@MoniJohnson You can have a look at some users systems in the Benchmarking thread, link via my signature.

Tomshardware is a good place to start.

Pay attention to the video compression benchmarks.

Do not pay attention to the gaming benchmarks.

The biggest variable for stability is media, not hardware.

Though starting around 2 years ago, check out this thread about creating a high-end computer for Vegas Pro editing:

https://www.vegascreativesoftware.info/us/forum/help-grazie-spend-his-dosh--115726/?page=1

Obviously, technology has changed since then, but some of the comments in the thread may provide some pointers.

Awesome! Thank you.

The biggest variable for stability is media, not hardware.

Thanks for the input but that's not the case here. The media does not matter in my situation. Ii can be multiple tracks of 4k or even just 1 track of 1080p footage and still get crashes when certain plugins are enabled. Framerate, codec, etc. have not been the issue either. It does not matter which camera the media is shot with (and I have about 10 cameras from 4 different manufacturers). The media has had absolutely no discernible effect on stability (again, in my case). I have seen others complain about the same issues I am having, and some have resolved/reduced the issues with a change of graphics cards, ram, etc. This is the advice I am looking for.

@MoniJohnson You can have a look at some users systems in the Benchmarking thread, link via my signature.

Thank you. I'll have a look!

Tomshardware is a good place to start.

Pay attention to the video compression benchmarks.

Do not pay attention to the gaming benchmarks.

Thanks. Do the benchmarks typically detail system stability? I hadn't noticed that before.

I want to build a new PC around the latest version of Vegas Pro and want to focus on decent performance for real-time fx during preview as well as decent rendering performance (with the least risk of system crashes). I don't need ultimate power. I just need decent power and optimal stability. Can anyone suggest something to point me in the right direction? I am talking motherboard, ram, CPU, GPU (graphics card models), etc. (anything you feel is important).

Thank you for your help.

It's funny you mention this, since these are my exact same goals (e.g., stability, realtime FX previews, and output-rendering speed). For performance considerations alone, the AMD Ryzen CPUs/Radeon GPUs tend to benchmark at the head of the pack with Vegas Pro 18. As for stability, I'm basically restricting my 3.5GHz Xeon quad-core PC to being a dedicated NLE-machine, which I think is a key factor in application-stability. Below are my system specs and applications' list (the only ones installed):

system specifications:
HP Z440 Intel Xeon E5-1650 v3 3.5GHz quad-core CPU.
32GB ECC RAM; 1TB SSD; AMD Radeon R7 200 (memory unknown).
Windows 10 Pro 64-bit; OS version 20H2; build 19042.985 (all updates installed).
Windows Feature Experience Pack 120.2212.2020.0.

installed applications:
Vegas Movie Studio 17 Platinum; version 17.0 (build 221); purchased via download 29 May 2021.
Blackmagic Design Media Express 2.3 for Windows 10; WinDV 1.2.3.
Microsoft Edge (i.e., Chrome not installed).

I'm unsure how closely tied to hardware system-stability is, but I plan to go the AMD CPU/GPU route on my next build. Note that certain BorisFX' accelerated features support only NVIDIA's GPUs, and not AMD's. Not sure if I''ll build my next PC from the ground up, but if I do, I would be considering the usual suspects for motherboards (e.g., Asus, Gigabyte, MSI, etc.). However, if anyone knows if Vegas has a particular affinity for one motherboard or GPU over another, I'm all ears.

I want to build a new PC around the latest version of Vegas Pro and want to focus on decent performance for real-time fx during preview as well as decent rendering performance (with the least risk of system crashes). I don't need ultimate power. I just need decent power and optimal stability. Can anyone suggest something to point me in the right direction? I am talking motherboard, ram, CPU, GPU (graphics card models), etc. (anything you feel is important).

Thank you for your help.

It's funny you mention this, since these are my exact same goals (e.g., stability, realtime FX previews, and output-rendering speed). For performance considerations alone, the AMD Ryzen CPUs/Radeon GPUs tend to benchmark at the head of the pack with Vegas Pro 18. As for stability, I'm basically restricting my 3.5GHz Xeon quad-core PC to being a dedicated NLE-machine, which I think is a key factor in application-stability. Below are my system specs and applications' list (the only ones installed):

system specifications:
HP Z440 Intel Xeon E5-1650 v3 3.5GHz quad-core CPU.
32GB ECC RAM; 1TB SSD; AMD Radeon R7 200 (memory unknown).
Windows 10 Pro 64-bit; OS version 20H2; build 19042.985 (all updates installed).
Windows Feature Experience Pack 120.2212.2020.0.

installed applications:
Vegas Movie Studio 17 Platinum; version 17.0 (build 221); purchased via download 29 May 2021.
Blackmagic Design Media Express 2.3 for Windows 10; WinDV 1.2.3.
Microsoft Edge (i.e., Chrome not installed).

