Upgraded MAC or new PC

[Gwobbie]

Hey, I’m looking to build a decent system strictly for video editing. I’m looking at my options and want some input.

I have a G4 Mac (500 MHz I believe) with OSX, and a ton of software. The system was designed for audio/music sequencing, etc. so it’s not much of a power horse for video.

With a budget of just over $1000, I’m stuck on the choice of either spending a part of that on more RAM and external hard drives (I want external storage for different projects)for the Mac, or spending it all on a brand new PC (I doubt I could get a speedy new Mac for that price). I’ve seen a tutorial on building a NLE PC for $1000.. so I know it’s possible.

I wonder if adding more RAM to the Mac would actually make it decent for video work. Wouldn’t the core processor (400-500MHz or so) have to be faster as well? What speeds are acceptable for video work? I’ll be doing some major rendering work – hour, to 2 hour long projects… with effect and such. I want as much power as I can get. Any ideas/help?
Thanks

Robbie
Robbibee@comcast.net

[yoda313]

Hi,

Well if you do get a pc you might be able to put the new mac os on it since they're now compatible with x86 processors

You'd best be getting more cpu power for longer video encoding. You can get a 2.5ghz or faster pc for well under $1000 these days. Then you can either save the extra money or apply it to newer editing suites.

Kevin

[thecoalman]

Ooooh this thread should get interesting.


I don't know anything about Mac's so I won't comment on that and you probably won't get too many responses about them since most of the Mac users are in the Mac forum and rarely venture out of there. Vice Versa for the PC users. You could ask a mod to move your thread there.

You can get a decnt system for $1000 bucks and if your willing to build it yourself all the better. A decent CPU speed for video is 3.0 which should be within your budget range. Just to give you an idea here's some basic averages for converting a 1 hour DV-AVI to DVD compliant MPEG.

3.0 = 1 hour
2.8 = 2 hours
2.6 = 4 hours

[redwudz]

I upgraded my G4 733Mhz to 1.2Ghz with 1Gig memory last year. I'm still not satisfied with the performance. I'm running OSX, don't remember the version at the moment.

As much as I like the Mac OS, I find more available software for the PC and at a generally lower price. I find the PC easier to upgrade to increase the performance. I most often use the PC for video work. And I have no complaints about the performance of the PC. (AMD 64 3200+)

That's not advice, just my observation.

[b1tchm4gn3t]

Just to give you an idea here's some basic averages for converting a 1 hour DV-AVI to DVD compliant MPEG.

3.0 = 1 hour
2.8 = 2 hours
2.6 = 4 hours

Not to argue but I just have a 2.0 celeron (I know they are junk), and I can take an hour of dv-avi and encode it to a dvd compliant disk in WAYYY less time than that. 2 hours tops.

[thecoalman]

Not to argue but I just have a 2.0 celeron (I know they are junk), and I can take an hour of dv-avi and encode it to a dvd compliant disk in WAYYY less time than that. 2 hours tops.

Those were meant to be averages from what I have read and experienced. There's too many variables, even the same cpu on a different mobo's will give different results. Some of those times may be slightly longer but they are fairly close using some of the common encoders with common settings. Frankly I find your time suprising. What are your encoding settings and what are you using to encode it with.

If you want to there's thread here, you can compare your times using the same encoder with the exact same settings.

http://www.videohelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=251737

[b1tchm4gn3t]

when I get time I will certainly do that and post

[thecoalman]

There's other things to consider such as the quality of the resultant video. For example my encoder has a slider for adjusting it for speed over quality. This will speed it up but I don''t a very good result.

BTW I'm still curious what your encode settings are and what your encoding with? This can affect the time greatly as well.

[b1tchm4gn3t]

THECOALMAN... I may have been wrong or misunderstood you in some way, what I meant is that I can take an hour worth of video off my minidv via firewire, and then take studio and add some titles, transitions, and audio tracks and whatever else, and encode under the settings for the highest quality, and presto...I have a dvd in like 2 hours or less. I know ppl say STUDIO is junk, but I must say it works well for me. And if I choose to take analog, I have a Dazzle Digital Video Creator 150 (I know, I hear they are junk too!) and it makes mpeg2 on the fly. I know Im not working with the greatest equipment here but I do have to say it works really well for me. I will still try that link you gave me when I get time and see what that does as far as time.

