Thats crazy? Are DVI and HDMI not good enough for them?

Bit miffed as I specifically said I would be using two DVI monitors and they didn't include the HDMI to DVI adapter.

I suspect Jim's and Jeff's answers (earlier, above) give you the reason......Yes, it's crazy!!!

I think it is cool that you have an HDMI port, Alastair. Besides an i7 processor, I think an HDMI port is the only thing I'm missing from my currentl configuration that I miss.

Hi Jeff, You could always add a Black Magic Intensity card. I will be fitting mine into this case which means I have to use the adpater I mentioned to convert HDMI to DVI. Using 2 24's and a 42" 1080p panel via the Intensity.

Alastair, what is the purpose of the Black Magic Intensity cards? As someone who shoots in HD now, do I have a need for it?

For a Vegas user like me, it lets me output my preview screen to a 42" 1080p panel.

It works with other editing packages as well. Probably better, as the Vegas release is still a BETA version. It also lets you capture un-compressed HD. Be warned though...the files are HUGE!

Trust me that overclocking is not done for sport in my case. I don't play games. Raising your BUS speed from 133 to 185 required going into the bios and making about 2-3 changes. It took a few minutes.

I wasn't telling people who don't understand computers to go out and build a system, but they could purchase a system that includes a motherboard like and Asus P6T or Gigabyte equivolent. They may even have a computer builder in their area who could offer something.

This is not a fringe activity. For more information you can look here:
bit-tech.net | Guide - Overclocking Intel's Core i7 920 (http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2008/11/06/overclocking-intel-core-i7-920/3)

I don't agree with you dismissing the significant speed gains and saying it takes hours. It literally takes 5-10 minutes for someone who has never done it and it results about a 30-40% speed bump. Moving from 2.66Ghz to 3.6Ghz on the CPU while also increasing the BUS clock is not insignificant and if it can be done reliably (which with this chip it can)the results are huge. You recommended buying the next faster processor as a better option but the very fastest Intel i7 is 3.2Ghz and costs $900.00. The entry level processor overclocked will be much faster not only because of the faster clock speed to also becuase of the jump in BUS speed.

My recommendation is to talk to a local computer builder who may even make the bios changes for you, or investigate online options. Most of all don't dismiss things before fully educating yourself. Every new chip/motherboard combination yields different results and your results may have been mixed but this combo is pretty special.

-Jonathan

P.S. If anyone is interested in the exact hardware that should be used, the settings that need to be made in BIOS, or the risks to overclocking I would be happy to answer.


Oh, and let me add one more thing here.... And I'm speaking as somebody who HAS overclocked my systems in the past and have *always* built my pc's...

System overclockers mainly do so for sport... The time system overclockers GAIN with the performance increase will rarely ever make up for the time SPENT going through all the benchmarking, stability testing (burn-in), system configuration, cost of equipment upgrades such as better coolers, fans, etc, etc... People typically overclock as a hobby with the benefit of having a faster computer.....

To get 15% more speed in your Vegas renders you may spend countless hours and money to reach it. Heck, you might as well just buy the next fastest processor.

There have been times I've applied a very mild overclock to my system by way of a few BIOS settings that I knew were extremely conservative and my existing hardware would easily handle it. You may not yield the highest performance gains of overclocking, but you will get a small speed benefit while most likely not sacrificing reliability with the least amount of time involved with doing it.

Jon

...You are leaving alot on the table if you don't overclock this chip.

Since i used to OC everything, I can safely say, that messing with CS latency timing, voltage jumps, and frequency multipliers is.... not something 90% of hte people here in DVInfo are interested in. The jump of render times from 5hrs to 1hr is what matters, not the 1hr vs 58 minute difference.

But if you can reliably tweak your systems, then have fun because I remember how fun it was to squeeze more out of a box than the manufacturers said you could.

As I understand it, the i7 has something called "turbo boost" that automatically overclocks until it reaches it's temperature/power limits.

There was a comment in the Intel white paper that mentioned something about how this feature has to be "requested" by the operating system. Not quite sure what that means or how one gets the system to "request" it, though.

