Basic Editing Computer

S

SkiBum.

Active member
I don't know computers. I like to play around and edit stuff and have ended up doing it quite a lot and a bit more serious then expected.

I need a computer. I don't know computers

HD footage and pictures from T2i and GoPro. Thats what I will be working with.

What kind of specs am I looking for? What are the best places to look for a new or refurb computer? Took a quick 10 min tour around the internet and it looks like Ebay has quite the selection.
 
For an editing system. Sony Vegas or if I can get my hands on...steal...some new Adobe set up.

I will have to monitors as well if that makes any difference. I am not smart or patience enough to do everything on one monitor. Got to spread my shit out.
 
do you have a budget in mind?

easy option if you want a laptop is a used macbook pro. Anything in the past few years will have enough power, at least fro the 15"/17" models. Grab an external hard drive, mouse/keyboard, and a 24" monitor and you are all set.

You don't need a mac, I'm just saying that among those models you can take your pick, where as with a pc there is more variation, so some might not quite have enough power.

If you want a desktop, the mac minis/mac pros are great, or you could build a pc (or mackintosh). Even if you don't know computers, if you are patient and liked legos, you can do it. It will take a little bit more research for parts, but you can have a very solid set up for under $1000 with a monitor (you will likely have to exceed $1000 if you want to use a graphics card/CUDA)
 
I am more looking for some Specs. I am not doing anything crazy, no crazy affects or long movies or stuff like that. Few small stuff for my company that is just for fun and I film some friends for fun and put stuff together. Like 5-8 min stuff.

I read around, so I know some basic specs I need as far as ran and memory and that sort of thing...

No Mac though. I dont like those things.
 
a quad core processor, I would say i7 or better to take advantage of hyper threading

8gb ram minimum, 16gb would be great

a high speed hard drive minimum (7200RPM), small ssd as boot drive and a larger storage drive would be better

an nvidia card to use cuda, assuming your editing program supports it

and I would say 20" 1080p as a minimum for an external monitor. I have 1 24" for now, and it is nice for editing, but it would be nice to move to a high res 27/a pair of them

and then a nice external mouse. I have the apple magic mouse and I love it, but this one is largely personal preference
 
thats sounds wayyyyyyyyyyy overkill for what OP is trying to doi7 is pretty much still top of the line, same with 8gb/16gb ram you could get an i3 with 4gb ram and be fine

the nvidia 8800 gt is one of the best graphics cards ever made in like 2008 and it still keeps up with brand new ones

the only thing that makes sense about this is the 1080p monitor, dont cheap out on a monitor, its 2014 already
 
So to combined the last two responses and maybe make a bit more sense out of this...

For processor, Core Duo or Core 2 Duo seem way more in my price range and lots to choose from.

4gb of ram seems quite easy to find and come by and in my price range. 8Gb is not that much more. How big of a performance difference am I looking at here...

Can't seem to find hard drive speed anywhere on most online stuff that is for sale.

I do have an external hard drive to store stuff

250gb hard drive on most stuff I see. I feel that is plenty since I have a external drive as well.

I was going to with dual 19" screens.

Again, I am not a computer dude as far as specs and stuff go. So thanks for the help

 
Id go with the 8gb of ram if I were you, in editing it can make a big difference since your timeline is being held in ram while you edit, then written to your drive as it renders. The more ram you have the longer you can edit without waiting for it to render. As far as other specs go check out the suggested specs for the software you will be using. Also if you want to use dual monitors make sure to check that the computers graphics card will support that, some cheap cards cannot support more than one monitor.
 
definetely want to get a graphics carddont really need the two screens and if you tryingto decide on two screens and a graphics card choose the card
 
dont get core 2 duo or core duo, those things are outdated as fuck. get a i5 if you cant afford a i7. sandy bridge og ivy bridge
 
ahhhh i dunno if this is completely true. the footage is stored on a drive and the timeline is just a place you put the shot and when you export it creates a new video on your drive from other videos.

BUT

the more ram the better for sure, 8gb is a minimum IMO
 
I would say i7 for a laptop, even a few generations old, because it can take advantage of hyper threading, which can make a big difference for video editing. For a desktop, a new has well i7 is more than enough, but theres nothing wrong with getting it if the budget allows. I was simply saying i7 because many gamers push for the i5 (better price to performance), and while may editing systems and game systems are similar, I wanted to highlight the hyper threading feature.
 
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