New System

[Eric Jurgenson]

Nice system. I just built a similar system with the 5460 processors and an Axio LE card. The speed that this thing cranks out Blu-Ray DVDs makes one giddy.

32-bit Windows kinda maxes out on 4 GB, so I think you are wasting your money on 6 GB unless you intend to upgrade to 64-bit in the near future.

[Bart Conover]

Thanks for the response . . . I’m not sure when I’ll go 64bit.
But I had planned on adding the Axio as well . . . when I’m able.

Bart Conover
ASLAN Productions

[Jamie Hoarty]

Eric,
Sounds like you put a rocket ship together! I too run an Axio LE but with the tried and true Tyan K8WE moboard with two dual Opteron 280s which were great in their day, but that was long ago.
It sounds like your system may be so state-of the-art that it has not yet been validated by Matrox. Can you tell me two things: 1) Are Premiere Pro, Matrox and Windows getting along okay together (is your system stable?). 2) What components did you put together? (moboard, ram, video card, etc.) It would be a huge help if I could cheat and not have to do my own homework! Many thanks in advance.

Jamie Hoarty

[Eric Jurgenson]

No, this system is validated – at least the mobo is. I took a little step out on a limb by going with the just released 5460 processors, but I talked with Supermicro and Matrox tech support first, and we agreed that it was a pretty safe bet that the new processors would work fine. And the system did pass the Matrox validation test that runs when you register the system.

So far (it’s only been a couple of weeks) the system is running great. It’s set up as a dual boot system (XP 32-bit and XP 64-bit), running 3ds max on the 64-bit partition.

It has 8 GB of RAM (for 64-bit apps) and an Nvidia FX 4600 graphics card. We went with this card because of 3ds max; otherwise I would have gone for the ATI x1950 Pro 512 and saved $1,000.

The system appears to be rock stable. What is it about Axio that makes Premiere seem so much more solid? And nothing on this planet works with HDV and XDCAM HD better, or renders MPEG2 files faster IMHO.

[Jamie Hoarty]

First of all, Bart, sorry for stepping on your post. Eric, can we please take this to Quad Core Users with Axio LE which I’ll set up now? I have a couple more questions for you!
Thanks much,

Jamie Hoarty

[Vince Becquiot]

Sadly, the DDR3 will really make up for about half the cost of the system. Still not sure if it’s really worth its cost right now…

What are you doing in terms of RAID setup? That could make or break your system.

Vince

[Bart Conover]

No problem! I am interested in the Axio as well . . .
So feel free to continue.

Bart Conover
ASLAN Productions

[Jamie Hoarty]

Eric,
When you get a moment, can you please tell me the model of Supermicro moboard you’re using, the brand and type of RAM (and even if you could tell me where you bought it, for ECC RAM is hard to find). Power supply size would help too. Of course you said what processors you’re using. And finally, I’m using two 1Tb drives in RAID 0 on the motherboard. Would I realize increased performance by going to a PCI-e RAID controller rather then using the SATA ports and controller built into the moboard like I’m using now? Thanks for all your help and this should do it for questions!
Oh, and once again, thanks for letting me piggyback onto your post, Bart!

Jamie Hoarty

[Eric Jurgenson]

The mobo is a Supermicro X7DAE+. The RAM is Kingston KVR667D2D4F5K24G, which is a 4G two pack. 8GB cost around $500.

See the other post about storage. Two RAID 0 drives won’t even come close to handling uncompressed HD, or even uncompressed SD (to say nothing about multiple uncompressed streams).

With that setup, you will be limited to compressed video only, and unless you upgrade your storage, you may want to consider an RTX2 card (which only does compressed).