PC Editing System for the newbie

Jolson · #1 (**permalink**) 07-14-2008, 11:19 PM

ok, hello. I am new to the editing part of video and do not know anything about computer lingo. Specs? I try to understand all the specs but I get lost. I am also on a very low budget and would like to know if there is any computer that I can buy that already has what I need to edit video? I have Adobe Prem but need a comp to edit from. Is there any sugestions?

Mark W · #2 (**permalink**) 07-14-2008, 11:36 PM

Faster the better but any new pc will do the job.

Get 2 drives - one for system and one for video - that is important.

Jolson · #3 (**permalink**) 07-15-2008, 02:16 AM

What is the min of speed I would need?

Mark W · #4 (**permalink**) 07-15-2008, 02:21 AM

The minimum is pretty low as pcs have got so fast.

I started editing on a athlon xp1700. About pentium 2 ghz is the min, avoid celerons.

Nikosony · #5 (**permalink**) 07-15-2008, 02:54 PM

You should be able to pick up an AMD Athlon with dual core or Pentium 4 reasonably cheap now, as Mark says get one around 2Ghz as minimum speed. If you are on a really tight budget then look in your local superstore aswell and not just 'computer shops', as they probably sell computers too and I see a lot of them now are trying desperately to shift stock.

1GB memory although it would be better to get 2GB if running any other version of Windows Vista other than Basic. Again two hard disks are better than one, you may have to initially buy a computer with one hard disk and when funds allow purchase a second drive and install it. Forget about a flashy graphics card, onboard sound (built into the computer) will suffice as you won't need anythng like Dolby Surround at present, just stick to two channel stereo sound and even that will sound good when you start out.

A computer with a Firewire socket is a must, or if the computer you buy doesn't have one installed then make sure it has at least one free PCI slot so you can insert a Firewire card into it later. A dvd burner drive and a 19 inch monitor will round it off. And I'd also suggest a desktop computer rather than a laptop as desktop computers can be expanded much easlier than laptops and generally cost a lot less than laptops do.

Jolson · #6 (**permalink**) 07-18-2008, 01:35 AM

Thanks for the feedback. I've been looking around and saw an HP Pavilion Slimeline. Here are the specks.

*AMD Athlon™ 64 X2 dual-core processor 5200+
*3GB PC2-6400 DDR2 SDRAM
*Multiformat DVD±RW/CD-RW drive with double-layer support records up to 8.5GB of data or 4 hours of video
*AMD dual-core technology
*1MB cache memory
*500GB Serial ATA hard drive (7200 rpm)
*NVIDIA GeForce 6150 SE graphics with TurboCache and 128MB dedicated video memory
*Front-panel 15-in-1 media reader
*IEEE 1394 (FireWire) interface and 6 high-speed USB 2.0 ports, front and rear accessible
*Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium Edition

Would this be an okay computer to start out on for editing?

Mark W · #7 (**permalink**) 07-18-2008, 12:28 PM

Looks cool - best to spec another drive, just a small one for c and progs, keep video on the large drive. If you can spec a very fast drive ( WD raptor) for C: it really makes thnigs smoother.

guitarfaces · #8 (**permalink**) 07-18-2008, 02:13 PM

Originally Posted by Mark W

Get 2 drives - one for system and one for video - that is important.

On this topic:

Why does this help so much? (This is sometimes referred to as a "scrub" disk, right?) I occasionally use an external hard drive (USB Connection) for footage. Am I losing any benefits of having a seperate drive due to the limitations of USB's bandwidth?

Also on the topic, Mark: I know that in the past, Pentiums have been more efficient at media processing, etc. and were preferred by editors and artists. Is this still the case - or, is that why you say to avoid celerons?

Thanks in advance for any clarifying info.