hi, i just purchased Premiere Pro 7, and i heard it needs a pretty decent PC to run on. my PC is probably average, at best, for editing. i'm just getting into video editing, and am slowly but surely looking to assemble a serviceable arsenal with which to edit video.

mind you, i do this purely as a hobbyist. i need not the biggest, fastest, most powerful rig out there. i just need something that won't get in my way.

currently, my specs are:

Motherboard:
CPU Type Intel Pentium 4, 2400 MHz (18 x 133)
Motherboard Name Dell Dimension 8250
Motherboard Chipset Intel Tehama i850(E)
System Memory 512 MB (PC1066 RDRAM)
BIOS Type Phoenix (10/22/02)
Communication Port Communications Port (COM1)
Communication Port ECP Printer Port (LPT1)

Display:
Video Adapter NVIDIA GeForce4 MX 420 (64 MB)
3D Accelerator nVIDIA GeForce4 MX 420
Monitor Dell E171FP [17" LCD] (8R3392B7A1EV)

Multimedia:
Audio Adapter Creative SB Live! Series Audio Processor

Storage:
IDE Controller Intel(r) 82801BA Bus Master IDE Controller
Floppy Drive Floppy disk drive
Disk Drive WDC WD1200JB-75CRA0 (111 GB, IDE)
Optical Drive HL-DT-ST CD-RW GCE-8481B (48x/24x/48x CD-RW)
Optical Drive SAMSUNG CD-ROM SC-148C (48x CD-ROM)
SMART Hard Disks Status OK

(sorry if the formatting is bad).

feel free to laugh at my specs, i won't take it personal.

i started using Movie Maker, picked it up very quickly and found it was very bare bones. i decided to make the move up to Premiere (i taught myself Photoshop so i'm not easily intimidated, i know Premiere Pro is for the big boys). i just want to make sure i have a decent rig to make video editing a fun hobby.

thanks for any and all comments.

anyone :

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The latest version of Premiere is Premiere Pro 1.5. Your specs, although on the low side given today's rapidly moving technology, will be enought to edit video provided you have patience. You may well find that the real time preview is shruggish and rendering will take time.

You mention which motherboard is best for Premiere. Well the motherboard is just one component that makes up the PC and dependant on what processor you're going for. What is your budget assuming you're looking at buying a new PC.

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i wouldn't be buying a new PC, that's for sure. i would be upgrading. i know adding memory is the best way to see an increase in speed. from what little i know about PC hardware you're only as fast as your MB. i had just thought that someone would have a template/model for an ideal setup for someone getting into the genre (ie, you wouldn't recommend a monster rig for a newb, you'd have a much less powerful/expensive setup in mind for someone who doesn't need to do what the big boys do but also doesn't want to be held back by his PC).

alas, you calmed my fears, you said i'd be able to get by with what i have, which is all that i care about. so that means anything more than what i have will be gravy from this point out. i had heard Premiere Pro requires a monster rig in order to operate at all, so i wanted to make sure i'd at least be able to use it.

thanks.

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Put it this way: yuu can drive around a race track in a Porsche and have bundles of fun; you can also drive aroun the same track in a 1970's mini and have as much fun. Sure, it won't be as fast and it may well breakdown, but it'll get you around the track (eventually).

Because I tinker quite a bit with video editing, I've just treated myself to a new PC solely for editing. It won't be used for anything else. It's not because this is the only way to do it. And it certainly won't make my videos any better (shame). But if you're 'into' something, it makes sense to invest.

So here's the thing. If after spending a few months with your old rig you simply can't get enough of editing, start saving money to upgrade. With your system, you'll only notice a signiifcant improvement with a completely new system (due to the dependancy of components).

So welcome to the world of one of the most expensive hobbies in the world. But just as motor racing includes banger racing, video editing includes Windows Movie Maket. Just because you race a shit car, doesn't mean you can't have the silky smooth skills of Alonso. Just because ypu have an oldish PC doesn't mean you can't produce inspired and innovative video.

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interesting point...very interesting. i never before considered getting a dedicated PC for editing (well, obviously, i've only just started to ditch video games as my primary hobbie and have only just begun to dip my feet into the pool of video editing). while i don't have oodles of income for leisure activities, i certainly know that if you build a PC yourself it's cheaper than buying it preassembled. fortunately i have a family member who's done these many, many times. this is an interesting option.

very nice board you have here. glad to be a part of it.

i especially like the forum for showing user videos. right now i'm just trying to get a sense of what these applications can do, Movie Maker obviously has only just touched the surface of what's capable. i can't wait to see what my Premiere Pro can do (i know, it can do a lot).

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