Video editing station

[PNWDweller]

I have a 19 yr old step daughter which is really wanting to get into video editing and has been torturing her poor phone with complex edits and the like.  This is sort of a one-off purchase meaning it needs to be a good investment.  She has a special account to purchase a system with and we would like to stay that way in lieu of building one.   I know we will be using two monitors, one for the video editor and the other for the video preview.   I am thinking about adding on an 8tb NAS drive so she can save her videos there after they have been worked on, including any raw footage.  I am thinking 32GB of RAM, but this as far as I have gotten with the system basics. 

 

She will be using the latest GoPro camera (yet to be determined which model), for the video making. 

 

I am lost though anymore with what off the shelf systems we can purchase which would be suitable for 5 years or so.  We are open to Mac's as well as any other system.    Which CPU would be ideal for this and since it is an off-the-shelf system, also how much Video RAM would be needed to effectively render a HD or 4K video?

 

I'm not really asking for brand recommendations, but more of an idea of what I should focus on for specs.

[Mindovermaster Global Moderator]

You should watch LTT (on YT), and see what systems the Video Editors are using. I can't remember the exact series, but.. They have the latest CPUs and Workstation Graphic Cards. Even dual cards. As for gddr RAM, I'm not all sure.. I think 32GB system RAM should be about right for her.

 

But basically, the AMD Ryzen 5900 or the i9 12900 (is that right?) should be considered. I don't think any system off the shelf is going to help her. Guys?

[NFT_QUEEN]

On 14/02/2022 at 04:22, PNWDweller said:

I have a 19 yr old step daughter which is really wanting to get into video editing and has been torturing her poor phone with complex edits and the like.  This is sort of a one-off purchase meaning it needs to be a good investment.  She has a special account to purchase a system with and we would like to stay that way in lieu of building one.   I know we will be using two monitors, one for the video editor and the other for the video preview.   I am thinking about adding on an 8tb NAS drive so she can save her videos there after they have been worked on, including any raw footage.  I am thinking 32GB of RAM, but this as far as I have gotten with the system basics. 

 

She will be using the latest GoPro camera (yet to be determined which model), for the video making. 

 

I am lost though anymore with what off the shelf systems we can purchase which would be suitable for 5 years or so.  We are open to Mac's as well as any other system.    Which CPU would be ideal for this and since it is an off-the-shelf system, also how much Video RAM would be needed to effectively render a HD or 4K video?

 

I'm not really asking for brand recommendations, but more of an idea of what I should focus on for specs.

 

Gm!

 

If you want to be future proof,  I'd recommend that you strive for 8K editing, even if she's only going to be rendering 1080p and 4k streams in the near future. 

 

Having said, 32GB RAM is your bare minimum. I'd recommend that you get two 16GB sticks [as opposed to getting 4x8GB], so that you have two vacant slots for an easy upgrade in the future.

 

For your CPU, you want to have as many threads as possible.

 

A same specced Mac system can easily cost double [or even triple] the amount of a self-built PC as you'd paying for a premium brand name.

 

Good luck!

[Dick Montage]

32gb in as few modules as possible - future expansion

CPU with as many cores as possible (personally I'd suggest an i7)

Fast M.2 for boot and another SSD for caching

 

Alternatively, the new MBP Max/Pro are damned good for this.

[Steven P. Administrators]

Yeah as far as CPU goes you are going to want an Intel i7 or  i9. Getting a prebuilt will also ensure you can secure a decent video card (anything from 2070 RTX SUPER and up will be sufficient for up to and including 4K video editing and processing). My expertise are mainly in Nvidia and Intel so that's my suggestions.

 

You might even be able to score a decent Razer 17" laptop that she can connect a 2nd monitor to

 

Here's a refurb future proof example https://amzn.to/3sEhcP5  depends on what the budget is.

[Michael Scrip]

For Windows... choosing a system with an Intel processor that has a built-in integrated GPU can help smooth playback and rendering/exporting of certain types of video files.  That combined with a dedicated GPU (NVidia or AMD) can help tremendously.

 

What software does she want to use?  There is Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve which actually has a full-featured free version.  Or there's Adobe Premiere which requires a subscription.

