[Sam Hodgett]

Regarding processors, simplified: Generally speaking, do AE and PP prefer multiple cores, or faster per-core speed?

I’m just wondering if the 6-core processor is worth the upgrade if those programs don’t fully utilize multiple CPU cores… or do they?

Thanks again for your help!

[Sam Hodgett]

Thank you Tom and Walter for your insights.

CPU: for CS6 (mainly PP and AE), which would provide better performance?
Intel® Xeon® E5-2620 (2.00 GHz, 15 MB cache, 6 cores) -OR-
Intel® Xeon® E5-1620 (3.60 GHz, 10 MB cache, 4 cores)

aka… more cores, or faster per-core speeds?

Walter, unfortunately I won’t be able to afford the Quadro/SDI/monitor solution for actual color grading. I will do the best I can with IPS monitors and color calibration tools that fall within my budget.

Tom, I specifically picked the 570 for it’s value. It has a decent amount of CUDA-cores, and to go from 1.25 to 2.5 in RAM was only about a $50 price increase; worth it IMHO.
Also, because of the steep discounts I can get through my employer, it’s actually cheaper for me to go with a Xeon-based HP workstation than a DIY project; otherwise I would totally go the SBe i7 route!

Walter, I will definitely look in that forum for more storage-specific questions… but, from what you’re saying, and what I’ve read, I’m thinking something along the lines of:
–1TB 10K boot/system drive
–60GB SSD cache disk (does size matter for this disk; if so, what size?)
–2x2TB 7.2K Media Storage
—EVENTUALLY… external 4x2TB RAID5 storage (6TB total) w/ either USB3 or eSATA connection.

I am just starting out and have a limited budget, so I have to get the best bang for my buck.

Thoughts?

[Sam Hodgett]

Dave,
I appreciate your insights.

I agree that I will need more storage, but will turn to an external RAID configuration for larger storage purposes. The 2TB will be primarily for current/recent projects, and stock media, etc. More storage will come!

As far as the processor/memory is concerned, I have no problem adding more memory, but considering this is a server-mobo, There will be plenty of slots to upgrade in the future. I thought about starting with 16GB, and adding an additional 16GB in a year or so.

The GTX 570 is definitely cuda-approved, and is exactly why I’m getting it. I can’t quite justify the cost of a Quadro card just yet, but I’ve heard a lot of good things from these Nvidia GTX cards.

Any other thoughts? Specifically with the storage? That’s where the least of my knowledge/research is…

[Sam Hodgett]

Okay, okay… here’s some further insight into my work:

I plan doing the majority of my edits in 1080 resolution, at 24 and 30 FPS. I plan on shooting from a few different cameras, primarily Canon DSLRs and Panasonic AVCHD cameras. I plan on doing fairly comprehensive/complex motion graphics/animation to complement the videos (or exclusively motion graphics)

The types of videos I will focus on, for starters: events (primarily 2-3 camera weddings), corporate/promotional/web videos, display/presentation videos. I also plan on getting into music videos, multi-cam live events, short films, the like…

**BOTTOM LINE: This system needs to be able to edit 1-4 shots of full 1080p resolution, with multiple effects layers and motion graphics added on, including color grading… all in CS6.

I’m fairly set on the system, but my main concerns are my upgrades; are they what I should be shooting for? overkill? under-kill?

Thanks!