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  1. Member
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    Some details:
    -I want to put together a system that can handle these things (fairly) easily.
    -I want to build a regular, desktop (not laptop) Windows PC.
    -Not Mac, server, or render farm. Just a normal PC, tuned for video compositing.

    What components would be best in these areas?:
    -Motherboard
    -Processor (with # of cores)
    -RAM
    -Disk storage space

    Thanks.
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  2. Member hech54's Avatar
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    WAY too vague. All you are going to get is 1000 fanboys spewing internet gossip.
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  3. list your price range

    what type of compositing ? any 3D work?
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    Originally Posted by hech54 View Post
    WAY too vague.
    I've got one more specification to add: I'll work on Windows 7, so no (reasonable) RAM limit.
    Other than that, I just wanna know what BEST equipment can I get for the specs I've provided.
    (The best specs for gaming are not the best for editing, too. That's why I asked for an opinion here, from experts- to avoid these pitfalls.)

    Originally Posted by poisondeathray View Post
    list your price range
    NONE whatsoever. But you'll observe what I said above- only Desktop PC equipment will do. No render farms, no servers. Whatever fits inside one tower.
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    Originally Posted by poisondeathray View Post
    what type of compositing ? any 3D work?
    I don't need more "compositing power" than what was required for average movies in the 90's. Not more.
    As for 3D, some FX: smoke, fire, explosions, in that 90's average range too.
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  6. What software?


    Best single socket desktop solution right now is based on Sandy Bridge platform , low power consumption, great performance, apparently overclocks easy if you get "K" series

    Gigabyte P67A-UD4 or Asus P8P67 Pro

    i7-2600K

    2x4GB DDR3 or 4x4GB DDR3 (dual channel only for sandy bridge; 4GB sticks are more affordable these days, many apps can eat up 16GB quite easily e.g. compositing with AE CS5)

    SSD for boot & apps (if you can wait a few months for 2nd generation Sanforce Controller it would be better e.g. Vertex 3 Pro)

    Several 1-2TB HDD for storage & assets

    GPU: Nvidia based GPU with CUDA e.g. GTX 570, GTX 580 . The reason is, Mercury Playback Engine for Premiere Pro CS5 requires it. Greatly speeds up editing and rendering. On the low end all you need is >768MB memory. e.g. A lowly GT220 for <$100 will work with the CS5 "hack"

    Recommended software: editing Premiere Pro CS5 (if only for MPE, it makes it worth it) , compositing : after effects. If you get the production bundle or master collection it will save $ than buying separately (if you include all the other titles like photoshop, soundbooth etc...)

    If you're doing heavy 3D work, then a workstation class GPU is recommended e.g. quadro. A lot more expensive



    Review of Sandy Bridge
    http://www.anandtech.com/show/4083/the-sandy-bridge-review-intel-core-i7-2600k-i5-2500...i3-2100-tested
    Last edited by poisondeathray; 10th Jan 2011 at 09:32.
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    Originally Posted by poisondeathray View Post
    What software?
    Adobe's line (ie. CS 4 or 5).
    Why? Does some software require more power than others?

    Originally Posted by poisondeathray View Post
    i7-2600K
    It's got only 4 cores, is it enough for intermediate-level compositing? Does the # of cores even matter that much? People over at Adobe forums said minimum 12 cores is necessary.
    Is 12 even possible in this setup (desktop PC, not server)?
    Can you somehow "link" processors to add up cores?

    Originally Posted by poisondeathray View Post
    Several 1-2TB HDD for storage & assets
    "Several" meaning how many? 2? 10?
    To give an idea, I need the space to store 1 feature film, ~120 min, lossless, at 1080p.
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  8. Originally Posted by mst View Post

    Adobe's line (ie. CS 4 or 5).
    Why? Does some software require more power than others?
    Yes, each new generation is more "heavy" , requires more resources, more memory. However, PP CS5 with MPE is a godsend. HD edits like DV butter. Don't get CS4 if you have a choice. Get CS5 with a compatible Cuda GFX card.


    i7-2600K

    It's got only 4 cores, is it enough for intermediate-level compositing? Does the # of cores even matter that much? People over at Adobe forums said minimum 12 cores is necessary.
    Is 12 even possible in this setup (desktop PC, not server)?
    Can you somehow "link" processors to add up cores?
    Yes you can link separate processors in terms of export rendering (ie. render farm) - AE support this, but you said you didn't want that.

    The #cores does matter. You get very nice speedup (almost linear) with AE

    On a single mobo you can use SMT with multiple sockets, but you said you didn't want that either

    You have 4 cores / 8 threads (4 hyperthreaded) with i7-2600K. You can get an I7-980x , but it's $1000-1500 and 6C/12T . That's the highest single socket right now for desktop. But single thread performance of that Bloomfield generation actually slower. IPC (instructions per cycle) are actually higher on this new generation.

    Right now, you can get a dual socket overclockable mobo, the EVGA SR-2 . Dual Xenons x5650 (6C/12T each for 12C/24T) can overclock nicely, but each CPU is about $1K . This is last generation but there are no native 6C for sandy bridge yet. If you can wait, later this year they should release 6C/12T and 8C/16T variants of sandy bridge (enterprise versions)

    Another option is AMD's lineup, but they are much slower per clock cycle., They have native 8 core CPUs out right now

    Originally Posted by poisondeathray View Post
    Several 1-2TB HDD for storage & assets
    "Several" meaning how many? 2? 10?
    To give an idea, I need the space to store 1 feature film, ~120 min, lossless, at 1080p.
    2 x 2TB is enough in terms of storage. 2TB drives seem to be much more affordable these days, but you said cost really wasn't a big factor. You want extra space for scratch discs and intermediate files
    Last edited by poisondeathray; 10th Jan 2011 at 11:31.
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    Originally Posted by poisondeathray View Post
    On a single mobo you can use SMT with multiple sockets, but you said you didn't want that either
    Where did I say that?

    Originally Posted by poisondeathray View Post
    Dual Xeons
    But aren't Xeons server-only? In fact, does server-only mean one can't use them in a normal computer with Win7? Or it's physically impossible?
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  10. Originally Posted by mst View Post
    Originally Posted by poisondeathray View Post
    On a single mobo you can use SMT with multiple sockets, but you said you didn't want that either
    Where did I say that?
    You said you wanted a "regular desktop" . The EVGA mobo is technically workstation or server class (which you said you didn't want), but will fit into some very large cases (larger than EATX). If you had to buy NOW, that's what I would get if you were willing to get a dual socket mobo. If you can wait a few months, I would wait for the sandy bridge version (and the EVGA SR3 or whatever they're going to call it)

    Originally Posted by poisondeathray View Post
    Dual Xeons
    But aren't Xeons server-only? In fact, does server-only mean one can't use them in a normal computer with Win7? Or it's physically impossible?
    Not really, there are single socket xenons as well that work in the same LGA1366 mobo as the consumer version (DP xeon versions have 2 QPI links enabled so can communicate with 2nd socket, UP or uniprocessor versions have 1 QPI link enabled)

    It really depends on your definition of "normal computer" and "server".

    I wouldn't call an EVGA SR2 setup a "regular desktop"
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