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  1. So, It's time to get semi-serious about video editing. Now that I've been shooting HD video with my Nikon, I'm running into processing issues. Play back is slow, choppy or non-existent. I've been looking into hardware to help me out on that front. In the future I would like to build a nice workstation for it, but for now I just want to "get by".

    Here's my processor:
    Pentium Dual-Core E5300 @ 2.6 GHz
    6GB Ram
    Windows 7 64bit

    I have been told that this should be fine for now but that I am in desperate need of a graphics card. I've been reading a bit and have narrowed it down to the nVidia GeForce GTX 560 Ti. It's a PCI-E 2.0 bus with 1024 MB memory and 384 CUDA cores.
    I kinda know what this means, but figured I'd run it by you computer intelligent folks. It's running for $209 on newegg right now which is about in my price range.

    I figured the graphics card will transfer forward to a future build. Though if I get something like this and my processor becomes the bottleneck will it be "too" much for it to handle? Or will it only handle as much as the processor can handle? Does that make sense?

    I have yet to find any reliable information and help regarding video editing hardware and am turning to you guys for some help. Bear with me though as I am a little slow when it comes to hardware.

    Thoughts, comments, suggestions? Thanks
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    you donīt need a 560gtx for HD video editing, that videocard is for gaming and will help you to decode HD video but not as much as you think to the encoding procces.
    You should spend that money in a i3 2100 ($120) an H67 motherboard ($70/$80) and 8gb ddr 1600 ($45).

    And you can get good money for your current system and spent in a better processor like an i52310/i5 2500k and maybe an z68 mobo.

    Ive been editing and compressing 1080p h264 with an i5 2310 for some time with good results.

    justmy 2 cents
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  3. What software are you using? Most video editing software doesn't use the GPU for anything other than the UI. There's no difference in performance between a low end and high end card in those cases.
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    The underlying issue is that your PC is underpowered. I have to warn you that others before you have tried to fix this on the cheap through a better video card and that almost never results in the kind of improvement they were hoping for.
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  5. Thanks for the helpful feedback. After hearing your comments, I'm reconsidering the video card purchase. Looking at sparkyar's comments I'm looking into a seperate computer for the processing. Cost is still a major issue and I have to justify have a second computer for the occasional video editing I'll be doing.

    If I were to build up a new computer, would I need to buy a empty box and fill it with the hardware? Is is more or less a plug and play? I'm not afraid of electronics (I reapplied the thermal compund to my Xbox yesterday), but I don't want to get in over my head.

    Currently I'm using Cyberlink Power Director 10 but am also looking for recommendation there as well. I would want something that is advanced, but not to the point where I lose some of ease of use.
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  6. Also, if you're looking at using a GPU to encode video you should be aware that the GPU encoders don't deliver the best quality. Software encoders (like x264) with fast settings on a fast CPU can encoder faster and still deliver better quality.

    http://www.behardware.com/articles/828-1/h-264-encoding-cpu-vs-gpu-nvidia-cuda-amd-str...-and-x264.html
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    Originally Posted by Imag33 View Post
    If I were to build up a new computer, would I need to buy a empty box and fill it with the hardware? Is is more or less a plug and play? I'm not afraid of electronics (I reapplied the thermal compund to my Xbox yesterday), but I don't want to get in over my head.
    Yes, you can buy an empty case and fill it with hardware. I did that last year on my most recent build. But if you've never built a PC before it might be a little daunting. It had been maybe 10 years since my last previous build (I bought an HP PC in between) and I forgot one critical thing that NONE of the websites talk about that tell you how to build a new PC from components. It's critical that you use the metal spacers that come with your motherboard to keep it from touching the case. I had a lot of weird problems that were caused by my motherboard touching the case. Again, I read a lot of websites and NONE of them said to do this. I was NOT happy about that. I lost a lot of time before I figured that out by finally finding the one website that mentioned it. And I hired a PC expert I knew at work to troubleshoot my PC and he never thought to check for that. Grrrr....
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  8. Building a computer is completely new to me. How hard is it going to be to install the processor to the motherboard then into the box? How about windows (7) installation or any other software installation? There is probably a lot more that goes into this, but what are some things to know?

    Keep in mind that I will probably talk myself out of it because of money needs vs wants, but I definitely want to do this.

