I would get something with a Core i7 Quad Core 3.0 Ghz or better and at least 8GB of memory. Two hard drives are preferred so that your OS and programs are on one and all of your video projects are on the other which minimizes disk contention. Graphics cards are a toss up as to whether they help or hurt with Vegas Pro so I wouldn't even consider spending extra money on one; just take whatever you get.

As for manufacturer, if I were to buy a pre-made PC for professional work, I would probably buy an HP Workstation. For your budget the HP Z230 Series is close to what you can afford. This HP Z230 Small Form Factor Workstation is $1,169 and this HP Z230 Tower Workstation is $1,229. Both have a Core i7 Quad 3.4Ghz with 8GB memory and Windows 7 64-bit. Both should be fine for Photoshop, Lightroom, Vegas Pro 11.0, etc.

I would stay away from consumer computers like Dell. They are made from low end parts and are filled with bloated software that you don't need. I would stick with a workstation class machine. Another strategy is to buy a Gaming computer from a boutique builder like iBuyPower. Usually the same parts that make gaming great makes editing video great. That's up to you. They may be a little less expensive and keep you below your $1,000 budget.

~jr

I am still using VP11 primarily, and it works flawlessly on system #1 in my specs. Even though system 2 is more powerful, and rarely crashes, I get better timeline performance and rock-solid stability on the older i970 and a (fairly cheap) QuadroFX1800 than I do with the 3930k and 560ti combo. I'm editing mainly 1080p AVCHD with some 720p HVD. I have no Wacom drivers installed, and the only third-party codecs I have are listed in my specs. I also have After Effects CS6 on both systems.

I believe that coexisitng software may be as important as the hardware components in achieving a system you'll be happy with. I have yet to see any global hardware build recommendation that, in itself, will guarantee a great experience. I do wish we could come up with one.

@OP,

Can you build your own? If so then you can get quite a bit for $1000.

In general - you want the fastest possible processor. As Hulk says, you can get quite a PC for $1000 if you build your own. Which is a lot easier than many think.

Agree and it's pretty dang easy to build your own, far more bang 4 the buck. Just built a new system at around $635 around an 8-core AMD FX 8350 and absolutely happy with it. Get an SSD OS drive

> "Agree and it's pretty dang easy to build your own, far more bang 4 the buck"

It's easy until you turn it on and it doesn't post and you don't know if it's the new Motherboard, or new Memory, or new CPU, or new Graphics Card, or new PSU, or the Case Wiring, or ??? Because everything is NEW and you haven't a clue what went wrong.

Building your own is only "easy" if you know how to do it and you have the time to debug things when everything goes horribly wrong and can wait a few weeks while you RMA parts that are DOA. It's not for everyone.

If you're not into building computers it's best to leave that to someone else. If you buy from a Boutique builder it won't cost you much more than buying the parts and building it yourself. They work on very low margins.

~jr

I use VP11 regularly and built my first computer last summer for a little over $1000. It's very stable and fairly fast. Here's what's in it:

i7 4770K
MB Z87 Extreme4 Socket LGA 1150
Win 8.1 (with Classic Shell)
120 SSD Samsung Evo (Windows drive)
3 TB Data Drive (D) and 2 old 2TB backup drives
16 GB RAM
NVIDIA Geforce 560 Ti (CUDA) (from old computer)
BluRay Burner Pioneer
SD card reader
Corsair case and power supply
old mouse, keyboard, & monitor from previous PC

It was fun and pretty easy to put the parts in the right places,etc., kinda like playing with my old erector set. I couldn't believe it actually worked when I fired it up but it was well worth the time and effort and gave me a much better computer for far less money than an over the counter PC.

Win 8.1 hasn't given me any problems and I hear it's a bit faster than 7 but I like the look of 7 so I installed "Classic Shell" which is a free program that makes 8.1 look and work just like Win 7, Vista or XP, your choice.

Go to Microcenter and get your parts for a great price. They also made sure everything would work together. As a bonus, you can return the parts within 30 days or so if you have troubles.

Good luck!

>>"It's easy until you turn it on and it doesn't post and you don't know if it's the new Motherboard, or new Memory, or new CPU, or new Graphics Card, or new PSU, or the Case Wiring, or ??? Because everything is NEW and you haven't a clue what went wrong"


Well...no, even then it's pretty dang easy. especially with today's hardware. Man this latest FX 8350 build, it's amazing how easy it's become.
I mean I can recall building 386sx and 486sx systems (with ISA slots, back when your IRQ info was key) and still working out any non-start issues.

