Kusi 0 #1 June 30, 2009 Hi I work with Adobe Premiere Pro CS4. Until now I used CS4 with DV-Quality-camcorders. But now I have a sony cx100 with FullHD. That's the reason for change some hardware on my "old" computer (yes, isn't a mac). First question: - What's better: QuadCore or DualCore processor? I believe QuadCore, but why? Or is DualCore enough? (the price is much higher...) - What's your opinion about the RAM's? Are 3.5 GB enough for the first steps with FullHD and CS4? Because 32Bit OS (Operation System) don't accept more then 3.5 GB RAM. Later I will buy windows 7 (64Bit) and upgrade the RAM's to >6GB. - What's your experience with the graphic card. Does this card have a influence for video editing or only for games? - Is the access time of a harddisc (rotations per minute) important? I'm glad to read some smart answers And what's your hardware equipment? Especially computer users... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dragon2 0 #2 June 30, 2009 I have a quadcore 4gb DDR2 32bit and a core i7 6gb DDR3 64bit, the core i7 wins hands down. That's what you want. get a budget core i7 with 3 or 6 gb DDR3 RAM. DDR2 is old and DDR3 is cheaper too. Get 2 decent harddrives, one for the OS one for editing (can be an external one if you want, e-sata is good for that), I got medium performance graphics (say USD 100 cards) in both pcs, seems to be enough. But why do you want to edit in full hd? With the core i7 a 6-7 min tandemvid shot in HQ HD takes me 3 times as long to render & burn as a my own 9-10 min tandemvids shot in HQ SD. ciel bleu, Saskia Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bdazel 0 #3 June 30, 2009 Quadcore is better than dual core. Basically it can do twice the work because it has twice the processing power. Theoretically I guess this means you can render twice as fast on the quadcore as on the dual core. However, that doesn't mean a dualcore machine can't get the job done. More Ram is better. I've maxed out a 32bit system rendering HD footage. 3.5 gb may not be enough. Keep in mind that you need a 64 bit processor and board to run a 64 bit OS. If you don't care to watch your HD footage on your PC, or get a good preview or your edited footage, the video card doesn't matter too much (I think). However, this might make editing difficult. Once the footage is edited, the video card is negligible, as the processor is doing the work. I use both a quadcore (at the dz) and a Core i7 (at home) with loads of RAM. I use both Premiere and Vegas. The i7 is a much better machine, but it comes with a steeper price. My recommendation: I think you will spend as much money trying to update an old computer (especially if it is a single core) as you will buying a low-end quad core. I recently purchased a decent 64bit quadcore machine from Gateway for $509. There are at least 2 reasons why I agree with your desire to shoot HD footage (if you doing skydiving student videos, that is): 1. You get a higher quality SD product from HD footage. 2. You get the chance to upsell HD product to the student. Hope this helps. Good luck! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mnskydiver688 0 #4 July 1, 2009 I am not sure where the software support is, but I would get a decent video card too. Therefore when software begins utilizing OpenCL, you will be a leg up. OpenCL uses the processors in your video card to help your main processors. Also, one thing to consider is, sometimes a faster dual core is better than a slower quad core. That goes for 8 core vs. Quad Core. As far as hard drives, get at least a 7200 rpm external preferably using e-sata. Firewire will work, but e-sata is your best bet.Sky Canyon Wingsuiters Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dragon2 0 #5 July 2, 2009 Quotesometimes a faster dual core is better than a slower quad core True, however OP specified Premiere Pro CS4 which'll run faster on quadcore/i7 as it makes use of all 4 cores. ciel bleu, Saskia Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DSE 3 #6 July 2, 2009 QuoteQuotesometimes a faster dual core is better than a slower quad core True, however OP specified Premiere Pro CS4 which'll run faster on quadcore/i7 as it makes use of all 4 cores. Very good point, Saskia. Additionally, I wouldn't recommend bothering with a high end video card at all. At some point (been being promised for nearly a decade now) NLE's will start to make serious use of OGL and other accelerated technologies. It hasn't really happened, and when it does, the likelihood of a card being compatible is somewhat slim. Get a cheap card and use it until technology/updates for CS4 or whatever software is released; see what the manufacturer recommends. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The111 0 #7 July 3, 2009 QuoteQuotesometimes a faster dual core is better than a slower quad core True, however OP specified Premiere Pro CS4 which'll run faster on quadcore/i7 as it makes use of all 4 cores. That's nice... I was rendering an HD video last night on my i7 using x264 encoder, and it would only use one of the 8 threads on my CPU. Nice thing was I was able to render ANOTHER video with Vegas at the same time, and still have most of my system free...www.WingsuitPhotos.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mnskydiver688 0 #8 July 6, 2009 Snow Leopard touts the use of OpenCL. Another thing to consider is the FSB, (front side bus). Something has to tell all those cores what to do.Sky Canyon Wingsuiters Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
