Might build a computer

[Ruffy]

Attempting to edit/convert any video in full HD with my Phenom II 945-based system has been the best experience. Quad-core with no hyperthreading is the biggest problem. The AM3 socket makes it impossible to upgrade to anything that would be worthwhile. This is merely a hobby and will never make any money off of the dumb videos I make for my own amusement.

So, this is what I have theoretically come up with if I decide to build...

Intel i7-4930k Ivy Bridge-E 3.4Ghz
Noctua DH-D14 Heatsink
Asus P9X79 LE motherboard
32GB (4x8) 1866 DDR3 RAM (G.Skill Ares)
ATI FirePro V5800 1GB 128bit GDDR5
Samsung 840 Pro 128GB SSD
WD Black 2TB 7200RPM 64MB Cache HDD
Pioneer Blu-ray Burner
Probably a 600W power supply

I tried to keep it under $1k and then under $2k since I got a little carried away. On the other hand, the 4960k doesn't test much better for the editing software I use (PowerDirector 12) and costs close to twice as much. The Haswell chips did not do as well in the benchmarking test I found for the software. The software also utilizes OpenCL and recommends 1GB of VRAM.

If I were to stick with the LGA 2011 (Ivy Bridge-E), I'll probably end up in the same situation I'm in now with an obsolete socket and no options to upgrade. A six-core processor shouldn't be outdated until Haswell-E with 8 cores comes out in the Fall (and a cheaper 6-core). If I go with a Haswell chip (probably 4770K), it will be cheaper, possibly be a socket that has some life left in it and faster in some applications but the Haswell-E will be 2011-3 which isn't compatible with either current Haswell or Ivy Bridge-E sockets.

Decisions are a lot easier to make when you just go into a store and point at a computer that looks fast without doing any research. Maybe someone can edumacate or learn me some knowledge...or maybe I'll just wait until later this year when things are sure to change.

[Wathen1955]

Wow that is some rig your building. Make sure you get Windows 7 Professional since it supports 128 gigs of ram. The version below supports only 16.
* Starter: 8GB
* Home Basic: 8GB
* Home Premium: 16GB
* Professional: 192GB
* Enterprise: 192GB
* Ultimate: 192GB

[Ruffy]

What's too slow now? A 945 isn't a slouch in video encoding and unless you do this 24/7 you probably shouldn't spend $2k to get another 40-50% performance.

First - Who NEEDS to get faster anything? :rofl:

In all seriousness, the 945 is pretty slow for what I use it for. The closest processor to the 945 on the benchmark chart is the A8-3870K. Exporting a 60 second h.264 1080p video takes 194 seconds with that (3.23x length). The same video takes 75 seconds with the 4930K(1.25x length). That's 250% faster. Linky poo: Intel Core i7 4960X / 4930K / 4820K Ivy Bridge-E review: 22nm powerhouse - Benchmarks: Cyberlink PowerDirector | Hardware.Info United States (http://us.hardware.info/reviews/4761/13/intel-core-i7-4960x---4930k--4820k-ivy-bridge-e-review-22nm-powerhouse-benchmarks-cyberlink-powerdirector)

I suppose I could just upgrade the graphics card I have now (ATI HD5450) with the FirePro and see if that helps which will also require a power supply upgrade. RAM isn't an issue right now. I have 8GB and that isn't the bottleneck. I was only going to go with 32 because I got carried away.

[NeedSpeed]

Ruffy is serious about his porn.

[Ruffy]

Ruffy is serious about his porn.

I wish I was editing porn:yesnod:

[Ruffy]

If you want bang-for-buck an 8350 is no slouch either.

Do they have benchmarks for the GPU acceleration? That might be a better option overall and you'd just need a PSU and GPU.

No benchmarks for that particular software but OpenCL benchmarks show that the gpu makes a big difference in what I am doing. I also just figured out that the V4900 is very similar to the V5800 for about $100 less.

So I could do the V4900 and a psu for under $250 and see how that goes.

[SnikPlosskin]

I don't mean this in a "Mac vs PC" way, but why not just get an iMac? They rip through HD like a hot knife through butter.