*non-starts still usually revolve around the key favorites:
ram installation/population, improper case wiring to mobo, getting wrong/too small or bad power supply, issue with motherboard to case mount screws/stand-offs.

So I've been looking around and I like your suggestions of a Workstation vs. a normal PC. I think the Gamer machines are too over the top in a direction I don't need. Building it myself is something I might have done 10 years ago, but not now with two little kids running around and nowhere to really DO the build (safely).

However, what are your thoughts on the HP z220 models vs. z230 (as suggested above)? There seem to be lots of options for the z220 models from TigerDirect and maybe CDW or somewhere else I saw.

Specifically the two models I am eyeing are very similar with the difference of a $99 video card:

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=8045002&pagenumber=2&RSort=1&csid=ITD&recordsPerPage=5&body=REVIEWS#CustomerReviewsBlock

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=8915823&pagenumber=1&RSort=1&csid=ITD&recordsPerPage=5&body=REVIEWS#CustomerReviewsBlock

Thoughts?

Both system have a rather old CPU in it, not what I would recommend. What kind of source material and delivery format where you thinking about?

IMHO the most important part after reasonably fast discs and adequate memory is the GPU. Spend some money on a good video card.

> "Specifically the two models I am eyeing are very similar with the difference of a $99 video card:"

I would go with the second one: HP Z220 Core i7 1TB HDD 8GB DDR3 Workstation PC + HP AMD FirePro V3900 Workstation Video Card

That looks like a nice workstation for the money.

~jr

OldSmoke, I just got a Nikon D5200 (DSLR), so that's probably what I'll be editing from now on. Previously I had shot on MiniDV tape with a Canon GL-2 that I'll now be selling. Once in a while I might throw in some iPhone5 video if I need to clean something up or make a montage or clips...

Delivery format... ehh, who knows. :) Web or DVD I imagine. Right now I haven't taken a video client job in a while.

To be honest, build it yourself. You will get a lot more for your money and it isnt as difficult as you think. You can send me a PM with a budget and I can put you a list of components together.

What kind of format does the D5200 shoot and in which container, mov, mp4...?

Short answer is .MOV but here are the full specs -

Frame size (pixels) and frame rate:

1920 x 1080, 60i (59.94 fields/s)/50i (50 fields/s)* high/normal
1920 x 1080, 30p (progressive)/25p/24p, high/normal
1280 x 720, 60p/50p, high/normal
640 x 424, 30p/25p, high/normal

Frame rates of 30p (actual frame rate 29.97 fps), 60i, and 60p (actual frame rate 59.94 fps) are available when NTSC is selected for video mode; 25p, 50i, and 50p are available when PAL is selected for video mode; actual frame rate when 24p is selected is 23.976 fps
*Sensor output is about 60 or 50 fps
Note: A smaller crop is used for movies with a frame size/frame rate of 1920 x 1080 60i or 50i

File format: MOV
Video compression: H.264/MPEG-4 Advanced Video Coding
Audio recording format: Linear PCM

I'll add my support for building your own but with a twist. If you've never done this, and don't want to take a chance, find a local computer guy to do it for you, e.g. a small independant computer repair place in a strip mall may well have someone who will do it for you, either through the store or on the side. Another option is are there any computer fairs/shows near you (e.g.marketpro used to run some years ago in NJ, DE, not sure if they still do). Lots of vendors there who will assemble and test a computer for you

i have built numerous pc's over the years, BUT, if i'm after a 'serious' rig then i always get my friendly local store to put it together for me using MY specifications.

a. i believe in supporting my local businesses - so much so that whenever i need anything i first approach the local supplier armed with the best price i can get off the net (incl. postage!!!) and ask them to come in within 10% of it. i have NEVER had to buy elsewhere.

b. it's one thing throwing together a $250 'office' pc, but another putting together a $1.5K. mission critical system. my local supplier is well aware of that and not only assembles it for me, he does a protracted burn in / ram test as well.

c. of course the WHOLE system comes with a guarantee, if anything goes awol, he'll deal with it*

i mean i know the theory of the internal combustion engine, and once upon a time enjoyed stripping my motorbike engine down on the kitchen table, but now i prefer to leave it to the mechanic....

*i have had some interesting conversations with him regarding certain of my choices over the years, especially during the period when nvidia was simply renaming their cards - his advice has always been spot on and i'm now inclined to listen to his suggestions....