Secondary Budget Minded Editing Computer for Vegas? at DVinfo.net

Barry Rivadue · January 27th, 2006, 02:26 PM

I have a rather pricey customized computer for editing, but am thinking of a backup editing computer--without the deluxe costs. I would want though a large hard drive (250 GB), memory (1 GB). If you were putting together a "value priced" but reliable editing computer, what specs would you say are acceptable to run Vegas without sacrificing significant quality? I'm only thinking of a computer unit, not monitor (I have enough of those). Can something decent be had for $1,000 or less in parts?

Thanks!

Matt Brabender · January 27th, 2006, 03:09 PM

If it is only being used when your main pc goes down, which would not be often? and not for very long? then just get a basic box with a decent processor and enough memory.
Even onboard graphics and sound would do.
You could even network them for rendering too.

Emre Safak · January 27th, 2006, 04:04 PM

I think the answer is a resounding yes. You might want to get one of them Shuttlepro thingies, too.

Joven OHara · January 27th, 2006, 04:24 PM

Barry-
Checkout "videoguys.com"
They have a DIY under 1K, and they have tested it for editing so you can be assured (if there is such a thing....lol) that components are compatible. Good luck!!

Barry Rivadue · January 27th, 2006, 06:40 PM

Excellent feedback! Thanks!

Yes, it so happens my main editing pc is in repair and I'm really at loose ends. A kind of no-frills quality backup pc makes sense, along with the external drives I have on hand. I figured beyond the core components everything else can be easily of moderate cost. I know Vegas can be pretty good with often limited resources, and this would be strictly a "B" unit to keep the flow going. I'll check on what's been suggested.

:D

Glenn Chan · January 28th, 2006, 12:38 AM

My two Canadian cents...

There are reasons to dislike Dell, but they might be your best bet for value.

They have some really nice deals on base systems. Buy one of them and throw in your own upgrades (don't buy Dell's upgrades, a lot of them are overpriced). Dell deliberately prices their units low, hoping they can upsell you on overpriced upgrades.

Support may be weak (most of it is in India because it's cheaper), some parts are proprietary (case, motherboad) and hard to replace because of that.

However, for its price, it's like a discardable computer. Last time I checked, a comparable computer would cost $100 more than a Dell (and your labour would have to be free).

A Pentium D will be pretty comparable to the fastest systems available.

2- The videoguys system would cost about $200-$300 more than the Dell solution. In my opinion, their suggestions don't make the most efficient use of money. There are better choices in parts you can make.

Also, some of their advice is erroneous... i.e. in overclocking the DIY2 without actually testing the machine for stability (I would use prime95). But even programs like prime95 will not catch all problems... sometimes a computer will just freeze or reboot and prime95 won't catch this.
It's not really worth your time.

Glenn Chan · January 28th, 2006, 12:40 AM

an alternate approach is to get a "mini"-clone of your main system. This way you can swap parts in case something breaks.

Barry Rivadue · January 28th, 2006, 10:24 PM

Thanks; I definitely can get by with a scaled down version of what I have, especially with peripherals that don't have to be as "fancy." As long as the core components are strong, everything else is almost incidental.

Bogdan Vaglarov · January 30th, 2006, 10:01 AM

Yeah, I like the idea of the "mini clone"!

Actually I did exactly this when my "sweet" cube MoBo failed in a midle of the only project for the year.
So I just got new case and motherboard and when the repaired board came back I've got second hand lower processor and new RAM and AGP video for it.

Now I have the cube PC as home theater system that can be back up for editing if needed. I can swap CPUs, video cards, drives - you name it and never be left waiting for part to come...
I think this is good even if you are not going to get newer technology to match your existing machine.

Joven OHara · January 30th, 2006, 12:17 PM

Hey Barry-
Glenn Elliott just listed on classifieds a $500 desktop. Great Bargain. Hurry up before its gone. You can't get a better deal.

Barry Rivadue · January 31st, 2006, 07:57 PM

Okay, here's what I did and it has a bit of a twist, thanks to this forum! I did check on the computer Glenn was selling, but then the thread over there turned to the Sony VAIO RC line, which I was unfamiliar with. It was a system that Glenn was upgrading to. The more I studied this system online the more impressed I got, so I ordered it this evening. It's a bit higher than my planned budget, but still waaaay less costly then my regular editing computer.

