Video Editing computer - which m/b and ram?

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bombaj905

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Dec 23, 2004
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Hello,
I've been reading posts here and other forums about hardware and am a bit lost and confused AND overwhelmed by the options.

I'm putting toghether a new budget system for video editing (lots of encoding...) I've purchased a P4 3.0C for a good price and need the rest of the rig. I've narrowed my m/b choices to these two:

ABIT IS7
ASUS P4P800-SE

I'm looking for stability and overclocking potential down the road, once all the right components are in and the system is stable.

Secondly, I've been told that low latency dual-channel optimized RAM will not make much difference in editing. That's a relief because I don't have that kind of cash.
Will Kingston ValuRAM 512MB PC-3200 DDR400 SDRAM (x 2) be enough? If I wanted to play with overclocking...will this RAM be OK? Or should I pay a bit more and opt out for a dual channel kit like the OCZ PC3200 DDR400 512MBx2 CAS2.5 (OCZ4001024PDC-K)?

I would appreciate any advice in this.

bombaj905
 
I can't really tell about the mobo's except that both are really good brands, so you will probably be good off with either of them depending on which features you'll use,

for oc-ing though I'd seriously recommend the ocz's. (I myself have those mentioned kingstons...)
 
I think that you'll have more pleasure from your money (for video editing, of course) if you invest it in a good (RAID) HD setup then when you spend that money on dual channel RAM.

On the overclocking: Probably the FSB can be run at a different speed than the RAM so OC-ing shouldn't affect your RAM bu I'm not that sure on Intel systems.
 
The Abit IS7 has a better VRM and more features. Abit also has an RMA policy that's easier to deal with, in case you ever need it.

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<font color=red>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to an ego as large as Crashman's!</font color=red>
 
If you're going to copy me at least feed the beast some decent ram. Crucial PC3200 Ballistix is on-sale for $250.00/gb (512 x 2). Even the D1 3.0C's are good for 3.6ghz. If you were lucky enough to get a 30 cap (MO) CPU you will get there on stock voltage. Either way, you'll love this combo! :smile:



Abit IS7 - 3.0C @ 3.6ghz - Mushkin PC4000 (2 X 512) - Sapphire 9800Pro - TT 420 watt Pure Power
Samsung 120gb ATA-100 - Maxtor 40gb ATA - 100
Sony DRU-510A - Yellowtail Merlot
 
Hi guys,
thanks a lot for your opinions/recommendations.
I've been browsing the video forums and people seem to prefer Asus boards for stability. I will purchase the Asus® P4P800-SE

As far as my CPU, it's a retial box 3.0C, Made in Malaysia
FPO/Batch#: Q407A447
Version#: C30475-011
Prod code: BX80532PG000DSL6WU
Pack Date 04/09/2004

How do I tell if it's the overclock friendly one?

And back to RAM. Back on the video boards, people say that I shouldn't worry about expensive low latency ram as it does not make a diff in rendering. So I thought 2 sticks of name brand PC3200 should be OK without breaking the bank. Because I know little about RAM/timings/etc. what is the minimum RAM I should be looking at considering I would like to experiment with overclocking?
My local stores carry Corsair/OCZ/Kingston for Dual Channel kits and a couple of other brands for single channel kits.
Would I get dual channel performance from 2 non-dual channel optimized sticks put into the correct slots for dual channel?

Once again, thanks for any input. This is a learning experience for me.

bombaj905
 
That's the D1 3.0C you've got <A HREF="http://processorfinder.intel.com/scripts/details.asp?sSpec=SL6WU&ProcFam=483&PkgType=ALL&SysBusSpd=ALL&CorSpd=ALL" target="_new">there.</A> It will still overclock OK if you get ram that will run above a 200mhz FSB. That's why I recommended Crucial Ballistix PC3200 for a 1:1 FSB. If you're going to buy from a shop get the fastest rated stuff you can. PC4000 or such.

Abit IS7 - 3.0C @ 3.6ghz - Mushkin PC4000 (2 X 512) - Sapphire 9800Pro - TT 420 watt Pure Power
Samsung 120gb ATA-100 - Maxtor 40gb ATA - 100
Sony DRU-510A - Yellowtail Merlot
 
Hi,
how do I achieve 1:1 FSB overclock? And at what FSB will regular PC-3200 DDR400 ram run at? After doing some quick comparison shopping, I would be able to afford these:

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=30255
or
KingMax 512MB PC-4000 DDR500 SDRAM
(2 of the above sticks for dual channel)

Hm, maybe someone can point to a HW site that explains memory/fsb/overclocking thing a bit?

thanks.
bombaj905
 
PC3200 memory = 200Mhz (64bit bus x 200Mhz x2[because its DDR]) = 3,200MB/sec
Dual Channel mode combines 2x64Bits memory banks into a single 128Bit memory bank which doubles the effective memory bandwidth to 6,400MB/sec.

P4c Bus = 200Mhz quad pumped (effectivly 800Mhz) = 64bit bus x4 = 6,400MB/sec.

