Hardware Suggestions

xrayzz wrote on 5/25/2003, 1:31 PM
I am planning on an upgrade for my hardware but have had many conflicting ideas about where to concentrate the dollars. Higher bus speed? More memory? dual processor? Multiple hard drives? I currently am running a AMD 1.8 w/512MB of DDR and a 7200prm 40GB HD on Win98SE. I recently purchased a Pioneer 104DVD/CDR and will incorporate that into my new system. I will be adding firewire to the new system as well. This system will be used for deiting only. I would love hear any and all ideas. Thanks!

Comments

discdude wrote on 5/25/2003, 2:24 PM
Tough to know what to recommend without a $$$ target.

But, the places I would concentrate on first would be:

1) Hard Drive - Video editing sucks up tons of HD space. I would think of purchasing a 120+ GB hard drive (<$100 if you shop around) to dedicate to video files only.

2) Some good DVD burning software. The "Lite" version included with many burners may not suit your needs. Entry level software like Ulead DVD Movie Factory is ~$50.

3) If you have a little monitor, think of getting a bigger monitor so you can fit more of the timeline onto your screen.

More processor speed is always good to have although your AMD "1.8" (is that 1.8 GHz or a model 1800?) is speedy enough. Still, if you have the $$$, why not.

Front panel firewire ports and USB ports are always handy. If your case has them, make sure you hook them up. You can also buy kits that fit in your 5.25 drive bays.

More RAM would be a waste since Win98SE can't handle more than 512MB. Also, Win98SE also doesn't take advantage of dual processors either. You can always upgrade to 2000 or XP Pro (Home doesn't support dual processors) although that is a tougher upgrade than MS makes out - some piece of hardware or software usually doesn't work after the upgrade. RAID isn't necessary for DV editing either - pretty much any 7200 RPM drive can handle DV.
ronaldf wrote on 5/26/2003, 12:28 AM
A dedicated hard drive for video file should be #1, the bigger, the better.
My system is a Asus A7N8X deluxe board(built in firewire), AMD2100, 512DDR, 40gig sysytem drive, 60 gig data drive, 60 gig video file drive, Pioneer A04, Nvidia nForce2. I'm running XP pro. I use my system for all my computer needs. I am not a professional editor, just a hobbyist. I love my system! I'm still using VV3. I'm planning to add another 120 gig drive soon as my video drive and use my 60 gig video drive as a second data drive. It works for me.