:D

January 27th, 2006, 02:26 PM	#1
Barry Rivadue Major Player Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 508	Secondary Budget Minded Editing Computer for Vegas? I have a rather pricey customized computer for editing, but am thinking of a backup editing computer--without the deluxe costs. I would want though a large hard drive (250 GB), memory (1 GB). If you were putting together a "value priced" but reliable editing computer, what specs would you say are acceptable to run Vegas without sacrificing significant quality? I'm only thinking of a computer unit, not monitor (I have enough of those). Can something decent be had for $1,000 or less in parts? Thanks!

January 27th, 2006, 04:24 PM	#4
Joven OHara Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Fremont,CA. USA Posts: 50	Barry- Checkout "videoguys.com" They have a DIY under 1K, and they have tested it for editing so you can be assured (if there is such a thing....lol) that components are compatible. Good luck!! __________________ To be.....or not to be

January 30th, 2006, 12:17 PM	#10
Joven OHara Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Fremont,CA. USA Posts: 50	Hey Barry- Glenn Elliott just listed on classifieds a $500 desktop. Great Bargain. Hurry up before its gone. You can't get a better deal. __________________ To be.....or not to be

January 27th, 2006, 03:09 PM	#2
Matt Brabender Major Player Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 230	If it is only being used when your main pc goes down, which would not be often? and not for very long? then just get a basic box with a decent processor and enough memory. Even onboard graphics and sound would do. You could even network them for rendering too.

January 27th, 2006, 04:04 PM	#3
Emre Safak Trustee Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Brookline, MA Posts: 1,447	I think the answer is a resounding yes. You might want to get one of them Shuttlepro thingies, too.

January 27th, 2006, 06:40 PM	#5
Barry Rivadue Major Player Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 508	Excellent feedback! Thanks! Yes, it so happens my main editing pc is in repair and I'm really at loose ends. A kind of no-frills quality backup pc makes sense, along with the external drives I have on hand. I figured beyond the core components everything else can be easily of moderate cost. I know Vegas can be pretty good with often limited resources, and this would be strictly a "B" unit to keep the flow going. I'll check on what's been suggested. :D

January 28th, 2006, 12:38 AM	#6
Glenn Chan Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 4,750	My two Canadian cents... There are reasons to dislike Dell, but they might be your best bet for value. They have some really nice deals on base systems. Buy one of them and throw in your own upgrades (don't buy Dell's upgrades, a lot of them are overpriced). Dell deliberately prices their units low, hoping they can upsell you on overpriced upgrades. Support may be weak (most of it is in India because it's cheaper), some parts are proprietary (case, motherboad) and hard to replace because of that. However, for its price, it's like a discardable computer. Last time I checked, a comparable computer would cost $100 more than a Dell (and your labour would have to be free). A Pentium D will be pretty comparable to the fastest systems available. 2- The videoguys system would cost about $200-$300 more than the Dell solution. In my opinion, their suggestions don't make the most efficient use of money. There are better choices in parts you can make. Also, some of their advice is erroneous... i.e. in overclocking the DIY2 without actually testing the machine for stability (I would use prime95). But even programs like prime95 will not catch all problems... sometimes a computer will just freeze or reboot and prime95 won't catch this. It's not really worth your time.

January 28th, 2006, 12:40 AM	#7
Glenn Chan Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 4,750	an alternate approach is to get a "mini"-clone of your main system. This way you can swap parts in case something breaks.

January 28th, 2006, 10:24 PM	#8
Barry Rivadue Major Player Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 508	Thanks; I definitely can get by with a scaled down version of what I have, especially with peripherals that don't have to be as "fancy." As long as the core components are strong, everything else is almost incidental.

January 30th, 2006, 10:01 AM	#9
Bogdan Vaglarov Major Player Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Yokohama, Japan Posts: 366	Yeah, I like the idea of the "mini clone"! Actually I did exactly this when my "sweet" cube MoBo failed in a midle of the only project for the year. So I just got new case and motherboard and when the repaired board came back I've got second hand lower processor and new RAM and AGP video for it. Now I have the cube PC as home theater system that can be back up for editing if needed. I can swap CPUs, video cards, drives - you name it and never be left waiting for part to come... I think this is good even if you are not going to get newer technology to match your existing machine.

January 31st, 2006, 07:57 PM	#11
Barry Rivadue Major Player Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 508	Okay, here's what I did and it has a bit of a twist, thanks to this forum! I did check on the computer Glenn was selling, but then the thread over there turned to the Sony VAIO RC line, which I was unfamiliar with. It was a system that Glenn was upgrading to. The more I studied this system online the more impressed I got, so I ordered it this evening. It's a bit higher than my planned budget, but still waaaay less costly then my regular editing computer. :D