[Ruffy]

The desktop cards (Radeon series) aren't artificially limited in terms of OpenCL performance as far as I know - might be worth looking into the differences since you can usually get a much faster card for the same dough a FirePro usually runs.

I'm looking in that direction, too. From what the internet tells me, the gaming cards are aren't OpenCL limited but they process information differently which helps game performance but leaves work performance lacking a bit. Specs at each price point should more than make up for any performance difference. Dollar for dollar, Radeon is probably the smarter option.

I don't mean this in a "Mac vs PC" way, but why not just get an iMac? They rip through HD like a hot knife through butter.

I have never used a Mac but I just went on Apple's website and priced an iMac as close to the equipment I was looking at above and it was 50% more with only a 4-core processor and without Final Cut Pro X (another $300) or blu-ray.

[SnikPlosskin]

I'm looking in that direction, too. From what the internet tells me, the gaming cards are aren't OpenCL limited but they process information differently which helps game performance but leaves work performance lacking a bit. Specs at each price point should more than make up for any performance difference. Dollar for dollar, Radeon is probably the smarter option.


I have never used a Mac but I just went on Apple's website and priced an iMac as close to the equipment I was looking at above and it was 50% more with only a 4-core processor and without Final Cut Pro X (another $300) or blu-ray.

What is your time worth? How much time will you spend spec-ing out, finding drivers, working out compatibility issues...etc. How many years will you get out of your DIY rig?

The iMac (or a MacPro) will just require plugging in. I run mine for 6+ years. Final Cut X is a very good program for $300 (Final Cut 7 is over $1200).

However, some people enjoy the process of engineering custom stuff. I guess I prefer to just get the work done with minimal dicking around.





There is a reason the video industry uses Macintosh... :yesnod:

[SnikPlosskin]

Probably an hour or two at most. :rofl:



I think you severely overestimate the complications of building a nice computer. You do it once, it works for years with minimal effort.

Please negro. Did you read his posts? Is your argument that it's the same as simply buying one made for hobbiest video?

Each part from a different vendor plus Windows = cluster****.

[Ruffy]

What helps make Apple products work is that everything is the same but that's also what I don't like about it. There isn't any flexibility. You pay a huge markup to buy something Apple built over what you could do yourself and you don't have a choice unless you build a Frankentosh.

I feel dirty upgrading the iMac from 8GB of RAM to 32GB for an extra $600. Retail prices for that is somewhere around $400 total.

Real quick numbers here...

-iMac: $3949
-Retail cost for cpu, memory, storage and graphics: ~$2470

I don't think the PSU, screen, mouse and keyboard are worth another $1500 The fact that it has a $1100 flash drive (the closest equivalent I could find), $650 graphics card that only costs that much because it is meant for a laptop and only a $320 cpu is a bit ridiculous. The RAM costs 25% more because it uses laptop 204 pin instead of desktop 240 pin.

If I build to the original specs I was looking at, it should last a decent length of time. At the end of the day, my time isn't worth the $1400 difference for the iMac or the $2-3k jump to the MacPro.

[Ruffy]

Please negro. Did you read his posts? Is your argument that it's the same as simply buying one made for hobbiest video?

Each part from a different vendor plus Windows = cluster****.

Its not the same and that was never the argument but computers are another hobby. So is saving some money.

My first post said that its a lot easier to just buy something off the shelf.

[Ruffy]

The only time I really ever had a problem with a Windows machine I built was when I left the tower in the trunk of my car for a week in 100°+ and the HDDs didn't like it.

[snide]

How's the build coming along? :bigears:

[Ruffy]

Well, I've switched gears a little. The Ivy Bridge-E doesn't have AVX2 and the Haswell chip does so now I'm scouting...

Intel i7-4770k
ASRock Z87 Extreme6 Mobo
Asus R9-270 Direct CU II OC
16GB (4x4) Kingston HyperX 1600
2 Samsung 840 Pro 128GB SSD


Still making decisions and playing around with configurations. I like one thing and then think about something else. Its cheaper to swap parts out before I buy which is something I don't usually do.