I'm unsure how closely tied to hardware system-stability is, but I plan to go the AMD CPU/GPU route on my next build. Note that certain BorisFX' accelerated features support only NVIDIA's GPUs, and not AMD's. Not sure if I''ll build my next PC from the ground up, but if I do, I would be considering the usual suspects for motherboards (e.g., Asus, Gigabyte, MSI, etc.). However, if anyone knows if Vegas has a particular affinity for one motherboard or GPU over another, I'm all ears.

Great info. Thank you. I'm currently running a $400 (I believe that's what it cost when I purchased a while back) AMD card and I've been suspicious that it was the issue. I was looking at switching to an Nvidia card but, after reading your post, I'll continue my research.

Sure thing! Reading up a bit more on the Magix-authored GPU FAQ here, it seems there's a TON of potential issues with various drivers. There's also a repository of good/bad drivers linked there. I bought my PC used (a retired, entry-level HP server), so I don't even know how much VRAM is on my GPU. Windows only tells me the model-series.

The selection of GPU seems a bit tricky and not easily parsed. There's an excellent TechGage article which singled out two specific cards (one AMD, the other, NVIDIA) which tested well, specifically with Vegas Pro 18. But due to the current GPU debacle (due to a perfect storm of crazy circumstances), both of those GPUs' prices are soaring into the stratosphere, multiple times the original MAPs of the cards (the two GPU models and links to the articles are in a post I wrote in the, "Looking for a new GPU" thread here).

Sure thing! Reading up a bit more on the Magix-authored GPU FAQ here, it seems there's a TON of potential issues with various drivers. There's also a repository of good/bad drivers linked there. I bought my PC used (a retired, entry-level HP server), so I don't even know how much VRAM is on my GPU. Windows only tells me the model-series.

The selection of GPU seems a bit tricky and not easily parsed. There's an excellent TechGage article which singled out two specific cards (one AMD, the other, NVIDIA) which tested well, specifically with Vegas Pro 18. But due to the current GPU debacle (due to a perfect storm of crazy circumstances), both of those GPUs' prices are soaring into the stratosphere, multiple times the original MAPs of the cards (the two GPU models and links to the articles are in a post I wrote in the, "Looking for a new GPU" thread here).

Yes, I had forgotten all the mentions of which drivers were working well or not. Thanks for reminding me. I did try updating and downgrading my driver's several times at one point though. Going to check out the thread you linked now.

The biggest variable for stability is media, not hardware.

Thanks for the input but that's not the case here. The media does not matter in my situation. Ii can be multiple tracks of 4k or even just 1 track of 1080p footage and still get crashes when certain plugins are enabled. Framerate, codec, etc. have not been the issue either. It does not matter which camera the media is shot with (and I have about 10 cameras from 4 different manufacturers). The media has had absolutely no discernible effect on stability (again, in my case). I have seen others complain about the same issues I am having, and some have resolved/reduced the issues with a change of graphics cards, ram, etc. This is the advice I am looking for.

From experience, and what I've seen on this forum over the past few years, I doubt new hardware is going to solve conflicts between Fx, media and Vegas. Stability issues aren't generally caused by slow hardware. You're better off making sure you are on AMD Enterprise (not Adreneline) drivers, NVIDIA Studio (not gaming drivers), etc. Now I have seen issues with incompatible hardware (GPUs older than Vegas supports), or the workstation versions of GPUs like Quadros underperforming for unknown reasons. I can't recall seeing anyone saying ram did anything other than increase Vegas's speed somewhat (unless you're way underspecced and Vegas is fighting with Windows for resources).

Combinations of media and GPUs can have huge impact with unstable/buggy GPU decoding support for certain media formats with certain cards.

Also, if you use variable framerate media I'd suggest transcoding before bringing into Vegas to save headaches.

The biggest variable for stability is media, not hardware.

Thanks for the input but that's not the case here. The media does not matter in my situation. Ii can be multiple tracks of 4k or even just 1 track of 1080p footage and still get crashes when certain plugins are enabled. Framerate, codec, etc. have not been the issue either. It does not matter which camera the media is shot with (and I have about 10 cameras from 4 different manufacturers). The media has had absolutely no discernible effect on stability (again, in my case). I have seen others complain about the same issues I am having, and some have resolved/reduced the issues with a change of graphics cards, ram, etc. This is the advice I am looking for.

