What should I do? Advice Needed!

[lowlow42]

Hey guys, I need some advice. Please keep in mind, I'm starting out and only need BASIC editing hardware.

Now then, I can either:

1) Replace the harddrive on my old PC, and then get a firewire adapter, and a network, and other upgrades.

2) Or I can get a Brand New Dell and buy a firewire adapter and network.

What I want to do, is just to edit with Adobe Premiere and export to DVD.

My old Pc is a Hewlett Packard with 384 RAM.

If I choose the old PC, what do I need to upgrade and purchase for it?

Same with if I buy a Brand New Dell.

Thanks for any advice.

I tried to make it as less confusing as possible. Ask me questions if you need to.

[SLICK RICK]

What are the specs of the new Dell and how much will it cost?

SLICK RICK

[bottle-necked]

You didn't give very many choices... haha

Good luck

[BJ_M]

its cheaper to buy a new computer right now ... i mean look at this:

DellHome - Dimension 2400 Desktop with 2.4Ghz Processor, 128MB DDR SDRAM, 17" CRT, CD-RW Drive, 40GB 7200RPM HD for $384 after Rebate with FREE Shipping!

that is WITH a 17" monitor ...... add some more memory yourself later ...


or i'm not fussy -- today HP was running a special .... :

HPShopping - S6000Z Computer with AMD Athlon XP 3000+, 128MB DDR SDRAM, 40GB HD, CD-Rom, 5.1 Sound for $458 after Rebates with FREE Shipping plus FREE 15" LCD Monitor!

thats with a LCD monitor included .....



you cant possably upgrade much of anything now days and beat those kind of prices .....

there are deal around like this at other places also ...

[lowlow42]

See, what I'm trying to do, is avoid the cost of a new computer and maybe upgrade an old one that currently has a bad hard drive (I own it already).

So, I was thinking of getting a firewire card, and a new hard drive, and then I would be able to edit and burn DVD's.

With a new computer, I would still have to buy a firewire card, and extra hard drive space.

You know what I'm trying to say?

Old PC I own spec's: 384 MB RAM and no firewire/capture card, it has a Pentium III Processor, a bad hard drive, and thats about it.

Does this help anybody understand better?

I don't really think money wise, a new computer is worth it. Right?

[SLICK RICK]

What are the specs of the new Dell and how much will it cost?

SLICK RICK

[BJ_M]

See, what I'm trying to do, is avoid the cost of a new computer and maybe upgrade an old one that currently has a bad hard drive (I own it already).

So, I was thinking of getting a firewire card, and a new hard drive, and then I would be able to edit and burn DVD's.

With a new computer, I would still have to buy a firewire card, and extra hard drive space.

You know what I'm trying to say?

Old PC I own spec's: 384 MB RAM and no firewire/capture card, it has a Pentium III Processor, a bad hard drive, and thats about it.

Does this help anybody understand better?

I don't really think money wise, a new computer is worth it. Right?

they come with firewire ...

[bottle-necked]

Running Adobe Premier on an older P3 system and trying to capture, edit, and encode video files you're going to pull your hair out. It will be so slow it's won't be funny. You'll get in the middle of a big project and click on something and that P3 will croke... You'll be making a pot of coffee while waiting on that P3 to render a transition so you can view it.

Come on, you've got to have something fast enough to keep up with the editing process, or this whole idea is going to get old pretty fast.... lol

Best of luck.

[lowlow42]

Alright so my best bet is to:

Replace hard drive in my old PC, and sell it.

Then use the money towards a new Dell.

Is there anything I will need to upgrade on the new Dell, if so, what?

What are the specs of the new Dell and how much will it cost?

SLICK RICK

Just a basic Dimension 2400 with Intel Pentium IIII Processor. Around $500.

[lowlow42]

Also, Would a Celeron processor do, or should I just get a Pentium 4?

[bottle-necked]

lowlow,

If you're talking about just ripping DVD movies, putting in a few simple title screens and transitions, then burning that to DVD then you don't need a fast computer. You would need a program that can 'smart render' and a good DVD burner. You can do this type of project with a single hdd and you won't need a capture device. If you wind up running DVD Shrink then yes, a faster CPU would help.

If you're talking about working with AVI files then you will need a larger hdd and a faster CPU (since all your footage will need to be encoded). You can still get by with a single hdd.

If you are going to capture video then you will find it necessary to take your system a little more seriously. A dedecated hdd and a HQ capture device is going to be needed. Even if you only intend to capture from Firewire and a digital camera you still need a fairly decent system.

I suppose it's going to depend on what capture method you going to use, how long you're willing to wait for a 2 hour movie to encode, and how much storage space you need.

Good Luck.

[lowlow42]

I'm a patient person, when I need to encode something, I will set it in the morning, and in the afternoon when I return from work, it should be done. Or if I have to encode it over night, then so be it.

What I'm going to do is: using a Canon GL with a DV cable, I'll import video into Adobe Premiere through the firewire (I will need to purchase the card though).

On my old computer I have, it has 384 MB RAM, Pentium III, and a good amount of HZ (I'm not sure how much though).

That is pretty fast, isn't it?

I will still have plenty of Hard drive space, becuase I have to replace it anyways, so when I purchase it, I will buy a good amount of GB.

And remember, all I need to do is basic video editing with Adobe Premiere. Nothing technical... yet. In the future I will upgrade as I invest more money into it.

With that being said, should I keep my old computer?

And if so, what kind of card should I buy for it?

[bottle-necked]

On my old computer I have, it has 384 MB RAM, Pentium III, and a good amount of HZ (I'm not sure how much though).

Right-click on 'My Computer' then choose "Properties". That information is displayed there.

Besides that all I can say is Good Luck.

[lowlow42]

Yeah, I checked there, but for some reason it isn't on there. Perhaps due to the bad hard drive?

So do you guys think I should keep the old one, buy basic upgrades now, and then invest more money slowly in time?

[bottle-necked]

no

[lowlow42]

So then, I have a question.

What are the negatives of keeping the old computer?

Now I am having second thoughts....

[lowlow42]

Okay, Okay....

You're absolutely correct.

My old PC blows!

I was talking to one of my relatives earlier, and they say that I should just go with a new computer. He builds computers and edits video for a living. So I took his advice without questioning it.

He says he can build me one pretty souped up for what I need it for, and if not, we found a computer on Dell.com for around $730 that'll do the job.

So thanks for all of your advice, also, to realize how crappy my old computer is!

I meant that in a good way.

[bottle-necked]

What are the negatives of keeping the old computer?

Better question..., besides not spending the money, what are the good points about keeping it..... lol

Do this. ok. This is a video forum and the people here use computers to work video. Start clicking on everybodys computer details button and see what everyone else is running. If they are working video and doing a good job then you need a system just like theirs. Then tell me what you think. ok

I'll put this in my Favorites and come back in a couple days.

Good luck.

[lowlow42]

Ok thanks, when I get home in the afternoon, then I'll check.