Computer gee... I mean, gentlemen, I need help.

[battlefields]

Okay, nerds, listen up. I can't stand your language, it irritates me and makes me feel like a fool and a buffoon. All this gigga-what and terror-bite, makes me want to megahertz you so bad. You seem to have managed to take something as simple as a computer and made up something you refer to as "specs" that is untranslatable babble in order to milk the common imbecile, yours truly, into buying something "user friendly" and entirely too expensive (*cough* Macs *macs*) just so you can maintain your autonomy over your geek endeavours. I'm on to you.

Now that is out of the way, I need your assistance.

I've been looking for a computer that will be good for video editing. Simple at first, nothing too spectacular. I have been using my notebook from 2009 and I barely need to tell you that it is nowhere near up to the task.

I'm on a budget, a very, very, extremely tight, you cannot fathom how tight a budget I am on.

It is to start a business. At first it is just going to be simple things, text over footage, fade aways, easy shit you can do with a simple editing program.

I appreciate that you will likely tell me what software to use, but before you do, please don't. Software and the user interface stuff is something that I have no problem with, surprisingly, considering my hardware knowledge is somewhere in the prehistoric era. I am quite adept at navigating my way through a program once it is on my computer. Not only that, but I have quite decent google fu as well as people with whom I can consult.

The main issue is the hardware. I have a computer for surfing the net, don't need that. Just need a computer for editing video. That's it.

Should I look into one getting built? No, I will not be doing the building, so the second part to that is do people build computers for specific tasks such as video editing and is it cheaper than buying a ready made one?

What computer, remembering I am on a budget, is best for video editing? I must stress that all the CPU, RAM, whatever fucking other shit that you think I "should" know, I don't, nor do I really care. I just need a clear answer. If there is no clear answer, tell me I need to start learning this shit.

I've been doing some research (this isn't the only website I've visited):

http://www.desktop-video-guide.com/c...o-editing.html


Every single one seems to say, "when you are looking for a computer for video editing, you need to look for..." and then go on to explain details of components that, although I know they are technical terms for the components, are just going to make me look like the guy that goes to a mechanic and asks for the "super flux capacitor" to be fixed when I go to a store to look for prices.

[CrackFox]

Don't be a fucking tard. It says on the page you have linked exactly what you should get, and it says it clearly under the heading "Budget Desktop Computer". (Though those specs are a little old.)

You want a big clear monitor - that's the thing you look at - and you want as much ram as you can afford - you don't have to know what ram is, just that more is better.

A fire wire port would be useful - that's the thing you plug video cameras into. If the computer doesn't come with one, you'll have to get one installed, and you could get ripped off for this service - it's a 5 min job if you know what you're doing.

You'll also probably want a DVD writer - that's the thing that writes DVDs. These are fairly common though.


To sum up: you want a computer with a nice screen, and as much ram as you can afford.

[submessenger]

There's a lot of things to consider, here. For video production, you will really want a fast disk subsystem, which means several SSDs at the high end of things, or several HDDs at the low end. This means, right off the bat, you're pretty much out of the commodity PC market, and into a workstation-class machine. Disk subsystem is a pretty extensive topic, so I'll leave it at this, for now.

CrackFox is right in that you can really never have too much RAM for this sort of thing. If you go the commodity PC route, check the motherboard specs before you commit to the purchase - a lot of lower-end PCs don't support vast amounts of RAM. You'll want the ability to go to upgrade to at least 16GB, even if you start out with substantially less.

Lastly, an add-in video card will pretty much be required. First, you can use multiple screens, a huge time saver. Second, the onboard video will want to use a sizeable chunk of your RAM in order to get passable performance. Third, if you end up doing a substantial amount of VFX/3D work, you'll get orders of magnitude better performance with some software. In this latter case, look for a recent NVidia chipset, something that says CUDA on the box: https://developer.nvidia.com/cuda-gpus

You can usually save a sizeable chunk of cash by purchasing the parts and building your own (or paying a buddy with a case of beer to build it for you). I can and do usually build a spanking box with the same or better specs than say a nice Dell workstation for 1/3 to 1/2 the price tag. Note that this does not include operating system or warranty.

(edit: in other words, you need to start learning this shit)

[battlefields]

It seems destiny is in my favour. A mate from training (who posts here), reckons he can guide me through a build and for a fraction of the cost. Fuck me, if anyone ever told me I would be even considering building a computer I'd have slapped them and called the funny farm to ask if they were missing a patient.

[submessenger]

He can probably get you up and running for under US$500, on a box that will be upgrade-able as your business grows. Good luck!

[CrackFox]

I should have asked, what do you want to edit video for? What are your goals in the short, medium and long term. If you're just planning to cut together and title some stuff for YouTube, you won't need much. If you want to put together full movies, that's very different.

