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General problems with computing upgrading and Avid
Two weeks I started the first stage of a move I am doing, from AMD to an Intel based system.
Even if my move is gradual, because I went for a mobo that lets me use AVG video and DDR memory boards, instead of PCI-E and DDR2, there seem to be several issues to deal with.
1) Dual-core compatibilities. This shouldn’t be taken lightly. There is a Microsoft patch that should be downloaded to that effect, to start dealing with Windows issues for dual core CPUs.
2) Realtek HD incompatibility. This is an Avid problem, which seems to be more common than I thought it would be when I faced it. Avid seems to have some issues with Realtek HD, and it has been a problem on several quality mobos. Most of the times you need to rely on an pci audio board. But you should be careful what audio board you get, as it may have issues with Avid or even with the mobo itself.
3) Video issues. As I said on another thread, now closed, you need to try new video drivers for you board. This may be related to the dual-core system, as this very same board worked perfectly with my former AMD 754 board.
4) Avid and upgrading. They stick to their policy of recommending systems that have been mostly surpassed, be it for complete systems from Dell or HP (which I can’t afford and do not get to Brazil, where I live) or latest “roll your own” based systems. More than ever the latter has become a high quality & affordable way to go, even if you may face the problems mentioned above.
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4 Replies
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[Carlos E. Martinez] “4) Avid and upgrading. They stick to their policy of recommending systems that have been mostly surpassed, be it for complete systems from Dell or HP ……..”
The reason these are the recommended systems is because Avid has been able to test these machines and qualify them. You can’t do this with every machine or configuration on the market. Anytime you deviate from these configurations, you are asking for trouble, unless you have enough computer smarts to deal with and solve the resulting issues. Although you say it’s cheaper, for many this can mean buying a system that is completely useless for running Avid and then having to purchase a recommended system in the end.
Sincerely,
OliverOliver Peters Post Production Services, LLC
Orlando, FL
http://www.oliverpeters.com -
The audio issue I commented is not one that happened in older systems.
You certainly need to know your way if you decide to assemble a system yourself. There places, like the Videoguys and others, which can be a way between.
But I am not sure if you still buy a “recommended system” you won’t still have to deal with the audio and video issues I mentioned. This dual-core based systems seem to be a new ball game.
This was the intention behind this thread.
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If you follow Avid’s recommendations, you won’t have problems.
Editing video is a very demanding task for any PC. To allow for the flexibility that Avid systems gives you, you need the hardware that can do it. There is a big difference between a home or shop built system and a professional workstation built by DELL or HP.
Sound cards are a good example – most motherboard sound cards are designed down to a cost and are totally unsuitable for professional audio use.
Video cards – Avid uses OpenGL and hardware based video overlay to give realtime, frame accurate video monitoring both on the PC and output to a monitor. Most ATI cards do not work this way and are not suitable for this application. NVidia FX cards are designed for professional applications, not video games and provide the right hardware for the Avid editing applications to function.
You have to remember what you are dealing with here. It is a professional application designed for professional use, in a similar way to AutoCad. Professionals are used to paying for quality tools that enable them to do there job. If you’re editing a feature film for example you are talking about an end product worth millions. You wouldn’t use a home computer to do that – even if most of the time it ‘may’ work.
Avid is the editing system of choice for the vast majority of feature films and TV programmes around the world. Without a professional, reliable and supported hardware platform, it wouldn’t be where it is today and cheaper semi-professional applications such as FCP and Adobe Premier would have a bigger market than they do now.
If you can’t afford the hardware to run it on, then you’re looking at the wrong application for your budget. We’d all like to drive around in a Ferrari but our budget and requirements mean we have to drive around in something more closely matching our real needs.
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Well, yes. The big difference between a home built system and a professional workstation built by DELL or HP is several thousand dollars. At least for me here where I live (Brazil).
My present video card is a GeForce 6200, not an ATI. It does the job quite well and it does provide realtime, frame accurate video monitoring, at least on my two PC monitors. Next I will be trying it on an external monitor too.
I am not doing that many effects though, which I think is best left for a higher grade Avid workstation. So I am not sure the OpenGL capacity of my 6200 or even better an 8600GTS (which should be my next video board) can be surpassed by a Quadro FX560, the latter’s only type I could afford.
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