The clock speed of your CPU is determined by a number stored on the CPU (called a multiplier) multiplied by the FSB (200Mhz in this case). You can overclock by either changing the multiplier of increasing the FSB. However the P4's multiplier cannot be changed so you have to increase the FSB. When running a 1:1 ratio of RAM to FSB the RAM will need to be able to overclock as well.

Most PC3200 can manage at least PC3500 speeds (good brand name low latency PC3200 can often overclock to well over PC4000 speeds). But to be on the safe side I would get PC4000.
 
For a 1:1 overclock you need to raise your Vdimm to 2.8v, raise your Vcore to 1.575, then raise your FSB speed from 200mhz to 240mhz in 6mhz increments. You can adjust Vcore as needed but not past 1.65v. Note your temperatures as you clock faster. At 240mhz your CPU will be running at 3.6ghz which is pretty much optimal with stock cooling. At 250mhz you would be running 3.75ghz which would be great with proper cooling and the right CPU (one that goes there stably, mine doesn't). Once you get to your CPU's sweet spot you need to run benchmark progs to test stability. Aquamark3, memtest86, 3Dmark2001, etc. will turn up any problems with your increased speed. Make sure you watch temps closely. You really don't want that 3.0C above 65C under load. :smile:

Abit IS7 - 3.0C @ 3.6ghz - Mushkin PC4000 (2 X 512) - Sapphire 9800Pro - TT 420 watt Pure Power
Samsung 120gb ATA-100 - Maxtor 40gb ATA - 100
Sony DRU-510A - Yellowtail Merlot
 
Thanks guys for your posts...I'm beginning to see the light so to speak 🙂

Here's a memory I found that a local store is also carrying. I might be able to afford it as well:

GeIL PC3200 400MHz 1GB Value Series Dual Channel Kit (512MBX2)
CAS 2.5 8-4-4 (GE5123200BDC & GE1G3200BDC)
CAS 3-8-4-4 (GE2G3200BDC)
2.55V-2.95V

or

GeIL PC4000 1GB Ultra Platinum Series Dual Channel Kit (512MBx2)
CAS 2.5 7-4-4 @ DDR500MHz PC4000
2.6V-3.1V

Could I get away with getting the cheaper value RAM? Probably not, judging from the previous posts.
 
You said video editing? well, there is one thing here that matter more than memory or motherboard...it is HDD speed.

Most of the time, the movie you want to edit doesnt fit in memory, you have to do it from the hard drive. For that, I recommend RAID0.

I dont know other RAID controlle than Promise and nvidia, with their nforce3 or 4 chipset. But I can say that the RAID controller from nvidia is fast.

I use it now with 2 Seagate SATA 160gigs. I dont know if you are Intel fan or open to other suggestion, but for now, for video editing stuff, I would choose a good nforce4(with SATA2) board and an A64 3500+ with 1 gigs of RAM. Two Raptor drive, the 37 gigs one will suffice as you'll get 74 gigs of space to work. And when faster SATA2 drive will start to emerge, you'll be able to use them for still better performance.

Just my 2 cents...



-Always put the blame on you first, then on the hardware !!!
 
Oh..I forgot. Overclocking a video editing system is not what I recommend much...You are going to be moving a lot of DATA in the system buses, and running thes buses out of specs can lead to some data corruption with you video. As I said in my other post, it is not how fast the cpu can pro cess the data..it is really fast enough, but how long it will have to wait for the data that matter

-Always put the blame on you first, then on the hardware !!!
 
overclocking potential down the road,
***********************************************************


I agree with you Pat. I think he is looking for an overclock sometime in the future though, not right away. Hence the suggestion for an investment in O'C capable ram.

Abit IS7 - 3.0C @ 3.6ghz - Mushkin PC4000 (2 X 512) - Sapphire 9800Pro - TT 420 watt Pure Power
Samsung 120gb ATA-100 - Maxtor 40gb ATA - 100
Sony DRU-510A - Yellowtail Merlot
 
pat,
right now, I'm using an Athlon XP1900 on an IWIll board and it's a very slow combo for editing. I went with Intel because most of the benchmarks I've seen show that Intel CPUs are faster at media encoding. I'm open to all suggestions BUT I already picked up the P4 3.0C on ebay for a good price...

As far as HD speed and all...I'm editing DV footage only and 7200 RPM HD's are more than enough. Maybe in 2 years I'll get myself into HDV but that will be time to get a new computer as well.

What I might try is RAID'ing 2 120 gig drives together, see if my workflow improves at all.

Thanks for your posts...
 
If the controller is good, and the drives are the same model, you'll see improvement using RAID. I just advice you to partition the drive, like in half, and use the first partition for capture and editing and the secondary for storage...the first partition is the fastest while the klast is the slowest.

-Always put the blame on you first, then on the hardware !!!
 
Its still a software RAID controller so it aint great. I aint really noticed a speed increzse VS my other non-raided system but I dont really do a whole lot of video editing (or other hard drive intensive apps) so cant really comment.
 
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