Time for an upgrade ...?

barny · #1 (**permalink**) 08-25-2005, 10:00 AM

Hi, another tedious question !!

My 6yr+ old mesh win98 pc is starting to show strain whilst using prem6 and paintshop-pro7, occasionally crashing or freezing which is a right pain in the ass and scaring me from doing any major work incase i loose it all.

So heres my theory, clean out all the crap form the mesh pc and use it for day2day web surf and "normal" pc work, then get a standalone pc dedicated to video and picture editing... sound ok ?

So heres my question, is it possible to get a new pc from a reputable place Mesh/Dell (as no-one seems to make a video pc under £1000) that would then only need a few reasonably priced extras to make it a suitable editing pc ?

Price is a major factor here, and being fairly computer illiterate i'm lost with the new terms and speeds. I notice that dell do a video editing orientated pc, but i'd like if possible someone to layout Exactly whats needed to make a good piece of kit. I'm looking for a PROsumer type editing setup, as i edit videos of me and friends doing trackdays so picture in picture is used a lot and also video overlay etc

The other option would be to build one, but then i'd have to get someone to do it for me - any offers ??

any help or pointers would be really appreciated

Mihai · #2 (**permalink**) 08-25-2005, 10:53 AM

I'm sure that if you build the system yourself specifically for video (or if you're not comfortable with it get a tech guy to do it) you'll be more satisfied and save some money.

barny · #3 (**permalink**) 08-25-2005, 02:00 PM

Very true, now just need to find that man :lol:

Ian in Northampton · #4 (**permalink**) 08-25-2005, 08:55 PM

Good grief. Head for eBay. For almost no money, you can pick up a fast processor, 512MB, large disk, DVD writer, firewire - what more do you want? Well, a second hard drive perhaps. There's really no mystique to a 'video editing PC' (waits to get shot down in flames...) I picked up a (second hand - but what's the problem with that?) Compaq: 2.5GHz, 512MB, DVD writer, 80GB hard drive, 128MB graphics card, firewire etc. etc. for less than £200 including delivery.

barny · #5 (**permalink**) 08-26-2005, 05:37 PM

apologies, i appeard to have asked a pointless question !

Ian in Northampton · #6 (**permalink**) 08-26-2005, 05:42 PM

No such thing as a pointless question. I quite understand why you would ask it - because there are those who would have you believe that you need something really special for a video editing PC - and if they can convince you of that, they make more money. We argue amongst ourselves on this board about whether or not you need a graphics card and if you do, how good should it be, and whether you need a second dedicated hard drive. The fact is (well, it's not a fact, it's just my opinion, but bear with me) is that any wells-specified PC - as I've described above - will give you (gives me) hours of mindless pleasure. Typically, it's probably true, the faster of everything you can get - CPU, memory, disk etc. - and the more of it, the smoother your editing will go. Now someone will doubtless come along and disagree with me, which is fine. Hopefully, they will, and then you get to weigh the two opinions and make a choice. There is no right answer - only what works best for you.

irishmark · #7 (**permalink**) 09-01-2005, 12:41 AM

I dont wanna contradict Ian here but you wanna watch those ebay machines - they all tend to be full of nasty cheap components and really weak motherboards.

If building a system for video from scratch you can expect to spend a minimum of £500.

I built my system for around £900 but woth every penny as I use it for work.

Ian in Northampton · #8 (**permalink**) 09-01-2005, 08:09 AM

Irishmark is right, and I should have said: eBay is only for those who know what they're doing ('caveat emptor'). Yes, there's some cheap tat out there, with low grade mobos prevalent. (He's wrong, tho', when he says they're 'all' poor quality - I think he's just exaggerating for effect...

) It's also home to technology that's now been superseded e.g. 8x DVD-RW instead of 16x DVD-RW. But if the components are listed, which they often are, you can check them out. I've bought several PCs off eBay and been delighted with them all.

irishmark · #9 (**permalink**) 09-01-2005, 09:34 AM

me????? exaggerating????? Never!!!!! This is true - you can find some fantastic deals on ebay but u need to know ya stuff!!

Ian in Northampton · #10 (**permalink**) 09-01-2005, 09:45 AM

Doncha just love those threads that develop a life of their own? Barny, I suspect - who, if you recall, we were originally trying to help - is apparently long gone - but his thread lingers on. Barny? ARE YOU THERE???