Best edit hardware and GPU for Prem Pro?

[chrisbarnard]

Hi all,

Just trying to make the leap into HD with two PMW-EX1’s. I’d like
to use Prem (last time I used it was nearly 10 years ago with Prem 6.5
– having been using Edius since then) Pro. I’m a little confused
though. I want to build my own system, but I think it would be wise to
get some user advice on what sort of GPU would be best and what sort of
editing hardware I should use. I was looking at the Matrox RT.X2. I
would be basically editing XDCAM 1080p or 1080i most of the time. I
would be using a little AE but nothing very heavy. What kind of GPU
would be best?

Any help and advice GREATLY appreciated!!

[XTR-91]

Hey chris, I took a quick look at the system requirements for Adobe Premiere Pro CS4. The editing for HD (and even more so for HDV capture) recommends a whoppin amount of processing power, at least for my level of editing. The requirement for HD editing is a dual core at 2.8 GHz. If it’s a tape camcorder, the recommendation is 3.4 GHz. The amount of RAM is 2 GB no matter what king of editing you’re doing. An AMD Athlon would be another great way to go.

Furthermore, there’s a 10 GB hard disk requirement, a minimum display of 1280×900 pixels, and a hard disk drive of 7200 RPM or more. Sounds like a lot of information to throw at once, so your best bet would probably be to a PC or Mac with a good processor (maybe 3.5 or 4 GHz), at least 2 GB of RAM, and a good-sized display monitor, around 19″.

You should also check out Videomaker’s recommendations on editing systems – http://www.videomaker.com/learn/introduction/computers/

I’m not a complete expert on editing systems, but dohave somewhat ofa comprehension for computers and processing. Let me know what you find.

[HDVideoPro]

These guys have some good deals if you are looking for a workstation card VS. a Desktop (Gamer) card.

videoguys.com

These cards might encode a bit faster – but are much more expensive. I just use the latest gaming cards.

Since you plan to build your own system – i will give you the specs of what I’m about to build:

Motherboard – Asus P7P55D-E (just announced with next generation USB 3.0 & Sata 6Gb)

Memory – 4GB DDR3 2000 or 2200 MHz

processor – Intel Core i7-860 Lynnfield 2.8GHz

Hard Drive – SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB (fastest non-SSD Drive)

Graphics Card – Radeon HD 5850 or 5870 1GB (First DirectX 11 Video Card)

Boot Drive – Intel Generation 2 SSD 80GB

Case selection is a bit more personal since you will have to look at it for a while and depending on your specific needs. I’m getting the Lian Li PC-888

Power supply should only be what your system requires and no more since it basically acts like a heater so I’m looking at 400 – 600 watt systems. (thanks Rob for setting me strait on this!)

Good luck – Happy editing –Bri

[Author]

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