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  • Younggun

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    Looking at finally getting a “good” computer for photo and video editing and wanting it to handle whatever we throw at it.

    Specs That seem to cover the bases:

    Intel Core i7
    8gb ram (16 if I can work it in)
    500gb-1TB SSD
    Good graphics card (Nvidia 1070?) This one is a little complicated for me.


    I’ve seen some that show both SSD with additional HDDs. Not sure the purpose of two hard drives...

    I’d like a CD drive also, but they seem cheap enough now days not to be a big factor.

    Computer will be used to run Adobe Photoshop+peripheral programs as well as either Adobe Premiere or Vegas Pro. Also going to be stacking photos from the telescope. Usually involves 200-1000 low quality frames being aligned and merged to creat one detailed photo. Individual quality is low but a ton of processing goes in to comparing quality, aligning, etc. Will use Registax or Autostakkert.



    I’ve looked at some online options but curious what I could expect the cost to be if I were to build a desktop or possibly a laptop with similar specs. I don’t mind a desktop, but for imaging I really need a laptop next to the telescope for camera control. Could probably let the SSD slide and just go with a regular HDD to save some money if needed. Trying to keep it around $2K.


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    Younggun

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    Anybody?


    Also interested in any tips or changes I should consider.

    After further thought I’m not looking at desktops since work with the telescope will be a big part of its use this summer/fall.

    Also curious if the 2-in-1 style laptops are worth it. Don’t see much advantage for a touch screen for video editing but my wife does photo editing. I worry about durability though.


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    John Galt

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    That kind of editing will eat a lot of RAM. Go at least 16GB and consider 32GB if it is in the budget.
    NVIDIA 1070 is a nice gaming card but may be overkill for your needs unless you will be using GPU for processing (or playing The Witcher 3 between edits).
     

    FireInTheWire

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    I hooked the wife up with a Cyberpower and new 32" Samsung hi def.

    She loves it!!! She does photoshop almost everyday and it's been good for her.

    We bought a cheap laptop for the telescope work. I wouldn't wanna have to work on a laptop all the time.
    20200329_104023.jpg
     

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    Renegade

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    Spec out what you want, you will likely find it cheaper from places like MicroCenter.

    SSD + HD is basically your boot device is the smaller SSD, and your storage is on the bigger HD.

    Photo & HD editing is a memory hog, I run 32GB Memory/8TB HDD(4 free) with a 6 core I7. This is a 2 year old system.

    Lots of systems within those specs (you may have to add the HDD) under $2k at microcenter.com.
     

    sucker76

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    Consider the AMD Ryzen over the Intel processor. They beat the stuffing out of Intel. Building over buying can be cheaper if you do good at shopping around. One major advantage is you can have exactly the parts you want AND no bloatware from a manufacturer and or retailer.
     

    rotor

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    My grandson just got a Cyberpower, very nice but came with no manuals and one single sheet for instruction. No dvd. Took forever to have service department answer questions and never did get a case manual so you are on your own doing any work in the case. They also substitute stuff from what you order. Keyboard does all kinds of things but no manuals. Mouse no manuals. I am previous Cyberpower owner and they provided good manuals. No more.
    I just bought a Dell with 1 tb SSD and 2 tb hard drive. Manuals galore (pdf) and all the usual Dell repair stuff if you need. Blazingly fast. Dell provides updates like mad for drivers, etc. They also give a veteran discount. Very happy with my Dell. I7-9700, 3 ghz, 16gb ram. NVidea GeForce rtx 2060 with 6gb ram. Dell xps8930. Bought Dell monitor too. So far very happy
     

    Younggun

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    That kind of editing will eat a lot of RAM. Go at least 16GB and consider 32GB if it is in the budget.
    NVIDIA 1070 is a nice gaming card but may be overkill for your needs unless you will be using GPU for processing (or playing The Witcher 3 between edits).

    See, this is odd.

    I’ve read in a lot of places that gaming cards are often a little weak for video editing.

