I see that every 2 weeks another one of these questions are posted on the board... Maybe some sort of buyer's guide/sticky should be posted (it would have to constantly be updated though, as technology advances quickly)

Well, I need some help for my specific situation. I'm working on a biographical documentary and I need to buy a pc to edit the video. Here's some specific details:
I will not be filming in HD (maybe I will sometime in the future).
The PC will be dedicated to video editing only.
I will use Adobe Premier Elements 4.
I don't plan on having any heavy 3D digital effects.
I will have 50+ hours of footage that will need to be edited.
The final production will be between 1.5 hr to 5 hrs. in length.

I'm able to spend up to $1,400 for a PC. I did a lot of research and here's the PC that I found. Is it fast enough? Is it a 'good deal'? Overkill?

HP Pavilion Elite m9200t customizable Desktop PC
KL649AV#ABA

* Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1 (64-bit)
* Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Quad processor Q9300
* 4GB DDR2-800MHz dual channel SDRAM (4x1024)
* 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 8600GT, TV-out, DVI-I, HDMI
* 802.11 b/g USB Wireless LAN card
* 750GB 7200 rpm SATA 3Gb/s hard drive
* LightScribe 16X max. DVD+/-R/RW SuperMulti drive
* 15-in-1 memory card reader, 2 USB, 1394, video, audio
* ATSC-NTSC TV tuner with PVR, FM tuner, remote
* Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer
* Norton Internet Security(TM) 2008 - 15 month
* Microsoft(R) Works 9.0
* HP keyboard and HP optical mouse
* HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope

HP Deskjet D1560 Printer - FREE

Total: $1,139.98

Thanks in advance!

NOTE: I posted this question on a different board, but I'm looking for a second opinion from this board (You Guys Are Great!) http://videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/video-editing-pc?replies=6

Add at least 2 hard disks to that setup, one smallish one for OS/programs and another one for preview/scratch. Maybe dump the SB audio card and use on-board audio if the mobo supports that. Why a TV tuner on an editing machine? Be careful with Norton Internet Security and always turn it off before editing.

Well the TV tuner comes with the package from HP...

Do you mean I should have a total of 3 Hard Drives?, I plan on adding a small (250 GB) drive for OS/programs. Do I need a 3rd one?

Norton Internet Security conflicts with editing programs? or is it just that it eats memory?

Everything looks OK....I'm not familiar with Premier, but if it was me (if you haven't already)...I'd make sure it's gonna work OK with Vista, your video card and the fire-wire port you'll be using.

You should be OK with 2 drives...1/OS, 1/media. If you wanted a little more speed you could add a third and RAID the media drives together, but if you're only editing DV it's not required.

Personally, I would never install Norton on any of my machines.

With only 2 disks you should be OK for limited DV work, let's say up to 3 tracks, depending on the fill rate of your 2-nd disk. For more complex projects or HDV you definitely need more physical disks. I would not consider a case that does not allow at least 5 internal disks plus a DVD burner. I don't know if the HP model offers that expansion capability.

I would not consider a case that does not allow at least 5 internal disks plus a DVD burner. I don't know if the HP model offers that expansion capability.

You could always add an e-sata card (or similar) w/ external storage if it really became an issue...but a bigger case is always nice to have for future expansion and also for air circulation. I think HP doesn't give many options in that area though.

ok thnx for the advice

Mike: I double-checked if Adobe Premire Elements 4 was compatible with Vista, and it said that its only compatible in the 32-bit mode. Do you know what effect that will have on my speed? I think a 32 bit os only recognizes 2 GB of ram..

ok thnx for the advice

Mike: I double-checked if Adobe Premire Elements 4 was compatible with Vista, and it said that its only compatible in the 32-bit mode. Do you know what effect that will have on my speed? I think a 32 bit os only recognizes 2 GB of ram..

Well, in theory it will be slower, but how many programs would actually work in 64bit mode??? Not many. My XP system has 4g of Ram and sees 3. Since you're going to be working with DV...you'll be fine.

hmm I wish HP would offer this package with XP.... :(

But there's something I don't understand. People who edit HD videos all have to use Windows Vista (64-bit) ?? I thought the consensus was not to use Vista until it gets stable. What do you do if you need more than 3 GB of ram to edit HD? Get a Mac?

