Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum10 (Desktop and general editing software question)

[Mac Mcginnis]

I hope the ATI card works. I just bought this exact same PC but haven’t loaded V10 on it yet and done any editing.

[John Rofrano]

[Stephen Millet] “So is there a model of desktops that you recommend for my needs.”

Personally, I would get an HP Workstation. The Z400’s are nice, the Z600’s are better, the Z800’s are screamers. I visited the HP booth at the NAB show the year before last and stuck my head in one of their builds and they are very nice. I build my own workstations but if I had to buy one, I would buy an HP. Don’t get a “desktop” get a “workstation”. They use better parts.

[Stephen Millet] “I talked to a guy who recommended this setup:• Dell Studio XPS 9100, with i7-930, 9 gig Ram, ATI video card with 1024meg, 1.5tb hard drive, 23″ monitor”

I cannot, in good conscience, recommend a Dell. They have been know to use inferior parts and pass them off as the real thing (i.e., they have part makers create special “Dell” versions with lower specs and pass them off as the real thing.) I got burned once and would never buy a Dell again. (your mileage may vary)

[Stephen Millet] “I recently read though that Vegas 10 enables the GPU CUDA NVIDIA card only. But i havent read about anybody using this type of card and was wondering if you think the ATI card(the guy recommended for the Dell) would be good enough so that my previews while i edit dont lag..”

You want an nVidia and if you can afford it get the GTX470. Lots of programs besides Vegas take advantage of CUDA and you never know where your video editing will take you. No one supports ATI.

Having said that, Vegas doesn’t use the video card for accelerating preview so your CPU is going to determine the lag you see.

[Stephen Millet] “So now im not sure if i should get the dell or just get a custom PC with all the exact things i should put in. What do you think?”

I would always recommend you build it yourself if you have the skills. You will usually get more for your money (except on the extreme low end). You could buy from a boutique builder like iBuyPower.com. They make gaming systems but they are equally good for video if you stick with Intel i7 and nVidia. Otherwise the HP Z series workstations would be my recommendation.

~jr

http://www.johnrofrano.com
http://www.vasst.com

[Stephen Millet]

Wow thank you so much for your help John. You really put everything in perspective for me. I think getting a workstation built for me seems like the best option.

Thanks Again for your help,

Steve

[Stephen Millet]

hey let me know how it goes, as of now im leaning towards getting a custom built PC.(im sure the xps 9100 works fine bc i have talked to several people who have had great success using it with V10)when it comes to the graphics card and vegas 10 im reading that 512 meg should do the trick but around 1024 megs works better.

BTW check out this article I found on chosing the right system for your software.

https://www.videoguys.com/Guide/E/Videoguys+System+recommendations+for+Video+Editing/0x4aebb06ba071d2b6a2cd784ce243a6c6.aspx

-steve

[Stephen Millet]

Hey John sorry to bother you im pretty new when it comes to hardware. Will this be a good setup for Vegas Movie studio 10HD Platinum? Thanks again
Case
Xion Echo Gaming Case – Black
Case Lighting
None
iBUYPOWER Labs – Noise Reduction
None
iBUYPOWER Labs – Internal Expansion
None
Processor
Intel® Core™ i7 950 Processor (4x 3.06GHz/8MB L3 Cache)
iBUYPOWER PowerDrive
None
Processor Cooling
Liquid CPU Cooling System [SOCKET-1366] – [Free Upgrade] Standard 120mm Fan
Memory
6 GB [2 GB X3] DDR3-1333 – ** FREE Upgrade to DDR3-1600 ** Corsair or Major Brand
Video Card
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 470 – 1.2GB – Single Card
Video Card Brand
Major Brand Powered by ATI or NVIDIA
Motherboard
[SLI] MSI X58 PRO-E
Motherboard USB / SATA Interface
Motherboard default USB / SATA Interface
Power Supply
750 Watt — Thermaltake TR2 TRX-750M Primary Hard Drive
1 TB HARD DRIVE — 16M Cache, 7200 RPM, 3.0Gb/s – Single Drive – Valentines Day Special: FREE Upgrade to 1TB SATA3.0 SingleDrive
Data Hard Drive
None
Optical Drive
[10X Blu-Ray] LG BLU-RAY Reader, DVD±R/±RW Burner Combo Drive Black
2nd Optical Drive
None
Flash Media Reader / Writer
None
Meter Display
None
Sound Card
3D Premium Surround Sound Onboard
Network Card
Onboard LAN Network (Gb or 10/100)
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium + Office Starter 2010 (Includes basic versions of Word and Excel) 64-Bit
Keyboard
iBUYPOWER USB Keyboard – Black
Mouse
iBUYPOWER Internet Mouse
Monitor
22″ LCD 1920×1080 — Sceptre X226W-1920 (21.5″ Viewable) 2nd Monitor
None
Speaker System
None
Headset
None
Video Camera
None
Warranty
Standard Warranty Service – Standard 3-Year Limited Warranty + Lifetime Technical Support