[battlefields]

I should have asked, what do you want to edit video for? What are your goals in the short, medium and long term. If you're just planning to cut together and title some stuff for YouTube, you won't need much. If you want to put together full movies, that's very different.

Thanks for asking, it's a good question. I've been a fan of film for as long as I can remember. Not a day goes by without having a "that would be a really cool scene" moment, either I see it with my physical eyes, or imagine it with my mind's eye. I've written several scripts for short films that I've always just put off due to other endeavours, but it has always been a huge interest. Eventually I would also like to make some of my short stories into scripts for film.

My uncle is a world class photographer (retired), I learnt a lot through him (lighting, angles, etc) when I was younger, but photography only interested me so far. Yes, a picture can say a thousand words, but a film can write a book (and vice versa).

In the past year I have taken hundreds of hours of footage of me rolling, classes being taught and techniques being explained. Eventually I want to make a film documentary of my own progress since I arrived in Brisbane, specifically in BJJ. It's a personal project, likely taking me through to black belt. Whether I use it in the future for personal use, or as a showcase for students to show them that "hey I sucked once, too", I don't mind, I just keep taking the footage. Long term, my goals are to make documentaries and films.

Medium term, my goal is to be at the social media/ online marketing forefront. In order to do this I have developed a network of people that support various avenues that are a little foreign to me. I want to hone my skills in digital media, specifically around film. Also, enter short film contests, written and directed by battlefields, has a nice ring to it, don't you think?

Short term goals include expanding internet reach of my personal brand through use of social media and online marketing, specifically developing an online presence through filming my awesome personality. Don't laugh, it fits in perfectly with the journalist shit I have been aiming for.

Also, filming and editing footage for companies on a budget. I already have a client, possibly two. That's why I need the computer this is no longer hobby time, this is something I have been gearing toward for a while. These clients' requirements are not tech intensive, they're basic and a good beginning, good for the resume as the company is a start up but in a massive industry. I get my name on it, which gets my name around, which means more work. Basically it is just filming salespeople doing their presentations on various products, so 2-3 minute segments where a few text overlays and wipes will suffice. There is over 50 of these films to be made. As I said, nothing tech heavy, easy to start with and from what I understand it is a start up business that is guaranteed growth, and the guy I'm working with is someone from the gym who wants this to be mutually beneficial for both of us down the track.

Tl;DR?
Long term- Docos, films.
Medium term- Online marketing company based around visual digital media.
Short term- oh god oh god, I need a computer for video editing quick because I have a couple of clients with basic filming requirements and my hobby is now a viable career.

[Mister]

That thread title...

Dexter's Laboratory?

[battlefields]

No, that's a battlefields original.

[CrackFox]

You ever watched Nathan Barley?

Anyway, it sounds like you want to do some youtubes right now. You won't need much kit straight away, and remember that as soon as you buy hardware it starts to get old and lose value at a very fast rate. Do not buy anything you do not need - computer resources are not really an investment, they are almost a recurring cost.

Earlier you said that you didn't want to discuss software, but really that is doing things arse about front. Decide on the software you are going to use, get something slightly better than the minimum needed to run that. Do not bother getting something that is overpowered.

[battlefields]

No, I haven't seen Nathan Barley. Worth googling? What is the gist?

As I mentioned, I will be building a computer with the help of a friend. I will buy something powerful enough to get the job done, no more. I totally get your asset/liability in relation to computers, considering the rapid rate of development.

Regarding the software, I have done extensive research and discussed with several qualified people the various softwares to use, which is why I don't need to discuss them now. Basically I already have a software package on my current computer and it did not run the software efficiently. Thus, new hardware is required. Hence the thread.

[W. Rabbit]

Two words:

Dell Outlet.

[judokan4life]

Dell is good, but I think that you will get more for your money with HP.
If you cannot max out the entire configuration, then you need to be particularly sure that you get the maximum specs for the video card, HDD with 7200 rpm speed (instead of 5400 rpm, which is common in notebooks to keep noise, power, and heat to a minimum), and RAM. Although you will probably be using external HDDs, some of the latest notebooks come with TWO HDDs.

[judokan4life]

I was going to post a link to the 2-HDD HP notebook, but I was blocked because I was a "Noob"....
Anyway, do a search for "HP dv7 envy", and it should pop up there.

[judokan4life]

Speaking of the DIY route, you can do a little bit of both by buying a minimum configuration and switching out components yourself -- for example, adding the 2nd hard drive yourself to the HP notebook above, adding RAM yourself, and so on. Price both yourself and see which is better, but I would not recommend it if you have not built a computer yourself. Notebooks can be much more difficult to build than desktops!

Another advantage of buying from a manufacturer rather than building it yourself is that there are less device driver conflicts since all those kinks are already worked out.

Good luck!