EDIT: I think I sorta found the answer to my own questions.... http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=122511

hmm I wish HP would offer this package with XP.... :(

But there's something I don't understand. People who edit HD videos all have to use Windows Vista (64-bit) ?? I thought the consensus was not to use Vista until it gets stable. What do you do if you need more than 3 GB of ram to edit HD? Get a Mac?
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=122511

I edit HDV on my Avid...w/ XP-pro. I have no plans of switching to Vista. You could always wipe out your vista HD and install XP yourself.

Vista is fine. I'm using vista x64 with CS3 but I don't know for sure if Premiere Elements works well with it though. This would be a good thing to check.

For the computer:
-Skip the sound card
-Skip the TV tuner
-Skip the memory card reader (unless you really want it)
-Skip Works (uninstall it if you cannot request it remove)
-Skip Norton
-Add a smaller hard drive for programs/OS and then use the 750 for media.

Devin:

When you say i should "skip" these stuff do you mean that they will slow-down my computer making it harder to do my job, or do you mean they're unnecessary and i shouldn't waste money on them?

I would think he means you don't need them, for your application you're just not going to use them...only one that's going to slow down your system is Norton. I would keep the card reader...I use mine all the time. With HP, you might not have the choice on those components though.

The Q9300 is really not a prefered choice - the Q9450 is soo much better for encoding. The Q9300 has just half the cache size - and not the full SSE4 support.

// Lz

With 50 hrs of footage, a large internal/external HDD would be a possibly good thing to research. If this computer is to be used exclusively for editing, then Norton is a big mnus...

As to the intel 9300 vs the 9450, while I'd agree with what's said, unless you are going to be doing a lot of compressing or converting of video files, for your situation you would probably not notice the difference. OTOH, if you have the budget, go for it. Me, I might use the xtra money for a decent used pro monitor on ebay with at least S-video, if not full component inputs and blue check, etc.

Thnx Everyone for the advice.

I knew you guys were great :)

I'm also looking to upgrade...um, replace my computer. I'm not interested in "building" anything. I want to plug it in, load my Adobe stuff and start editing. (I have Adobe CS2 now but I asume I'll upgrade to CS3 when I get the new machine... are there really any benefits to CS3?)

I saw that someone posted somewhere about a package offered by one of the board sponsors (Video Guys DIY6) and that looks awesome. It'd be nice to get a system built with video editing in mind. At the same time, if I save $1000 and get this HP from a big retailer would it work?
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8775792&type=product&id=1204331848242

I guess my main concern is video card etc. Any thoughts on this are appreciated. I'm editing SD now but, like most, will probably move into HD sometime soon. I'm real tired of slow renders and unexpected crashes.

-Don B.

At the same time, if I save $1000 and get this HP from a big retailer would it work?
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8775792&type=product&id=1204331848242

I guess my main concern is video card etc. Any thoughts on this are appreciated. I'm editing SD now but, like most, will probably move into HD sometime soon. I'm real tired of slow renders and unexpected crashes.

-Don B.

IMO this is NOT optimal for NLE work. However the price is attractive, but you get what you pay for. The video card is clearly sub-optimal as is the processor. The disk configuration is severely lacking, so overall this is not a good editing station. The missing 1394A connection makes it virtually worthless for editing. Look at something else.

Thanks Harm. These are all things I was assuming. I think I'd be better off getting a machine built for editing. Soi far I'm looking at Video Guys and B&H. Thanks for the input.

Thanks Harm. These are all things I was assuming. I think I'd be better off getting a machine built for editing. Soi far I'm looking at Video Guys and B&H. Thanks for the input.

also check out guygraphics.com, they build some nice systems w/ decent prices. I don't think Videoguys have complete systems for sale.

also check out guygraphics.com, they build some nice systems w/ decent prices. I don't think Videoguys have complete systems for sale.

I second that, although the decent prices seem to be at the upper end of the range, but the quality and service are also at the upper end.