    Once again, I appreciate you helping me out!
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    but there is no need to build a 2nd computer just for video editing, you can easily get more than $100/$120 for your current processor, motherboard and memory
    Building a computer is completely new to me. How hard is it going to be to install the processor to the motherboard then into the box?
    you just need tho follow the manual, most of the new intel and amd processors have preapplied thermal compound and they fit in only one way on the socket; and as jman98 said, use the spacers when mounting the mobo on the case
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  10. Originally Posted by sparkyar View Post
    but there is no need to build a 2nd computer just for video editing, you can easily get more than $100/$120 for your current processor, motherboard and memory

    you just need tho follow the manual, most of the new intel and amd processors have preapplied thermal compound and they fit in only one way on the socket; and as jman98 said, use the spacers when mounting the mobo on the case
    Good point. So if I replaced the motherboard and processor, can I still use my old Windows 7?
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    Originally Posted by Imag33 View Post
    Good point. So if I replaced the motherboard and processor, can I still use my old Windows 7?
    No, if the PC was from Dell, HP, Acer, or another PC maker. OEM licenses are tied to the motherboard and not transferable between PCs. Microsoft knows which vendor bought the license and will not validate the license if it is installed in a PC with different hardware. If the PC was custom built for you by a friend, Microsoft might allow the OS license to be transferred, but that is not a certainty.

    You should check the existing motherboard and connections for the front panel to make sure you can re-use the case with a different motherboard. You may need to replace the RAM, and at some point a better PSU would not be a bad idea. OEM PSUs are generally not the best quality or built to last forever, and when a PSU dies it can take other components with it.

    Here is an example of components that might be used for a modest Intel build. Intel HD 3000 graphics would be enough for decoding H.264 video
    CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115090 $135
    MOB http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131716 $81
    RAM http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231311 $42
    OS http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116986 $100

    Both Intel and AMD are supposed to release some new CPU designs in the next 3-6 months with improved integrated GPUs, and HDD prices are predicted to fall from their current high prices to nearer to what they were last autumn by the end of the year. It might be worth saving your money until later in the year.

    [Edit] As far as spacers, that depends on the case. I built my PC, and the case I bought had bumps stamped into the motherboard tray instead of spacers. Had I used spacers too, the rear connections would have been misaligned with the cutout in the rear of the case.
    Last edited by usually_quiet; 28th Mar 2012 at 19:14.
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  12. Cyberlink Power Director supports CUDA acceleration. Since CUDA performance doesn't scale much with GPU power you might look at getting a low end Nvidia card that supports CUDA -- around US$60. Then live with that while you save for a faster computer.

    Sony Vegas Movie Studio is a good option if you're looking for a more advanced editor. You'll have another big learning curve. Also about US$60.

    You may, or may not, be able to use your current Win7 license. If your current computer is from one of the big OEMs you won't. As was pointed out, those are locked to the OEM ID in the BIOS. If you have a regular OEM (system builder's) license you probably will be able to use it. If you have to call Microsoft to validate tell them you had to replace a failed motherboard (technically, the license is allowed to transfer to a new computer). They usually accept that. If you have a full retail license (hardly anyone has that) you will definitely be able to use it.
    Last edited by jagabo; 28th Mar 2012 at 19:10.
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  13. For $69 you could get a new CPU that would fit your mobo, an Intel E5700 should fit the same socket as long as it's 775:
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116381

    If you have a dual channel controller you would be better off using two sticks of 4GB or whatever your mobo will support, use SIW.exe to see what your mobo supports. Video work is CPU and RAM intensive so upgrading those two things will help more than a videocard, another benefit is you won't have to buy a new copy of Windows 7.
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    Originally Posted by MOVIEGEEK View Post
    For $69 you could get a new CPU that would fit your mobo, an Intel E5700 should fit the same socket as long as it's 775:
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116381

    If you have a dual channel controller you would be better off using two sticks of 4GB or whatever your mobo will support, use SIW.exe to see what your mobo supports. Video work is CPU and RAM intensive so upgrading those two things will help more than a videocard, another benefit is you won't have to buy a new copy of Windows 7.
    The OP would need to check to see if the current BIOS supports the CPU upgrade, or if a newer BIOS version that supports it is available. Otherwise, the new CPU won't be recognized.
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  15. Originally Posted by MOVIEGEEK View Post
    For $69 you could get a new CPU that would fit your mobo, an Intel E5700 should fit the same socket as long as it's 775:
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116381
    He'd hardly be able to measure a difference between that and his current E5300. It's the same basic CPU, just clocked 15 percent faster.
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  16. Member budwzr's Avatar
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    Meh, this tech talk is too ubergeek for me. Figure on spending a grand and up, just to be on the safe side. And don't buy an Apple by mistake.

    And don't buy from Costco or Sammy's, that's last years model and built for general performance only.

    You can get by on your old computer if you convert your videos to mpeg2 before editing, but who wants to do that.

    Like others mentioned, adding ram, a faster hard drive, changing the video card, doesn't work except to maybe shave 2 seconds off a 30 second render. In other words, measurable, but not noticeable.
    Last edited by budwzr; 28th Mar 2012 at 23:52.
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  17. Several months ago I upgraded one of my computers. I got a Core i5 2500K, motherboard, and 8 GB of DDR3 1600 DRAM for less than $300. Start here:

    http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0354589
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