    I really have no idea what makes a good graphics card or why one would be better for a certain purpose.


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    Younggun

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    I hooked the wife up with a Cyberpower and new 32" Samsung hi def.

    She loves it!!! She does photoshop almost everyday and it's been good for her.

    We bought a cheap laptop for the telescope work. I wouldn't wanna have to work on a laptop all the time.
    View attachment 206930

    That might not be a bad solution. We are both so used to working on laptops that we see a desktop as “chained to the desk”. But also know it’s nice to have a larger monitor.

    Considered getting a good monitor and extra keyboard/mouse to run the laptop as a desktop when needed. Not sure if the cost of a desktop+cheap laptop will be cheaper than just buying a good laptop.


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    Younggun

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    Spec out what you want, you will likely find it cheaper from places like MicroCenter.

    SSD + HD is basically your boot device is the smaller SSD, and your storage is on the bigger HD.

    Photo & HD editing is a memory hog, I run 32GB Memory/8TB HDD(4 free) with a 6 core I7. This is a 2 year old system.

    Lots of systems within those specs (you may have to add the HDD) under $2k at microcenter.com.

    Thanks, I’ll check them out.


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    Younggun

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    Ok, so:

    I7 or Ryzen processor
    16GB ram+
    As much memory in the HD as possible

    Any recommendation for specific graphics card?


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    John Galt

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    See, this is odd.

    I’ve read in a lot of places that gaming cards are often a little weak for video editing.

    I really have no idea what makes a good graphics card or why one would be better for a certain purpose.


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    Are you using GPU (Graphical Processing Units) for processing? If not then any old graphics card will do since the CPU will be handling all of the heavy lifting. If you are using GPU then you will want a card with a lot more oomph than the 1070. Best bang for buck would probably be the NVIDIA RTX 2080. Probably more than double the price of a 1070 but 3 times the processing power.

    Keep in mind that the larger graphics card will likely require a larger power supply (think 700W instead of 550W) and lots of airflow for cooling inside the case.
     

    John Galt

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    Ok, so:

    I7 or Ryzen processor
    16GB ram+
    As much memory in the HD as possible

    Don't confuse storage capacity on the HDD (hard disk drive) for RAM memory. You will likely want plenty of storage space for all of the files and pieces you intend to edit but you will NEED RAM memory to load those files in to. Think of RAM as short term memory and HDD storage as long term.

    Long story short get as much RAM as you can.
     

    pronstar

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    Given the low cost of SSD these days, what’s the advantage of having both SSD and HDD on the same system?

    The only thing I can think of, is to backup the SSD to the HDD...


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    Younggun

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    Are you using GPU (Graphical Processing Units) for processing? If not then any old graphics card will do since the CPU will be handling all of the heavy lifting. If you are using GPU then you will want a card with a lot more oomph than the 1070. Best bang for buck would probably be the NVIDIA RTX 2080. Probably more than double the price of a 1070 but 3 times the processing power.

    Keep in mind that the larger graphics card will likely require a larger power supply (think 700W instead of 550W) and lots of airflow for cooling inside the case.

    I’d prefer the graphics card handle the graphics work. I’ve also read that some won’t show full color spectrums for raw data from the camera...but not sure if our DSLR reaches that level.

    Don't confuse storage capacity on the HDD (hard disk drive) for RAM memory. You will likely want plenty of storage space for all of the files and pieces you intend to edit but you will NEED RAM memory to load those files in to. Think of RAM as short term memory and HDD storage as long term.

    Long story short get as much RAM as you can.

    Yep, always think of ram as working memory. My wording was poor, I should have said “storage”.

    I’m not set on a massive hard drive. We will probably store most pics and vids on external drives when they aren’t actually being used or edited.



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    Renegade

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    Given the low cost of SSD these days, what’s the advantage of having both SSD and HDD on the same system?

    The only thing I can think of, is to backup the SSD to the HDD...


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    Big SSDs is either non-existent or too expensive.
     
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