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best new graphics adaptor for sony Vegas 8.0
I am an accomplished long form documentary maker, with numerous PBS broadcasts. Working in Betacam SP, I have been using Discreet edit* since 1999. But now that I am filming in HDV [Sony Z1U] I need to upgrade to be able to output HD productions. Best obvious choice seems to be Sony Vegas.
I have Vegas 6.0 and am ready to upgrade to 8.0. My platform is a Dell Dimension 4600, running a P4 2.8 GHZ processor and with 4GB of RAM. I need to upgrade from the onboard graphics adaptor to an AGP adaptor capable of running dual digital monitors. There seem to be many to choose from and I need help. I assume that with graphics adaptors, the more onboard memory the better. But otherwise I don’t know the advantage of various choices. I don’t know what is HDCP. I don’t know if some adaptors conflict with Vegas and others work well. I get the idea [but I do not really know] that depending on the graphics adaptor, some or all of the rendering that Vegas performs can happen more quickly on the graphics adaptor, or does all of this happen using the main CPU? Anmd there may well be other mportant htings I do not know.
Please give me the basics or refer me to something useful to read so I can make the best choice. Thanks,
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2 Replies
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Vegas doesn’t take advantage of a graphics card so it really doesn’t matter what you get. Vegas replies solely on CPU power for preview and render. The memory on a graphics card is used for textures and primarily by 3D games.
With a 2.8GHZ P4 you are at the bare minimum requirement for editing HD. You might want to consider upgrading to a more powerful computer. At a minimum, I would do some editing in HD with what you have and be sure that your current computer is fast enough for you before you start investing in upgrades.
~jr
http://www.johnrofrano.com
http://www.vasst.com -
Thanks for the explanation. I hear what you are saying about the power of my computer. I actually anticipate that I would need to upgrade assuming I like how Vegas functions, but to figure that out I can work in SD and see what I think. After working with Discreet edit for nearly 10 years, I am very disappointed that Autodesk has abandoned the edit line so I cannot simply upgrade. Part of me wants to go with Avid, but that is so so much more expensive, I am hoping Vegas turns out to be all that I need. But assuming I do want to upgrade in the future, what do you suggest? How much RAM, how powerful a processor? Dual processors? etc. etc.
Thanks for the help,
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