fastest HD, in terms of access speed, that can be obtained.
> It is the wrong philosophy to go for the "minimum"...either
> do it right or don't do it at all.

I'd spec the software first then buy the hardware to match.

The CPU and memory count mostly in the user interface. A lot of programs do realtime
renders or previews - one of the better improvements in the software. It allows you
to manipulate an effect and experiment until it "looks right." That would have taken
an hour in trial and error renders a few years ago.

Otherwise, unless you are rendering a lot or have some type of farm, CPU and memory
won't count much. It'll turn a 4 hour render into a 6 hour render. No big deal.

A fast drive is necessary for clean captures. 7200 RPM is fine. Just buy a second
hard drive and dedicate it as a data drive.