From experience, and what I've seen on this forum over the past few years, I doubt new hardware is going to solve conflicts between Fx, media and Vegas. Stability issues aren't generally caused by slow hardware. You're better off making sure you are on AMD Enterprise (not Adreneline) drivers, NVIDIA Studio (not gaming drivers), etc. Now I have seen issues with incompatible hardware (GPUs older than Vegas supports), or the workstation versions of GPUs like Quadros underperforming for unknown reasons. I can't recall seeing anyone saying ram did anything other than increase Vegas's speed somewhat (unless you're way underspecced and Vegas is fighting with Windows for resources).

Combinations of media and GPUs can have huge impact with unstable/buggy GPU decoding support for certain media formats with certain cards.

Also, if you use variable framerate media I'd suggest transcoding before bringing into Vegas to save headaches.

The biggest variable for stability is media, not hardware.

Thanks for the input but that's not the case here. The media does not matter in my situation. Ii can be multiple tracks of 4k or even just 1 track of 1080p footage and still get crashes when certain plugins are enabled. Framerate, codec, etc. have not been the issue either. It does not matter which camera the media is shot with (and I have about 10 cameras from 4 different manufacturers). The media has had absolutely no discernible effect on stability (again, in my case). I have seen others complain about the same issues I am having, and some have resolved/reduced the issues with a change of graphics cards, ram, etc. This is the advice I am looking for.

From experience, and what I've seen on this forum over the past few years, I doubt new hardware is going to solve conflicts between Fx, media and Vegas. Stability issues aren't generally caused by slow hardware. You're better off making sure you are on AMD Enterprise (not Adreneline) drivers, NVIDIA Studio (not gaming drivers), etc. Now I have seen issues with incompatible hardware (GPUs older than Vegas supports), or the workstation versions of GPUs like Quadros underperforming for unknown reasons. I can't recall seeing anyone saying ram did anything other than increase Vegas's speed somewhat (unless you're way underspecced and Vegas is fighting with Windows for resources).

Combinations of media and GPUs can have huge impact with unstable/buggy GPU decoding support for certain media formats with certain cards.

Also, if you use variable framerate media I'd suggest transcoding before bringing into Vegas to save headaches.

Thanks. My hardware is NOT slow though. I'm not looking for more power/speed than what I have now. I am looking for a trustworthy combination of hardware for stability in Vegas Pro. I've had to restart so many times with Vegas that I've considered changing software. This is even with transcoded media. *Some of my higher-end does require transcoding. Most does not. On my system Adobe Premiere can handle everything I throw at it doesn't crash. Davinci Resolve can handle even 8k projects and stays stable. In Vegas, on the same system with the same media I get crashes when I add even basic text effects no matter what drivers or software settings I use. And the crashes are not exclusive to third party plugins. I can sometimes add just an animated text effect that comes with Vegas and the software crashes. This doesn't happen EVERY time but it happens far too often. I've been using Vegas since the original version from Sonic Foundry, so I am very comfortable with the UI and workflow. I really don't want to change to another editor.

Don't get me wrong. I appreciate what you're saying. I believe my issues are GPU related. I suppose I could rephrase my question and ask specifically for GPU recommendations for maximum potential stability.

Just wanted to give another "thank you" to everyone who replied. Also, I updated the the latest version of Vegas about 10 days ago and have only had one crash since. This is after years of multiple crashes during editing sessions any time I tried to preview certain plugins with GPU enabled. I didn't change one thing on my system this time around, so the update apparently fixed the issue. Now, I'm gonna be afraid to upgrade when the next version comes out. Smh

Just wanted to give another "thank you" to everyone who replied. Also, I updated the the latest version of Vegas about 10 days ago and have only had one crash since. This is after years of multiple crashes during editing sessions any time I tried to preview certain plugins with GPU enabled. I didn't change one thing on my system this time around, so the update apparently fixed the issue. Now, I'm gonna be afraid to upgrade when the next version comes out. Smh

First of all, totally agree with your primary focus on playback rate w/fx. Vegas' Achilles' heel so to speak. (Vegas does respectable/acceptable job with other CPU intensive tasks, rendering, encoding, etc, stability is also improved, but also still, somewhat, a concern)

Techgage hard testing of combination of hardware, CPU and GPU is the most thorough, REAL WORLD dissection of this subject.

ANS: you've basically got to go to the bleeding edge of prosumer GPUs to see any marked difference in playback (fps) rate and that is, in a nutshell, the AMD Vega 64 (and Radeon VII I believe) or the 2080Ti Nvdia or high-end Quadros. That is, as you've suggested, with some fx applied, you can still maintain close to real time.