[John Rofrano]

[Stephen Millet] “Intel® Core™ i7 950 Processor (4x 3.06GHz/8MB L3 Cache), Liquid CPU Cooling System, 6 GB [2 GB X3] DDR3-1333, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 470, 1 TB HARD DRIVE — 16M Cache, 7200 RPM, 3.0Gb/s – Single Drive “

That system will be screaming fast! I would also add a second physical hard drive to do all of your video work. It is best to keep your video files and renders off of the C: drive. I’d be interested to hear how you like it once you’ve edited with it for a while. Good luck!

~jr

http://www.johnrofrano.com
http://www.vasst.com

[Stephen Mann]

I never heard of iBUYPOWER.
99% of what you posted is meaningless marketing confusionspeak. Designed to impress people who don’t know DDR from SATA. (Sorry if that includes you).

If you don’t know enough about building PCs (it’s really easy), then stick with established brands. I have mixed experiences with Dell computers – more good than bad, but HP has **never** let me down. I have also had very good experiences with eMachines.

Here’s what it important..
1) Get the fastest processor you can afford.
2) Vegas does care about the GPU, everything is done in the processor. (See number one). But as John said, a lot of programs use the CUDA processors in the nVida GPUS. No one writes for ATI, except game programs.
3) More RAM is generally better. I am not certain, but I think that VMS is a 32-bit program so your use of more RAM is limited.
4) Get the fastest processor you can afford.

Steve Mann
MannMade Digital Video
http://www.mmdv.com

[Stephen Millet]

yea i am new when it comes to this but the model of computer i built was much cheaper then any hp model that had half the stuff this custom PC has. This PC came out to $1450. And vegas 10 does use a 64 bit program.

All in all im just looking for a solid computer and editing software that will be relevant as technology changes.

(BTW are the HP computers your talking about the z400-800’s, cause i am still browsing what will be the best choice.)

[Stephen Millet]

Thanks again John.. I will let you know

[John Rofrano]

[Stephen Mann] “I never heard of iBUYPOWER.”

They are a high quality “boutique” builder. I’ve sent several friends to them and they’ve all been happy. You get an awesome computer for just a bit more than putting it together yourself but MORE IMPORTANT… they are using the exact same parts that you would buy off the shelf! That means they are extremely easy to upgrade. If you buy a Dell and need a new power supply, you can’t just buy a power supply from anywhere because Dell changes the motherboard connector so that you have to pay a premium from Dell. (another reason I will not buy another Dell)

[Stephen Mann] “99% of what you posted is meaningless marketing confusionspeak”

Sorry, but I disagree. 99% of that was very detailed and comprehensive specifications. With boutique builders like iBUYPOWER you can pick your own motherboard and brand of memory. They are extremely open about exactly what parts are going into your computer. Really no marketing fluff at all.

Here is what he’s getting:

Case: Xion Echo Gaming Case – Black
Motherboard: [SLI] MSI X58 PRO-E
Processor: Intel® Core™ i7 950 Processor (4x 3.06GHz/8MB L3 Cache)
Processor Cooling: Liquid CPU Cooling System [SOCKET-1366] – Standard 120mm Fan
Memory: 6 GB [2 GB X3] DDR3-1600 ** Corsair or Major Brand
Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 470 – 1.2GB – Single Card
Primary Hard Drive: 1 TB HARD DRIVE — 16M Cache, 7200 RPM, 3.0Gb/s – Single Drive
Optical Drive: [10X Blu-Ray] LG BLU-RAY Reader, DVD±R/±RW Burner Combo Drive Black
Power Supply: 750 Watt — Thermaltake TR2 TRX-750M
Sound Card: 3D Premium Surround Sound Onboard
Network Card: Onboard LAN Network (Gb or 10/100)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium + Office Starter 2010 64-Bit
Keyboard: iBUYPOWER USB Keyboard – Black
Mouse: iBUYPOWER Internet Mouse
Monitor: 22″ LCD 1920×1080 — Sceptre X226W-1920 (21.5″ Viewable)

That’s pretty exact. I could probably build that box from those specs.

[Stephen Mann] “More RAM is generally better. I am not certain, but I think that VMS is a 32-bit program so your use of more RAM is limited.”

Good point. VMS is 32-bit and will not see more than 2GB of memory but if you decide to upgrade to Vegas Pro, you don’t need to do anything.

[Stephen Mann] “4) Get the fastest processor you can afford.”

This cannot be stressed enough. 😉

~jr

http://www.johnrofrano.com
http://www.vasst.com