Opening Pandora's box (in a sense...)

[Stu Scully]

Well, I am in a position to replace ny archaic computer. As a background, I currently shoot mostly motorsports and event photography. But around Christmas I am trying to put myself in a position to buy a 7D to get a taste of HD video. Actually I'm debating that or a 5D mkii and also still comtemplating just getting a nice high end camcorder (although the thought of carrying around so much equipment isn't appetizing but I have a couple months before I pull the trigger on that aspect).

But the aspect I am ready to tackle is a computer. The bulk of my work will be photos and video processing. I want to get a computer that I don't have to worry about upgrading for 3-5 years. I have been leaning toward a Mac Pro because it seems to be best suited for what I would be doing. It would be overkill for photo processing and would be on the money for video work. But it's a lot of mula. I could pull it off but I would be eating ramen for a while.

My over thought is to build a kick-ass PC. I'd do a ground-up build because I want to use my existing computer for another pet project. Where I get lost is what aspects of a PC computer build would be critical for video processing work? I have done mock PC builds that have me around $2K but I don't know if I have really tackled the key parts that I would need for the work I'd need to do.

I know I have opened a large door in my request, so to make things a little more concise I guess my main question is can you build a PC that performs as well as a Mac Pro (for video editing and long-term usefulness) for substantially cheaper? And to follow that up, if you can, what key areas should I be spending my money on?

I'll start another thread regarding some of the other items I have mentioned so as to not have too many topics being tossed around here. Thanks in advance for your help.

[MaxxuM]

Yes, a PC will be every bit as powerful and more so if you got the money to really put in the top of the line equipment. However, I do video (SD mostly for TV) for work and the one biggest thing is, what do YOU want to use. If you have no clue then, well, no one will be able to help you.

If you want Final Cut Studio, then you have to go Mac. If you want Adobe products, then you have a choice of Mac or PC. If you want to go pro then you're going to need Adobe Premiere, After Effects and probably a couple of third party software packs to deal with color and animations (plugins likely). Over all, it's more expensive to go with Adobe, which can make up the cost of buying a Mac pro. Also, getting a Mac would mean proprietary software and hardware - basically, you would be dealing with one company vs dealing with Adobe, the PC maker and plugin companies.

Also, what many don't consider is chipset's. If you build your own system you'll have to do a little studying on which motherboards and video cards videographers recommend. Buying a off the shelf system from Dell and HP is not recommended for professional video. PC makers have workstations that are built more for professional use than consumer products.

You're first step should be, "What platform offers me what I like."

If anyone tries to convince you you SHOULD go with a PC or a Mac is just going to be giving you a sales pitch.

[basroil]

Get a core i7 870 based system ( if you can build it yourself, even better) with a 6-10 sata port motherboard and a large case. You will be able to keep adding disks without needing to replace or install anything else. why 870? because a lot of video editing is split between multi-threaded and single threaded apps, and for single threads, 870 will be faster than a 950, and not that much slower for multithreaded apps. If you want to get fancy, you can even go with a two way xeon workstation and you'll have 100% of the mac pro parts (except for custom RAM raiser and case). i7 system will be 60% the cost for 110% the performance, xeon system will be 90% the cost for 100% performace in two way systems

[Moppie]

MaxxuM speaks wisely here, Video Editing, at a proffesional level has quite unique and specific demands.

If your really serious about it, then it might be worth having a look at a dedicated video site, and seeing what they have to say about building a system.

If your only going to use consumer level software, then a Core i7 based system with lots of RAM and lots of HDD's will be perfect.

[Village_Idiot]

That's why I bought my first Mac. I was doing recording in our studio and I wanted Logic, which is Apple's project. It may seem backwards to have software dictate your hardware choice when looking at computers, but Final Cut or Adobe, and then go from there.

Of course, the PC route will be cheaper for the comparable performance, but that's something you have to decide on.

[Stu Scully]

I have only dabbled in looking at FCP and Adobe but the points you bring up about the software driving the harware choices are true. I will dig deeper into them. Thanks for the help so far.

[basroil]

Don't forget vegas and avid.

[BeritOlam]

The i7's are definitely the way to go if you are thinking of building a screaming system yourself....and (all things considered) should definitely still be kickin' in 3+ years.

You could also buy a pre-built i7 system from HP/Dell that start at around $1000, if you don't want to mess with building the thing yourself. Most of those come with pretty good systems in tact, and you could always upgrade the video card/hard drives later.

Get a Mac Pro only if you need the portability aspect. Otherwise you can get a higher power system going with a PC desktop. And that's coming from a big Mac guy!!! ;) ;)

If you want to go the build-it-yourself (PC) route but don't know what to buy, one thing you could do is give us a budget....and I'm sure these guys would put a system together for you based on price and general needs.

[basroil]

Get a Mac Pro only if you need the portability aspect. Otherwise you can get a higher power system going with a PC desktop. And that's coming from a big Mac guy!!! ;) ;)

Not sure I get you there... Mac Pros are not portable at all, at least not compared to many i7 systems. Dell's i7 920 systems are just over half the weight and half the volume of a mac pro, and still support four drives. Yes, it has handles on the case, but that's not the primary aspect of portability for most people.

[BeritOlam]

Woops....I realize the original OP said Mac Pro. Somehow I read it as Macbook Pro. Mea culpa.