Processor for HD Editing !!

[Randall Leong]

Thanks for that list, Harm. If upgrading that CPU to even the fastest Intel i7 still results in a failure to even preview HD videos, then something else is wrong with that user's system.

And to the OP:

If you upgrade your CPU now to that Phenom II x4 945 and you still cannot even preview HD videos in CS4, then don't place the blame on us. We're only trying to prevent you from making a costly ($200) mistake which might end up leaving you being unable to make any upgrading at all whatsoever for years (given the average income in your country).

Also, there is a possibility that buggy drivers and excessive background services might be the cause of you being unable to even preview HD content. Or, you might have an old or improperly configured hard drive in your system. (For example, an improperly configured hard drive in a modern system relies solely on the default generic Microsoft IDE driver, which cripples the maximum throughput of the drive's interface, especially in writes. I learned that through my experiments with my system's eSATA ports and an external eSATA hard drive.)

[Randall Leong]

I've just double-checked a huge processor roundup of tests with various different processors in After Effects CS4, and in that test the Phenom II x4 945, even on an AM3 motherboard with DDR3 memory, still fell behind the slowest of the Intel Core 2 Quad processors, the Q6600. As for your current processor, it is slower in that test than the earliest of the Core 2 Duo processors.

And if the x4 945 you're considering cannot beat the lowly Q6600 in Premiere CS4 even if the 945 is on an AM3 motherboard with DDR3 memory, then it would have been even more crippled on an AM2(+) motherboard like yours. In fact, to this day not all AM2 or AM2+ motherboards have updated BIOSes which add support of the processor that you're considering. Furthermore, if you are unlucky enough to have such a motherboard whose most recent BIOS version still doesn't support the Phenom II processors, you're out of luck. (On such an unsupported motherboard, the Phenom II will run at a molasses-slow default speed of 800MHz.)

This is exactly why I agree with Harm Millaard when it comes to upgrading your CPU. Why settle for a given maximum level of performance when just a few dollars more buys you so much more performance? (This is especially true in countries where prices on computer components are relatively low, such as here in the US.) Or, put it this way, I'd pick a lower-end i7 over a high-end Phenom II if a motherboard and memory upgrade is required in addition to the processor.

Under these circumstances the only feasible upgrade for you, given your relatively meager budget, is to expand the total memory amount from 4GB to 8GB to compensate for you having only a dual-core system (for video editing purposes, a given dual-core processor with 8GB of memory roughly equals a quad-core processor of the same technology and clock speed with only 4GB of memory). Unfortunately, you might have to lower the memory speed from 800 to 667 when running all four modules together on an AMD platform such as yours. And prices for DDR2 memory have risen to the point where it is now as expensive as or more so than an equal amount of DDR3 memory. Plus, you will need to run a 64-bit operating system in order to use more than 3GB.

[Shahzad Mian]

ok i have decided to save some money for couple of months and then order i7 processor and its board and ram etc from USA !!

Thanx to both u !! i really appreciate ur help !!

[Justin Hewitt]

have you tried converting your HD to an intermediate format, before editing

I edit most of my HD (HD FX1E) video on my acer 8920 laptop (because i'm on the go),
i just added an extra drive to prevent drive head contention slowness.

editing with cineform is quite good performance ....

they offer a free trial and their NEO product is entry level for cost ... might be an option for you on your current spec ....

regards

Justin.

[Shahzad Mian]

well i have sony sr11 which have avchd which works better in sony vegas then adobe premiere and can u plz elaborate on converting HD to an intermediate format !!

[Justin Hewitt]

http://www.cineform.com/

NeoScene would be the product for you to evaluate ... $129.00

The skinny version is that Cineform converts your highly compressed Mpeg2 or Avchd native format into a larger but less compressed format, easier for the processor to deal with ... Hence, editing and render is faster, but its a two step process.

