ÂHere's my long-awaited update on what you should expect to get for your $$$ when buying or building a video & photo editing PC, mid-2011. Currently, I'm only recommending Intel's “Sandy Bridge” platform, because at this time AMD's processors just can't keep up with Intel's architecture for sheer speed of encoding & processing. There will always be something better coming just a few months down the road, but for now Sandy Bridge is the best option for video editing. If you've been waiting to upgrade or build a new editing PC, now is the time.
Each of these systems is intended to represent the most “bang for the buck” at a given price point (approximately $500, $750, $1000 & $1500). If you are buying a pre-built PC, please consider the additional cost of paying someone to assemble it for you. If you are building your own, feel free to substitute different components based on your needs, budget and personal preferences. There are literally millions of possible combinations of components you can choose when building a PC; the examples below are just my opinion based on experience.
If you really want to read up on the technical details of NLE parts specifications, this article by Harm Millaard over at the Adobe forums is quite informative.
The criteria:
No “Open Box” or “Recertified” components were used. *Feel free to choose these if you are comfortable with troubleshooting any potential problems that may arise.
All systems use Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit. (Add $40 if you want Professional instead)
RAM is maxed out at each price point for fast & efficient performance.
All systems have USB 3.0 & SATA III connectors for fast data transfer.
All systems have at least 2 separate hard drives: 1 for the OS & programs and 1 for Media files.
SSDs were used when possible for the System Drive. (OS & Programs)
All systems have a DVD drive/burner. (Add $30/60 for a Blu-Ray drive/burner instead)
All systems use a basic case & PSU to mimic what you'd get with an off-the-shelf PC. *Feel free to upgrade to a fancy gaming case with flashy neon if you prefer
All systems include everything needed to function except keyboard, mouse, and monitor.
The disclaimers:
The components were selected based on value, performance, and positive user reviews.
The components were selected to give balanced system-wide performance.
The prices are valid as of July 2011 and may change depending on sales and availability.
Most of these systems do not have a separate (discrete) video card. Unless you are using Premiere CS5 or newer with the Mercury Playback Engine, or plan to use the system for high-end gaming, you won't need one.
While there are “hacks” to enable non-Adobe-approved video cards like the Nvidia GTX260 to work with the Mercury Playback Engine, the least expensive “officially-approved” video card is the GTX 470 at around $250, so adjust prices accordingly if you need that capability.
These systems are not necessarily suited for gaming or overclocking. These PCs are specifically intended for the needs of video & photo editing (although all you would need to add for high-end gaming is a good modern video card).
$500
CPU: 3.1GHz Core i3-2100 (Dual-core w/Hyper-Threading)
RAM: 4GB DDR3
System Drive: 500GB 7200RPM
Media Drive: 1TB 7200RPM
GPU: Intel HD Graphics 2000
http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/Publi ... r=16473525
$750
CPU: 3.3GHz Core i5-2500k (Quad-core)
RAM: 16GB DDR3
System Drive: 500GB 7200RPM
Media Drives: 2x 1TB 7200RPM
GPU: Intel HD Graphics 3000 (Z68 mobo allows use of Mercury Engine-capable video card if desired)
http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/Publi ... r=16474145
$1000
CPU: 3.4GHz Core i7-2600k (Quad-core w/Hyper-Threading)
RAM: 16GB DDR3
System Drive: 60GB SSD
Media Drives: 2x 1.5TB 7200RPM
GPU: Intel HD Graphics 3000 (Z68 mobo allows use of Mercury Engine-capable video card if desired)
http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/Publi ... r=16474605
$1500
CPU: 3.4GHz Core i7-2600k (Quad-core w/Hyper-Threading)
RAM: 16GB DDR3
System Drive: 2x 60GB (120GB RAID0) SSD
Media Drives: 3x 1.5TB 7200RPM
GPU: Nvidia GTX 570 Video Card (*Adobe CS5 Mercury Engine capable)
http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/Publi ... r=23832788