Mine turned up this morning too. I'm supposed to be working very hard on some documents this week ... but only managed to stop myself setting it up until mid-afternoon. No willpower whatsoever ;-)

Plugged it in to the 1920x1080 Dell monitor I also persuaded myself to buy, installed Vegas 8.1 (hey, where's the preview in Trimmer gone, or is that only on 8.0c?)

Have had time for just one test, a video of my cat that I did when I first got the V1 (Cat on Vimeo (http://www.vimeo.com/860411) if you're interested)

Time to render for Vimeo HD (H264 codec, 4Mbit-5Mbit)
* on my old Pentium 4 2.5GHZ: over 16 minutes
* on the Core i7 2.66GHz: 1 min, 27 sec.

Yum, yum, yum! Very pleased indeed. And full-screen preview at 1080 with no jerkiness too, lovely.

Regards
Dave

Thought I would bring this back to top. So what are you guys seeing with your new systems?

I'm just in the niddle of the great pc shuffle at the moment. Should have it powered up over the hols.

Mine showed up a couple of days ago, but haven't fired it up it yet - still agonizing over whether to bite the bullet and get another 30" Apple Cinema display for it or something smaller.

The way my workspace is set up I think I have room for three of the 30 inchers so the second one would fit OK and I could eventually have two on the new machine and one on the old machine. And the graphics card I have in both the old and new machine will support two of them at full resolution.

And two of them would look so neat.

And I'd have space for all those palletes

And they'd look so neat...

Decisions, decisions! I wish someone besides my wife would tell me why I don't want that second 30 incher! Help me before I do my part to revive the economy!!!

Hi guys, just wanted to know how much would cost in Europe the pc you'r talking about.Do you think there will be a lot of difference between a Intel core2 duo EXTREME x 9000?

thx

Hi guys, just wanted to know how much would cost in Europe the pc you'r talking about.Do you think there will be a lot of difference between a Intel core2 duo EXTREME x 9000?

thx

Keeping in mind that I do not have an i7 (but that I am a huge computer hardware geek) my opinion is that the i7 will be MUCH MUCH faster than the Pynron core based x9000 CPU. The x9000 CPU is a NOTEBOOK cpu and as such is designed to go easy on power, and to be a scaled down version of a full desktop CPU.

The i7 is designed to be as fast as absolutely possible, and not be bottlenecked by notebook power restrictions.

If you are constrained by a budget, then I'm sure the x9000 will be a good alternative. If you can afford both, but are wondering about the relative performance difference, I would expect the i7 to be easily TWICE as fast, if not more, than the x9000, primarily because the i7 is a 4 core chip and the x900 is 2 core, but also because of the different intended uses of the chip.

Jim FYI, the HP 30" monitor is priced less and seems to have better specs than the Apple. Reviews for the HP are impressive. Available at newegg.

Question for any of you Dell i7 users. Does your eSATA work?

Mine worked briefly (recognised the drive) then hung my system. Now....no matter what way I try it, I get nothing.

Have tried a few differennt drives and two different enclosures.

Alastair, is your e-SATA integrated or a PCIe card? The reason I ask is because I've had issue with Dell integrated contollers in the past. Actually, I've had issues with integrated controllers in other systems as well.

I personally have been so disappointed with integrated controllers I've vowed to never use them again.

It's incorporated into the MOBO by the looks of things. It's located in amongst all the USB/Sound/Optical/Firewire/Network connections.

Well, I don't know if you have a workstation or consumer pc, but I do know their support for my last Dell workstation was outstanding.

You might try their live support, it was fast and very responsive. This is likely a common issue, and they may have a suggestion. Their first question will be if your bios and chipset drivers are the latest. If there is a newer, separate driver for your e-sata controller you should update that before calling also.

Jeff is right!Dell support is awesome.Maybe the best custumor service you can get from a brand that sell pc.
I have an extrem x9000 cause i have a laptop,it was the best out there last summer when i purchased my precision...Is there a better option 4 the laptops right now?

Talking about prices:how much are uyou spending for theese fast machines?
thx

As a current Dell Financial customer in my last statement was an insert offering a $399 discount on a config of the Studio XPS with the i7. The sale price is $1099 and includes a 22" monitor. Other details are 6gb RAM, Vista Premium, 2 year warranty. The deal expires Jan 25 and if anyone wants to check it out you can enter the "E-Value" code in the Dell search area and it should come up. The E code is: 6M257-DXCDZZ2

I have been sorely tempted to order this as an upgrade from my dual core system but as I am just starting my Wedding Videography biz and don't expect to be doing much editing until Spring I am gambling even better deals will be available then.

You are absolutely right, the deals will get better. Wise decision to wait if you don't need it now.

Just built my i7 today and I'm loving it. Before my previous computer choked so much on AVCHD now I'm trying to see what will make Vegas stumble. So far everything went shockingly well.

What are some of you finding out with your new systems?

What are some of you finding out with your new systems?

I'm finding out my eSATA port no longer works. But....the guys above were right, seriously good customer service from Dell. Called them and they are sending out someone to my house in two days to replace the mobo.

Here's hoping I then have a working eSATA port and can get on with some proper testing. At present, this is holding me back from being able to say how smooth playback is and how quickly rendering is going as I am having to use USB2 which is slower.

I'm excited to be joining the i7 Club tomorrow - another Dell Studio XPS user here, chose to buy a new PC rather than sinking hundreds of $$ to upgrade my dual core 32-bit machine. Got a great deal on the 121M configuration (i7 920 CPU, 6GB RAM, 750GB HD, ATI 4850 graphics card).

I'll be setting it up to run Vegas Pro, downloading the 64-bit version from Sony ... any pointers or advice for this process? Thanks!

Sam

I should mention that I'm an existing Vegas Pro user (version 8.0c)

If you're new to Vista, read up on tweaks to mimimize OS drains on your resources.

Install 8.1 first thing after you've tweaked it. Remember to defragment your HD after installing new programs.

I personally zero out the new hard drive as soon as I boot up a new Dell and reinstall Windows. If all you have is a restore disc and they didn't give you an OS disc, then there isn't much point in doing that.

Be prepared that 8.1 might not work perfectly. When I click on the external preview button in 8.1 Vegas freezes and I have to shut down. I can't use it. Also Excalibur is the only plugin that works with 8.1.

Most have found it works fine, but not everyone, so be ready for that.

Install 8.0c after you install 8.1. 8.0c works fine installed with 8.1 already on there.

I will be receiving my I7 computer in the next day or two.

I was going to build one but after reading this list I went to dell and opted for an xps 435 MT.

I kept it base knowing I will upgrade to raid and more internal drives in a month or two from now.

I7 920 (2.66 gh) processor, 6 gigs of tri channel ram

750 gig hard drive (I have a 1 t external that allows interchanging hard drives)

dual layer dv d burner (bluray to come later) to do my test burning on.

Out the door for 1,164.40 Canadian. I could not get the parts for that.

Big step up from my dual core ath 64 HP media center and my upscale P4!!!



Thanks for the advice on this board!!!


Now to over clock it to 3 gigs and add a cooler.

Jeff, thanks again for the great advice - I really appreciate it!

My last Dell came with reinstall discs for both Windows and Dell apps, so I should have both. I was actually interested in getting a 160GB drive for the OS and applications, and using the 750GB for media (in addition to another external drive). I'm not using external preview or plug ins right now so I should be okay with 8.1 ... but what other advantages would there be to installing 8.0c after I install 8.1? Thanks again -

Sam

If you're getting a 160GB drive after your computer arrives you might consider the Western Digital Velociraptor. Fastest "regular" drive around. They have 150GB size and 300GB. Worth every penney.

Be careful that your power supply is more than 400w. My last Dell had a weak power supply and caused me all kinds of issues because I ran it maxed out. You should likely need at least 500w and preferably more. I was warned befored I bought mine, didn't listen and was sorry. That was a reason I built my own computer this time, because you can't upgrade power supply on all Dells. On your model you might be able to, I don't know, but if you do you will have to buy it from Dell, you can never upgrade to non-Dell PSU.

Advantages to install 8.0c? Well, first of all if you use any plugins with Vegas they will not work with 8.1. If you do not use plugins, you don't have to install 8.0c. But if 8.1 doesn't work right for you you can always install 8.0c later, you don't have to install right away.