[Craig Coston]

Still need an i7 with Neoscene if you want to use Premiere CS4 and not want to pull your hair out. I learned that the hard way. I figured I'd be able to edit on a Core2 Quad, but it was way too slow. Thanks to Harm I got up and running with an OC'd i7 that is blazing fast, though CS4 still kind of sucks. Can't wait for CS5.

Oh, and Neoscene can be found from numerous retailers for $99. Just search around.

Shahzad, waiting to build i7 is the ONLY way to go here. Trust Harm's opinion on this one. These guys aren't trying to bash AMD because they are Intel fanboys, they are trying to let you know what is true in the current realm of processors. AMD's glory days were years ago, and Intel has been WAY ahead of them since the Core2 launched. i7 is absolutely amazing.

[Randall Leong]

Originally Posted by Craig Coston

Still need an i7 with Neoscene if you want to use Premiere CS4 and not want to pull your hair out. I learned that the hard way. I figured I'd be able to edit on a Core2 Quad, but it was way too slow. Thanks to Harm I got up and running with an OC'd i7 that is blazing fast, though CS4 still kind of sucks. Can't wait for CS5.

Oh, and Neoscene can be found from numerous retailers for $99. Just search around.

Shahzad, waiting to build i7 is the ONLY way to go here. Trust Harm's opinion on this one. These guys aren't trying to bash AMD because they are Intel fanboys, they are trying to let you know what is true in the current realm of processors. AMD's glory days were years ago, and Intel has been WAY ahead of them since the Core2 launched. i7 is absolutely amazing.

I have disagreed with you many times in the recent past (and even provided some misleading info, much of which I later corrected after reading further). But in this case, your findings fall exactly in line with mine. $200 (for the processor alone) is way too much money for the OP to spend for only a modest increase in performance from his current system, IMHO (especially if he is still going to be saddled with memory that is slow by current standards).

Now granted, I would have gone the AMD route if I didn't want to spend more than $300 total for the complete motherboard, processor and memory upgrade. (This is because Intel does not currently have a platform offering that's competitive in performance at such a low price point; in fact, most of what's currently offered by Intel at this price point are either fully-integrated, ultra-low-performance, non-upgradeable platforms or older platforms that are on the way out, and the least expensive Intel platform offering that delivers performance that's worth the upgrade is priced at least $100 more than the $300 AMD setup.) But why stop there when an extra $200 to $300 buys you so much more?

[Roger Shealy]

Try Neoscene first. It will greatly speed up your editing, but not your rendering. If this isn't enough, consider trying an Intel 40GB SSD for around $129 to put your operating and editing programs. Make sure you have a separate drive for media.

[Harm Millaard]

SSD's are still way too expensive and do not offer any advantage for editing. Especially when on a budget, don't waste your money on SSD's, because only the loading of a program is (somewhat) faster, not the editing itself. Personally, I prefer 2 1TB disks for around the same amount as a 40 GB SSD.

[Randall Leong]

Originally Posted by Harm Millaard

SSD's are still way too expensive and do not offer any advantage for editing. Especially when on a budget, don't waste your money on SSD's, because only the loading of a program is (somewhat) faster, not the editing itself. Personally, I prefer 2 1TB disks for around the same amount as a 40 GB SSD.

True today - if only because current SSDs are slower in average write transfer-rate performance than the fastest of the current consumer SATA hard drives.

[Renat Zarbailov]

What do you guys think about this mobile monster?
Qosmio X505-Q880 Laptops PQX33U-01J00H | Toshiba

[Harm Millaard]

It is a Toshiba, so I agree it is a monster.

[Renat Zarbailov]

Hi Harm,

Do you think it's worth $1900 for what it offers?

Thanks

[Harm Millaard]

The features it offers seem decent, but also have a look at Asus and Sager.

The reason is that here Toshiba has a pretty lousy reputation in terms of reliability.
Personally I would rather spend that amount on a workstation that offers at least triple the speed and performance and lose the luggability, before I ruin my back.

An alternative is this Sager, http://www.sagernotebook.com/product...tion=customize, but remember, you get what you pay for: