New Computer - Vegas issues - Advice needed

[Jeff Harper]

The Caviar blacks are fine drives. 2tb drives are generally pretty slow for editing, and 7200 is what you want. You should get a 1tb or smaller 7200 drive.

Sata II is what you need unless you have a SATA III controller or plan to get one.

[Robert James]

Okay, so can I assume I already have a Sata III controller if my other Hard Drive is a Sata III (or at least I believe it is)?

And, from what I understand:
1) A second hard drive where I store the video clips will make Vegas Previews run better because the videos are not being read on the main drive where all the other stuff is being processed and such? So, as Randall said, having at least 2 drives will be better for the set-up I choose.
2) Don't expect even that set-up to run perfect as HD files are still a bit of a pain to edit
3) Magic Bullet Looks is slow on mostly all system setups

[Jeff Harper]

I see from your original post that you have SATA 3, I'm jealous.

Yes, your new hard drive may or may not give you a noticeable difference in your preview. I'm betting it won't, because you say it's fine except for MB, which is poor to preview anyway.

But yes you should still get one. Also, when your render from another drive your DVDs or blurays will be less prone to error, and that is for sure.

[Larry Reavis]

I'm fanatical regarding the number of drives I usually have connected to my editing system - usually around 10, with several at the ready for replacement when one fails (about once every 3 months or so).

Until recently I, too, believed that only 7200 rpm disks should be used for editing. I've used Caviar Blacks, and was pleased; but found that most any modern 7200 disk performed OK.

With good experiences resulting from 7200 rpm disks, I was loath to use any of the new 5900 rpm disk or variable speed disks that became available some months ago. But the reviews were good, so I bit.

I've purchased a 2tb Hitachi and pair of 1tb Hitachi disks and was astonished at the performance. According to ATTO Benchmark, I'm getting over 109 mb/s reads and writes on all file sizes over 32kb. My ancient REXTEST gives 68 mb/s writes, slightly better reads - with the disk about 1/3rd full.

Edit: I just saw this 1tb 7200 rpm Samsung for $55 (with promo code):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-22152185-L03D

It can be purchased now for $65 at newegg:

Newegg.com - HITACHI Deskstar 5K3000 HDS5C3020ALA632 (0F12117) 2TB 32MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Failure rates may be higher than average, but I've been using the 2TB disk daily for months with no problems yet (you usually hear from those who have had problems in the Newegg Feedback, so their experiences may not predict yours).

Incidentally, I picked up the pair of 1TB disks for $48 each, free shipping.

I get even better performance from the new Samsungs: 149mb/s write, 95 mb/s read with Rextest (holds my old WinXP OS and not much more, about 1/20th full).

I got the first for about $70:
Newegg.com - SAMSUNG Spinpoint F4 HD204UI 2TB 5400 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

I really like these new slow-rpm disks. They are quiet and provide outstanding performance, and run almost at room temp.

By the way - you could use the spare space on your drive C as your backup drive. Then, if you buy one of these cheap drives for your editing disk, you could use your USB drive for the disk to which you render. Highly recommended.

[Robert James]

James: Yes, Magic Bullet was a bit slow but also without using it during fade is when I noticed it. I merged two clips fading one into the other and though the file played smooth up until that point it went choppy the moment it hit the fade point and then was fine again after exiting the fade.

If having the second Hard Drive won't clear up the choppyness between fades/effects or possible future video hitches then the only reason to have it, then, is to not blow the drive with the OS on it from overuse and/or extra storage?

I am thinking Hitachi is the way to go considering it is a touch cheaper the the Western Digital Blacks though I could change my mind by the time the rebates arrive in a month or so and/or if there are sales. I am now gathering, and correct me if I am wrong folks, that I HAVE to have a Sata III because of some element on my computer that utilizes this or will a Sata 2 suffice?

Also, it looks like the set up to go is:
Hard Drive 1: OS, Editing Software, Photoshop etc. (music files?) / storage
Hard Drive 2: Video files / storage
Hard Drive 3 (external): render to / storage

This is all very helpful, folks.

[Allen Campbell]

As a Vegas noob I would like to peek in here and ask how you would setup your work flow on a setup of hard drives like mine pictured below.

The C:\ (OS Drive) and H:\ drives are RAID1 setups. The eSATA drives are WD RE3 enterprise drives.

http://alcphoto.net/temp/hdds.jpg



Thanks

[Gerald Webb]

Opinions are like....... well you know, everyone has one.
But here is mine,
Windows on C
Source files on G
Render to F
Thats just a nice easy solution that cant put you to far wrong.
If you were rendering with no recompression the green drive may hold you up a bit, but with any kind of FX on the job it shouldnt be noticeable at all.

[Jeff Harper]

Gerald has it spot on. Do as he suggests and you'll be fine.

[Allen Campbell]

Thanks! I love this place. :-°

[Robert James]

Ive seen a few posts mentioning something like RAID set up.

I also noticed that one of the manuels that came with the computer talks about this type of set-up?

What is it and, as I deduce, I need at least two hard drives to set it up, I imagine it makes workflow smoother?

[Jeff Harper]

Raid 0 is the variety that speeds things up. I would avoid it unless you find your current setup is not fast enough.

If your Raid would be running off a controller on your MB, you will have to reinstall windows completely, unless there is a trick to doing it otherwise that I don't know about.

If you are using a Raid controller add on card, you won't have to reinstall windows.

I am a big fan of Raid 0, but you almost need three discs to make it worthwhile, IMO. Some will argue that point, and that is fine, it's just my opinion.

It can be fun to play with, but can bring all the issues anything new will bring to your computer. I say if you don't know what it is, forget about it. It can be a headache, causes more expense.

Google Raid 0 and read everything you can about it, and that will give you a start at understanding it.

[Allen Campbell]

I am a HUGE fan of RAID1. It mirrors two drives to act as one. So a single drive costs you double.

I am a photographer and do not need delays like reinstalling an OS and all my programs to get at my work.
So I have my System OS and a backup set of 750GB drives running in a RAID1 array.
I have had my A$$ saved more than once when a drive failed and the other drive just kept going until I could run a diagnostics or replace the drive.
Intel Matrix Control reports it if they get out of sync and rebuilds them as I work or tells me which one is bad.

A word on the WD 640GB 1AALS drives in RAID. They seem to fail in RAID arrays. These drives are notoriously fast is why I have ran them. Gamers LOVE these drives. As they failed Western Digital replaces them with 1 TB Black drives because they are no longer made.

I have my 2nd 640GB at WD now on an RMA. The last time I just slapped in another while I waited and was going to use the replacement for a spare. But I got the 1TB. So now I wait for another 1TB and I'll migrate my array to them in RAID 1.

The main thing is if a drive fails I don't even feel it but for the replacement duties. As for them getting out of Sync, its mostly durring power failures but I still only notice it by a tray notification that Intel is rebuilding the set.

[Robert James]

Originally Posted by Jeff Harper

Raid 0 is the variety that speeds things up. I would avoid it unless you find your current setup is not fast enough.

If your Raid would be running off a controller on your MB, you will have to reinstall windows completely, unless there is a trick to doing it otherwise that I don't know about.

If you are using a Raid controller add on card, you won't have to reinstall windows.

I am a big fan of Raid 0, but you almost need three discs to make it worthwhile, IMO. Some will argue that point, and that is fine, it's just my opinion.

It can be fun to play with, but can bring all the issues anything new will bring to your computer. I say if you don't know what it is, forget about it. It can be a headache, causes more expense.

Google Raid 0 and read everything you can about it, and that will give you a start at understanding it.

Got ya. So RAID isn't imperative.
I will attempt things with 2 hard drives and 1 external with the set-up mentioned above (OS on one / footage on two / render to three) and see how that works before I start thinking about RAIDS.

Thanks

[Jeff Harper]

Based on what Allen says RAID 1 does seem to be a good thing. I've been using Raid 0 for 15 years and just never looked at 1, it might be a newer implementation and something I've never looked at closely. It still does not replace backing up to a separate hard drive though. It could be seen that way, but I wouldn't, based on what I've read. It sounds just as fast though.

But yes, you are correct to keep it simple at this point, just use your backup drive and see how it works.

[Robert James]

A bit of a problematic new update:

Now, when files are in my time line, they come out RED in the Vegas preview window. Sometimes the entire clip is red and sometimes the preview window flashes red.

Any ideas on how to fix this one