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Computer Specs for Sony Vegas?
Hi I want to upgrade my current computer to improve the performance of Sony Vegas. What specs should I get? I’m not a pro so I don’t need super high end stuff but I also want good, strong, fast performance.
I’m looking at a HP with the following specs:
Intel i5-2400 quad-core processor [3.1GHz, 6MB cache]
8GB DDR3-1333MHz SDRAM
1TB 7200 rpm SATA 3Gb/s hard drive
2GB DDR3 NVIDIA GeForce GT 530
Cost is about $780Other than video editing and a little bit of Photoshop, I don’t really use the computer for other tasks so no gaming.
I read a lot of people are using an i7 processor, should I upgrade to i7? Would it make a big difference? I care more about the preview than the rendering. I can wait for the final rendering but I hate the slow, blackouts, delays, bluring, and interlacing during the preview mode. Price is okay as long as it will make a real difference.
For example: I was trying to pan a video on TRACK1 which overlaps another video on TRACK2, I noticed that major delays and skiping when I preview the video of both tracks together.
(One side question about previews: I have an old Dell computer that previewed a video clip smoothly with no issues then I noticed on a friend’s i5 processer computer that there was interlacing in the video. Why is that? It’s the same video file, same vegas version. Is it a codec thing? Is there a way to fix this?)
Also, do I need a good video card? I read that vegas don’t use video cards for previews. Has that changed with Pro 11? I don’t have version 11 but in case I get it later, just want to check if a video card is useful.
Any advise would be great!
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12 Replies
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Get the most powerful processor that you can afford. Nothing else effects Vegas performance than processor power.
Get at least 2Gb of RAM for each processor core.
I personally avoid ATI because of problems with the drivers – maybe it’s just me, but I always buy nVidia Geforce cards. Most recently a pair of GT520’s in one system and a GTS450 in another.
Steve Mann
MannMade Digital Video
http://www.mmdv.com -
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[Wendy Lam] “I read a lot of people are using an i7 processor, should I upgrade to i7? Would it make a big difference?”
The CPU is not the place to skimp for video editing. I would definitely go with a Core i7.
[Wendy Lam] “(One side question about previews: I have an old Dell computer that previewed a video clip smoothly with no issues then I noticed on a friend’s i5 processer computer that there was interlacing in the video. Why is that? It’s the same video file, same vegas version. Is it a codec thing? Is there a way to fix this?)”
There is an option to deinterlace the preview. Your friend probably had that turned off. Also, even if turned on, it will not deinterlace unless you set the preview quality to at least “Good”.
[Wendy Lam] “Also, do I need a good video card? I read that vegas don’t use video cards for previews. Has that changed with Pro 11? I don’t have version 11 but in case I get it later, just want to check if a video card is useful.”
Yes, Vegas Pro 11.0 has changed all that and you should get the most powerful graphics card you can afford. Like the others, I prefer NVIDIA cards.
~jr
http://www.johnrofrano.com
http://www.vasst.com -
Wow, thank you so much for all your input!
Getting your advice and expertise makes me feel much more comfortable with making a decision. OK, so an i7 with a NVIDIA graphics card!John, thank you especially for your response to the interlacing question! Can I ask another one? On some videos I edit in Vegas, there are very short, fractions of a second, black-out skips in the video where the whole screen turns black and “skips a frame” and then resumes again. It happens in the preview AND after rendering. These are WMV files and the issue only occures in some WMV videos and not most other WMV videos. Do you know what could be the issue that’s causing this?
A separtate (WMV clips without the blackout problem) but similar problem also happens in audio too where a portion of the sound drops off. Sometimes several seconds passes where the audio is entirely muted before sound is restored. The sound is fine when I play it in a media player but is muted in Vegas.
Is this a format problem? Some people suggested I use AVI files for better quality. Maybe it’s my old computer but when I edit AVI files the preview mode is less smooth. The previews get very choppy and slow when I overlap several videos or set the video to play in reverse mode.
Any ideas or advice would be great!
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[Wendy Lam] “On some videos I edit in Vegas, there are very short, fractions of a second, black-out skips in the video where the whole screen turns black and “skips a frame” and then resumes again. It happens in the preview AND after rendering. These are WMV files and the issue only occures in some WMV videos and not most other WMV videos. Do you know what could be the issue that’s causing this? “
Are you sure the black frames are not in the file itself since you see it in preview? In general, WMV is not a good format to be editing, but you shouldn’t be getting random black frames. I don’t know what to do to eliminate it other than don’t edit WMV files. 😉
[Wendy Lam] “A separtate (WMV clips without the blackout problem) but similar problem also happens in audio too where a portion of the sound drops off. Sometimes several seconds passes where the audio is entirely muted before sound is restored. The sound is fine when I play it in a media player but is muted in Vegas. “
Vegas doesn’t edit WMV audio natively, it makes a proxy. Perhaps it’s a problem with the proxy creation process? Once again, WMV is a delivery format. It’s really horrible for editing.
[Wendy Lam] “Is this a format problem? Some people suggested I use AVI files for better quality. Maybe it’s my old computer but when I edit AVI files the preview mode is less smooth. The previews get very choppy and slow when I overlap several videos or set the video to play in reverse mode.”
yea, it’s a format issue with WMV. AVI is only a container. What codec are you using in the AVI file? (or are you using uncompressed AVI which will never playback smoothly) Try using Motion-JPEG with PCM audio.
~jr
http://www.johnrofrano.com
http://www.vasst.com -
Thanks, John!
Let me try converting the format of my videos! I think my converter supports WMV to Motion-JPEG but it won’t let me customize the audio to PCM, do you have any good recommendations on video converters? -
[Wendy Lam] “do you have any good recommendations on video converters?”
Try AviDemux with these settings:
~jr
http://www.johnrofrano.com
http://www.vasst.com -
Wow, great! Let me try it out!
Thanks, John!!! -
Hi John,
Sorry it took a while, was having internet connection problems! I just downloaded the converter and tried to convert my WMV files into the M-JPEG/PCM/AVI settings but it kept giving me an error message saying the program stopped working.
Here are the Steps I took:
1. Went to File and Opened the WMV file. It’s playable in the preview screen.
2. Selected the settings as specified in your last post.
3. Clicked on the left-most SAVE icon.
4. An error message comes up saying that the program stopped but it didn’t provide much detail on what the issue is.Did I click on the right button in Step 3? Did I have to do anything else first? I just want to convert the entire clip.
Wendy
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You did everything correctly and I just tried the same steps here with a WMV file and it converted correctly. Try different WMV file. Maybe it has something to do with that file? I don’t know why it wouldn’t work for you.
~jr
http://www.johnrofrano.com
http://www.vasst.com
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