I too am taking delivery of 17. Has some software preinstalled which I would rather have not had, but that was the 'deal'. PLan to install 8.1 first, as I guess that is the recommendation, (I have 8c on my dual core) which was an upgrade from 7 and from 6 etc.
Where do I get my install codes and how does that work as they were upgradess?

Also where do I find the Vista tweaks mentioned? I have always used XP and have some reservations about Vista.

If I may suggest, if your system comes with a copy of OS, not just a restore disc, you might consider cleaning HD and installing OS by itself. As soon as I take new system out of box first thing I do is have a floppy disc ready with a format utility.

Vista will work fine, don't even worry about it. Your PC was designed for Vista. Do a search for Vista Tweaks...you'll find plenty!

I just builit from the ground up a completely new i7 system over the weekend, installed Vegas 8.0c and 8.1... Everything so far has been extremely positive for me.. The system hasn't had one single hickup and I've even overclocked it to a modest 3.0Ghz (from the 2.66Ghz stock 920 chip). It's absurdly fast and I hope to have the time in the next few days to write a detailed review and show some performance numbers when I'm done.

Jon

I just got my Dell i7. I am very envious of those of you who can build your own systems, mainly because of the upgrading and tweaking that you can do. I have always had good luck witth my Dell systems and that is why I stay with them but they apparently use some proprietary parts that keep you from doing things like overclocking!! Apparently you can't even increase the size of the power supply without going to Dell for the part.
Now my question-- I notice on the MoBo that there is only one PCI slot (I think thas what it is called) and it is occupied by the video card (ATI) There are three other slots but I have never seen slots like them before - really short like an inch or so long. Can someonne tell me what these are and what DELL PART you could pay dearly for to place in them. Can't see how you could go with dual video cards or add an audio card unless its some new kind of card.

Those are PCIe slots, Terry. That's PCI Express.

PCIe slots are not exclusive to Dell, so don't worry about that. Most any add in card should be available in PCIe nowadays. PCIe is the new, faster version of PCI, that's all.

Can you post your exact model name for me? I'd be interested to check out the specs, if you don't mind.

Jon, that is way cool, we'll be wating for you review!

Jeff, if you were asking me for the model number I will get it when I get home tonight. Might also have a list of how it was configured. (Fairly minimally) (But what do you want for $1200) :>)
Another question. It was supposed to be configured with a 19-1 card reader built in but they forgot to build it that way. I got a notice that they will send me a USB 19-1 card reader free. Besides plugging up one of the USB ports will this external reader function as fast and as well as one built in. I don't know what the differences in connections are. It is USB2.

By the way I bought this Dell from Costco online. It was shipped from Dell. It appeared to be a couple of hundred cheaper than what I could configure from Dell themselves. I have always dealt dirctly with Dell before.

That's a good question about the card reader. I don't know how it would have been hooked up before. Possibly with a cable directly to a connection on the motherboard. Will the USB version be as fast? Hmmmm.

What kind of cards are you going to need to have read, anything in particular?

Hopefully some Vegas guru with experience with card readers will respond. Overall it should be fine, I just don't know if you are using cards with video files on them if that will be too slow or not.

Jeff, if you were asking me for the model number I will get it when I get home tonight. Might also have a list of how it was configured. (Fairly minimally) (But what do you want for $1200) :>)
Another question. It was supposed to be configured with a 19-1 card reader built in but they forgot to build it that way. I got a notice that they will send me a USB 19-1 card reader free. Besides plugging up one of the USB ports will this external reader function as fast and as well as one built in. I don't know what the differences in connections are. It is USB2.

By the way I bought this Dell from Costco online. It was shipped from Dell. It appeared to be a couple of hundred cheaper than what I could configure from Dell themselves. I have always dealt dirctly with Dell before.

I wouldn't get upset about your predicament. I get hacked off at all the un-necessary drives that show up on my computer as a result of this 19 in 1 reader.

Jeff,

I went through all the Dell I7 computers.

The model number I ordered is this, xps 435 MT. Ironicly I wet to the sigth to look it up and could not fined it, just the 730x which was my first choice but really was a high profile gamer.

I bought it Bas. I did not want card readers, you can buy a usb card reader for peanuts if you want one!!

If I can overclock the computer, what kind of cooler should one put on it??? preferably not an expensive 500 dollar dell liquid cooling system!!!!

Has anyone tried overclocking the del I7's???

for tweaks, just google it and there are several obvious tweaks and they give specific directions to do so!!

http://www.blackviper.com/WinVista/supertweaks.htm#seven

http://enthusiast.hardocp.com/article.html?art=MTMyNywxLCxoZW50aHVzaWFzdA==

some of these have no value to the editor, but as you can see some do!

Sorry Dale. If you got a base model you cannot overclock it, I would almost guarantee it.

If this bothers you be sure to return it immediately. Only the higher end gaiming Dells can be overclocked, and they are usually overclocked at the factory.

Otherwise, congratulations on your new purchase! Sounds like fun!

Dale, if you use BVs tweaks, I personally do not believe it is wise to disable UAC. Many, including myself, have found issues with Vista after disabling. Otherwise I do like Black Vipers's list of items to disable in Vista. His was the first site I used for tweaking info years ago.

BTW everyone, I can't believe the price on the Intel Core i7 920, its under $300 at Newegg.

Jeff,

Well, I was going to run it natively anyway and then over clock if necessary. I suspect that I should be able to edit hd with this computer.
What do you think??

I reckon one could edit in proxy files (right?) then render to hd when completed.

I plan on using my Vegas software which I had purchased just for that purpose, and now I love using it over my adobe 1.5 suite.

the Hd is a new step for me as I have been using an xl2 to date.

Jeff & Dale,
Here is a link (I hope) to the computer I bought (although it came without the card reader):
Costco - $1,299.99 after $500 OFF Dell XPS 435MT Core i7-920 2.66GHz 6GB DDR3 640GB HDD (http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11330139&whse=BC&topnav=&browse=&lang=en-US).
If the link does not work just copy the address into your browser.

With a 23" monitor? That is insane. You got the deal of the century for such new technology, and you got an e-Sata port. Absolutely ridiculous!

Only thing I personally don't care for is the size of the case, you can't add many HDs. But who cares?

At that price you can work around that!

Yes Dale you can edit Hd with that.

With a 23" monitor? That is insane. You got the deal of the century for such new technology, and you got an e-Sata port. Absolutely ridiculous!

Only thing I personally don't care for is the size of the case, you can't add many HDs. But who cares?

At that price you can work around that!

Yes Dale you can edit Hd with that.

Dell are doing some crazy deals at the moment. You simply couldn't get close to what theyre spec was going down the DIY route. The UK version didn't have the 23" monitor but DID come with a Blu Ray burner and 19 in 1 reader. The eSATA (if it works) gets you around the lack of hard drives. Just swap em out!

Now....lets add Windows 7 into the equation. Hearing good things about it!

and 19 in 1 reader. The eSATA (if it works) gets you around the lack of hard drives. Just swap em out!

It was supposed to come with the 19-1 reader. They forgot to configure it that way. I got an email saying they were going to send me an external USB2 reader.

Whats the major differences between eSATA and Firewire external drives? I would hope the eSATA was operative.

Also I did not get an OS disc, so staring clean will be nearly impossible to do - at least for me.

It was supposed to come with the 19-1 reader. They forgot to configure it that way. I got an email saying they were going to send me an external USB2 reader.

Whats the major differences between eSATA and Firewire external drives? I would hope the eSATA was operative.

Also I did not get an OS disc, so staring clean will be nearly impossible to do - at least for me.

eSATA transfer speed is 300 MB/sec
Firewire 800 transfer speed is 98.25 MB/sec
USB 2.0 transfer speed is 60MB/sec

eSATA gives you a MUCH faster data transfer speed which should make things run a lot more smoothly.

It effectively gives you the same ultra fast internal connection your hard drives have but externally.

I use a caddy that lets me drop in bare 1tb drives so I can just hot swap them with different projects.

My only problem is that the eSATA port dies on my new Dell. Was supposed to get a new MOBO fitted but they are now just giving me a full new PC (bit of a pain as I spent 3 days configuring this one!)