 

Of course if you go Mac... Final Cut Pro is a no-brainer.  Any Mac with an Apple Silicon M1 processor is an absolute beast for video editing with Final Cut Pro.  But like others have said... Macs can cost quite a bit more.  You can also use the free DaVinci Resolve on Macs as well as the Adobe subscription.  But Final Cut Pro is only available on Macs.

 

My general recommended specs for a Windows system would be:

 

Intel processor with built-in iGPU

Some sort of NVidia GPU

32GB RAM

a fast NVMe SSD (or two)

 

Some questions:

 

what's your budget?

laptop or desktop?

 

A lot of people tend to like laptops because they can edit on the go.  And they can plug into a monitor (or two) at a desk.  But gaming/workstation laptops can be quite pricey and don't offer the same bang-for-the-buck as a desktop Windows system.

[Brandon H Supervisor]

On 14/02/2022 at 08:55, Steven P. said:

Getting a prebuilt will also ensure you can secure a decent video card

This is actually a very good point for the way the market currently is. Pre-Built is basically the only way to get a good GPU at a decent price right now. Heck it's really the ONLY way to get a hold of a GPU right now ...

[PNWDweller]

On 14/02/2022 at 07:10, Michael Scrip said:

 What software does she want to use?  There is Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve which actually has a full-featured free version.  Or there's Adobe Premiere which requires a subscription.

 

Of course if you go Mac... Final Cut Pro is a no-brainer.  Any Mac with an Apple Silicon M1 processor is an absolute beast for video editing with Final Cut Pro.  But like others have said... Macs can cost quite a bit more.  You can also use the free DaVinci Resolve on Macs as well as the Adobe subscription.  But Final Cut Pro is only available on Macs.

 

 

 

what's your budget?

laptop or desktop?

 

 

We are open to any operating system.  I will just leave here that there is only one Windows system in the house and that's her laptop which is very under powered for this task.  The rest of the machines in the home are Linux.

As for Budget, that is yet to be determined, but possibly $2.5 -$3.5k so we do have some wiggle room there. 

 

We are going to shoot for a desktop.

 

[Brandon H Supervisor]

might I suggest a company like https://nzxt.com/ where you can pick out your parts from their selection and they'll build out the computer for you. This gives you an OEM style warranty but more freedom of parts used.

there are other companies/sites as well that offer this type of service, they're just the first that come to mind as LTT promotes them quite often.

[PNWDweller]

On 14/02/2022 at 08:40, Brandon H said:

might I suggest a company like https://nzxt.com/ where you can pick out your parts from their selection and they'll build out the computer for you. This gives you an OEM style warranty but more freedom of parts used.

there are other companies/sites as well that offer this type of service, they're just the first that come to mind as LTT promotes them quite often.

Thanks! I will look at that.  I was also thinking if we can build one on our end (it's a special needs trust account), I may go that route.  If this is the case we were also considering the PC Parts picker site too.

 

[jnelsoninjax]

Here is a pre-built Alienware with a Nvida 3070 and 12 core AMD CPU for $2200

[NFT_QUEEN]

On 16/02/2022 at 04:21, jnelsoninjax said:

Here is a pre-built Alienware with a Nvida 3070 and 12 core AMD CPU for $2200

It shows it's got NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3080, 10 GB GDDR6X, LHR

 

What a bargain! A $700 Discount is huge, man!

 

Good job!

[PNWDweller]

Thoughts on this build?  I am shooting from the hip some, but the main point here is to allow for the best if not a bit overkill.  (For some reason they insist on including THREE monitors. we are going for TWO, so ignore the third one)

 

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/CrpQZw

 

64GB of RAM I think will do the job well for most of it.  I chose a smaller drive for boot purposes and general purpose software load.  All of her stuff will be stored on a NAS as backup.  The video card gives me some pause, but after watching LTTs build (which is a few years old now), i am basing some of it off of that.

I have yet to check for approval to build rather than off the shelf, but the general thought is as long as it's for her use and not a frivolous purchase, they approve it.   Once I get the build nailed down, then it will be provided to them to the agency for order fulfillment and deduction from her account.

