Proper expectations with a marginal PC

Super_G wrote on 2/5/2017, 3:01 PM

I'm currently having new issues where MSP 12 crashes upon attempting to render videos which are around 3-4 minutes long. I need to develop a plan because I am working toward a total video length over 1 hour. Ideally I would like to render 1 complete file at a resolution of 720p for youtube.

My details:

MSP 12 build 1183_32bit

Processor: AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 4800+ 2.5 GHz

Operating System: Windows 10 Pro

RAM: 4.0 GB (3.0 GB usable)

System Type: 32 bit operating system, x64- based processor

Graphics Card: AMD Radeon HD 6450

Free Disc Space as reported by MSP 12: 87GB

Extra clues:

My PC went from Windows 7 to Windows 10 without my permission. Most of you probably know Microsoft now admits to forcing it on people for a short period. I had been consistently closing out all solicitation windows but the upgrade happened anyway. I say this because MSP 12 thinks I have Windows 8, but I have 10.

I can currently render short videos (less than 3 minutes), but crash on current sections around 3-4 minutes long. I have been using windows task manager to monitor CPU%, Memory, "Disk" and Network. I understand CPU% and Memory, but don't quite understand the column for "Disk". If someone could elaborate on that I would appreciate it. I also understand heat can be a major problem. It is certainly possible I have cooked my machine by rolling the dice on temperature while rendering.

So my main question is this. With my situation, how long of a video should I expect to be able to render without crashing?

Thank you.

Comments

Raptor88 wrote on 2/5/2017, 3:22 PM

Super_G,

In case it helps, I'm running Windows 10 with MSP12. Though I've only edited one 16 minute slideshow and no videos on Win10, I've not experienced a single crash even doing a lot of experimenting. I am running an Intel i7 CPU with 16GB ram though and not an AMD CPU. (Truthfully, crashes like what you are experiencing is why I only buy Intel CPU PCs.)

I assume your current install of MSP12 was from your Win7. If you haven't already, suggest deinstalling MSP12 and reinstalling it again in Win10. While you're at it, upgrade to build 1184. Then see if your crashes go away.

One thing with my current install with Win10 though. When I open some windows, like "Insert > Slideshow", interface items can be missing. I have to resize the window smaller/larger to enable display of the missing items. I'm not sure if that's caused by Win10 or by my 2560x1440 res monitor. But no crashes.

EDIT: Just thought of another thing. Do you have ample free space in your C: partition? With your small amount of RAM, there's probably a lot of virtual memory swapping going on and virtual memory uses HDD space.

Super_G wrote on 2/5/2017, 3:37 PM

Thank you Raptor88. I intend to replace this PC with a purpose built editing machine, but its not in my budget for a month or so. In the meantime, I'm hoping to maintain work on my large project. Maybe I'm thinking wrong, but I'm hesitant to de-install and re-install due to the large amount of work I've done already on this video project. I'm concerned I will somehow lose some of my work. Again, I am probably just paranoid. I will back up all my relevant files and give it a go soon.

vkmast wrote on 2/5/2017, 4:45 PM

Note that build 1184 is 64-bit. You say you have the 32-bit OS. My Win 7 64-bit OS does not mind having both 32-bit and 64bit MSPs 12 and 13 installed. 32-bit vs. 64-bit

Raptor88 wrote on 2/5/2017, 5:17 PM

Thank you Raptor88. I intend to replace this PC with a purpose built editing machine, but its not in my budget for a month or so. In the meantime, I'm hoping to maintain work on my large project. Maybe I'm thinking wrong, but I'm hesitant to de-install and re-install due to the large amount of work I've done already on this video project. I'm concerned I will somehow lose some of my work. Again, I am probably just paranoid. I will back up all my relevant files and give it a go soon.

Yes, doing a backup first removes all of the risk of doing a uninstall and fresh install. Totally worth it since backups need to be done anyway. Hope a fresh install works.