AFAICT, these "real world" numbers are determinative. IOW, don't skimp on the high end GPU, otherwise, your fast playback will be a an exercise in frustration.

That is, with the understanding that you will have already gone with a robust, front edge CPU choice, AMD or Intel. They seem to like the Ryzen:

"We saw the ~$499 12-core Ryzen 3900X beat out the ~$499 Core i9-10900K in every CPU encode test.

At the top-end, Intel’s $999 Core i9-10980XE performed really well, and considering the next step up Threadripper costs hundreds more than that Intel, it makes that 18-core look pretty attractive for top-end workstations. The best bang-for-the-buck CPU we tested would have to be the 8-core Ryzen 7 3700X, priced at ~$290."

Caveat: Jury still out on the Nvdia RTX3080/3090 as to whether they will live up to the hype. Apparently, Vegas has not coded, at least per now, to take full advantage of these cards, but the thinking

it will happen fairly soon,

https://techgage.com/article/magix-vegas-pro-18-processor-graphics-card-performance/2/

See page one as well.

@TheRhino has made some key observations about the Vega 64, water cooled especially. Look those up on this forum, but he's basically echoing the Techgage report. IOW Good bang for buck if you can even get them in this overheated GPU grab/price gouge (for bitcoin mining craze)

Personnal suggestions, to be confirmed:
- If you have huge files, I would go with 1 or 2 Samsung 980 Pro M2/NVMe for media. (like if you input/output uncompressed .avi or so) (not necessarily a cheap solution though)
- For huge archive drives, I use this kind of things , I mean directly in the computer so I can easily swap drives when computer is off (so no need for a NAS or network transfers) : https://res.cloudinary.com/rsc/image/upload/b_rgb:FFFFFF,c_pad,dpr_1.0,f_auto,h_843,q_auto,w_1500/c_pad,h_843,w_1500/R1238039-01?pgw=1&pgwact=1

Just wanted to give another "thank you" to everyone who replied. Also, I updated the the latest version of Vegas about 10 days ago and have only had one crash since. This is after years of multiple crashes during editing sessions any time I tried to preview certain plugins with GPU enabled. I didn't change one thing on my system this time around, so the update apparently fixed the issue. Now, I'm gonna be afraid to upgrade when the next version comes out. Smh

First of all, totally agree with your primary focus on playback rate w/fx. Vegas' Achilles' heel so to speak. (Vegas does respectable/acceptable job with other CPU intensive tasks, rendering, encoding, etc, stability is also improved, but also still, somewhat, a concern)

Techgage hard testing of combination of hardware, CPU and GPU is the most thorough, REAL WORLD dissection of this subject.

ANS: you've basically got to go to the bleeding edge of prosumer GPUs to see any marked difference in playback (fps) rate and that is, in a nutshell, the AMD Vega 64 (and Radeon VII I believe) or the 2080Ti Nvdia or high-end Quadros. That is, as you've suggested, with some fx applied, you can still maintain close to real time.

AFAICT, these "real world" numbers are determinative. IOW, don't skimp on the high end GPU, otherwise, your fast playback will be a an exercise in frustration.

That is, with the understanding that you will have already gone with a robust, front edge CPU choice, AMD or Intel. They seem to like the Ryzen:

"We saw the ~$499 12-core Ryzen 3900X beat out the ~$499 Core i9-10900K in every CPU encode test.

At the top-end, Intel’s $999 Core i9-10980XE performed really well, and considering the next step up Threadripper costs hundreds more than that Intel, it makes that 18-core look pretty attractive for top-end workstations. The best bang-for-the-buck CPU we tested would have to be the 8-core Ryzen 7 3700X, priced at ~$290."

Caveat: Jury still out on the Nvdia RTX3080/3090 as to whether they will live up to the hype. Apparently, Vegas has not coded, at least per now, to take full advantage of these cards, but the thinking

it will happen fairly soon,

https://techgage.com/article/magix-vegas-pro-18-processor-graphics-card-performance/2/

See page one as well.

@TheRhino has made some key observations about the Vega 64, water cooled especially. Look those up on this forum, but he's basically echoing the Techgage report. IOW Good bang for buck if you can even get them in this overheated GPU grab/price gouge (for bitcoin mining craze)

Yes, sir. I agree with all of that 100%. For me, my system is fairly high-end. My CPU and GPU have the power to handle most of what I throw at it. And only Vegas has had the stability issues. For now though, I'll stick with what I have for as long as it works. When the next version of Vegas comes out I'll likely build a separate system instead of risking the stability of my current system.