 

 

 

[PNWDweller]

This is what we have drilled it down to, my biggest concern is the video card, since they are going down in price, we can move forward with more RAM, but at this stage, I am not sure if 4GB RAM on the card will be good for rendering the video when saving it, or if we end up upping the Video Ram, if that would help improve things.  

 

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/qX77v3

 

For her intended use, she just wants to publish to YouTube and that is about it for now.  We will be adding external storage for her videos and a GoPro for her video shots. 

 

Of course, with the specs, I'm sure she will want to do more.  

[PNWDweller]

I am needing input on this, if anyone can jump in, we are about to pull the trigger on the order for her this week or next week. 

 

[farmeunit]

Video card should be minimum 6GB for Premiere Pro and 4k video.  6k or higher, 8GB.  I personally would look at the 3070 or higher.   I know you say YouTube for now, so it really just depends on if you think it will grow into other platforms or software.  Even a 3050 would be a better option than a 1050 at this point because of the increased RAM and it is overall a better card.

 

The cooler is good, but for the same price you could get a dual tower https://www.amazon.com/Thermalright-Peerless-Assassin-Aluminium-Technology/dp/B09S35X72H/ref=pd_lpo_1?pd_rd_i=B09S35X72H&psc=1.  Reviews on it were pretty favorable.  Hardware Canucks did a video on it a few weeks ago.

 

Not sure why that link for thermal paste is so much:

https://www.newegg.com/prolimatech-pro-pk3-5g/p/N82E16835242027?item=9SIAGPF7KA1091&nm_mc=AFC-RAN-COM&cm_mmc=AFC-RAN-COM&utm_medium=affiliates&utm_source=afc-Future+Publishing+Ltd&AFFID=2294204&AFFNAME=Future+Publishing+Ltd&ACRID=20216572650&ASUBID=tomshardware-us-4218777231019375000&ASID=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tomshardware.com%2Fbest-picks%2Fbest-thermal-paste&ranMID=44583&ranEAID=2294204&ranSiteID=kXQk6.ivFEQ-0.qMiHxd7D8gISPD3Z3ugA

 

I prefer to work on things, especially video, on bigger screens, but she might be OK with 24".  Typically 32" is what I like to use, and 1440p instead of 1080p, but of course it costs most.  Looking at $300 per.   You might be able to compromise on a 27" or even 32" at 1080p is decent.  Even that extra 3" is quite a bit, in my opinion.  32" is better because I'm getting old.  Not as important for younger people.

 

The only things I would say to REALLY think about upgrading is the video card.  Not only would it be good for editing, but gaming and such, as well.  Or if she got into Blender or other rendering stuff. 

 

EDIT:  I see you mentioned the NAS.  Sorry if I missed anything else.  Went back and scanned some of it.  Maybe think about adding a spinning hard drive just for storage of finished video at some point.  Or a NAS/portable hard drive would be a good purchase.

 

Also, unless specifically tied to the keyboard, EVGA has a Z15 RGB for $40 and the Z20 keyboard for $65 on Newegg, if you want to cut costs a little.  I have both, but have only unpacked the Z15 for now.  Pretty decent for a cheap keyboard.  It is clicky, but the Z20 would be less so.

 

Edited July 19, 2022 by farmeunit

[PNWDweller]

On 18/07/2022 at 20:29, farmeunit said:

Video card should be minimum 6GB for Premiere Pro and 4k video.  6k or higher, 8GB.  I personally would look at the 3070 or higher.   I know you say YouTube for now, so it really just depends on if you think it will grow into other platforms or software.  Even a 3050 would be a better option than a 1050 at this point because of the increased RAM and it is overall a better card.

 

The cooler is good, but for the same price you could get a dual tower https://www.amazon.com/Thermalright-Peerless-Assassin-Aluminium-Technology/dp/B09S35X72H/ref=pd_lpo_1?pd_rd_i=B09S35X72H&psc=1.  Reviews on it were pretty favorable.  Hardware Canucks did a video on it a few weeks ago.