NickHope wrote on 2/6/2017, 2:07 AM

If you can get through a 3-minute render, you should be able to get through a much longer render. Temperature usually more or less plateaus pretty quickly once you start rendering. Have a read of this post, which was written for Vegas Pro but also applies to Movie Studio: https://www.vegascreativesoftware.info/us/forum/faq-how-can-i-stop-vegas-pro-hanging-during-rendering--104786/

Raptor88 wrote on 2/6/2017, 1:20 PM

Thank you Raptor88. I intend to replace this PC with a purpose built editing machine, but its not in my budget for a month or so.

Super_G,

With regard to your planning to get a "purpose built editing machine", I just had another thought which I never considered before. I recently bought a Dell XPS-8900, i7, 16GB PC from Costco. Previously, all of my PCs were self-built except for my very first Gateway PC many, many years ago. I wonder if buying a prebuilt PC like a Dell helps with stability for video editing software?

HERE'S THE SCENARIO: When I bought my Dell, the above was not a reason but wonder if the software development team for Vegas/MovieStudio receives bug reports from mass produced PCs in greater numbers which prompts them to give those bugs priority in their bug fix schedule. Maybe for self-built or less popular PCs, specific bugs may happen but in very small numbers so those bug fixes go to the bottom of the list.

Not that the software development purposely gives priority to Dell PCs or anything like that. IOW, say there are a huge number of Dell PCs so there are a greater number of reports for a specific bug. In comparison, there's a user with a self-built PC that has a problem. But his specific configuration is fairly unique so there's just one, or a few reports of his bug. Which bugs will the software team devote their attention to fixing? Maybe something to think about.

Jam_One wrote on 2/6/2017, 1:24 PM

System Type: 32 bit operating system

Dear friend, just forget it! For the sake of your time and your nerves, forget it!

 

Musicvid wrote on 2/6/2017, 3:20 PM

Running Win10 on a dual?

Time to upgrade.

Super_G wrote on 2/6/2017, 10:35 PM

Raptor88 - Your advice has put me back in business, at least for the time being. I un-installed MSP12 then reloaded it. After that I updated it to the latest 32 bit version. Oddly, MSP12 had my operating system as Windows 7 after that, which is what my machine had when I originally installed it. As I said elsewhere, my previous install of MSP12 thought I had Windows 8 when in fact I have Windows 10. So I put MSP12 in Windows 7 compatibility mode and just successfully rendered a video over 4 minutes long. Sweet!

As for your comments about bug reporting, I understand your thinking but I'd much rather have a monster machine built specifically for video editing. After learning about RAM limitations with 32 bit, I'll definitely be going with 64 bit for the new PC.

Nick - Thank you again. That troubleshooting FAQ is excellent.

Jam_One and Musicvid - Points taken. I will upgrade as soon as possible. In the meantime I'm going to limp along the best I can. As long as I can continue to create 3-4 minutes segments, I can stay reasonably on schedule with my project.

Raptor88 wrote on 2/7/2017, 2:31 AM

Raptor88 - Your advice has put me back in business, at least for the time being. I un-installed MSP12 then reloaded it. After that I updated it to the latest 32 bit version. Oddly, MSP12 had my operating system as Windows 7 after that, which is what my machine had when I originally installed it. As I said elsewhere, my previous install of MSP12 thought I had Windows 8 when in fact I have Windows 10. So I put MSP12 in Windows 7 compatibility mode and just successfully rendered a video over 4 minutes long. Sweet!

As for your comments about bug reporting, I understand your thinking but I'd much rather have a monster machine built specifically for video editing. After learning about RAM limitations with 32 bit, I'll definitely be going with 64 bit for the new PC.

Glad to hear that you got your rendering problem sorted out. Thanks for the update.

When you get your monster PC, suggest insuring that the graphics card is a high end one that is recommended for use with whichever video editing software you use. Video playback and rendering with a high end graphics card's GPU will give you the maximum speed we all want. Getting a recommended one minimizes problems.

Enjoy your new PC when you get it...🙂