Where to buy a new computer?

larrewl · Post by **larrewl** » Thu Aug 20, 2009 12:38 pm

Where should I check before buying a new desktop Windows XP computer for $600 in September? I own VideoStudio Pro X2 (12) and Windows XP. The two websites I plan to visit are newegg.com and pricewatch.com. I imagine the video card is the most important piece of hardware, then RAM, then CPU. I just plan to look at Corel's minimum and recommended hardware before looking to buy. I think it's obvious I'm not planning to buy the latest (expensive) hardware. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Black Lab · Post by **Black Lab** » Thu Aug 20, 2009 1:06 pm

Depends on what you are editing. Just about anything can handle DV-AVI or MPEG-2. But if you have a new cam that records in AVCHD you will need something much more powerful than you will get from a $600 rig.

skier-hughes · Post by **skier-hughes** » Thu Aug 20, 2009 1:46 pm

unless the app uses gpu to help with processing, I'd swap round your order of priority and have cpu/ram/graphics.

mitchell65 · Post by **mitchell65** » Thu Aug 20, 2009 3:35 pm

I agree with Graham and to enlarge on that, I think a quad CPU with as much RAM as you can afford is more important than the graphics card. I would tend to wait until October when new PC's will start being shipped with the new Windows 7. Have a look at this thread and you will see that Win 7 appears to be more stable than Vista.
http://forum.corel.com/EN/viewtopic.php?p=181998#181998

larrewl · Post by **larrewl** » Thu Aug 20, 2009 4:09 pm

Good point, Jeff. I'm currently transferring AVCHD files from my HD camera to a removable HD for future HD conversion, just burning non-HD DVD now. My Panasonic HDC-SD9 video camera records 1920x1080/60i about 17 Mbps (VBR) MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 compression, Dolby Digital (Dolby AC3)/5.1 audio. I have no plans to update past Windows XP SP3 (or maybe SP4 if released) now. Not interested in Vista or Windows 7 until 2010 at earliest.

I'm thinking of getting 2GB RAM and an inexpensive 16X PCI express card, maybe ATI. So I need Intel Pentium 4 3.0 GHz or AMD Athlon XP 3000+ or higher with Hyper-Threading technology?

mitchell65 · Post by **mitchell65** » Thu Aug 20, 2009 5:02 pm

larrewl wrote:(or maybe SP4 if released)

With Win 7 so close I doubt we will see any more SP's for XP. I would look in September for PC with XP with an option to upgrade to Win 7 if possible. All the signs suggest that Microsoft have learned from their mistakes with Vista in coming up with WIN 7. Let's hope so anyway!
Have just had a look at a few of the major manufacturers here in the UK and I can't find a decent PC with XP. They all have Vista

I think it would be difficult here(UK) to find an option to have XP installed. Perhaps a self build might be your best bet. Interested to hear what's available in the US

Black Lab · Post by **Black Lab** » Thu Aug 20, 2009 5:26 pm

So I need Intel Pentium 4 3.0 GHz or AMD Athlon XP 3000+ or higher with Hyper-Threading technology?

The following post from Ken Berry, from another thread about problems editing AVCHD with VS v11.5+, outlines the problems with this format and the system requirements to deal with it properly:

Ken Berry wrote:Thank you also for filling in your system button. At the outset, I have to say that your computer -- while a good one for virtually anything else -- is not really up to the job of dealing properly with AVCHD. I have a similar computer (P4 3 GHZ with HT, 2 GB RAM, NVidia 7600GT graphics with 512 MB RAM) which until the end of last year was my main video editing computer. With that, I could just manage to edit AVCHD files using VS11.5+, but the problem was that they would not play back smoothly. I thought this was because the editing had not worked. But when I transferred the edited files to my HP laptop which has a Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz with 2 GHZ RAM and an NVidia 8400GS card, they played back fine. I now have a Core 2 Quad 6600 for my video editing.

Moral of the story: you really need a more powerful computer, using at least a Core 2 Duo CPU and preferably a Quad, to handle AVCHD properly.

That being said, you could try editing the original AVCHD files using VS11.5+'s Smart Proxy function. On the Edit page, above the timeline and just below the digital clock to the bottom right of the preview screen, hover your mouse over the little icons there, and you will see that one will enable Smart Proxy.

In effect, that will create a temporary standard definition version of your high def files which you can edit normally, but the edits are applied to the high def files as well. But be warned: this is not for the impatient!! It takes quite some time for the smart proxy files to be generated. And rendering a new file will take probably four or five (or more) times real time with your computer... Then, as I have already said, you may have difficulty playing the edited files back smoothly on that computer.