 

Not sure why that link for thermal paste is so much:

https://www.newegg.com/prolimatech-pro-pk3-5g/p/N82E16835242027?item=9SIAGPF7KA1091&nm_mc=AFC-RAN-COM&cm_mmc=AFC-RAN-COM&utm_medium=affiliates&utm_source=afc-Future+Publishing+Ltd&AFFID=2294204&AFFNAME=Future+Publishing+Ltd&ACRID=20216572650&ASUBID=tomshardware-us-4218777231019375000&ASID=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tomshardware.com%2Fbest-picks%2Fbest-thermal-paste&ranMID=44583&ranEAID=2294204&ranSiteID=kXQk6.ivFEQ-0.qMiHxd7D8gISPD3Z3ugA

 

I prefer to work on things, especially video, on bigger screens, but she might be OK with 24".  Typically 32" is what I like to use, and 1440p instead of 1080p, but of course it costs most.  Looking at $300 per.   You might be able to compromise on a 27" or even 32" at 1080p is decent.  Even that extra 3" is quite a bit, in my opinion.  32" is better because I'm getting old.  Not as important for younger people.

 

The only things I would say to REALLY think about upgrading is the video card.  Not only would it be good for editing, but gaming and such, as well.  Or if she got into Blender or other rendering stuff. 

 

EDIT:  I see you mentioned the NAS.  Sorry if I missed anything else.  Went back and scanned some of it.  Maybe think about adding a spinning hard drive just for storage of finished video at some point.  Or a NAS/portable hard drive would be a good purchase.

 

Also, unless specifically tied to the keyboard, EVGA has a Z15 RGB for $40 and the Z20 keyboard for $65 on Newegg, if you want to cut costs a little.  I have both, but have only unpacked the Z15 for now.  Pretty decent for a cheap keyboard.  It is clicky, but the Z20 would be less so.

 

The reason for the screen size is due to us being in a small apartment and her limited space on her desk.

Thanks for the feedback, I will look into the other part of your message tomorrow.   Thanks Again!

[goretsky Supervisor]

Hello,

 

You have already gotten some good advice on the video card, so nothing further to add there.

Unfamiliar with the thermal paste brand, but it looks okay.  I will point out that Thermal Grizzly's Kryonaut has slightly better thermal conductivity and costs a little bit less.

The system build specifies two 144Hz monitors.  I think even high-end videos are encoded for 60Hz, so this seems like overkill, unless they are needed for some other purpose like gaming.

The keyboard seems expensive as well.  Bon-mechanical keyboards can be found for less.  I will admit I find the mechanical ones more satisfying to type on.

I know you mentioned using a NAS for storing completed videos, but a HDD inside the computer for use as a temporary work area/scratch disk might be helpful.

 

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky
 

[farmeunit]

One thing to be aware of with paste is that some is designed to be replaced often, which is what I believe Kryonaut is.  Say for overclocking and such.  It's not as viscous so can pump out over a short time. 

[PNWDweller]

On 19/07/2022 at 23:25, goretsky said:

Hello,

 

You have already gotten some good advice on the video card, so nothing further to add there.

Unfamiliar with the thermal paste brand, but it looks okay.  I will point out that Thermal Grizzly's Kryonaut has slightly better thermal conductivity and costs a little bit less.

The system build specifies two 144Hz monitors.  I think even high-end videos are encoded for 60Hz, so this seems like overkill, unless they are needed for some other purpose like gaming.

The keyboard seems expensive as well.  Bon-mechanical keyboards can be found for less.  I will admit I find the mechanical ones more satisfying to type on.

I know you mentioned using a NAS for storing completed videos, but a HDD inside the computer for use as a temporary work area/scratch disk might be helpful.

 

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky
 

Thanks! 

 

I didn't choose the keyboard, step daughter did so I sort of have to go with that.    As for the NAS part, I am still on the fence in that area.  She is an adult child with special needs (high functioning), so for the while, she is living with us under the same roof until she can become more independent (Her first ever job at age 19 and riding a city bus are huge milestones she completed).  So, if we do a NAS, she would need to take that with her.  I know basic external 8TB HDD's  are good enough for that part and cheaper, so we may go with those instead.