[Faustus]

Mac Mini all the way!

Get it at a local store instead of Apple online store because if you want extra memory added its likely cheaper to do so at the store then via apple.

Get an apple care, same monitor, same keyboard, same mouse.

Done and done. $500 for baseline model. If you live near a Compusa or a Fry's they'd be good places to do it. Fry's would likely be cheaper for a memory upgrade. Or get it at compusa and take it to somewhere thats Apple Certified that has cheaper memory. Or even an local Apple Store if you have on.

If you want special options added that only the store offers goto either Compusa or an Apple store and bug them to do a special order which will take just as long as the apple store anywya.

[Bullworth]

I'm not Mac savvy, or apple savvy for that matter at all. Comparing a Pentium/Athlon to a G4 processor of the same MHz, what is the speed/performance difference?

[bazooka]

Well if you do get a pc you might be able to put the new mac os on it since they're now compatible with x86 processors

Apple has said that the Mac OS will only work on Mac.

[Gwobbie]

Thanks for the responses. I guess I'll copy the thread over to mac forum too. If I were to go with PC and having a $1000 budget, how much would I have left after getting a P4 3 GHz w/ a good motherboard and 1 GB RAM?

I guess I should ask, what's a good working motherboard for NLE systems?

Any difference between a G5 1 GHz processor and a 1 GHz Pentium?

Are AMD's used much in editing systems?

[edDV]

Thanks for the responses. I guess I'll copy the thread over to mac forum too. If I were to go with PC and having a $1000 budget, how much would I have left after getting a P4 3 GHz w/ a good motherboard and 1 GB RAM?

I guess I should ask, what's a good working motherboard for NLE systems?

Any difference between a G5 1 GHz processor and a 1 GHz Pentium?

Are AMD's used much in editing systems?

A PC motherboard that supports >2.8 GHZ P4, has onboard IEEE-1394, USB2, AC-3 sound out, extra EIDE or SATA ports and power supply >350W would work well for encoding or editing.

Get a good mobo. If you must you can save on a slower processor and upgrade later.

P4 and AMD are both good. P4 benefits from Hyperthreading (used in higher end encoders) whereas AMD is generally cheaper for a given speed.

Video is all about flat out encoding CPU power so consider 2.4 GHz a working minimum.

[Gwobbie]

Thanks for the responses. I guess I'll copy the thread over to mac forum too. If I were to go with PC and having a $1000 budget, how much would I have left after getting a P4 3 GHz w/ a good motherboard and 1 GB RAM?

I guess I should ask, what's a good working motherboard for NLE systems?

Any difference between a G5 1 GHz processor and a 1 GHz Pentium?

Are AMD's used much in editing systems?

A PC motherboard that supports >2.8 GHZ P4, has onboard IEEE-1394, USB2, AC-3 sound out, extra EIDE or SATA ports and power supply >350W would work well for encoding or editing.

Get a good mobo. If you must you can save on a slower processor and upgrade later.

P4 and AMD are both good. P4 benefits from Hyperthreading (used in higher end encoders) whereas AMD is generally cheaper for a given speed.

Video is all about flat out encoding CPU power so consider 2.4 GHz a working minimum.

Yeah doesn't PremierePro take advantage of Hyperthreading now? What's a decent mobo too, as well as video capture card. I'll probably be using basic firewire, but are there some cards out there good for doing real-time effects?

[edDV]

Check Tom's Hardware and motherboards.com for latest mobo reviews. Also http://anandtech.com/

In my experience, Gigabyte and Asus have been good. Intel is always solid but not as tweakable.

If you want entry realtime cards look at videoguys.com for an intro to the issues.

[lordsmurf]

Don't double post.

Continue here:
http://www.videohelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=274474