As for the software which came with the camera, it depends on what type of mpeg-2 the AVCHD is converted to. It could be that it is converted to high definition HDV format, which is high def mpeg-2. However, I have to quickly add that I rather doubt it, though frankly, I just don't know...

But whatever the case, AVCHD is a high def version of mpeg-4 which is of course very highly compressed. So converting it to mpeg-2 of whatever type involves uncompressing it fairly considerably and making it a much larger file. Given that any conversion program is in effect going to have to invent that extra data out of the air, and that mpegs of all kinds are classified as a lossy format, you will certainly lose quality. And I would have to add that regardless of the exact mpeg-2 format it is converted to, it probably could not be regarded any longer as true high definition video.

DVDDoug · Post by **DVDDoug** » Thu Aug 20, 2009 6:39 pm

I've bought a couple of "white box" computers from local shops that will assemble a computer for you. The biggest advantage is that you can get it without all of the "crapware" that the major manufactures install. You sometimes can save money by getting only what you want. (i.e. Maybe you already have a DVD drive, a keyboard, etc.)

And, you can get the "real" Microsoft operating system CD, instead of the silly "recovery CD". Or, you can even get asystem with no operating system.

I imagine the video card is the most important piece of hardware,

Actually, the video card isn't that important. The actual editing/processing is done by the CPU. The video card just allows you to see what you're doing. There is something called CUDA that allows the video card to do some of the processing, but as far as I know, Video Studio doesn't (currently) take advantage of that.

The same is tue for audio. The soundcard is used for playing & recording sounds, but any editing is just digital "number crunching" by the CPU.

larrewl · Post by **larrewl** » Thu Aug 20, 2009 8:37 pm

Thanks for setting me somewhat straight.

I'm now thinking I'll just get a Dual-core laptop with at least 2 GB RAM for VS 12 editing as video adapter doesn't seem to matter. For now, I just plan to make standard DVDs for friends and family. Any other advice or opinions are welcome.

sjj1805 · Post by **sjj1805** » Fri Aug 21, 2009 2:26 am

Here in the U.K. they have "Computer Markets". These are large indoor markets mostly held at weekends in various cities where stall holders are competing against each other to sell their stuff, thus you get a good bargain. They also come with guarantees - I have had the odd faulty item once in a while and never had a problem with returning or replacing it.

I would think that you have similar markets in South Carolina and so could be worth a visit. Normally there is a small entrance fee (helps keep the riff raff out) but you soon recouperate that fee when you purchase something at a lot less cost than going to a shop or computer store.

You can buy anything at these computer markets ranging from a full blown ready to use computer system, down to the bits and pieces to make your own - motherboards, graphics cards, memory chips etc.

Post by **Ken Berry** » Fri Aug 21, 2009 4:13 am

In fact, I just bought a new 24 inch Acer full HD (1920 x 1080) monitor at a similar fair here a couple of weeks ago. Cost me A$239 (approx. US$188) a couple of weeks ago. While I realise that these things in the US are probably a great deal cheaper anyway, that price is a darn site better than I would have paid in a normal computer store.

... And the extra size and resolution has allowed me to increase the X2 preview screen to something which is far more usable than previously!!

skier-hughes · Post by **skier-hughes** » Fri Aug 21, 2009 12:04 pm

larrewl wrote:Thanks for setting me somewhat straight.
I'm now thinking I'll just get a Dual-core laptop with at least 2 GB RAM for VS 12 editing as video adapter doesn't seem to matter. For now, I just plan to make standard DVDs for friends and family. Any other advice or opinions are welcome.

The problem with laptops and video editing can be..... slow spin speed of hard drive, low hard drive volume so the use of external drives is required which can be problematic to capture to if using minidv, but are fine for all newer card/hd technologies, overheating with the large amount of number crunching, difficulty in expanding on things like ram.

Unless you want portability, I'd stick with a desktop.

mitchell65 · Post by **mitchell65** » Fri Aug 21, 2009 12:09 pm

Plus pound for pound or dollar for dollar, you get more for your money with a desktop plus a bigger screen for video and still editinn is better. I the UK new RAM modules for a desktop motherboard are cheaper than for a laptop. That said, I think the overheating of the laptop is the biggest problem. A laptop by definition is portable and IMHO is not built for long continuous use!